Cruise 2009

Cruising w/ Friends is always a Great Way to Cruise.

Kobuk Valley National Park

There are no roads to this magnificent 1.7 million-acre park in north central Alaska, that's about as remote as you can get, pristine, and solitary. You'll have to fly to Kotzbue and go by air taxi into the park. Some 500,000 caribou cross in spring and fall on their way between feeding grounds. At Onion Portage, you can see archaeological evidence of prehistoric tribes who hunted the caribou. The park is home to grizzly bears, mink and musk ox, and the Kobuk River is a fisherman's paradise. Forty miles above the arctic circle, sand dunes rise as high as 100 feet, and reflected light brings summer temperatures to 100 degrees.

Dry Tortugas National Park

Discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513, these 7 islands 70 miles west of Key West in Florida are reachable only by boat or seaplane, and they're not kidding about dry—you must bring your own water. The park contains rambling 19th century Fort Jefferson, and is a feast for birders (sooty terns, brown noodies, cormorants and pelicans) but their primary attraction is the surrounding marine life, perfect for fishing, scuba diving to wrecks and snorkeling on the coral reef. There's camping, but no lodging.

Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park Not as well known as South Dakota's other parks (like Rushmore or Badlands), and with fewer visitors, Wind Cave is in the Black Hills, and includes 28,295 acres of prairie land—along with the 4th longest cave in the world. Guided tours of the cave range from 45 minutes to four hours, including a visit by candlelight or a wild cave tour, which involves some crawling. The prairies are great for birders, and harbor bison, pronghorn and elk.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

A hundred ten miles east of El Paso in west Texas, this spectacular park is so far off the beaten path, it's little known and lightly visited. The dramatic mountains are the remains of fossilized reef that formed 250 million years ago, when the area was covered by ocean. Rich coniferous forests on the mountainsides descend to harsh desert cacti. Coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, mule deer and 300 bird species can be seen from 80 miles of trail, along with three species of horned lizards.