Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1096066
22 | SPRING 2019 safe, magnifi cent spot on the Alaska Peninsula, where bears are said to outnumber people. Observing the sockeye salmon lunch buffet from a wildlife viewing platform on Katmai National Park's Brooks River will erase any doubt about who's running the show here. Home to more than 2,000 brown bears (which includes the grizzly subspecies), the park offers several fl y- or boat-in locations for prime bear viewing, including its best-known ursine congress at Brooks Camp. nps.gov/katm MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK KENTUCKY: Go underground! South Central Kentucky is cave country, and Mammoth is the mothership. More than 400 miles (and counting) of mapped and explored subterranean passageways here comprise the longest known cave on the planet — and one of the most well developed "show" caves (open to the public) anywhere. Catering to all budding speleologists and leery claustrophobes, the park's range of guided I t's hard to cherry-pick a half dozen standout park adventures from a grid comprising 418 locations covering more than 84 million acres in all 50 states. The following six peak park experiences are here to be cherished, preserved and seen (if not believed) with your own eyes. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ARIZONA: Hoof into the king of all fi ssures! Not that we would ever suggest you shrink from the fi ne challenge of walking that vertical mile to the bottom of the world's most famous chasm — the Grand Canyon — and then all the way up again. Just know that the 600,000-plus folks over the last 130 years who have opted to go on muleback have had very few regrets about saddling up with the fi nest resident hiking partner on four legs. Reserve at least a year in advance with park concessionaire Xanterra to book an Overnight Ride from the park's South Rim headquarters to historic Phantom Ranch on the canyon fl oor. For quieter North Rim mule trips, contact Canyon Trail Rides. nps.gov/grca KATMAI NATIONAL PARK ALASKA: Gape at grizzlies! Playful cubs. Nurturing moms. Fish-feasting dads. Observing giant grizzly bears doing their thing right before your wide eyes and telephoto lenses is a supersized thrill best done from a A R I Z O N A