Guided Tours

There is no age restrictions on particpating in this program

Graphic of a computer on a desk with Parked at Home text

Parked at Home

These programs are held virtually in partnership with the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. All programs are held on Zoom. Please register for link.

<h3 paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{54}" paraid="912335319">Explore America's national parks from the comfort of home!  </h3> <p paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{54}" paraid="912335319"> <br /> Every park has a story. During this virtual series, we’ll connect with people from across the country to talk about special places and complex stories at National Park Service sites. Join us to learn more about a place that might be close to home, or in a destination you dream of visiting. Each hour-long program includes a presentation and opportunities for questions and answers.  </p> <p paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{72}" paraid="96807779">All Parked at Home programs are free and will be hosted on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM (eastern) in March and April.  </p> <p paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{90}" paraid="1446298403">Please register to receive a link for access: <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlcu6qrj4qGtXu0G-uxX6yW6CJAHAtFpMt#/registration">Meeting Registration - Zoom</a><br />  </p> <p paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{100}" paraid="885539424"><br /> Thank you to our partner, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, for supporting this program.    <br />  </p> <hr /> <h4 paraeid="{df78eee7-5c60-4ab7-926a-0d24961af962}{154}" paraid="1127511150">March 7, 2024 - First State National Historical Park</h4> <p paraeid="{7c6225e7-9d79-4fa1-a49c-07fbf6c05e4e}{62}" paraid="36843655">Some national parks have just one entry and exit point. Others are spread out across entire communities and even cross state lines.</p> <p paraeid="{7c6225e7-9d79-4fa1-a49c-07fbf6c05e4e}{76}" paraid="1830873618">This talk will bring staff together from two historical parks with unique boundaries: First State National Historical Park and Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. First State is made up of six sites located in Delaware, the First State to ratify the Constitution. Blackstone River Valley NHP, a bi-state unit of the National Park Service, is also made up of six separate historic areas. Rangers will discuss some common themes across the parks, with a focus on the groups of movers and shakers who made the country’s First State and birthplace of industry into unique corridors of innovation.</p> <h4 paraeid="{8e2db584-7f35-4bc0-95ca-3b4c9ef500c3}{54}" paraid="1439216474">March 14, 2024 - Everglades National Park</h4> <p paraeid="{7c6225e7-9d79-4fa1-a49c-07fbf6c05e4e}{166}" paraid="1631546990">Close to 7% of the United States is made of water.</p> <p paraeid="{7c6225e7-9d79-4fa1-a49c-07fbf6c05e4e}{178}" paraid="288710780">During this program, rangers from two National Park Service sites will discuss how local waterways have indelibly shaped their local landscapes in very different ways. The Blackstone River Valley is known for its use of great waterpower, while the Everglades is home to a complex ecosystem of slow moving, flooded grasslands.</p> <p paraeid="{7c6225e7-9d79-4fa1-a49c-07fbf6c05e4e}{220}" paraid="462323462">Learn more about these distinctive bodies of water and the people who have called these places a home.</p> <h4>March 21, 2024 - Amistad National Recreation Area</h4> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c0373ac0-8a6d-4a99-b469-d254a6b86e8b}{11}" paraid="24238256" xml:lang="EN-US">How do people confront challenges with the natural world?</p> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{3f9f90aa-e4b8-4387-b30c-fbaafbd5b053}{114}" paraid="805949854" xml:lang="EN-US">In the 1800s, enterprising mill owners wanted a faster way to move their goods in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Their answer was the construction of a canal that stretched over 40 miles, from Providence to Worcester. Over a century later, people in Texas living near the Rio Grande had a very different challenge with water. To combat periods of droughts and flooding, they built the Amistad Dam. This talk will investigate two very different engineering challenges, from the Blackstone Canal to the creation of a massive reservoir and the making of Amistad National Recreation Area. Discover how these areas—both rich in history and aquatic recreation—have been transformed by feats of engineering.</p> <h4>March 28, 2024 - Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve</h4> <p paraeid="{bd85aee9-7647-4efb-a3bb-2188f34a3a8b}{87}" paraid="1040480215">Nearly 5,000 miles separate the Blackstone Valley from the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska.</p> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{43eeecf3-4dbc-4d69-935f-db76b98708cc}{115}" paraid="497358818" xml:lang="EN-US">On one side of the continent, many people experience some of the worst light pollution on the planet. Far away in Alaska, people come from all over the world to see the northern lights during dark and long evenings.</p> <p paraeid="{bd85aee9-7647-4efb-a3bb-2188f34a3a8b}{105}" paraid="1684665889">While the Blackstone River Valley is best known for the ways that people have manipulated the landscape for industry, the waterways in Gates of the Arctic have seen far less interference from human beings. During this talk, rangers will discuss the differences between these landscapes, with a focus an under-appreciated resource: the night sky.</p> <h4 paraeid="{8e2db584-7f35-4bc0-95ca-3b4c9ef500c3}{248}" paraid="1039740562">April 4, 2024 - Thomas Edison National Historical Park</h4> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{af6b8f57-64e1-43f4-bc11-b198463b2633}{132}" paraid="1163378963" xml:lang="EN-US">Inspiration can strike any time—and anywhere. Discover how national parks share stories about creativity, hard work, and innovation across the United States.</p> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{af6b8f57-64e1-43f4-bc11-b198463b2633}{142}" paraid="1965945557" xml:lang="EN-US">In the 1700s, blacksmiths and carpenters in the Blackstone River Valley created the parts and machines that launched the Industrial Revolution in America.</p> <p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{af6b8f57-64e1-43f4-bc11-b198463b2633}{233}" paraid="1091247760" xml:lang="EN-US">A century later, in West Orange, New Jersey, Thomas Edison continued this legacy of invention in his home and laboratory. This talk will explore some of the lesser-known figures in the history of technology as well as the famous Wizard of Menlo Park.</p> <h4>April 11, 2024 - Saugus Ironworks National Historic Site</h4> <p paraeid="{46f495be-86aa-4f13-9617-8916a8af9a3a}{16}" paraid="1399211367">Have you ever been told to strike while the iron is hot?</p> <p paraeid="{46f495be-86aa-4f13-9617-8916a8af9a3a}{22}" paraid="982457938">The building blocks for America’s age of industry were made in workshops and forges along powerful waterways. During this talk, rangers will discuss the development of Saugus Iron Works, the first sustained, integrated iron works in British Colonial America, and the development of Slater Mill, the first successful cotton spinning mill operation in the United States. Learn about the social and economic connections between these two sites and how to best plan your visit for spring or summer.</p> <h4 paraeid="{84db64c8-a615-4718-bff6-842def50d3b8}{121}" paraid="1089917479"> </h4>

Please click here to register for this program. A link will be sent to your email.

Programs are held on Thursday in March and April. 

Explore America's national parks from the comfort of home! Every park has a story. During this virtual series, we’ll connect with people from across the country to talk about special places and complex stories at National Park Service sites. Join us to learn more about a place that might be close to home, or in a destination you dream of visiting. Each hour-long program includes a presentation and opportunities for questions and answers.

Programs are hosted at 7:00 PM Eastern Time

African American Heritage

Arts

Asian American Heritage

Commerce

Trade

Dams

Engineering

Enslavement

Farming and  Agriculture

Hispanic American Heritage

Immigration

Industry

Factories

Mills

Mining

LGBTQ American Heritage

Laborer and Worker

Labor Movement

Migrant Workers

Latino American Heritage

Maritime

Military

Monuments and Memorials

Native American Heritage

Pacific Islander Heritage

Reconstruction

Religion and Spirituality

River and Riparian

Science, Technology and Innovation

Social Movements

Urban America

World War II

Westward Expansion

The Gold Rush

Women's History

Backcountry Hiking

A park ranger backpacking in the mountain wilderness of Gates of the Arctic

Backpack the Brooks Range Wilderness

Traveling through the park on foot affords opportunities of exploration and discovery. Mountain ridges and passes reveal splendid vistas and can take you to the most remote and least traveled areas of the entire National Parks system. <h4><a href="https://www.nps.gov/gaar/planyourvisit/backpackingandhiking.htm">Learn more about wilderness backpacking in Gates of the Arctic</a></h4>

Traveling through the park on foot affords opportunities of exploration and discovery. Mountain ridges and passes reveal splendid vistas and can take you to the most remote and least traveled areas of the entire National Parks system.

Backpack the Brooks Range's Arctic Wilderness

Arctic

Tundra

Photography

Explorers and Expeditions

Geology

Mountains

Natural Sounds

Rock Landscapes and Features

Scenic Views

Watersheds

Wilderness

Canoe or Kayak Camping

Fall colors ablaze around the Noatak River

Float a Wild and Scenic River

<p>From wide glacial valleys to sweeping vistas in the headwaters, to rolling tundra, the wild rivers of Gates of the Arctic can take you on an adventure you’ll never forget. Rivers have been byways for wildlife and humans for centuries. They are the veins and arteries through the heart of the Gates of the Arctic wilderness. Glaciers sculpted large U-shaped valleys surrounded by serrated ridges. In other valleys, the rivers have carved steep V-shaped canyons. These rivers support the frantic summer explosion of life. Travelers here have the opportunity to be a part of nature, and to experience the solitude and isolation of wilderness.</p> <p>For ease of air transportation, most river travel is done with rafts, inflatable canoes, packrafts, or other collapsible boats. Most charter operators will not haul rigid canoes. If you are going to rent watercraft from a local vendor, be sure to make arrangements with them before you arrive, as supplies and equipment are often limited.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/gaar/learn/nature/wildandscenicrivers.htm">Learn more about Floating the Wild & Scenic Rivers of Gates of the Arctic</a></p>

From wide glacial valleys to sweeping vistas in the headwaters, to rolling tundra, the wild rivers of Gates of the Arctic can take you on an adventure you’ll never forget. Rivers have been byways for wildlife and humans for centuries. They are the veins and arteries through the heart of the Gates of the Arctic wilderness.

Float a Wild & Scenic River

Night Sky

Aurora Borealis

Water Trails

Headwaters

This vast landscape does not contain any roads or trails. Visitors discover intact ecosystems where people have lived with the land for over ten thousand years. Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails, endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Virtually unchanged, except by the forces of nature.