Arkansas!

Our next state is Arkansas...

I definitely recommend someone that is going to Arkansas to visit Little Rock at least for a day or two, Little Rock has many museums and historical attractions available. If you do decide to go to Little Rock i recommend visiting the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

We will start Arkansas by going to the Ouachita Mountains!

Hot Springs National Park

This hot springs in the Ouachita Mountains have been a very popular tourist destination. Indians in the past believed they had healing powers. The park has old bathhouses that for the public use and an observation tower where people can go up to check the visual.

Even though I'm not a big fan of touristy points like this, I found interesting the spiritual value given to these hot springs by the people that live there.

Buffalo National River

The Buffalo National River is a narrow unpolluted river. The area close to the river is protected and therefore untouched by men, so there is a very rich variety of wildlife around. Hikers and horseback riders can go through those areas by taking trails. 

Mammoth Spring State Park

Located inside the town of Mammoth Springs (a cute little town that's worth spending some time around) the Mammoth Spring State Park has one of the largest springs in the US, where the water flow is about 9 million gallons of water per hour. Also in the park, there is a restored old train depot to check out.

Mount Magazine State Park

This Park is amazing for who is into adventure!

It is a destination for rock climbers, hikers, bikers and ATV riders.

So if you are in the mood for doing something a little bit more adventurous Mount Magazine is the perfect destination.

Relaxing in Missouri

The state I will talk about in this post will be Missouri!!!

After talking so much about nature in my last post I decided to take an urban approach to Missouri.
As always it is good for travelers to spend some time in the city to stock up, rest and socialize.

I will start by talking about St. Louis, the biggest city in Missouri.

St. Louis at night

St. Louis Gateway Arch

The big arch in the picture above is the St. Louis Gateway Arch, a beautiful iconic structure that represents the "Gate to the West. The arch is 192 meters high. Visitors can take an elevator up to a platform 625 feet above the ground, and from there they are able to have an amazing view of the whole city.

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park

Located just below the Gateway Arch, this park is very colorful and filled with nature and it is definitely worth seeing if you are around.

Old Courthouse

The Old Courthouse is a building from 1864, it held many important trials in the past, but now it is a museum that showcases historical exhibits.

Branson

Leaving st louis and heading southwest you will find a small town with a population of around ten thousand people, this little town is called Branson and it is considered to be the "live entertainment capital of the world". You will find live music almost anywhere on the streets along with hand-made souvenir stores. Bransons is also a great stop for travelers to rest and explore the nature of missouri, with lots of tours and routes leaving from there. Branson is very close to the border that we will cross to get onto our next state, Arkansas!

Camping in kentucky

Now the next place I am going to talk about is the homeland of KFC! Kentucky State!

I've been making a mix in between traveling in the wild and getting to know some cities,

but in kentucky I'm going to change the rhythm for a bit. This state is going to be solely nature! So prepare your camping gear, because you will need it here.

I am going to cite the 3 major sights that someone should see in Kentucky:

Cumberland Gap National Park

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a gap in between the mountains of Cumberland, it also was a well known indian trade route.

The sighting over there is amazing, I would recommend spending some time in there, at least 4-5 days so you can hike around and see the mountains and the Gap. A popular hiking route over there is the trail to Hensley Settlement (an old preserved town).

The park also offers miles and miles of underground caves, so if you're into cave exploring I would say you would be amazed! But be careful, if you don't have experience with caves you should hire their guided service tours.

Daniel Boone National Forest

Also located near the Cumberland Mountains, the Daniel Boone National Forest offers a great view of the rugged terrain of the west appalachian mountains and it also is a great place to hike, camp, rock climb, boat, hunt, fish, ride and target shoot. There also is aNatural Bridge formation measuring 65 ft high and 75 ft wide that is definitely worth seeing. I would recommend spending 3-4 days here to take advantage of the recreational activities offered. Also it has good camping spots to spend the night.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Now to the west of Kentucky you can find one of the world's largest cave systems, with more than 400 miles of passages discovered so far. This park is really AMAZING! but to experience it you have to take the guided tour and even having a guide with you, you'll need some experience going through caves. So if you can prepare beforehand, you definitely won't regret it!

If you do not enjoy mountain hiking or cave exploring, then i do not recommending going to Kentucky, because besides that there isn't much to do over there. 

Starting at the Top

Hello everyone, my name is Julio, I am a marketing student, musician and an ocasional backpacker, so I am making this blog a blog about traveling across the United States.

The first destination in the states I am going to talk about is New York.


But not New York City as you are imagining right now...

New York state!

New york has humongous sources of nature to explore! And as a backpacker it is your duty to get to know more than New York city!

The first location I would recommend to a traveler, specially if he is coming from Canada, would be
Letchworth State Park in Greater Niagra.

Letchworkth state park has 14,350 acres with amazing sightings of canyons and waterfalls. Letchworkth state park was considered to be the "Grand Canyon of the east".

The state park has numerous recreational activities and accommodations, and as it is close to Niagara and Buffalo it shouldn't be hard for a backpacker to find a hostel to sleep in or buses to travel there.


Now the second location I would suggest to a traveler in New York would be the:

1000 Islands-Seaway

The 1000 Islands-Seaway is a beautiful formation of almost two thousand islands, with many types of sea and land attractions. This place has an amazing natural landscape and it is one of the best spots to enjoy the summer in New York.