The Well Worn Shoes

Wanderlust Welcome

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Disclaimer
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • National Parks
    • Acadia
    • Yellowstone
    • Great Smoky Mountains
    • Grand Canyon
    • Utah National Parks
    • Badlands
  • Dog Friendly
  • Road Trips
    • One Day In Guides
    • Road Trip Itineraries
  • Destinations
    • United States
      • New England
      • Southwest
      • South
      • Mountain West
      • Midwest & Great Lakes
      • Mid-Atlantic
    • Canada
  • Gear
  • Shop
Visiting Mount Rushmore in 2026: An Honest Guide

June 1, 2021

Visiting Mount Rushmore in 2026: An Honest Guide

11 Dog Friendly Adventures At Shenandoah

May 29, 2021

11 Dog Friendly Adventures At Shenandoah

Roaring Forks: 11 Reasons To Visit

May 11, 2021

Roaring Forks: 11 Reasons To Visit

The 12 Best Lobster Rolls In Maine

May 8, 2021

The 12 Best Lobster Rolls In Maine

Best Maine lobster rolls guide - McLoon's Lobster Shack in Spruce Head, Maine, with its iconic red waterfront building, hand-painted lobster sign, Adirondack chairs, and working lobster boats moored in the harbor. McLoon's Lobster Shack is one of the most scenic and beloved lobster pounds on the mid-coast Maine shore, offering fresh steamed lobster and lobster rolls with unbeatable waterfront views. A top destination for anyone exploring the Maine coast between Rockland and Bar Harbor.
Dog Friendly Yellowstone National Park – Bringing Your Dog To Yellowstone

May 5, 2021

Dog Friendly Yellowstone National Park – Bringing Your Dog To Yellowstone

Rocky Mountain National Park Bucket List

May 1, 2021

Rocky Mountain National Park Bucket List

12 Reasons You Need To Visit Fundy National Park

April 24, 2021

12 Reasons You Need To Visit Fundy National Park

Plan Your First Visit To Yellowstone

April 21, 2021

Plan Your First Visit To Yellowstone

13 Fun Things To Do In Livingston​, Montana

April 17, 2021

13 Fun Things To Do In Livingston​, Montana

One Day In Portland, Maine: The Perfect 2026 Itinerary

April 14, 2021

One Day In Portland, Maine: The Perfect 2026 Itinerary

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone: The Wild Heart of the Park

April 10, 2021

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone: The Wild Heart of the Park

Is Great Smoky Mountains National Park Dog-Friendly? A Realistic 2026 Guide to Visiting With Dogs

April 6, 2021

Is Great Smoky Mountains National Park Dog-Friendly? A Realistic 2026 Guide to Visiting With Dogs

  • ← Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • Next →

On the Blog

  • Destinations
  • History
  • National Park Love

Join the List

The Well Worn Shoes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Connect

National Bison Day was yesterday, I had this post National Bison Day was yesterday, I had this post planned, but got busy working on the van! 

By 1884 there were fewer than 400 wild bison left in the whole country, down from tens of millions. In 1902 Yellowstone’s herd was 23 animals. Today it’s around 5,000, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park has its own herds in both units, descended from animals trucked in during the 1950s and 60s.

That recovery happened because people decided it should, and then did the unglamorous work for a century. Tribal nations, ranchers, the Bronx Zoo (really), the Park Service. Every bison you see in Lamar Valley at sunrise is someone’s decision not to give up.

So the one rule: 25 yards. Not for the photo. For them. They do 35 mph and they’ve earned the space.

Where’s the first place you saw one? Mine was Yellowstone (close up) and Badlands (through binos).
We lived an hour from White Sands for almost a yea We lived an hour from White Sands for almost a year. November through January? Easily our favorite time to go.

60’s and sunny by noon. Freezing by the time you get back to the car. Dunes quiet enough to sled without an audience, and sunsets that turn the entire dunefield pink before fading into blue.

A couple things to know: the gates close 30 minutes after sunset, and the neighboring missile range can close the only road in with little notice. Check the park closures before you leave. Also, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I’ve put together a White Sands blog post and a guide will be coming out this month with the best time to visit, trails, places to stay, and the things you really don’t want to find out after driving all the way there.

Hi, I’m Vanessa 👋 I write The Well Worn Shoes from a 40-foot travel trailer named Betty, with my husband, three dogs, and a history degree I use mostly to explain why places matter. Follow along for the places people drive past, and the reasons they shouldn’t.
Calypso is 3 today. She goes by Caly, she’s a resc Calypso is 3 today. She goes by Caly, she’s a rescue, and she has never once been told she’s a supermutt because she already knows she’s in charge.

3 years ago we had two huskies and a plan. Then @epanimalsvc put out an announcement that they were overwhelmed with dogs. So, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go see if any dog fit into our little pack. 

…and when they brought Cal out, she was ours. 

She is a tornado with a tail and she has never once been left out of anything, because she will not allow it.

She has hiked in more national parks than most people. She has seen elk, a lot of bison, and one very large bull mule deer she had opinions about. 

She has visited at least 30 states in her 3 years on the road with us. 

Happy birthday, We love you Weeeeee!
Everyone asks me when the best time to visit Acadi Everyone asks me when the best time to visit Acadia is. Nobody seems to like my answer.

November. And May.

The in-between months. When the crowds thin, the island takes a breath, and you get to see a quieter side of Acadia that most people never stick around for.

Right now, in the first two weeks of November, the tour buses are gone. Park Loop Road feels like it’s yours. You can stand on Otter Cliff for twenty minutes, listening to the ocean without another voice breaking the quiet.

Here’s what my perfect slow day looks like in the quieter seasons:

Coffee at Choco-Latté around 7 because it’s one of the few places opening its doors that early. Shore Path without a crowd in sight. Bar Island on foot at low tide (you have about 90 minutes on either side to make it there and back). Lunch and book browsing in town. Then Seal Cove for sunset around 4:20, with lobster boats resting in the harbor and the last light slipping into Blue Hill Bay.

Grab dinner early because most kitchens close by 8. The days are shorter. Some of your favorite places are already tucked away for winter.

And somehow, that’s part of the magic.

May has its own version of this quiet. November has a little more gold and a little less daylight. Neither looks quite like the postcard, but both let you slow down long enough to see the island differently.

Sometimes the best time to visit isn’t when everything is open. It’s when you finally have room to take it all in.

Everything else you need to plan an off-season Acadia trip is in our guide. Comment FALL and I’ll send it your way.

Or comment Lobster if you’re already planning your trip for next year and I’ll send you my Cheat Sheet and guide options!

🛑‼️ Cadillac Mountain Summit Road will be closed from Nov 9-25 and Dec 1-18 for construction. The trails will remain open ‼️🛑
National Parks weren’t created to be kept secret. National Parks weren’t created to be kept secret. They ARE something that we were meant to protect. 🦬

Somewhere along the way, we’ve started treating sharing these places like we’re doing something wrong. Don’t post the location. Don’t share the trail. Don’t tell people about the feral horses because someone else might want to see them.

I disagree.

Theodore Roosevelt once said of Yellowstone:
“It must be kept for the benefit and enjoyment of all of us; and I hope to see a steadily increasing number of our people take advantage of its attractions.”

I think that’s worth remembering.

These places are protected so we can experience them AND so future generations can, too. Do I think good ol’ Teddy thought that we would be so far removed from nature as a society at this point? No, of course not. 

Does that mean we get to do whatever we want? Absolutely not. Respect wildlife. Follow the rules. Leave no trace. Respect closures and give these places the care they deserve.

I believe that when parks get busy, the answer is better stewardship, visitor education, and thoughtful park management. Not gatekeeping.

Somebody’s first bison sighting might be the beginning of a lifelong love of conservation.

We don’t need fewer people who love these places. We need more people who care enough to protect them.

Public lands are for the public. Let’s act like it.

*stepping off my soap box* 😉
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 The Well Worn Shoes · Theme by 17th Avenue