Welcome And Northeast Park Idea

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Hi, and welcome to my Z Michelson Travel Podcast, a ZMax Travel Radio production presented by Collage Travel Media Network. This is your space for inspiration, confidence in travel, and maybe a little bit of luxury. So whether you're traveling across the world, maybe rediscovering America, or simply dreaming about your next escape, I hope we can help guide you there. And of course, I am your host, Z Michelson, and today we are heading into the heart of the Northeast, a region filled with mountains, forests, rivers, battlefields, historic landmarks, and some of the most meaningful national park experiences in America. When many travelers think about national parks, they immediately picture places like either Yellowstone or Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. Believe it or not, I've only been to the Grand Canyon. I'm still trying to get into Yosemite and Yellowstone. But some of America's most powerful stories are found closer to home on the East Coast.

New York Beaches And Revolutionary Sites

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So today we're gonna be exploring the national parks, national historic sites, protected treasures of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Well, this may be a perfect road trip region because these destinations are connected by scenic highways, historic towns, charming communities, and incredible, and I mean incredible, landscapes. So pack your bags, grab your map, and I mean map, and join me as we rediscover America. I know it's summertime right now, and I'm doing these podcasts, and a lot of people wanna stay close to home. So we decided to do these national parks. So New York National Park destinations I'm gonna talk about first. I'm from New York, so naturally. It's the Gateway National Recreation Area. It's our first stop, and it takes us to the surprising national park experience of beaches, wildlife, aviation history, and coastal landscapes right near one of the world's busiest cities. That's right. Gateway National Recreation Area protects more than 27,000 acres across New York and New Jersey. It includes Sandy Hook in New Jersey, Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn and Queens, and Staten Island locations. A lot of people say, "Staten Island, that's part of New York?" Yep, it's part of New York This park proves that you do not have to travel thousands of miles to find nature. Okay, so how do you get there? Let's figure that out first. Well, if you're flying, the closest airports are probably JFK, better known as Kennedy, Newark Airport, known as Newark Liberty International. Now, from Manhattan, you can drive, take public transportation, or use park access points. For Sandy Hook, take the Garden State Parkway south toward the Jersey Shore. Your travel time is about an hour from New York City, and I'm gonna say this, depending upon traffic. Yes, traffic can be a nightmare sometimes. I, one time, was stuck in traffic for close to three hours. But time your trip very, very early in the morning or maybe later, later at night. Uh, summer is very popular, of course. Like I said, that's why we're doing these podcasts. So arrive early for the beaches, parking, and wildlife viewing. I know the beaches do get crowded in the afternoon, so earlier the better. Of course, now we're gonna look at Fire Island We travel east to Long Island for a destination that feels worlds away, worlds away, and it is on Long Island. Fire Island is a protected barrier island, and it's famous for, you guessed it, one is the beaches. They have some beautiful beaches over there. There is wildlife, yep. It has a maritime history, and it does have a quiet coastal community. There are no traditional roads running through much of Fire Island, which makes it a unique escape. How do you get there? Well, from New York City, the drive is approximately two hours to the ferry terminals. Popular ferry locations include Bay Shore and Sayville. Visitors can also reach parts of Fire Island by private boat. So if you have a boat, you can reach it. When is the best time to visit? Well, late spring through early fall would probably be the best time. Uh, this is a wonderful destination for travelers looking for a slower pace. Nice place to vacation if you're looking for a slower pace. Now, the National Park Service has historic sites in New York as well I mean, there is so much to see and do. Okay, New York is also home to incredible historic destinations. Well, one is Saratoga National Historic Park. Now, I used to live up near Saratoga. It is beautiful up there. And as a matter of fact, my daughter lives up near, near there right now. Uh, this park can tell a story of the turning point of the American Revolution. So if you're into history, what a great place to experience it. The Battles of Saratoga helped convince France to support the American cause. Can you believe that? And you can really get there by airport. You can either go into Albany International, or if you're from the area, it's about a 30-minute drive from Albany, or from New York City it's probably about three and a half hours as the crow flies or, as I say, as the traffic flies. Travelers can enjoy scenic drives, battlefield tours, and historic walking trails, and that's Saratoga National Historical Park. Now, I'm only touching on a few of the parks in all of these regions because there's so much to see and do in this area. Between New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, there is a ton of stuff. But we're only gonna touch on a few. Now,

New Jersey Trails And Washington History

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in New Jersey... Let's, let's scoot down to New Jersey. New Jersey National Park. You have the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. This is one of the most beautiful outdoor destinations in the region. The Delaware Water Gap is where the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. And what can you do there? Well, you got plenty of hiking. You got kayaking. You have waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and of course, if you're into wildlife and birds, this is the place to go. And again, from New York City, it's approximately two hours by car. If you're in Philadelphia, it's approximately two hours by car. Some of the main routes are Interstate 80 or Scenic Route 611, and it's near some of the major airports such as Newark or Lehigh Valley International. But some of the must-sees, Dingmans Falls. It's a beautiful waterfall experience with an easy walking trail. And I know a lot of people like to do these hiking trails, but you gotta be careful because you make sure that if you're not into hiking and you don't really walk a lot, you want the easier walking trails. And most of these parks will tell you this is harder or this is easier Now in New Jersey, there's also Morristown National Historical Park. This is where history really does come alive. This park tells the story of General George Washington and the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Again, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, this is all American history. And considering this is 2026 and we are celebrating the anniversary of our 250th year of being a country, what a great way to celebrate, don't you think? Learning a little bit more about our history. If you have kids that are learning about American history, this might be a fun way to get them involved rather than just opening a book and reading. They actually can get to experience what happened at these places. Now, some of the highlights in Morristown National Park is Washington's headquarters. Yeah, Washington's headquarters. Historic homes are there, and of course, the winter encampment stories are going Now to get to this park, it is located in northern New Jersey. So from New York City, it's about an hour by car. And when I say an hour by car, remember again, it's as the crow flies, not as the traffic flows. From Newark Airport, it's about 40 minutes. And this is New Jersey, just New Jersey, and there's so much more to see. So I've only hit a couple of these places. I've only hit a couple of places in New York. I only hit a couple of places in New Jersey I'm gonna be moving now into Where do you think I'm gonna be moving into? I'm

Pennsylvania Gettysburg Railroads And Independence

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gonna be moving into Pennsylvania Now, Pennsylvania, we all know, home of the Liberty Bell. But Pennsylvania's national park destinations, there's quite a few. And of course, one of the majors, and I have been here, is Gettysburg National Military Park. I have been to a lot of the national parks in the United States, in the states that I visited, because I feel that some of these national parks are so underrated and people don't think, "Oh, I want to go to the park." These parks are gorgeous. There's so much to do and see in these parks. So you might want to take a little trip, rediscover America. If you're on the upper northeast, these are some places that are pretty close to you, so you don't have to schlep across the countryside to go see the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, unless of course you want to. But if you want a quick getaway, maybe a four-day getaway, you can leave on a Thursday, go visit a couple of these, and then head back. So let's talk about Gettysburg. And very few places in America carry the emotional weight of Gettysburg. Uh, just standing there on the battlefield takes your breath away, just knowing what went on here. This is where the largest battle of the Civil War took place. The largest battle of the Civil War Now, visitors can explore the battlefield because There are battlefield tours. There are historic sites. Of course, museums. New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania wouldn't be New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania without museums. And of course, memorials. Now, if you're driving and you wanna get there, well, from Washington DC, it's approximately an hour and a half. From Philadelphia, it's about two and a half hours. And if you're flying in, probably the nearest airport would be Harrisburg International. Now, it's recommended that you spend at least two days there. Gettysburg is not just a stop. You really get an experience. And like I said, I've been there. I've been there several times, and there's something new every time I go, and the emotion that you feel just knowing how our country was divided at one point, and we all came together after this Now, in Pennsylvania, we're also gonna go to Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site. It's a real hidden gem, and it tells a story of America's transportation revolution. Yep, transportation. Let's get on that railroad. Now, before modern highways and railroads... By the way, it was Eisenhower that put in our highways. He was the one that developed our highway system, so this is before then. So before the modern highways and before the railroads, this engineering achievement connected communities across the mountains. Yeah. Now, it's located near Altoona, so if you're driving, it's about, mm, it's about two hours from Pittsburgh. It's about three hours from Philadelphia. And again, it's called the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site. If you're into railroads, that might be a nice place to go see All right. Now, it wouldn't be Pennsylvania without me talking about Independence National Historical Park. It's the birthplace of American independence. Now you know what's there, right? Of course you do. We have Independence Hall, we have the Liberty Bell, and all the revolutionary history. It's all there In Independence National Historical Park. Believe it or not, I've driven through, I've driven past, but I have not been in that park. I'd really like to go, and I'm gonna be perfectly honest, more than likely in the summertime it's gonna be busy. But if you have kids that are studying American history, this might be a nice place to go visit with them. And if you're in the Northeast, it might be a nice four-day trip, you know, to and from. So how do you get there? Well, Philadelphia International Airport, it's approximately 20 minutes away. If you go in by train, Philadelphia's rail system connects easily from surrounding cities, and this is one of America's most accessible historic national parks. Most accessible

Plan The 10 Day Park Loop

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Probably a fun trip to go Now, if you are into the road trips and you wanna do road trips, if you wanna create the ultimate Northeast National Park journey going from one park to another, uh, where should we start? Okay, let me think about this. All right, let's start in New York City. We would go to the Gateway National Recreation Area, then we would see Fire Island, then we would go... So in other words, we would be right there in the city, then we'd head out to Long Island for Fire Island, then we would head what we would call upstate New York, and that would be Saratoga National Historical Park. So we would go that route. Now, we're gonna scoot down and go to Delaware Water Gap, then Morristown, then Gettysburg, and then Philadelphia If you decide to do something like this, it'll take you approximately 10 to 12 days. You know, I don't recommend zipping through these places. So 10 days is good, you know, if you're doing a nice little adventure. But if you only wanna do maybe New York first or New Jersey second, or maybe just do a Pennsylvania, you know, do like a three or four-day weekend. That would be fun Now, America's national parks are more than places

Why Parks Feel Like Stories

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on a map. They are stories. Stories of courage, stories of discovery, stories of people who shaped our nation. And whether you're hiking a mountain trail, walking a battlefield, standing where history really did happen, or maybe just watching the sun set over the coastline, every journey connects us to something bigger Now I told you it's 2026. It is the summer of 2026. We are celebrating our 250th anniversary, which is fun. I was involved in the 200th anniversary in New York when we celebrated the bicentennial, and that was fun too. I was much younger then. But I would see it as something exciting, something to be part of. And when you're rediscovering America, whether you're in New York or New Jersey or California or in the middle of the West Coast somewhere and doing all these national parks, it's an adventure. You're rediscovering a place you live in And you know what? If you live here, you don't need a passport I'm Z Mikelson. I wanna thank you for listening today and enjoying this adventure. But if you like listening to my podcasts, this podcast has been brought to you by Z Max Travel Radio, a production of Collage Travel Media Network. I would love for you to share this with your friends, with your family And also remember, if you're also traveling solo, there are some groups that just do tours to rediscover America I know several tour companies that do that. So you can give me a call if you wanna know more And I'm reminding you that you deserve the journey, so go boldly. Keep exploring, even if it's here right in our own backyard, and keep dreaming and keep discovering the world around you. Thanks for listening, and like I always say, shoot for those stars, and if you only get to the moon, at least you made the trip. Hope to see you on your next adventure