Take a Step Back in Presidential History with America's Favorite Parks

In early 2009, millions of Americans traveled to Washington, D.C. to become a part of history as President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44^th President of the United States.   Throughout the year, millions of travelers are expected to continue the trend by celebrating the historic 200^th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln and visiting various Lincoln Bicentennial sites nationwide, making 2009 the year of presidential travel. 

With great national and state parks in every traveler’s backyard, consider these easily accessible and beautiful travel destinations that offer not only a vacation getaway but an ultimate insider’s guide to presidential history.  From guided tours of national monuments and secret hideouts of past presidents, visitors of all ages can get a rare glimpse at the rugged landscapes that shaped some of our greatest presidential legacies. 

A few hotspots include:

• Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve

At over 20,000 feet and located in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, Mount McKinley is North America's highest peak. Native Americans of the area called the mountain Denali, which means "the high one." In 1896, gold prospector William Dickey renamed it Mount McKinley for Ohio Governor and presidential nominee William McKinley. That same year William McKinley became the 25th President of the United States and the mountain was officially named Mount McKinley.

• Ohio’s Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center

The historic Harding Cabin located on the property of Ohio’s Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center was once the presidential retreat of America’s 29^th President, Warren G. Harding. The Harding cabin was reported to be a favorite hideaway for the President and his advisors, known in Washington as the ‘Ohio Gang’ or ‘Us Boys.’ The Cabin has since been carefully restored to its original state and updated with modern conveniences.

• Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah was established as a national park in 1926 and President Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou, both avid outdoor enthusiasts, built their Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah as a retreat to escape the stress of work and summer's heat and humidity in the nation's capital. During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps planted trees and shrubs along the new Skyline Drive, built hundreds of miles of hiking trails and cut shingles from dead chestnut trees for many of the park structures and facilities.  The Park’s famous 105-mile Skyline Drive, a designated National Scenic Byway and National Historic Landmark, offers vistas across the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains.

• California’s Lake Tahoe Cruises & Zephyr Cove Resort

President Clinton signed a bill in July 1997 that established a $900 million federal-state-local partnership to preserve and protect Lake Tahoe from continued environmental deterioration. Recognizing the unique nature of Lake Tahoe and its surrounding basin, the President directed his administration to begin acting on specified recommendations regarding water quality, forest restoration, recreation and tourism, and transportation.

• Arizona’s Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas

Rainbow Bridge, the United States’ largest natural bridge located at Lake Powell, was known only through cowboys’ tales until it was publicized to the outside world in 1909 when two exploration groups set out to search for the legendary span. The next year, on May 30, 1910, President William Howard Taft proclaimed Rainbow Bridge a National Monument. Teddy Roosevelt and Zane Grey were among the first visitors to make the arduous trek by foot and horseback.

• Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park

President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park on June 26, 1906 to "preserve the works of man,” referring to the world-renowned Pueblo dwellings that lie within the park. In 1978, in recognition of the park’s significance to the world community, Mesa Verde National Park was named a World Cultural Heritage Site to recognize it as a natural and cultural
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