The final day of the First Round of the National Park Playoff did not disappoint as 8/9 matchups proved as contentious as predicted. The two closest matches in the entire Playoff so far transpired, both resulting in “upset” wins for their nine-seeds. In the East, #9 Shenandoah barely beat #8 Hot Springs 16-14 in a […]
The first round of the National Park Playoff is almost over, but one thing remains constant after the American City Bracket: Tucson isn’t going anywhere. Tucson’s National Park, #7 Saguaro, notched by far the largest score so far in the NPP, drubbing #10 White Sands 159-23. Two other seven-seeds were not so fortunate, falling to […]
The number of upsets in the National Park Playoff doubled today, with three fresh surprises as eleven-seeds proved largely triumphant. The biggest victory was lodged by #11 Kenai Fjords, who tripled up their opposition with a 15-5 win over #6 Theodore Roosevelt. Other upsets were much closer, with #11 Mesa Verde clipping #6 Capitol Reef […]
Hawai’i Volcanos NP (7) vs. Crater Lake NP (10) One of my favorite parts about our national parks is the social aspect that arises from interacting with them. Learning about and exploring these parks is (almost) always more fun with friends, which is why I’ve asked my good friend Kelsey Dunn to do this national […]
The second half of the first round opened quietly in the National Park Playoff, with some of the lowest scoring matches so far and no upsets. The most impressive win was notched in the Pacific by #5 Mount Rainier, who conquered #12 Lassen Volcanic 23-2. In the East, another coastal monument fell: Cuyahoga Valley 16, […]
We’re halfway through the first round of the National Park Playoff and just doubled the number of upsets. Another monument featuring a stone carving of Abraham Lincoln fell to a lower seed, this time with #4 Mount Rushmore falling to #13 Voyageurs in a 19-13 nailbiter. And while “Death Valley” is a name often ascribed […]
On the third day of first round action in the National Park Playoff, Statue of Liberty ensured it would not face the same fate as its fellow urban East-coast monument, #2 Lincoln Memorial. Though #14 Congaree jumped out to an early advantage, #3 Statue of Liberty pulled even around noon and ran up the score […]
Bryce Canyon NP (4) vs. Great Sand Dunes NP (13) Preview There are many reasons why certain pieces of land become national parks: biological diversity, ecological preservation, historical importance, and monumentalism, etc. My personal favorite is otherworldly nature. Sometimes parks, while not explicitly said in the legislation which establishes them, are created because they are […]
The National Park Playoff has notched its first upset on the second day of action, as Virgin Islands knocked off Lincoln Memorial by a 19-12 score. The win may portend trouble for other monuments in the East bracket and across the Playoff. Other two-seeds faced tough challenges but survived their matchups. In the Pacific, #2 […]
The opening day of the National Park Playoff provided no surprises as each region’s #1 seed rolled to an easy victory against their respective #16s. Grand Canyon posted the biggest such win, dominating Great Basin 33-2. In the Pacific region, #1 Yosemite rolled past #16 American Samoa 32-5. Contests on the right side of the […]