Posters for the Final Four National Parks: Yosemite, Saguaro, Glacier, and Acadia.

Elite Eight: Saguaro Stuns Grand Canyon, Yosemite Only #1 Seed in Final Four

Don’t mess with Tucson. That’s the message coming through loud and clear in the National Park Playoff after #7 Saguaro stunned cross-state rival #1 Grand Canyon to win the Southwest bracket and advance to the Final Four. The Canyon stayed in contention most of the day, but rarely led and saw its chances and margin […]

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Sweet Sixteen First Half: #4 Acadia Edges #1 Great Smoky, Other Top Seeds Sail

The first #1 seed has been eliminated from competition in the National Park Playoff, while the other three will comprise a plurality of the Elite Eight. In the East, #4 Acadia knocked off #1 Great Smoky Mountains, 16-11, to reach the last round before the Final Four. After surviving a huge scare last round, #1 […]

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Day 12: Arches Nips Utah Neighbor, Acadia Scores Shutout

On another fairly quiet day in the National Park Playoff, the biggest question was which southern Utah park join Zion in the Sweet Sixteen: #4 Bryce Canyon or #5 Arches? After a seesaw battle that was usually tied, the answer was Arches, by an 11-9 margin. That was as close as anything got on Saturday, […]

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Vintage-style posters of Redwood, Bryce Canyon, Voyageurs, and Acadia National Parks

Day Four: Redwood, Voyageurs Score Upsets, Acadia Cruises

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 […]

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