White Sands National Park, New Mexico / Getty
In an era of shrinking wilderness, it seems downright visionary that early U.S. presidents put pen to paper to protect diverse ecosystems for the public good.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act in 1864. Ulysses S. Grant created Yellowstone National Park in 1872. And, at the turn of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt earned the moniker “The Conservation President” for his slew of protections.
Some of today’s most interesting and least-congested parks border wine country. And there’s no better way to see America than through its forests, dunes and mountains than with a glass of local wine.
Here’s the dilemma: You want to explore the West’s huge treasure of public land, but you don’t want to be accompanied by crowds of people. How do you avoid places