Towering redwoods, rugged Pacific coastline, and fern-filled canyons make this Northern California parkland one of America’s most awe-inspiring outdoor escapes.

Colorado’s iconic park protects wind-sculpted tundra, summer wildflower meadows, and enduring Indigenous presence across one of the nation’s largest continuous mountain landscapes.

Read Mark Jenkins’s previous “Navigations” essays. “They escaped into the jungle,” says Marvin, lifting his paddle from the hazel water and pointing toward the tangle of verdure. “Just running and running. Not knowing where to go. Not knowing what to eat. Lost and day by day starving and cut all over from the thorns, and…