By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
October 6, 2015
As president and CEO of the National Park Foundation — the official charity of America’s national parks — Will Shafroth oversees NPF operations. The NPF recently launched its Find Your Park movement to encourage people to visit America’s national parks.
“A lot of people only think about five or six national parks, but there are more than 400 national parks across the country,” says Shafroth, 58, who resides in Washington, D.C. “A few examples: are the Pullman National Monument in Illinois, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Georgia and the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in California.”
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Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. Of course, I’m a little biased, but I think national parks make the best destinations. Whatever interests you, you can find it in a national park, whether it be an iconic natural park like Grand Canyon, Everglades, Great Smokies, Yellowstone or Yosemite or one of the great cultural sites like the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall or Gettysburg. We love to visit the national seashores like Point Reyes and Cape Hatteras as our family finds its groove together at and around the ocean.
Q. To someone who was going there for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. Think about what you like to do. What is it that you enjoy? Then, call or swing by the park’s visitor center and ask them for ideas on how to connect what you like with what the park offers. Or, you can visit www.nationalparks.org and check out one of our free national park guides for inspiration. At the seashores, I love to take long walks on beaches where few people are.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. I remember visiting Mesa Verde National Park when I was five years old. I remember exploring cliff dwellings and, even though I was so young, I remember being really interested in learning about all the different cultures that were connected to the park. I also remember jumping on the beds with my siblings and cousins and watching TV in bed.
Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?
A. Yes, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Little Rock, Arkansas. Four or five years ago, I visited the park with Secretary Ken Salazar (former secretary of the Interior). The woman sitting at the front desk says, “I’m from here and my mom was one of the Little Rock Nine. And, she’s actually coming here in a little bit.” Her mother, named Mini(jean) Brown, shows up and the secretary, Mini and I retrace her footsteps. She took us on the walk that she took that day. It was a really powerful experience to relive what happened in 1957 — the year I was born — when the National Guard was ordered to escort nine high school students into Little Rock Central High School. Spending time with her made me think about our country’s struggles, the progress we’ve made and also how brave and courageous people like Mini were to actually do what she did — it would’ve been much easier to stay home that day. I had constant chills and goosebumps while Mini showed us the way and told us her story. All of this is to say that I incorporate this experience in my work every day. With the Find Your Park (Encuentra Tu Parque) movement, we’re helping people discover that parks can be more than beautiful natural landscapes and that parks are relevant to all of our lives.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. We head over to the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia beaches for our ocean fix and to Shenandoah for our mountain fix. It’s nice to be in a place that’s very different from what you’re used to in order to “reboot” yourself. We (went) to Philadelphia for a city weekend to celebrate my wife’s birthday in September.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. Depends on what I’m looking for. Sometimes, I don’t want to have any expectations and so I just go. Other times, I’ll ask friends, family, colleagues for tips and ideas. As I mentioned earlier, calling or stopping by the visitor center at a park is always helpful, or if I know a National Park Service employee who works or has worked in a park, I’ll ask them for tips. I went to Gettysburg a few years ago and was with the superintendent for a tour at 7 a.m. He took me through what happened at one of the key battles with the mist hanging over the fields, just as it had been the day of the battle. Very cool.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. To go to all four major tennis tournaments in a year — Australia, French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. Driving on a rural road in Nicaragua and getting stuck in the middle of a river in an old school bus with my wife and children — that’s the worst. The best is being at the beach in Hawaii watching the sunset with my wife and kids.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. IPA beer. I love trying out what is brewed locally.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. That there is so much to learn about this world, its people, its food, and its cultures and so much that you can learn about yourself when you travel, if you are open to it.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. It’s a tie between Point Reyes National Seashore in California, where I proposed to my wife and St. Barths, where we went for our honeymoon.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. We went to Tulum, Mexico about 8 years ago. Very lovely spot.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Charlottesville, VA reminded me a lot of Boulder, CO where we lived for 15 years.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Southeast Asia and Argentina.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. A good book and a good pillow.
Q. What are your favorite hotels?
A. The Plaza Hotel in New York City was a really nice and fun hotel. I also tend to like local hotels that have a flavor of the city I’m visiting.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, Santa Barbara, and Washington, DC.
© 2015 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
