One of the ways that Park Chasers celebrated National Park Week this week was a trip to our local IMAX to see National Parks Adventure, a new movie that opened last month in honor of the 2016 centennial. The movie was one more reminder of why we love the parks and left us both saying: “how long until can quit our jobs and travel to all the parks?!?!” If you’re looking for another way to be a part of National Park Week, we recommend popping into an IMAX near you. But be warned, you just might find yourself with more vacation on the brain!
The movie is narrated by Robert Redford and features world-renowned climber and mountaineer Conrad Anker. He was last seen on the big screen in the 2015 film Meru, documenting Anker’s stunning first ascent of Mount Meru in the Himalaya’s. This time, Anker and his step-son Max Lowe along with their friend Rachel Pohl travel to some of the most popular national parks on one epic road trip. Here’s the trailer:
National Park Adventure hops from parks like Yellowstone and Glacier to shots of Anker and the crew climbing Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. The scenery in these places is already staggering, and it is even more magnificent at 20+ feet tall and wrapped 180º around us on the Omnitheater screen. You know it must be good when around the room we could hear kids tugging on Mom and Dad asking for road trips and vacations.
One of the best scenes is towards the end of the film when the three travelers are visiting Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Upper Michigan’s Lake Superior. The crew wanders onto the frozen lake for some ice climbing and during their visit they encounter an ice cave with jaw-dropping formations hanging from above. It reminded us of our visit to Apostle Islands Mainland Sea Caves in northern Wisconsin a few winters back.
It’s hard not to love every minute of a film that features both a John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt look-alike. The movie features what the producers call the ‘Most Important Camping Trip in History,’ when Muir and Roosevelt came together at Yosemite. Their famous tour through the park set the stage for the formation of the National Park Service and the conservation of America’s greatest spaces:
Our only quibble about National Parks Adventure was that it seemed to fall short on sharing some of the challenges that our park system faces in its next 100 years. In what seemed like a perfect opportunity, there was no mention of climate change, budget cuts, or the other threats to the NPS. Guess it’s hard to throw a damper on a 100th birthday party as big as this one.
The movie will be playing in IMAX theaters around the country. For a full listing of where you can see National Parks Adventure, check out the film website below:
http://nationalparksadventure.com/theatres/
