One of the most popular things to do on the island Maui is watching the sunrise from the rim of Haleakala crater. Almost everyone goes right to the summit viewpoint. Much less crowded and just as spectacular is the view from Kalahaku Overlook. This view, looking north instead of east to the sunrise, shows the prominent cinder cones in the crater (technically speaking, it’s a caldera, not a crater). On the upper right, Sliding Sands Trail is visible, leading to [read more ...]
The U.S. can proudly claim the world’s first National Park with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, but Canada was the first country to institute a nationwide parks service, and 2011 marks the centennial of Parks Canada. Today, Parks Canada manages 42 National Parks, plus a bunch of National Landmarks, Historic Places and Conservation Areas. Those of us in western North America are most familiar with Banff, Waterton Lakes and Jasper National Parks, all of which are outstanding [read more ...]
In a year with more typical weather, the meadows in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park would look something like this photo around the first week of August, and the place would be swarming with photographers. This year, while much of the country suffers under sweltering heat, summer has barely arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The La Niña weather pattern brought us a long, cool and wet winter and spring, and lots of snow in the mountains. [read more ...]
Madame Pele has been putting on a spectacular show the past few days at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This is a new phase of an eruption in the east rift zone of Kilauea volcano on the the island of Hawaii that has been going on since 1983. Most of the eruptive activity has been from a single vent, named Pu’u O’o, but this new activity is a fissure eruption and is causing a lot of excitement for the geologists that [read more ...]
Saturday, June 5, is National Trails Day, so let’s get out there and take a hike! This annual celebration of hiking and walking trails was started in 1993 by the American Hiking Society to help raise awareness of the benefits of, and needs for, getting outside and enjoying nature. If you want to hike with a group or participate in a trail maintenance project, many events are planned nationwide. Click on the map on this page to find what’s happening [read more ...]
The week of April 17-25 is National Park Week here in the USA, and if you need any more incentive to experience what Ken Burns celebrated in “America’s Best Idea”, admission will be free to all National Parks that week. Many of the 392 parks, monuments and historical sites will be holding special events during National Park Week, including activities for kids at Junior Ranger Day programs on Saturday, April 24. In addition, some parks will have special events and [read more ...]
Living in Hawaii for many years, I was fortunate to travel and photograph extensively around the islands. One of my absolute favorite places is Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in the South Kona district of the Big Island. A place of refuge in ancient times, the restorations and recreations of temples, ki’i (carved wooden images) and royal fishpond make this one of the best places in the islands to get a feel for the culture of Hawaii in pre-Captain [read more ...]
My best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season, and may 2010 bring you health, happiness, love and prosperity.
PhotoShelter.com has selected me as a Featured Photographer for the month of December, and is displaying the above photo as part of their home page slide show. Check it out at www.PhotoShelter.com . A few years ago I chartered a small plane to do some aerial photography and was fortunate to hit Crater Lake on a perfect day for aerials – very light winds and almost unlimited visibility. It had snowed the day before and the terrain below as we [read more ...]
When I was a kid, the Rangers at National Parks we visited on family vacations were among my favorite heroes. Always friendly, they knew everything about the outdoors and wore those ever-so-cool Smokey the Bear type hats. But for some turns of fate, I might well have become a Ranger myself. These days, as a travel and nature photographer, I find these same wonderful folk to be an outstanding resource for information and help in getting the photos I want [read more ...]
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