Washington may be The Evergreen State, but it also has some wonderful deciduous trees with leaves that turn glorious shades of yellow, orange and red each autumn. Great fall color can be found in every region of the state, from the coast to the Idaho border and from the Columbia River Gorge to Canada. Here, in no particular order, is a selection of some of the best places to view and photograph fall foliage in Washington. 1. Washington Park Arboretum [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 ...]
Saturday, June 4, is National Trails Day, an annual event that celebrates trails of all types for non-motorized adventure and recreation in the U.S.A. The American Hiking Society has been organizing this event for 19 years, with the cooperation of the U.S. Forest Service, National Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. This year’s sponsors and partners include Backpacker Magazine, Columbia, Eastern Mountain Sports, Fetzer, Merrell, The North Face, American Park Network and REI. If you [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 ...]
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. On May 18, 1980 the volcano literally blew its top, spewing ash into the sky and causing a massive avalanche of debris that took 57 human lives and caused millions of dollars of damages. The blast from the eruption leveled thousands of acres of the surrounding forest, and wiped out who knows how many deer, elk, bear and other wildlife. The critters have come back and wildflowers [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 ...]
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 ...]