I had visited five National Parks in 2018, with three in quick succession during a trip to Colorado. First on the stop was Great Sand Dunes National Park, one of the five National parks where you can find sand dunes, and the only one where the dry desert meets the Rocky mountains. Situated in rain shadow of the snow-capped peaks lay towering golden sand dunes more than 200ft high. From my past experiences spending the night in the dunes, I knew I that spending the night here would provide plenty of opportunities for photography, but first, I had to figure the logistics of doing that - including getting permits.
Having arrived late in the day leading up to the Memorial weekend, which was big for travel here, I was not particularly hopeful on getting a walk-in permit. Thankfully, the stars were on my side, and I had secured the last permit. After that, the next challenge was figuring out where to camp. So I saddled up my pack and walked towards the dunes, with no specific destination in mind. Climbing up sand isn't easy in the best of times, but climbing with a heavy pack with 4l of water and camera gear all under the dry desert heat was immeasurably worse. But once I settled in to an amicable spot, and enjoyed an afternoon siesta, my mood was certainly brighter.
Planning a night in the dunes is harder than a regular backpack, but all those troubles worth it for the serene sunset, beautiful night sky amidst the dunes, and the refreshing feeling of stepping into cold and soft sand.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
CO USA
A National Parks Journey - Capitol Reef National Park
I did not think I could be surprised and delighted any more when I visited Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. After all, I had already been to the state's star redrock attractions: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion, and had hiked extensively through them. And yet, Capitol Reef more than measured up to its expectations, and showered me with spectacular panoramas of red rock country, hikes through stunning slot canyons, vistas of red Navajo sandstone formations, and the star of the show, the nearly 100 mile long water-pocket fold, a wrinkle in the earths crust that stretched along the rugged terrain of the park.
While most of the park is easily accessible, the features of the the centerpiece, the water-pocket fold, are mostly in the back-country, and requires braving miles of traveling on dusty gravel roads that wind through the parks hinterlands. However, the rewards that await the tenacious bac-kcountry explorer are many, and even the single day I had spent exploring the washes and slot canyons in the fold left me wanting for more. Hopefully I will get to return back and explore more of this spectacular park once the crowds thronging the park this summer subsides.
Capitol Reef National Park
UT USA
A National Parks Journey - Big Bend National Park
The second of the two National Parks in Texas, Big Bend is more than just about a big bend in the Rio grande river as it winds towards the Gulf of Mexico. Remarkable montane terrain, a rugged canyon carved through red desert rock, and spectacularly clear night skies await anyone who makes the long drive out to this isolated park. It is certainly worth visiting for the diverse ecosystems that are found in this high desert corner of the state, along the remote section of the border with Mexico.
Beyond these, what captivated me was the small stretch of the Rio Grande river as it wound sound through the tight Santa Elena Canyon, with one face of the towering canyon wall in Big Bend, and the other side in Cañón de Santa Elena in Mexico. In this small stretch, the river serves as the border between two large economies with different culture and history, and all that was separating these two nations was a river a few yards wide easily traversed by any mode of watercraft. It left me wondering as to how such a small body of water could ever serve as a barrier between people and economies wanting to come together.
Big Bend National Park
TX USA
A National Parks Journey - Guadalupe Mountains National Park
At first glance, the high summit of Guadalupe mountain was an unremarkable mountain peak that would not have been out of place amidst the desert landscape of the US West. And it would have garnered no more attention than a simple viewpoint and plaque calling out the highest point in the state of Texas. It may have been awarded a historical marker, or may have even been designated as a state park. It was only with closer examination that realized why it was elevated to the status of a National Park - it is a region rich with varied ecosystems that occupy the different climactic zones of the park, from the dry desert at the base, to the shaded and humid canyon interiors that carve through the park, and the cool and dry alpine zones at the higher elevations.
Visiting the park isn't hard as it is right off a major east-west highway in Texas. But lacking services, you must be prepared if you intend to spend some time here to explore the park and attempt the summit hike. The dry Texas heat is another factor to be considered when planning a trip to this remote park. My short visit here didn't afford any time to climb the peak; perhaps I will return one day to climb it.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
TX USA
A National Parks Journey - Badlands National Park
My first impression of Badlands National Park as I drove west on a long flat section of the interstate in South Dakota was that it was just land that was not worth the time spent to look at. But once I turned into the park, toured its various attractions and hiked to its hidden gems, I found myself in a diverse landscape, full of deep canyons with colorfully layered clay soils that cut through a lush prairie dotted by the mounds and burrows of the ubiquitous prairie dogs.
The rich bounty of wildlife and nature combined with the remarkable scenery, with the occasionally striking cloud patterns of the big sky country was something I had never experienced anywhere. It was easy to get lost in such a landscape set in a National Park far away from anything else. So if the long monotonous stretch of I-90 cutting through the vast plains of South Dakota ever gets boring, this park severs as a superb diversion. And for the inquisitive traveler, it offers a lot more.
Badlands National Park
SD USA
A National Parks Journey - Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave was quite unlike any other caves or caverns I had explored. While most carried the typical speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites, columns and drapes), Wind Cave, set in the heart of Black Hills region, features boxwork formations formed from the strong winds that channel through the caverns of this park. There are no dripping stalactites or massive caverns, but tiny needle like structures and flowering growths of calcite that dominate one of the longest caverns of the park.
It is not a park on the main tourist map for Black Hills, and were I not searching for National Parks to visit on my cross-country trip, I would not have even considered it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the rare formations I saw during my day trip to the 30th National Park
Wind Cave National Park
SD USA
A National Parks Journey - Rocky Mountain National Park
It was late May, and yet I felt like I was visiting the my 27th National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, at the wrong time of the year: many of the trails that climbed to the backcountry lakes were still icy, and Trail Ridge Road was just beginning to be opened. And yet, crowds thronged the trails and roadways of this National Park, as well as the nearby town of Estes Park. I came to the park expecting a few moments of peace and solitude in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, and my early spring visit was anything but.
But then I waited until the sun went down, and I wandered down a remote trail far away from the main attractions. And it wasn't until then did the park quieten down enough for me to hear the gurgling brook, the rustling leaves and the soaring winds. Being so close to major urban centers and with such a short visiting season, this gem of the park system attracts dense crowds in the summer months, and can make it challenging to escape into the wilderness, but if you search for the right place, you can find your moment of zen too
Rocky Mountain National Park
CO USA
A National Parks Journey - White Sands National Park
On my feed, I have often waxed poetry about White Sands, which I had first visited when it was still a National Monument. Sheer white sand dunes of the type found in White Sands National Park take on otherworldly hues at the magic hours of sunrise and sunset. And since the park is open only from an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunset, the only way to experience the magic hour is to camp between the dunes. Doing so requires contending with freezing temperatures and billowing winds, desert bugs and wildlife, and lack of any water. But the reward is the ability to shoot at the golden hours.
After grabbing dinner, it is time to take up the camera and shoot the dunes before night sets in. And while the evening light brings on yellow, and later pink hues on the sand, I prefer shooting the dunes before sunrise when the dunes take on a blue tone reflecting the deep blue desert sky of New Mexico. It also helps that the winds blowing through the night ensure that the fresh ripples in the sand constitutes a new canvas ready for another day of painting by the light.
Even though I have been there twice, this place has enraptured my heart so much that I would never refuse another night of camping in the dunes.
White Sands National Park
NM USA
A National Parks Journey - North Cascades National Park
Almost every National Park that I had visited so far had a central attraction or theme that made it famous: Death Valley for the vast desertscape and sand dunes, Rainier for its peak, and Shenandoah for the views of the Appalachians. I couldn't put my finger on what specific attraction North Cascades had in store. At least not until I climbed to the lip of the Sahale Glacier, and surveyed the panoramic vista of snow-capped peaks of the Cascades all around. That view planted in me the seeds that would eventually lead me to settle down in the Pacific Northwest.
I returned to the park multiple times after moving to the Pacific Northwest, each time exploring a different part of the vast network of mountains and valleys along State Route 20 and the Mount Baker Highway. The short summer hiking season really leaves very little time to appreciate the place, but I hope I never get tired of hiking to the nooks and crannies of the wonderland.
North Cascades National Park
WA USA
A National Park Journey - Denali National Park
I saw that etched on a keychain in a souvenir shop outside Denali National Park. When I asked the store owner about the significance of that ratio, I was told that 70% of the tourists who visit the park do not get to see the famed peak. Whether it was true or not, the ratio kept repeating in my head as I sat on the park bus trundling closer and closer to the peak, and it left me wondering whether I would get to see it. The incessant clouds and moody grey skies on that day certainly didn't help. The sky never let up that entire day, and even though I could catch partial glimpses of the snow-covered slopes, it was never visible in its entirety. I went to sleep with a heavy heart, hoping the weather would improve tomorrow.
I still don't remember why I woke up that early, after just 4hours of sleep, but I did, and when I stepped out of the tent into the freezing cold, Denali was there in its entirety. The deep pink light of the rising sun shone on a vast swatch of the glaciated slopes, with the broad summit barely visible. I considered myself lucky to see the peak bathed in such heavenly light.
I would continue to see the summit for the rest of the day, but I do hope to return back and explore more of the amazing backcountry of this park.
Denali National Park
AK USA