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 - Mammoth Caves National Park
This park was initially just a short diversion on my roadtrip to the south from the midwest. I had heard of this park, and knew it was famous for featuring one of the longest caverns in the world. But from the outside, it was an unassuming park. Verdant forests and miles of wilderness belie the grandiose caverns hidden underneath. And being a short trip from two major population centers, this park garners plenty of crowds. Visiting the caverns thus requires a bit of advance preparation identifying the right tours to get tickets for.
But due to my impulsive travel planning, I only had a short time there, and in that time I got to explore a mere trifling of the park. Despite taking my camera, it couldn't do justice to the sheer diversity of caves with distinctive speleothemic formations, let along the enormity of the caverns inside that can hold a Boeing 737 jet inside. Instead, I just focused on immersing myself in the cavern life. This was one of the parks that really made me warm up to the idea of visiting and exploring more caverns.
This photo showcases the historic entrance to Mammoth Caves, which, until the elevators were installed in 1957, served as the main way to explore the caverns.
Mammoth Caves National Park
KY USA
A National Parks Journey - Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Typically, the parks established east of Rockies during the early days of the National Park System tended to be small urban parks, carved out from the desire to have scenic open spaces near to home, especially for recreation, rather than with the goal of preserving a unique slice of the landscape such as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Cuyahoga was one such park of the former type, nestled between major urban areas, and its story is rooted in the environmental and social movements of the 20th century. Its creation is about not only providing a refuge from the urban wilderness but restoring a landscape to be culturally vibrant, less polluted, a better home for wildlife, and a model for sustainable living.
And that was why, even though it was an arms throw from urban areas, I found places of solitude. I had visited the park during the fall season, hoping to escape the maddening crowds of a major college campus I was studying at that time. During this season, this midwest park takes on a new color scheme, covered in golds and yellows. It also becomes remarkably quieter without the urban crowds. In wandering along numerous trails that meandered through the forests and old moss-covered rocks and stonework, I realized that it truly was a hidden gem that aspired to the goals for which the park was created
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
OH 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 - Channel Islands National Park
The little set of islands tucked just off the coast of southwestern California is quite unlike the mainland: picture the same rocky and rugged California coastline enveloping a windblown ocean environment replete with kelp forests and the islands own unique wildlife. So near and yet so different - that was the impression I carried from my short visit to the largest island from the town of Oxnard.
I remember wandering around the tiny island, learning about its history, and admiring the tiny island foxes that roamed around the island carefree and unafraid of humans. Its not an island paradise of Hawaii, but it certainly had its own charm.
Channel Islands National Park
CA USA
A National Parks Journey - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
This Park is a tribute to the mighty volcanic forces that created and sculpted this archipelago in the middle of the Pacific. Featuring ancient lava tubes snaking through verdant tropical jungles as well as rough undulating black masses of freshly solidified lava with still-smouldering vents, this Park contains enough features to satiate the appetite of budding and mature volcanologists alike. But perhaps what captivated me most was staring at the orange glow from the gaping maw of the active volcano: it was a chilling reminder of the geological forces that was responsible for these and many other volcanic islands, and of how quickly it can change the landscape around.
I returned back to the park that evening to see the scintillating night sky framing the rising smoke from the volcano, a memory I will never forget of the first volcano I had ever visited.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
HI 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 - Dry Tortugas National Park
Tranlsated literally, dry tortugas means dry turtles, though I could never fathom how that name stuck to the series of Caribbean reef islands situated on the far end of the Florida Keys. They weren't the easiest to get to. Starting with a 3hour drive along the heavily trafficked US Route 1 to the end of the Florida keys, it continued on a 3hr ferry ride on choppy waters that took us to a series of atolls, including one topped by a 19th century fort. But it was worth every minute of it.
Far from any population centers, the only folks that provided company on this island paradise were the tourmates from the ferry and the Park personnel. I took the time to explore the nooks and crannies of the historic Fort Jefferson, and tried to juxtapose the red-brick architecture with the azure blue skies above and turquoise waters below. My only regret was not being able to camp at Dry Tortugas, and enjoy a Caribbean sunset. Perhaps that calls for a return visit.
Dry Tortugas National Park
FL USA
A National Parks Journey - Everglades National Park
My whistlestop tour of the my 24th National Park, the Everglades, consisted of nothing more than taking an airboat tour of the vast swamplands that form the primary terrain of the Everglades. I remember the boat gliding over marshes and open water, catching glimpses of tree snakes and walking with jacanas, checking out the ospreys fishing, and soaking in the humid atmosphere of these pristine wetlands. Nevertheless, these were just the teaser to the largest subtropical wilderness of the country.
Being so close to the population centers of Florida, the Everglades ecosystem experiences multiple stresses: from human intervention to control to the flow of water, air and water pollution, the lowering of the fresh water table, and last but not the least, the rising sea levels from the global climate change. It remains to be seen how much impact these factors have had already, and how much more the region's ecosystem can take
Everglades National Park
FL USA