Exploring The Parks | Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

May 21, 2025

In this newest sanctuary, NOAA partners with an Indigenous tribe to protect vital marine habitat and sacred places. THE WHOLE STORY

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Recent Features

Taking The Road To Parks Less Traveled

May 16, 2025
Sell The Trees Or Fix The Forests…Or Both?

May 11, 2025
In Galápagos, Iconic Giant Tortoises Get A Helping Hand

May 5, 2025
Keeping The Legacy Of The Little Rock Nine Alive

April 30, 2025
250 Years Later, Revolutionary Rallying Cry Still Echoes At Minute Man National Historical Park

April 25, 2025
National Park Units Dot America's Most Endangered Rivers List

April 16, 2025

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Recent News

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 325 | Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

May 18, 2025

News around public lands these days seems to revolve entirely around the Trump administration. In the case of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, many of the steps the administration is taking with the operational efficiencies of the... THE WHOLE STORY

Latest Podcasts

A bird stretching its wings in Olympic National Park. Photo by Rebecca Latson.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 324 | North American Bird Declines

May 11, 2025
People rafting down a river in Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. Photo by Kurt Repanshek.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 323 | Walt Dabney and Public Lands

May 4, 2025
Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo: Kurt Moses, NPS file.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 322 | Congressman Jared Huffman

April 27, 2025
A condor soaring over a river at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Photo by Patrick Cone.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 321 | National Park Science At Risk

April 20, 2025
Historical George Melendez Wright photo. Public domain.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 320 | George Wright Society

April 6, 2025
North vent laval lake at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. USGS Photo 3-26-2025.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 319 | Kilauea's Unrest

March 30, 2025
Jamestowne 10-2-2024. Flooding in units, amplified high tides and heavy rains. Photo from the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 318 | Covering the Parks

March 23, 2025
Stand-Up Science comedian Ben Miller performing at Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 317 | A Little Volcanic Levity

March 16, 2025
Sunset at the Flat Mountain Arm of Yellowstone Lake. Photo by Kurt Repanshek.
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 316 | National Park Service Upheaval

March 9, 2025

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Photography In The Parks

  • A single car driving a looped road out in the Chihuahuan Desert of Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    The Park Road Through The Chihuahuan Desert, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    While Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico is all about the cave, there are interesting things to see above ground, too. The road you drive to get to the visitor center and cave wends through a portion of the Chihuahuan Desert, considered the "most diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere," according to the National Park Service.

  • A broken down ladder of rotted wood and rope at the Bottomles Pit in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    A Ladder At The Bottomless Pit, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    The Bottomless Pit in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is not actually bottomless, but rather about 140 feet (43 meters) deep. Early explorers, however, found the pit to be daunting and named it accordingly. The ladder you see in the photo was not necessarily built to explore the entirety of the pit, but more to simply explore more of the cave, itself. Personally, I think I would take a pass on using the ladder.

  • Stalactites and large stalagmites with flowstone drapery seen along the Big Room Trail at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Speleothems (Cave Formations) Seen Along The Big Room Trail, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    As you walk around the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the word that should come to mind is "baroque," because the many cave formations (speleothems) are so fantastical - and old, having taken thousands of years to form.

  • A flash photo of people and cave formations along the trail around the Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    People Along The Trail Around The Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Once you reach the end of the Natural Entrance Trail at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, you have the option of taking the elevator back up to the top, or continuing along the 1.25-mile (2-kilometer) paved trail around the amazing, cavernous (pun intended) Big Room.

  • The switchbacks along the paved trail leading down toward the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    The Switchbacked Trail Down Toward The Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Once you enter Carlsbad Cavern along the Natural Entrance Trail, you'll still have quite a bit of downhill walking to go (1.25 miles / 2 kilometers) to get to the cavern's Big Room. Along the way, you will see some amazing cave formations (speleothems) like stalactites, stalagmites, and a beautiful cave drapery formation known as Whale's Mouth.

  • Looking up toward the natural entrance to Carlsbad Cavern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    On The Inside Looking Out From The Natural Entrance Trail At Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Once you are down into the natural entrance of Carlsbad Cavern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, stop and take a moment to look back up toward the cave's opening.

  • People walking down a paved switchbacking trail into a cave opening, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Walking The Natural Entrance Trail, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
    Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico is one of the few cave-centric parks in the National Park System where you can actually take a self-guided tour into the cavern to view the amazing speleothems (cave formations).

  • A bright Milky Way arc in a starry night sky over the Mitten Park Fault and the Green River at Dinosaur National Monument
    The Milky Way Over The Mitten Park Fault, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - NPS/Dan Duriscoe

    Stay up past your bedtime at Dinosaur National Monument to view the bright, starry sky above.

  • A panoramic view of the river and landscape at Dinosaur National Monument
    A Panoramic View From Split Mountain Of Rainbow And Island Parks, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - NPS/Lee Christensen

    There's a lot of landscape beauty packed into Dinosaur National Monument, straddling the border between Utah and Colorado. You can get to these views from several overlooks as well as five different scenic drives.

  • A bighorn sheep walking along a cliff face with the green river flowing below, Dinosaur National Monument
    Bighorn Sheep Near The Green River, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - NPS/Erin Cahill

    Seventy mammal call Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado their home, including bighorn sheep, which are very good at scaling rocky hills, canyons, and cliffs.

  • A black and white photo circa 1909 of horses hauling plaster-wrapped fossils from what is now Dinosaur National Monument
    Hauling Fossils Out By Horse In The Early 1900s, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - Earl Douglass diaries edited by Evan Hall via NPS

    Here's a little throwback for you. Back in the early 1900s, wrapped Jurassic-period fossil bones were hauled out of what is now Dinosaur National Monument via horse. According to the National Park Service: "Dinosaur National Monument includes one of Earth's richest known dinosaur fossil beds. These remains are from the Jurassic period 150 million years ago. During a drought, many dinosaurs died near a river's edge. When rains returned, flood waters carried the jumbled bones of over 500 dinosaurs, representing ten species, here."

  • Rafters on muddy river water between tall canyon walls, Dinosaur National Monument
    Rafting The Yampa River, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - NPS/Jacob W. Frank

    Rafting the Yampa and Green rivers in Dinosaur National Monument is a great way to see the landscape from a different perspective. According to the National Park Service, "From origins high in the Rocky Mountains, the Green and Yampa Rivers wind their way across sagebrush covered plains before entering this outstretched arm of the Unita Mountains. The mountains force the rivers into tight channels surrounded by towering cliffs. Drops and obstructions in the rivers create rapids. The thundering fury of Warm Springs, Hells Half Mile and other rapids can challenge even the most experienced boatman. Other locations such as Rippling Brook or Island Park allow you to sit on a quiet beach and escape the pressures of everyday life."

  • Red-colored paintings of bighorn rams on the rocks at Dinosaur National Monument
    Deluge Shelter Pictographs, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - National Park Service

    Approximately 800 to 1,400 years ago, this area was home the ancestral indigenous people of the region. They left evidence of their presence in the form of petroglyphs, patterns chipped or carved into the rock, and pictographs, patterns painted on the rock. For a thousand years, this rock overhang has shaded these pictographs from the strong midday sun. This limited exposure to sunlight may have helped to preserve the vibrant colors in these ancient images.

  • People looking at large dinosaur fossil bones embedded in rock inside the Quarry Exhibit Hall at Dinosaur National Monument
    Viewing Dinosaur Fossils At The Quarry Exhibit Hall In Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - National Park Service

    The Quarry Exhibit Hall allows visitors to view the wall of approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones in a refurbished, comfortable space. Here, you can gaze upon the remains of numerous different species of dinosaurs including Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus along with several others.

  • A muddy ribbon of river with folded and faulted rocks beneath a blue sky at Dinosaur National Monument
    A View Of The Green River And Mitten Park Fault From Harpers Corner, Dinosaur National Monument
    Dinosaur National Monument - NPS - Dan Johnson

    Located on the Colorado side of the monument, the Harpers Corner Overlook provides a stunning view of the Green and Yampa Rivers as they join and carve vast canyons. The upturned layers of the Mitten Park Fault below the overlook dramatize the millions of years worth of erosion needed to create the staggering geologic views.

  • People sitting on a rock ledge watching a sunset at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Watching The Sunset At The Ledges Overlook, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Jackie Boesinger Meredyk via NPS

    Hiking the Ledges Trail in time to view sunset at trail's end is a popular thing to do at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

  • Hikers on a snow-dusted trail surrounded by trees and boulders, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Hiking The Ledges Trail In Winter, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park - NPS/Bob Trinnes

    Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio is open year-round. A popular trail to hike any season is the Ledges Trail. To read more about hiking in this national park, click here.

  • A large hummingbird clearwing moth hovering near a lavender flower, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    A Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Michael SIlvestro via NPS

    Insects are part of the wildlife species found at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, including this hummingbird clearwing moth, whose wings look like clear cellophane and beat so fast they sound like a hovering hummingbird.

  • The leading line of a snow-covered bridge trail surrounded by stark bare trees and a snow-covered ground, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    A Trail Covered With Winter's Snow, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park - NPS/Bob Trinnes

    Even during the winter at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you can still hike many of the trails, as well as sled, snowshoe, cross-country ski, and ice fish.

  • Two bicyclists riding a wide paved trail next to a river with golden autumn leaves on the trees on each side at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Bicycling The Towpath Trail In Autumn, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park - National Park Service

    Bicycling is a great activity for exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Most people are going to use the Towpath Trail, since 22 miles (35 km) of the trail’s 101 miles (162.5 km) are located within the park. To read more about bicycling in this national park, click here.

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