National Parks Traveler

Who says geology is boring or dull? "Dinosaurs once roamed here. Their fantastic remains are still visibly embedded in the rocks. Today, the mountains, desert, and untamed rivers flowing in deep canyons support an array of life. Petroglyphs hint at earlier cultures. Later, homesteaders and outlaws found refuge here."

According to the NPS, "The skunkbush sumac, also known as lemonade bush, forms pedestals by binding gypsum sand grains into a compact mass around its roots, branches, and trunk. In the spring before the leaves appear, clusters of yellow and white flowers make the plant stand out. The plant also produces red and orange berries used by American Indians to make a tart lemonade-like drink. The flexible stems of the plant were used for basketry and binding. The branches contain tannin, which is useful in producing dyes. Crushed leaves were used as an astringent to treat stings, bites, rashes, and sunburn."

Happy New Year, Travelers! Where will the trail take you for 2024? Perhaps to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California?

The Traveler asked contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson what parks she might want to visit that she'd never traveled to before and this month's Park Photo of The Week is a photographic list of the parks in which she'd like to photograph this year or in the coming years. Maybe these parks are places you've already visited, or places to which you'd like to travel, yourself.

Mother Nature does a mighty fine job of preparing for the holiday season, doesn't she?

Nothing like red rock and white snow. The trail to Landscape Arch is less than two miles roundtrip, with a side trail to Pine Tree and Tunnel arches.

Depending upon where you are standing with your camera, winter at Glacier National Park might be dramatic, dark, and almost monochromatic. Snap that photo anyway then stick around or return later in the day, because those clouds are usually gone and replaced with splendid views of the snowcapped mountains.

Winter is coming. No, wait, winter is already here! But you can't always tell it by the look of the landscape in some national parks. While Big Bend National Park does, on occasion, have some snow and ice, for the most part, it's just cooler temperatures and sparse, even stark, vegetation.

"The view of Saint Mary Lake at Wild Goose Island Overlook is perhaps one of the most recognizable scenes in all of Glacier. Surrounded by towering mountains, the tiny island rises only 14 feet from the surface of St. Mary Lake. Available parking and an accessible viewing area make this a frequent stop along the road."

During the summer season, the huckleberry bushes up in the Paradise area are a glossy green shade. Come autumn, those bushes become fiery orange and red. It truly is paradise at Paradise.

"Robert Scruggs, the builder of this cabin, was born just across the state line in North Carolina in 1800. Around 1805, his family moved to South Carolina near the Cowpens Battlefield and began farming. In the mid-1820s, he married Catharine Connel, and to help the couple establish a household, Robert’s father, Richard Scruggs II, gave them 200 acres of land. Around 1828, they built their home, and began the hard work of clearing, planting, and harvesting. The Scruggs family raised horses, mules, hogs, cattle, and sheep, and planted grain (corn, wheat, rye, and oats) to feed the livestock. In addition, they had a fruit orchard and grew peas, beans, and potatoes. They churned butter for their consumption and for sale. Although the farm was the main source of income for Robert Scruggs, he also ran a country store, which stood on the other side of the Green River Road, in front of this cabin."

"The couple had eleven children, and as the family grew, they added rooms onto the house and covered the log walls with paneling. In doing so, they preserved the original walls of the cabin within the additions. Robert Scruggs died in 1890 at the age of ninety, and Catharine died less than two years later at the age of eighty-seven. The cabin remained in the family until the mid-1970s, when the National Park Service purchased the property from their granddaughter, Rosa."