On a clear day....Great Sand Dunes National Park looks great from outer space. This image, provided by NASA, was taken from the International Space Station in October 2007.

Most folks spend their days, not their nights, exploring the national parks. That's unfortunate, as the parks can be as enticing at night as they are during the day. Rob Mutch, the executive director (and webmaster) of an educational non-profit, the Crater Lake Institute, drives that point home with this shot of the moon rising over 8,929-foot Mount Scott at Crater Lake National Park.

Perhaps objections to park entrance fees would be muted if the parks once again handed out distinctive decals to visitors as they entered the park. This picture, taken in 1922, shows how this proud park visitor decided to display her collection.

Sometimes older photographs are more beautiful than those produced digitally today. This hand-colored print was taken circa 1920. The mountain in the background is Granite Peak.

Marion Littlefield lives in an enviable place -- right outside Bryce Canyon National Park. As a result, he gets to photograph the park in all of its moods and settings. With the Bryce Canyon Winter Festival on tap for Presidents Weekend, it's good to know that there will be plenty of snow on hand.

We've had snow storm after snow storm hit the Cascades recently, here in the Great Northwest. But, two weeks ago the weather cleared, and it coincided with a flight I had out of Seattle. I feel quite lucky that I picked the correct side of the plane to sit on, and that our route took the airplane so close to Mt Rainier. I had my little digital "point and shoot" snapping away as we approached the mountain from its northwest side, passed it along its west face, then banked at the southwest corner revealing a quick peek at its full southern face, before we were headed away from the mountain.

From time to time park personnel at Stones River National Battlefield turn to controlled burns to remove non-native vegetation from the battlefield. During the recent three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend park crews burned 52 acres. This photo shows flames burning where interpreters explain the role of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery in the Battle of Stones River.

Covered bridges are beautiful in their own right, but when covered with snow they take on an added beauty, as this scene from Cuyahoga Valley National Park demonstrates. Photo copyright Tom Jones.

The Emerald Lake Basin in Sequoia National Park is a popular destination with winter backcountry travelers.

Sunset comes early in winter at Acadia National Park, often before 4 p.m. Under the right conditions, though, the scene can be incredible.