Olympic National Park

Work has resumed on the Spruce Railroad Trail at Olympic National Park and isn't expected to be completed before mid-April. Until then, then the entire 4-mile trail along Lake Crescent will be closed to all traffic between the Camp David Jr. Road Trailhead and the Lyre River Trailhead for public safety.

Olympic National Park encompasses scenery ranging from rugged beaches to temperate rainforests to craggy peaks. Contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson traveled to this large national park in January during the latter part of the most recent government shutdown for a little winter photography. Although seasonal road closures as well as storm damage, snow buildup, and lack of personnel during the shutdown kept Rebecca from seeing everything she wanted, the images she captured and the photo tips she provides should whet your own photographic appetite for a visit to this national park any time of the year.

Washington's National Park Fund has hit a milestone, and the beneficiaries are Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks.

Shifting gears in national park operations after the lengthy partial government shutdown is not quickly done, and so not all parks are fully ready for visitors to return. At Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, several rockfalls are complicating that park's reopening, which isn't scheduled until February 4.