Off the California coast, Channel Islands National Park invites tourists to cross glittering blue waters for a world of adventure. Away from the chaos of city life in Los Angeles, these idyllic islands shine. Here’s what you can expect to see there.
Brilliant beaches? Check. Sea caves? Check. Natural beauty as far as the eye can see? Find it all at Channel Islands National Park. Swimmers, hikers, and divers will love exploring the region’s unique landscapes. If you’re planning a trip to the area, make sure to stop at the park’s top attractions. Experience what makes this destination so special. These seven spots will make your visit magical.
Are you up for a journey through the desert? If so, Mojave National Preserve might be just the place for you. Here’s what prospective visitors need to know about this dreamy desert landscape.
Take a closer look at the Mojave Desert to find breathtaking sights above and below ground. About 27,000 years ago, molten lava scorched across this southern California region and helped create curious landmarks. Atop Clark Mountain, guests can see the Earth rise and dip throughout the desert. Beneath the Lava Tube, hikers can discover beams of light illuminating rocky caverns.
While these two destinations represent the desert’s breathtaking extremes, there are even more places to explore in the spaces between these spots. Discover them all with this list of Mojave National Preserve’s best sights.
Since 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has managed and maintained natural wonders across the United States. Today, the National Park System includes 424 units, from national parks and preserves to recreation areas and rivers. Of these 424 units, only 63 sites are officially known as national parks. Find the best national park in your state with this simple guide.
So, if there are 63 national parks, surely every state has at least one, right? Not quite. While every state has a NPS site, only 30 states are home to a region with national park designation. The 20 states without national parks include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Even if you live in one of these states, you can still find a gorgeous place to explore in nearby regions. Discover a national park near you with this guide to the best national parks in 30 states.
Yellowstone National Park on Saturday shared an impressive artwork created recently by a 12-year-old visitor named Kylie.
Yellowstone National Park on Saturday shared an impressive artwork created recently by a 12-year-old visitor named Kylie.
“How amazing is this?!” the park asked followers via Facebook. “Thank you, Kylie, for finding inspiration in Yellowstone and making us smile!”
Kylie showed the drawings to a ranger, who shared them with park staff. The drawings are rich with color and detail and show that you do not always need a camera to document your Yellowstone experience.
The Facebook post had generated nearly 500 comments by the time of this post.
“Wow, Kylie, your picture of our nature is amazing!” one follower observed.
Kylie brings to life the iconic bison, a grizzly bear, a moose, and a pronghorn family.
Also featured, a howling wolf, an osprey spreading its wings, a baby Canada goose chatting with mom, mountain goats and bighorn sheep.
“The osprey is my favorite! I want this on a shirt. Wouldn’t that be so cute?” one follower chimed in.
“Suitable for framing!” another comment reads. “Excellent work, Kylie.”
But some were as impressed by Kylie’s love of the outdoors as they were with her artistic talent.
Reads another comment: “Love to see that this young person truly appreciated the beauty she saw in nature.”
In 2020, West Virginia’s New River Gorge officially became a national park. Now known as New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, the region is home to awe-inspiring sights and curious historical landmarks. Here’s what you need to know about this unique national treasure.
Before earning national park designation in 2020, New River Gorge was recognized as a national river. The area encompasses one of the world’s oldest rivers, ironically named New River. The waters weave through the deepest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains and invite guests to experience one of the most beautiful parts of West Virginia. Discover this magical landscape for yourself in the gallery of New River Gorge National Park & Preserve photos below.
“This young bison was sleeping on the outskirts of it’s herd when it was caught off guard by a group of wolves. Separated from the herd, I thought for sure the wolves were on their way to securing an easy meal.
“Then, seemingly out of no where, two adult bison from the nearby herd came barreling onto the scene to protect the youngster, almost trampling the calf in the process.”
Wolves in Yellowstone prey on bison calves – along with elk, deer and other mammals – and have been known to attack adult bison if an animal appears vulnerable.
Bison are the largest land mammals in North America and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. More than 5,000 bison inhabit Yellowstone National Park.
–Generic bison image courtesy of NPS/Yellowstone National Park
Video footage from a wilderness reserve in India shows an elephant chasing a tiger from its watering hole.
Video footage from a wilderness reserve in India shows an elephant refusing to allow a tiger to access its watering hole.
“Tigers and elephants tolerate each other fairly well in the wild,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service stated via Twitter. “But at times gentle the giant shows who the boss is.”
The footage shows the tiger roaming the perimeter as the elephant keeps a close watch from the water.
Tigers and elephants tolerate each other fairly well in the wild.
But at times gentle giant shows who the boss is😊
You can hear mobile calls in the background. Disgusting. Should mobiles be banned in side the Protected areas ? pic.twitter.com/7xWQAsfmbB
As the wary tiger begins its approach, the elephant exits the pond and circles toward the tiger, ultimately chasing the cat away with a slow-speed charge and a trumpet blast.
Nanda noted the annoying sound of ringing phones in the footage and asked followers: “Should mobiles be banned inside the protected areas?”
Don’t let your national park adventures end when the sun sets. At night, the extra-dark skies over national parks make conditions ideal for stargazing. Experience the magic at one of the many parks offering free astronomy and stargazing events this year.
If you like to look for constellations, national parks are some of the best places to find them. Thanks to low levels of light pollution, many National Park Service (NPS) sites enjoy darker skies and brighter stars than more developed parts of the United States.
Join the NPS in celebrating these brilliant night skies at a stargazing event. Find a calendar of night sky experiences here, and learn more with the list of national park stargazing events below.
Brand new grizzly bear cubs were the obvious stars of a recent Yellowstone “bear jam” alongside a highway in the park’s northern range.
During a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park I was fortunate to have discovered a vantage point from which to observe a budding grizzly bear family at fairly close range.
The first video highlight shows two first-year cubs play fighting and momma grizzly stepping in with an affectionate head nudge.
(The footage, best viewed in full-screen, was captured safely from atop a steep embankment. Images are cropped, making the bears appear closer than they were.)
In the second clip, the same cubs discover the precarious nature of crossing a creek while trying to keep up with mom. (Cute bellyflops, anyone?)
These were the first of several bears I would encounter during three days of exploration in the park’s northern range. I observed this family in early morning on Day 1 and in late afternoon on Day 2.
Momma bear foraged intently while the cubs mostly played and explored.
Naturally, the bears attracted crowds of tourists who jammed the highway. People rushed from vehicles to find vantage points and gaze at the bears with binoculars, zoom lenses, viewing scopes, and cellphone cameras.
A park bear management specialist explained that momma bears sometimes guide cubs close to roads to keep them safe from aggressive male bears. Male bears, known to kill cubs in the hope of mating with momma bears, tend to steer clear of park highways.
The cubs of the year (COYs) were tiny, born during mom’s hibernation, likely in late January or early February.
Momma bear did not appear concerned about threats from the forest or the highway. Her cubs would run off for brief periods, but always scampered back to the safety zone that she represented.
At one point, as momma bear inspected something in the bushes, the pesky cubs were placed in what resembled a “time out” on a smooth rock.
In a touching moment during the first sighting, in smoky morning light, momma bear called the cubs into her embrace to nurse.
More than an hour into the second sighting, with dusk settling and the bear jam having reached absurd proportions, I decided to leave. (Bear management specialists were just beginning to “shut down” the viewing party.)
As I drove west, navigating around poorly parked vehicles, I looked down the embankment and saw the bears walking into cover. It was as if they had also experienced enough for one day.
Within western Texas’s Chihuahuan Desert, a gorgeous mountain range serves as the centerpiece of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Home to the four highest peaks in Texas, this park treats visitors to diverse landscapes and fascinating natural wonders. Here’s what you need to know about the best things to do and see in this stunning region.
Located near Dell City, Texas, Guadalupe Mountains National Park stretches across 86,000 acres. The diverse landscapes range from meadows and forests to mountains and deserts. For outdoorsy explorers, it’s the perfect place to spend a day adventuring. Plan your trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park with this list of the region’s best things to do and see.
