National Parks Traveler Checklist: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is indeed a land of extremes. If it’s desert landscapes you are looking for, you’ll find them. But you can also find lusher landscapes and – at higher elevations – temperatures 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) lower than what you experience in the valley. It really pays to plan for a trip to this national park of extremes, and the National Parks Traveler has published my Traveler Checklist for Death Valley as part of its continuing series of Traveler Checklists.

To read this checklist, click on the image above.

I have experienced high heat in this park, and I am so entranced by this place that I’d really like to visit it again – in December, January, or February. Even at six days, I still didn’t get to do everything I wanted (partly because I stayed out of the hotter part of the day, ranging from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.). So, that’s the next goal on my bucket list.

This telephoto image is looking out across the valley and salt flat (not at Badwater Basin, but elsewhere along the Badwater Road). Take a close look across the valley at the series of alluvial fans, some of which coalesce into each other. This coalescing feature is known as a bajada (bah-haw-duh). Keep this in mind because it *might* be a question on an upcoming Death Valley quiz and trivia piece for the Traveler.

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Trails I’ve Hiked: Kīlauea Iki Trail

Ok, the photo is nothing spectacular, but it’s a window into what you will see if you hike the Kīlauea Iki Trail. You’ll descend through rainforests onto and over a solidified lava lake, passing a still-steamy cinder cone along the way. It’s a cool trail I’ve written about that’s been published in today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler as part of the Traveler’s “Trails I’ve Hiked” series.

To read the article and see the photos, click on the image above.

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Trails I’ve Hiked: Stella Lake

Great Basin National Park is a high-elevation park. So here’s a trail I’ve hiked that helps to acclimate one to the elevation and dry atmosphere. And my article has been published in the National Parks Traveler.

To read the article, click on the image above.

As for this image, I hiked to Stella Lake during a hot, dry summer season in this national park. As such, Stella Lake looked more like a pond with a “bathtub ring” of wood debris around the edges. It was still beautiful out there, though, and it’s definitely a hike you should consider if you visit this national park located within basin and range landscape.

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Trails I’ve Hiked: Lost Mine Trail

Every national park has an iconic trail. Some parks have more than one. At Big Bend National Park in Texas, such an iconic trail is the Lost Mine Trail. Have any of you ever hiked it?

I’ve hiked this trail and the article I wrote for the National Parks Traveler’s “Trails I’ve Hiked” series is published in today’s edition of the Traveler.

Click on the image to read the article.

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Trails I’ve Hiked: Bristlecone Grove Trail

Now that the days are getting longer, the weather getting warmer, and the sun shining more often, it’s time to think about getting out those hiking boots and finding a trail to hike.

If you are ready for a road trip, why not think about Great Basin National Park in Nevada. The crowds are less, but there’s not much infrastructure out there and finding lodging takes some effort. Nevertheless, there are great trails out there, and Bristlecone Grove Trail is one of them I’ve hiked. As a matter of fact, it’s part of a “Trails I’ve Hiked” series that the National Parks Traveler periodically publishes and my article about this trail has been published in today’s edition of the Traveler.

To read the article, click on the image.

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Photography In The National Parks: Same Spot, Different Time/Season/Weather

If you’ve ever revisited a favorite spot in a favorite park during different seasons, times, weather conditions, you’ve probably noticed how these different conditions can change the look of the scene (and your resulting photos).

My latest photo column has been published in the National Parks Traveler, and it’s all about these differences.

Click on the image to read the article.

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Trails I’ve Hiked: The Cinder Cone Trail

There’s a series occasionally published by the National Parks Traveler called “Trails I’ve Hiked.” I recently wrote about hiking the Cinder Cone Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park and it’s published in today’s edition of the Traveler.

Click the image to check out the article. Maybe you’ll want to visit this national park and hike this trail. There are certainly fewer crowds along this trail than along other popular ones in the park.

This image is an iPhone shot I captured during my hike back down the steep, unconsolidated pumice and volcanic ash trail after spending time at the Cinder Cone summit. In the distance, on the upper right corner, you can see Butte Lake surrounded by the black blocky rock of Fantastic Lava Beds. Butte Lake is where this trail begins, so I had a little bit to go to get back to my vehicle.

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Photography In The National Parks: The Invitation Of An Intimate Composition

When you look at other people’s national park photos, are there some images that it feels like you are literally being pulled into the scene? That’s the invitation of an intimate composition, and today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler has published my latest article about those photo invitations and the elements comprising an intimate composition.

To read the article, click on the image above.

Regarding the image, it was photographed some years ago during my stay at Stehekin, Washington, located at the head of Lake Chelan within the North Cascades National Park Complex.

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Photography In The National Parks: The Beauty Of A Simple Composition

There’s something to be said for a simple composition. It can tell a story just as compelling as a detailed landscape.

In today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler is my most recent photo column, and it’s all about the beauty of a simple composition.

Click the image above and go on over to take a look.

The image here was a simple one to shoot. I wanted to emphasize the trail from it’s wide openness at the bottom of the photo to its sinuosity as it wound around Cinder Cone to the very top. You can see that lone tree growing from the volcano’s flanks (which was another simple composition in and of itself when I photographed it with my telephoto lens).

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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National Parks Quiz And Trivia #59

It’s Trivia Tuesday folks! Did you know there are now 424 units within the National Park System? These units cover more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories. With so many units, there’s plenty to learn, which is why I pen a monthly quiz and trivia piece for the National Parks Traveler. Sure, you know a lot about your job role where ever you work, but how much do you know about national parks?

Click on the image above to go to the quiz.

The image you see here is of Spruce Tree House in Mesa Verde National Park. True or False: it’s the largest cliff dwelling in the park. To find out the answer, go to the quiz and look at the bottom of the piece. But, wait, why not just test your knowledge by looking at the entire quiz first, then reading the trivia, *then* checking the answers. You might learn something new with which to impress friends, family, and co-workers.

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