New George Masa Biography Reveals Startling Discoveries

George Masa, a slender Japanese man with a big grin who hiked throughout the mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee in the 1920s and early 1930s, left behind a remarkable photographic chronicle of the landscape soon to become Great... THE WHOLE STORY

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 301 | Red-Cockaded Woodpecker--A Decision Too Soon?

The vulnerable red-cockaded woodpecker is known to be found in national park units throughout the southeast.  Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park in Florida, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, and Great Smoky... THE WHOLE STORY

  • A beige expanse of sand dunes "flowing" out into the dense forest at Kobuk Valley National Park
    The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Kobuk Valley National Park
    Kobuk Valley National Park - National Park Service

    The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Kobuk Valley National Park are the largest active sand dunes in the Arctic. Along with the smaller Little Kobuk Sand Dunes and Hunt River Sand Dunes, the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes create 30 square miles (77.7 sq km) of towering sand 35 miles (56 km) above the Arctic Circle. 

  • Blue-tinged ice of a glacier flowing out toward the water of Kenai Fjords National Park
    Mountains, Glacier, And Water, Kenai Fjords National Park
    Kenai Fjords National Park - NPS - Victoria Stauffenberg

    According to the National Park Service:

    At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords' crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests along the fjords once carved by the vast expanse of ice. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate.

  • A brown glacier flowing between two snowy mountains and emptying out into a brown river in Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai National Park and Preserve
    One Of The Knife Creek Glaciers, Katmai National Park And Preserve
    Katmai National Park and Preserve - NPS - Chad Hults

    Some 3,000 feet (914 m) below Mount Katmai and encroaching into the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes are the Knife Creek Glaciers, covered with as much as 6 feet (2 meters) of ash and pumice. Hikers can walk right up to the foot of, and even onto the glaciers, if they wish (with caution).

  • A small white bird with dark wings and many dark spots known as a Kittlitz's murrelet  flying over the water at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
    A Kittlitz's Murrelet In Flight, Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve
    Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve - National Park Service

    According to the National Park Service:

    Kittlitz’s Murrelet is a seabird endemic to Alaska and eastern Russia. Though they also occur in a variety of open-water habitats, they are often associated with areas near tidewater glaciers. A large portion of the world’s population depends on the glacial fjord of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve for its summer breeding habitat.

    To read more about this small bird, click here.

  • An aerial view of a meandering river flowing through a valley rimmed by snowcapped mountains, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
    A Meandering River In A Valley Rimmed By Snowcapped Mountains, Gates Of The Arctic National Park And Preserve
    Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve - National Park Service

    Many rivers flow through the stunning mountainous landscape of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, including six national wild and scenic rivers: Alatna River, John River, Kobuk River, Noatak River, North Fork of the Koyukuk River, and Tinayguk River.

  • A dragonfly wtih orange-and-black stripes on its veined wings, balancing on the top of a plant stem, at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
    The Balancing Act Of A Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, Mississippi National River And Recreation Area
    Mississippi National River and Recreation Area - National Park Service

    There are plants and insects named after special days of the calendar, such as this Halloween Pennant Dragonfly seen around Pickerel Lake at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Ranging from New Mexico and Colorado to as far north as Maine, this dragonfly gets its name from its orange-and-black wing coloration. BOO!! Happy Halloween!

  • An aerial view of a skylight (opening in a lava tube) with bright orange-yellow lave flowing beneath the ropy, shiny pahoehoe lava at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
    "Eye" See You Through A Skylight, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
    Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Take a helicopter ride over active volcanics in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and you might just see a bright "eye" of lava looking at you through a lava "skylight" - an opening in the roof of a lava tube through which red-hot lava is flowing. You can learn about volcanic terms you might come across during a visit to this national park by reading this Hawai'i Volcanoes Primer. You  can also read more about magnificent volcanic action by reading the Traveler article In Awe Of Pele's Force.

  • A spooky, overcast afternoon with large rainclouds over the salt flats of Badwater Basin at Death Valley National Park in California
    A Dark And Spooky Afternoon At Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park
    Death Valley National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Halloween is drawing nigh and even landscapes in units of the National Park System can look at bit spooky. The patterned salt flats at Death Valley National Park in California are no exception when the afternoon darkens because of heavy rainclouds. 

  • Flowstone over stalagmites just off the paved trail through Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park, Nevada
    Flowstone And Stalagmites In Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park
    Great Basin National Park - Rebecca Latson

    The discovery of Lehman Caves eventually led to the establishment of Lehman Caves National Monument, which in turn led to the establishment of Great Basin National Park in Nevada. Lehman Caves, like Jewel Cave in South Dakota, is filled with amazing, whimsical, and intricate speleothems (cave formations). You can read about Lehman Caves by clicking here.

  • Golden trees, a braided river, and dramatic clouds in an overcast sky along Savage River at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska
    A View Of The Landscape Just A Short Walk From The Savage River Campground, Denali National Park And Preserve
    Denali National Park and Preserve - National Park Service

    There are six campgrounds located within Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Each campground has its own amazing landscape views. The Savage River Campground offers dramatic views just a short walk away from the campsites. To read more about Denali's campgrounds, click here.

  • A gray carriage road bordered by tall green trees and carpeted with autumn bright gold leaves at Acadia National Park in Maine
    A Golden Carriage Road, Acadia National Park
    Acadia National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Acadia National Park in Maine is another one of those units of the National Park System famous for it's fall foliage colors. You can learn more about what you might see during different seasons at Acadia by clicking here.

  • Bright gold, yellow, and orange fall foliage photographed from an overlook at Shenandoah National Park
    Autumn Foliage As Seen From Point Overlook, Shenandoah National Park
    Shenandoah National Park - NPS/Dave Kiel

    Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is a unit of the National Park System popular for its autumn "leaf peeping" opportunities. To read more about enjoying Shenandoah's fall colors, click here.

  • Fantastic corkscrew and squiggly shapes created by white gypsum and an ink pen next to the cave formations for scale at Jewel Cave National Monument
    Gypsum Flowers, Jewel Cave National Monument
    Jewel Cave National Monument - National Park Service

    Gypsum "flowers" are a speleothem (cave formation) that form when thicker gypsum crystals form and grow outward from the cave walls. They often form curved or flower-petal-like shapes. To learn more about speleothems at Jewel Cave, click here.

  • A yellow tent all lit up by lanterns at a Grant Campground campsite with a picnic table surrounded by trees and a starry night sky above, Yellowstone National Park
    A Tent Beneath The Stars, Yellowstone National Park
    Yellowstone National Park - Rebecca Latson

    There's something to be said for pitching a tent beneath the stars at one of Yellowstone National Park's many campgrounds. You can read about those campgrounds by clicking here.

  • Tipi poles on a dry grass prairie with tall blue mountains in the distance and dramatic storm clouds overhead, Big Hole National Battlefield
    Tipi Poles And Tall Mountains, Bighole National Battlefield
    Big Hole National Battlefield - National Park Service

    146 years ago today, just before dawn, gunshots rang out throughout the peaceful valley of ?ıckumcılé.lıkpe (Big Hole Valley), startling awake a sleeping camp of 800 nimí·pu· (Nez Perce). Hatalekin, an elder setting out to check upon his herd of horses, had been shot down by a group of Bitterroot civilian volunteers. Thus began the Battle of the Big Hole, wherein 60-90 nimí·pu·—largely women and children—and 31 soldiers and volunteers were killed. Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana was created to honor all who were there.

  • The low-light interior of the restored Great Kiva with a short set of stairs at one end, square-cut windows all around the circular interior, and two rectangular holes opposite each other near the entrance at Aztec Ruins National Monument
    Inside The Great Kiva, Aztec Ruins National Monument
    Aztec Ruins National Monument - NPS - Andrew Kearns

    Aztec Ruins has some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of its kind. The ceremonial Great Kiva is a semi-subterranean structure, over 40 feet in diameter. Great Kiva is the oldest and largest reconstructed building of its kind. 

  • A red sandstone pueblo with one large wall and the remains of several rooms at Wupatki National Monument.
    Lomaki Pueblo, Wupatki National Monument
    Wupatki National Monument - Bryan Turnbull

    "Lomaki" means "beautiful house." Some 900 years ago, when the weather was cooler and wetter, ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture that included Lomaki Pueblo at what is now Wupatki National Monument in Arizona.

  • A line of gold- and orange-leafed trees with tree-covered mountains in the distance at Shenandoah National Park
    Fall Colors At Shenandoah National Park
    Shenandoah National Park - NPS - Dave Kiel

    They call people who enjoy viewing fall tree colors "leaf peepers," and there are plenty of leaf peepers at Shenandoah National Park when the weather turns cooler and the trees begin to show off their yellow, orange, and red finery.

  • Sunlight glowing through the long ears of a black-tailed jackrabbit hopping along rocky ground, Joshua Tree National Park
    Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Joshua Tree National Park
    Joshua Tree National Park - NPS - Jane Gamble

    Hike around Joshua Tree National Park and you might spy a black-tailed jackrabbit hopping over the landscape. A jackrabbit's ears are long and large because those ears help regulate the jackrabbit's temperature and keep it cool during a hot day at the park.

  • A paved trail next to a cliff dwelling within Walnut Canyon National Monument
    A Cliff Dwelling Seen Along The Island Trail, Walnut Canyon National Monument
    Walnut Canyon National Monument - Patrick Cone

    "It has been more than 700 years since Walnut Canyon echoed with the voices and sounds of a robust pueblo community. Today, the Island Trail leads you back in time, and welcomes you into the world of the Native people archeologists call Sinagua. You'll experience 25 cliff dwelling rooms along the trail; and gaze at others visible across the canyon."