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April 2, 2025
To be honest, I have no clue what I’m looking at beyond the fact that it’s a key object in the World War II-era race to develop the world’s first atomic weapons before Nazi Germany. There is a giant wall full of holes that reminds me of a Lite-Brite... THE WHOLE STORY
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One of the greatest shows on Earth has been going on now for several months in Hawaii, where the Kīlauea volcano at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has been erupting since late December. The Kīlauea volcano is the most active volcano on Earth. It’s... THE WHOLE STORY
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Hiking the Ledges Trail in time to view sunset at trail's end is a popular thing to do at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio is open year-round. A popular trail to hike any season is the Ledges Trail. To read more about hiking in this national park, click here.
Insects are part of the wildlife species found at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, including this hummingbird clearwing moth, whose wings look like clear cellophane and beat so fast they sound like a hovering hummingbird.
Even during the winter at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you can still hike many of the trails, as well as sled, snowshoe, cross-country ski, and ice fish.
Bicycling is a great activity for exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Most people are going to use the Towpath Trail, since 22 miles (35 km) of the trail’s 101 miles (162.5 km) are located within the park. To read more about bicycling in this national park, click here.
There are over 125 miles of hiking trails in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. These trails range from nearly-level to more challenging, and pass through various habitats including woodlands, wetlands, and old fields.
How many other units of the National Park System can boast of a scenic train ride through park landscape? At Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, you can take yourself and even your bike aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a relaxing ride while you learn the area’s history, watch for wildlife, and even purchase a snack, beverage, or souvenir. To read more about this, click here.
"All Aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad! The National Park Scenic excursion is a unique way to experience all the natural wonder Cuyahoga Valley National Park has to offer. Sit back and relax as the train weaves through the Cuyahoga Valley and races along with the rushing Cuyahoga River. The route provides passengers the opportunity to possibly spot eagles, deer, beavers, and herons in their natural habitat."
Cuyahoga Valley National Park's diverse landscape provides habitat for about 250 species of birds, including this quirky least bittern pictured here.
Twenty-five miles (40 km) of the river’s 100 miles (161 km) run the length of the park from south to north, so it’s a no-brainer to want to paddle a canoe or kayak through the park on this waterway. Click here to read more about paddling the Cuyahoga River.
From Superfund Site to environmental success story, Krejci was once a salvage yard and waste disposal facility. Cuyahoga Valley National Park acquired the land and began the task of cleanup. Click here to read more about this.
According to the National Park Service:
The Cuyahoga River is a famous ecosystem. Today its flowing water supports fish and insects that feed birds and amphibians along its muddy banks. But the river wasn’t always so full of life. The Cuyahoga River has a very polluted past. The river between Akron and Cleveland was dangerously dirtied by a century of dumped factory waste and sewage from cities. In the summer of 1969 a floating pile of oil-soaked logs and other trash caught fire on the river in Cleveland. The Cuyahoga River became known as the river that burned.
News of a river so polluted that it caught on fire made people demand action. The Cuyahoga River’s sad state sparked the modern environmental movement in America. The Environmental Protection Agency was created and legislators passed pollution control and clean-up laws. The fire even helped inspire the first Earth Day in 1970. Thanks to decades of clean-up work, the Cuyahoga River is on the mend.
According to the National Park Service, "Due to its exceptional night skies and efforts to mitigate light pollution, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in 2015."
There are trails on both North and South rims at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The Uplands Trail is one of those hiking trails. To read more about hiking in this national park, click here.
According to the National Park Service, "Pegmatite refers to igneous rock with very coarse texture and unusually large, intergrown crystals. It consists mostly of quartz, feldspar, and mica. As magma cools and solidifies, water becomes concentrated. This concentration makes the magma more fluid and easier to squeeze, like toothpaste out of the tube, into the surrounding rock. The crystals can be very large—up to 6 feet (2 m) in length." To read more about Black Canyon of the Gunnison's geology, click here.
Wildflowers and flowering shrubs found at Black Canyon bloom in early season (April–June), mid-season (June–July), and late season (July–September). They grow on the canyon rim, uplands, and the inner canyon. Mariposa lilies are native to Western North America.
The cliffs of Black Canyon are a siren call to rock climbers, but this place is not to be lightly tackled by beginners. To read more about rock climbing at this national park in Colorado, click here.
Black Canyon is home to 174 bird species, including this canyon wren.
According to the National Park Service, "Black Canyon is the result of multiple episodes of uplift and erosion and the carving power of the Gunnison River. The canyon displays a wide variety of rock types - including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary."
"Deep, steep, and narrow." According to the National Park Service, Black Canyon exposes nearly two billion year old Precambrian "basement rocks," one of the best examples in the world.
