Sharing Inuit Stories In Torngat Mountains National Park

On a rocky slope in Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador, a lone polar bear was splayed out on his belly on a bed of Arctic plants. He looked like a bearskin rug until he rolled lazily onto his side, lifted his head and yawned. THE WHOLE STORY

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 299 | Essential Coverage

Whether this is your first listen of our weekly podcast or number 299, welcome and thank you for listening. We hope you find these episodes interesting and present information or a side to the parks that you previously didn’t know about.Frankly,... THE WHOLE STORY

  • 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."

  • A view overlooking a bay of turquoise-blue water surrounded on three sides by beaches and tropical trees, Virgin Islands National Park
    The View From Johnny Horn Trail, Virgin Islands National Park
    Virgin Islands National Park - National Park Service

    Who doesn't dream, from time to time, of warm, brilliant turquoise-blue waters rimmed by sandy beaches and tropical vegetation beneath a sunny sky? Perhaps your vision looks much like the view you'll see from Johnny Horn Trail on St. John Island at Virgin Islands National Park. A little under 2 miles, this is a strenuous hike that's steep and rocky in places, but the view at the top is amazing.

  • A steamy, clear, blue-green Emerald Spring surrounded by yellow-orange soil and trees in Norris Basin at Yellowstone National Park
    Emerald Spring In Norris Basin, Yellowstone National Park
    Yellowstone National Park - Rebecca Latson

    Microorganisms play a large part in coloring hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. According to the National Park Service, "The color of Emerald Spring comes from the inherent blue of the water combined with the yellow of the sulfur-coated pool. The water in this 27-foot deep pool is so hot (close to boiling) that only the most heat-tolerant thermophiles can survive. In sulfur-rich hot springs, such as Emerald Spring, some microorganisms use sulfur as their energy source. Byproducts from these reactions can be used by other microbes. This kind of “recycling” ties the various microorganisms into diverse functioning communities."

  • A shiny curving line of the Missouri River at night, beneath a starry sky and the Milky Way, with the glow of a distant town, Theodore Roosevelt National Park
    The Milky Way Above The Little Missouri River In Wind Canyon, Theodore Roosevelt National Park
    Theodore Roosevelt National Park - NPS - Jeff Zylland

    "Half the park is after dark," says the National Park Service. There are spots within Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota that offer broad vistas perfect for night sky viewing and photography.

  • Rocks and the awe-inspiring ancient uplifted El Capitan reef glowing with light from a setting sun at Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    El Capitan at Sunset, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Guadalupe Mountains National Park - NPS - D. Buehler

    According to the National Park Service, "Capitan Reef is now recognized as one of the most well-preserved fossil reefs in the world ... Movement of faults over the last 20 million years caused a long-buried portion of the Capitan Reef to rise several thousand feet above its original position. This uplifted block was then exposed to wind and rain causing the softer overlying sediments to erode, uncovering the more resistant fossil reef and forming the modern Guadalupe Mountains. Today the reef towers above the desert floor as it once loomed over the floor of the Delaware Sea 260 to 265 million years ago."