While on assignment for the Traveler, photographer Rebecca Latson visited Redwood National and State Parks in California. She returned from her trip with many photos and the realization that while Redwoods is mostly about the trees, this collaboration of national and state parks also offers prairie and coastal venues, all with enough to do and see for at least three days.

There are well-known units of the National Park System, and then there are those that are publicity forsaken outposts. But that doesn't make them any lesser. Indeed, they are overlooked jewels. Barbara Jensen, a self-described wanderer, recently found her way to one of those jewels.

As efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay continue, with the help of the National Park Service, there's also an effort underway to see a Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area added to the park system.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is home to the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, the four highest points in Texas, various ecosystems, and historic stories of bloodshed and survival all waiting to be explored. From forested mountains and desert dunes, Guadalupe Mountains offer various ways to explore the area through hours of hiking and backpacking trails not for the faint of heart, or via beautiful settings of flora and wildlife within reach of families.