The Lost Mine Trail is one of the most popular at Big Bend National Park, and with good reason. The trail is not too very steep and the views of the Chisos Mountains and Chihuahuan Desert are expansive. Traveler contributing writer and photographer Rebecca Latson shares her observations about this trail she’s hiked.

Crouched over a thermal pool, I can see dozens of warm water creatures the size of apple seeds quietly living their best lives on floating mats made up of bacteria, algae, woody debris and leaves. The sulphur-rich water smells like rotten eggs and wants to be turquoise but it’s dominated by globs of green, brown and white scum. You probably wouldn’t notice the tiny brown aquatic snails unless someone told you what to look for.

A woman was bitten by a bat while trying to move it off a garbage can outside the gas station at Stovepipe Wells Village in Death Valley National Park on Friday, April 28. The bat has since tested positive for rabies. The woman has no symptoms and is undergoing treatment.

Beginning on June 1, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado will transition to a fully cashless fee system and only accept mobile or electronic payments for entrance and permit fees. Visitors who are only able to pay with cash may purchase a prepaid pass from the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store at Beaver Meadows, Fall River, or Kawuneeche Visitor Centers.