It's late January, you're already thinking about next summer or the fall somewhere in the National Park System. But what about last year? How was your visit to the parks?

Darting about as quickly as a school of fish, the Galápagos penguins seemed gregarious and with unlimited energy. Despite technically being birds, they swam amazingly well, quickly weaving and bobbing as they dodged our small group enjoying the marine wonders of Galápagos National Park off the coast of Ecuador.

If you want to drive through Glacier National Park in Montana this summer, you can reserve your slot beginning Thursday.

In keeping with a tradition started several years ago, this first photo column of the new year is a collection of Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson’s 10 favorite images captured during 2023, including why she liked the composition and how she got the shot.