Winter's vagaries -- blizzards and periods without snow, sub-zero thermometer readings, and unseasonably warm temps -- can toss you curveballs when it comes to enjoying the season in the National Park System, but if you plan carefully you can be prepared with alternatives.

Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson loves every single national park unit she’s ever visited, but she believes some parks are real standouts for certain categories of photography. In this month’s column, Rebecca lists some of those favorite parks.

It took only a handful or two of days between the disappearance of snow in the Santa Fe National Forest and the start of the Cerro Pelado fire, a growing blaze that has intruded into two units of the National Park System in New Mexico in an early season signal that the coming summer months will be smoky in many parts of the park system west of the Rockies.

It's no secret that planning to visit a national park should begin at least six months before your visit, and a year in advance might not be too outlandish. With that timeline in mind, know that boat tours at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon might not run in 2024 or 2025 if needed work to the Cleetwood Trail and marina are approved by the National Park Service.