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Great Basin National Park

The "Bottle Brush" Look Of Bristlecone Pine Needles, Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Green bristlecone pine needles have a distinguishing

A visit to Great Basin National Park in Nevada is not complete without hiking the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Wheeler Bristlecone Trail up 10,000 feet (3,048 m) to see a grove of ancient bristlecone pines, some of which are several thousand years old. Bristlecone pines can be distinguished from other pines such as the limber pine by the "bottle brush" shape of the needles around a branch, some of which extend back as far as a foot or more along the branch.

Rebecca Latson

Flowstone And Stalagmites In Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park

Flowstone over stalagmites just off the paved trail through Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park, Nevada

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.

Rebecca Latson

Photography In The National Parks: Cave Photography

Low-light interior photography takes a little effort at the best of times, and this is with a tripod. Cave shots captured during one of the tours offered at a cave-centric park unit are trickier, because tripods, bipods, and monopods are prohibited. How do you achieve great cave shots without using a tripod during a tour of a cave unit in the National Park System?

Photography In The National Parks: Always Be A National Parks Traveler

Contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson has spent the past 11 years with the National Parks Traveler, writing about tips and techniques for getting the best national park photos – no matter what camera you use. In her final article for the Traveler before it goes dark on December 31, 2023, Rebecca recaps some of those tips and techniques.

Catch The Annular Eclipse At Big Thicket National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas is one of the National Park System units in the path of the annular solar eclipse next month and park staff are offering solar-filtered telescopes and eclipse glasses for safe viewing, ranger programs, and a sneak peek at the preserve's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2024.

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