Nowadays, a visit to a unit of the National Park System requires at least a minimal amount of planning and preparation. Whether you fly, drive, cruise, or ride the rails, planning your park travel ensures a much more enjoyable stay. Contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson shares her own planning and preparation routine for a safe and enjoyable park visit.

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.

Every photographer has favorite images from visits to National Park System units. Continuing a 2015 tradition with the Traveler, contributing photographer Rebecca Latson offers up 10 of her favorite images captured over the course of 2022, explaining why she likes each image and how she got the shots.

The National Park System has 423 park units, including the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson and her cameras continues her Eastern Washington Channeled Scablands exploration of this NGT with a day trip to Drumheller Channels National Natural Landmark.