National Parks

Wild Alaska

The Alaskan arctic is probably one of the last unexplored frontiers for me. The rugged terrain, unpredictable weather, and a short season, coupled with mosquitoes swarming during the prime hiking season means that it is not on the top of my bucket list. The cost and difficulty in getting there compounds the inertia to visit it. But the last two National Parks on my list lie in the arctic, and that was needed incentive to overcome the inertia.

I expect the landscape to look a lot like the above, with rugged mountains rising above vast glaciated valleys that are filled with marsh, tussock and alder making it a challenge to walk through. Add in a few freezing river crossings too. It is going to be an interesting experience, and hopefully a rewarding one.

Wrangell St. Elias National Park
AK USA

Superior Hues

My National Park #60 - Isle Royale in Michigan.

Even though I had spent a couple of years in Michigan more than a decade ago, I never got around to this Island over Lake Superior. Stuck in the extreme northwest corner of the state, getting here involved a 9hr drive and a 3hr ferry to get the largest island in the middle of the largest freshwater lake in the world. And that wasn't a luxury I could afford during my time in Michigan a decade ago.

Fast forward to 2026, and I finally got around to visiting this gem of a park. The difficulty in getting there made the journey and beauty even more memorable. Sublime sunrises and serene sunsets met me every day. These were accompanied by the haunting sirens of the common loon that echoed over the vast surface of the still lake. The crystal clear waters of the lake beckoned me to its freezing embrace on the warm summer afternoons as a respite from the swarms of mosquitoes and blackflies.

Nearly a month after the trip, and I still hear the siren of the loon, feel the cold lake lapping on my feet and smell the watery undertones of Lake Superior.

Isle Royale National Park
MI USA

Smoky Layers

Landscape photography often challenges us to simplify complex scenes by carefully selecting key visual elements and controlling color and tonal range. In this image of Mt. Adams, shot from Mount Rainier, I focused on isolating the interlocking ridges to create a layered composition that emphasizes depth through atmospheric perspective.
The cool blue hues and gradual tonal shifts highlight the receding mountain layers, while the smoke from a nearby fire introduced additional haze, enhancing the sense of scale and distance through diffused light scattering. Typically, this effect is captured during the golden hours of early morning or late evening, but the smoke uniquely extended that window, adding mood and texture to the frame.
It’s a reminder of how environmental conditions can become creative tools in landscape photography.

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

A Blissful State

I always build time into my hike for a moment of self reflections. Being so high in the mountains, where the air is thin, and views stretch for miles, offers one a wonderful opportunity for slowing down, and evaluating not only oneself, but the life around them. Whether it be spending the moment to take in the scenery and admire nature, or to introspect about your part in the wider community, the moment of zen is critical to appreciating the reason to get outdoors. Even if you are with friends, it pays to take time off to de-stress in nature

Here was a group doing this high in the Cascades.

North Cascades National Park
WA USA

A Slow Winter

The winter weather in the PNW has been a mixed bag so far. Freezing conditions with light precipitation, followed by much milder conditions and moderate precipitation. Neither are great for catching the classic winter landscapes of the PNW.

So here is one from an earlier time when the winter weather actually followed through, and thoughtfully provided a gap during a weekend to catch the powder.

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

Still Waters

As the kayak drifted slowly through the shallow waters of Cedar creek, I passed by baldcypress trees with their broad ribs and towering tupelo trees cradling the riverbank. The morning light of late fall lit up the faded yellows and orange of the swamp cottonwoods. The still waters of the creek created a sublime and moving reflection of the entire scene. The gentle chorus of songbirds as they were starting their morning flight echoed throughout the forest.

The everchanging pattern of colors, light and sound captured, in my mind, the essence of Congaree National Park, which preserves the last old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. This scene from Cedar creek in the National Park is the featured image for November in my 2024 calendar available at this link.

Congaree National Park
SC USA

Starlight magic

The transformation of the PNW in the summer is a sight to behold. Snow-covered winter landscapes become sun-drenched. Long nights transform to long days. And dreary grey days are replaced with a beautiful tapestry of sunlight during the day and a bejeweled carpet of stars at night. For long, I had visualized, in my minds eye, of a scene where the bright arc of the Milky Way draws out over the snow-capped summit of Mt Rainier while streaks of a meteor show dazzle in a starry spectacle.

This image, featured in the July month of my 2024 calendar, is a realization of such a scene. You can purchase my 2024 calendar at this link.

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

Novarupta

While the term Katmai National Park conjures up images of Fat Bear Week and of gluttonous grizzles gorging on salmon, I found the volcanic wastelands of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes far more fascinating. The eruption of the Novarupta volcano which deposited hundreds of feet of ash on this vast valley took place in 1912, and it was the largest eruption of the 20th century. Though news of this eruption was overshadowed by an even more titanic disaster, the sinking of the Titanic.

Hiking into this remote valley left me with an itch to explore more of this unique landscape someday.

As before, you can buy this calendar at this link.

Katmai National Park
AK USA

Pacific bliss

May of 2023 will forever remind me of the furthest distance I have ever traveled to visit a National Park. Situated 2500 mi west of Hawaii, the National Park of the American Samoa is spread across a chain of islands in the southern Pacific. Getting to American Samoa proved half the challenge. Getting to an even more remote island, which featured one of the best shoreline coral reefs, undoubtedly harder. But the effort required to get to this tropical paradise was well worth the reward. Hence, this became the featured image for May for my 2024 calendar

As before, you can buy this calendar at this link.

National Park of the American Samoa
American Samoa

Footsteps to the Past

Every step you take in the sand dunes is a mark of your journey. You may not see where you are going, but you can look back and see where you have been. The wind may erase your footsteps, but it cannot erase your memories. The sand may shift and change, but it cannot change who you are.

Great Sand Dunes National Park
CO, USA