From Great Sand Dunes, where I had spent the previous night, I took my time to get to the town of Gunnison, going over scenic byways that followed the headwaters of the Rio Grande (that I visited a few months prior in Big Bend National Park), eventually making it to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This Park had mesmerized me for the longest time with its dramatic nomenclature - named for one the pitch black depths at the bottom of the steepest river canyons in the country. At over 2700 ft deep in places and barely 50 ft wide at the bottom, even pictures can't do justice to the raw jagged terrain of this narrow canyon.
I spent my time viewing the sheer scale of its steep walls from the many viewpoints on the south rim where thoughtfully placed displays explained the history and geology of this park. And even though the river was barely visible from the top, these displays explained how over the eons, the erosive power of water cut through hard schist rock formations, exposing the veins of iron that you see in the above image of the Painted Wall.
Despite its small size, the park is worth a visit, if only to observe and grasp the power of natural forces in carving out a deep scar in the earths crust.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
CO USA
A National Parks Journey - Great Sand Dunes National Park
I had visited five National Parks in 2018, with three in quick succession during a trip to Colorado. First on the stop was Great Sand Dunes National Park, one of the five National parks where you can find sand dunes, and the only one where the dry desert meets the Rocky mountains. Situated in rain shadow of the snow-capped peaks lay towering golden sand dunes more than 200ft high. From my past experiences spending the night in the dunes, I knew I that spending the night here would provide plenty of opportunities for photography, but first, I had to figure the logistics of doing that - including getting permits.
Having arrived late in the day leading up to the Memorial weekend, which was big for travel here, I was not particularly hopeful on getting a walk-in permit. Thankfully, the stars were on my side, and I had secured the last permit. After that, the next challenge was figuring out where to camp. So I saddled up my pack and walked towards the dunes, with no specific destination in mind. Climbing up sand isn't easy in the best of times, but climbing with a heavy pack with 4l of water and camera gear all under the dry desert heat was immeasurably worse. But once I settled in to an amicable spot, and enjoyed an afternoon siesta, my mood was certainly brighter.
Planning a night in the dunes is harder than a regular backpack, but all those troubles worth it for the serene sunset, beautiful night sky amidst the dunes, and the refreshing feeling of stepping into cold and soft sand.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
CO USA
A National Parks Journey - Capitol Reef National Park
I did not think I could be surprised and delighted any more when I visited Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. After all, I had already been to the state's star redrock attractions: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion, and had hiked extensively through them. And yet, Capitol Reef more than measured up to its expectations, and showered me with spectacular panoramas of red rock country, hikes through stunning slot canyons, vistas of red Navajo sandstone formations, and the star of the show, the nearly 100 mile long water-pocket fold, a wrinkle in the earths crust that stretched along the rugged terrain of the park.
While most of the park is easily accessible, the features of the the centerpiece, the water-pocket fold, are mostly in the back-country, and requires braving miles of traveling on dusty gravel roads that wind through the parks hinterlands. However, the rewards that await the tenacious bac-kcountry explorer are many, and even the single day I had spent exploring the washes and slot canyons in the fold left me wanting for more. Hopefully I will get to return back and explore more of this spectacular park once the crowds thronging the park this summer subsides.
Capitol Reef National Park
UT USA
A National Parks Journey - Big Bend National Park
The second of the two National Parks in Texas, Big Bend is more than just about a big bend in the Rio grande river as it winds towards the Gulf of Mexico. Remarkable montane terrain, a rugged canyon carved through red desert rock, and spectacularly clear night skies await anyone who makes the long drive out to this isolated park. It is certainly worth visiting for the diverse ecosystems that are found in this high desert corner of the state, along the remote section of the border with Mexico.
Beyond these, what captivated me was the small stretch of the Rio Grande river as it wound sound through the tight Santa Elena Canyon, with one face of the towering canyon wall in Big Bend, and the other side in Cañón de Santa Elena in Mexico. In this small stretch, the river serves as the border between two large economies with different culture and history, and all that was separating these two nations was a river a few yards wide easily traversed by any mode of watercraft. It left me wondering as to how such a small body of water could ever serve as a barrier between people and economies wanting to come together.
Big Bend National Park
TX USA
A National Parks Journey - Guadalupe Mountains National Park
At first glance, the high summit of Guadalupe mountain was an unremarkable mountain peak that would not have been out of place amidst the desert landscape of the US West. And it would have garnered no more attention than a simple viewpoint and plaque calling out the highest point in the state of Texas. It may have been awarded a historical marker, or may have even been designated as a state park. It was only with closer examination that realized why it was elevated to the status of a National Park - it is a region rich with varied ecosystems that occupy the different climactic zones of the park, from the dry desert at the base, to the shaded and humid canyon interiors that carve through the park, and the cool and dry alpine zones at the higher elevations.
Visiting the park isn't hard as it is right off a major east-west highway in Texas. But lacking services, you must be prepared if you intend to spend some time here to explore the park and attempt the summit hike. The dry Texas heat is another factor to be considered when planning a trip to this remote park. My short visit here didn't afford any time to climb the peak; perhaps I will return one day to climb it.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
TX USA
A National Parks Journey - Badlands National Park
My first impression of Badlands National Park as I drove west on a long flat section of the interstate in South Dakota was that it was just land that was not worth the time spent to look at. But once I turned into the park, toured its various attractions and hiked to its hidden gems, I found myself in a diverse landscape, full of deep canyons with colorfully layered clay soils that cut through a lush prairie dotted by the mounds and burrows of the ubiquitous prairie dogs.
The rich bounty of wildlife and nature combined with the remarkable scenery, with the occasionally striking cloud patterns of the big sky country was something I had never experienced anywhere. It was easy to get lost in such a landscape set in a National Park far away from anything else. So if the long monotonous stretch of I-90 cutting through the vast plains of South Dakota ever gets boring, this park severs as a superb diversion. And for the inquisitive traveler, it offers a lot more.
Badlands National Park
SD USA
A National Parks Journey - Mammoth Caves National Park
This park was initially just a short diversion on my roadtrip to the south from the midwest. I had heard of this park, and knew it was famous for featuring one of the longest caverns in the world. But from the outside, it was an unassuming park. Verdant forests and miles of wilderness belie the grandiose caverns hidden underneath. And being a short trip from two major population centers, this park garners plenty of crowds. Visiting the caverns thus requires a bit of advance preparation identifying the right tours to get tickets for.
But due to my impulsive travel planning, I only had a short time there, and in that time I got to explore a mere trifling of the park. Despite taking my camera, it couldn't do justice to the sheer diversity of caves with distinctive speleothemic formations, let along the enormity of the caverns inside that can hold a Boeing 737 jet inside. Instead, I just focused on immersing myself in the cavern life. This was one of the parks that really made me warm up to the idea of visiting and exploring more caverns.
This photo showcases the historic entrance to Mammoth Caves, which, until the elevators were installed in 1957, served as the main way to explore the caverns.
Mammoth Caves National Park
KY USA
A National Parks Journey - Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Typically, the parks established east of Rockies during the early days of the National Park System tended to be small urban parks, carved out from the desire to have scenic open spaces near to home, especially for recreation, rather than with the goal of preserving a unique slice of the landscape such as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Cuyahoga was one such park of the former type, nestled between major urban areas, and its story is rooted in the environmental and social movements of the 20th century. Its creation is about not only providing a refuge from the urban wilderness but restoring a landscape to be culturally vibrant, less polluted, a better home for wildlife, and a model for sustainable living.
And that was why, even though it was an arms throw from urban areas, I found places of solitude. I had visited the park during the fall season, hoping to escape the maddening crowds of a major college campus I was studying at that time. During this season, this midwest park takes on a new color scheme, covered in golds and yellows. It also becomes remarkably quieter without the urban crowds. In wandering along numerous trails that meandered through the forests and old moss-covered rocks and stonework, I realized that it truly was a hidden gem that aspired to the goals for which the park was created
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
OH USA
A National Parks Journey - Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave was quite unlike any other caves or caverns I had explored. While most carried the typical speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites, columns and drapes), Wind Cave, set in the heart of Black Hills region, features boxwork formations formed from the strong winds that channel through the caverns of this park. There are no dripping stalactites or massive caverns, but tiny needle like structures and flowering growths of calcite that dominate one of the longest caverns of the park.
It is not a park on the main tourist map for Black Hills, and were I not searching for National Parks to visit on my cross-country trip, I would not have even considered it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the rare formations I saw during my day trip to the 30th National Park
Wind Cave National Park
SD USA
A National Parks Journey - Channel Islands National Park
The little set of islands tucked just off the coast of southwestern California is quite unlike the mainland: picture the same rocky and rugged California coastline enveloping a windblown ocean environment replete with kelp forests and the islands own unique wildlife. So near and yet so different - that was the impression I carried from my short visit to the largest island from the town of Oxnard.
I remember wandering around the tiny island, learning about its history, and admiring the tiny island foxes that roamed around the island carefree and unafraid of humans. Its not an island paradise of Hawaii, but it certainly had its own charm.
Channel Islands National Park
CA USA