Author's posts
Sep 21 2024
Lake Helen in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lake Helen is one of the most striking roadside destinations in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Tucked directly beneath the slopes of Lassen Peak, this deep alpine lake is famous for its intense blue water, lingering summer snow, and dramatic views of the volcano rising immediately above the shoreline. Unlike many beautiful mountain lakes that require …
Sep 21 2024
Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park
Manzanita Lake is one of the most inviting places to slow down and enjoy the scenery of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Located near the park’s Northwest Entrance, the lake is known for its beautiful views of Lassen Peak, easy shoreline trail, kayaking, swimming, fishing, wildlife watching, and exceptionally photogenic mountain reflections. Unlike many of Lassen’s …
Sep 21 2024
Cinder Cone at Lassen Volcanic National Park
Cinder Cone is one of the most remarkable volcanic landscapes in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Rising from the remote northeastern corner of the park, this nearly symmetrical volcano towers above dark lava fields, colorful volcanic dunes, pine forest, and the blue waters of nearby Butte and Snag lakes. Unlike Lassen Peak, which is a massive …
Sep 21 2024
Bears of Lake Clark National Park
Few places in North America offer a more extraordinary opportunity to see wild brown bears than Lake Clark National Park. Along the remote Cook Inlet coast of Alaska, bears gather in salt marshes, tidal flats, rivers, and streams where an abundance of natural food allows surprisingly large numbers of animals to live within the same …
Sep 21 2024
Twin Lakes in Lake Clark National Park
Twin Lakes is one of the most beautiful and historically fascinating destinations in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Surrounded by steep mountains, tundra, spruce forest, and vast roadless wilderness, Upper and Lower Twin Lakes offer the kind of Alaska scenery that feels almost impossibly remote. The lakes are best known as the longtime home …
Sep 21 2024
Crescent Lake in Lake Clark National Park
Crescent Lake is one of the most spectacular destinations in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Tucked deep within Alaska’s Chigmit Mountains, the lake combines brilliant mountain scenery with world-class fishing, brown and black bear viewing, remote wilderness, and dramatic views toward active Redoubt Volcano. Despite its isolated location, Crescent Lake is the most visited …
Sep 21 2024
Kobuk Valley National Park’s Main Attractions
Kobuk Valley National Park is unlike almost any other national park in the United States. Located above the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska, it has no roads, developed campgrounds, marked hiking trails, entrance station, or conventional visitor facilities. Instead, its main attractions are enormous natural landscapes: golden sand dunes surrounded by boreal forest, a broad …
Sep 21 2024
Plants of Kenai Fjords National Park: Wildflowers, Forests & Coastal Flora
The plants of Kenai Fjords National Park grow in one of Alaska’s most dramatic environments. Glaciers descend from the Harding Icefield, steep mountains rise almost directly from the sea, and heavy Pacific precipitation nourishes lush coastal forests only a short distance from barren ice and rock. This remarkable variation in elevation, moisture, exposure, and glacial …
Sep 21 2024
Kenai Fjords National Park Glaciers
Glaciers define Kenai Fjords National Park more than almost any other natural feature. Rivers of ice spill from the enormous Harding Icefield, filling mountain valleys, ending in turquoise lakes, and reaching directly into the ocean along Alaska’s rugged Gulf of Alaska coast. Nearly 51 percent of Kenai Fjords National Park remains covered by ice, and …
Sep 21 2024
Wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park: Whales, Bears, Seals & More
The wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park is as dramatic and varied as the landscape itself. Humpback whales feed in cold coastal waters, orcas patrol the fjords, sea otters float among kelp beds, harbor seals rest on glacial ice, mountain goats cling to precipitous cliffs, and black bears wander through the forests surrounding Exit Glacier. …
