Sharks are a natural presence in many seas and oceans, a critical part of regional ecosystems, including numerous National Park Service units. As they go about their daily lives, shark attacks on humans do occasionally occur, but not all shark bites are necessarily predatory. This post explains how to avoid shark attacks.
A city famous for its glitz and glamour, celebrities and beach life, Los Angeles is so much more than Hollywood. Few people are aware that just beyond the urban sprawl of L.A., some amazing nature awaits. These seven beautiful national parks offer a fantastic escape from bustling L.A.
More than 40 National Park Service sites allow mountain biking, an increasingly popular outdoor adventure sport. Along with many NPS units like national monuments and national recreation areas, those include these nine amazing national parks for mountain biking.
North America’s largest land mammal, bison are one of the most dangerous animals in America’s national parks. These bison safety tips will help you avoid bison attacks and teach you about what to do if you encounter a bison while hiking. Read them thoroughly and keep them in mind when hiking in bison country.
Piles and stacks of huge boulders dominate a landscaped dotted with iconic Joshua trees. Blue skies create a vibrant contrast with the yellows and browns of the Southern Californian deserts. A park filled with life and seemingly made for adventurers, there’s a myriad of Joshua Tree National Park highlights.
In the far south of Arizona lies Saguaro National Park, America’s first national park created primarily to protect a plant species. And rightly so—even though this is a desert area, it’s plants that run the show. Pretty much all the best things to do in Saguaro National Park have something to do with saguaros, the largest cactus species in America.
Time, wind and water have chiseled these beautiful and seemingly never-ending mountains for ages, creating a landscape of rocky summits, wooded hollows, roaring waterfalls and bubbling streams. This lush environment is one of sheer abundance. Both the flora and fauna of Shenandoah National Park thrive in large numbers.
There are a few actionable things you can do to avoid rattlesnake encounters while hiking. Once you’re in rattlesnake territory, an encounter is basically always coincidental. To minimize your chances of seeing a rattlesnake on the trail and being bitten, there are several effective rattlesnake safety tips and precautions you should keep in mind.
From backpacking trips into the rugged Painted Desert to seeing the remains of Old Route 66, hiking in multi-colored badlands and among enormous collections of petrified wood, Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park may be small, but it has a lot to offer.
With their mesmerizing natural beauty and abundant wildlife, America’s national parks aren’t exactly the dream destinations of architecture lovers. At least, that’s what they think. The truth is that you can find gorgeous and photogenic buildings in national parks all over the U.S.
In this post, I’ll talk about mountain lion safety and what to do when you see a mountain lion. It’s important to know that mountain lion attacks are very rare, but they do occasionally occur. Therefore, you need to be aware of the animals’ presence when hiking in mountain lion habitat and know what to do during a mountain lion encounter.
As devastating as floods and forest fires can be, most of those pale in comparison with the potential threat posed by volcanoes. This makes visiting a volcano a more than averagely exciting thing to do. In the United States alone, there are no fewer than ten national parks with volcanoes you can visit.
Wiping the sweat off your forehead, you try to catch your breath as you gaze across a landscape dominated by red rocks and sandstone hills. Towering rock pillars and enormous domes fill the view, interspersed by wide valleys and, here and there, a hardy desert bush. Your chest still heaving up and down after a short but steep climb to the overlook, you sit down and take a well-deserved sip from your water bottle.
Although often underrated and overlooked, birds are actually the most visible animals around. In national parks, too, they’re the easiest animals to spot. This is why I recommend making bird watching in national parks a priority. It’s not only about bears, moose and whales. Birds are fascinating to watch as well.