Yellowstone National Park

Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011

Located in the north west of U.S.A is Yellowstone, a national park of the superlative in which the impressive white water of Old Faithful is today one of the most famous and most photographed natural spectacles in the world. Indeed, for more than a century this mighty geyser has been the proud and unique landmark of the oldest national park in the United States.

The Yellowstone National Park is famous for its highly visible geological processes. The area close to Old Faithful not only features a number of geysers but also numerous hot springs that highlight the tremendous thermal power that lies beneath the earth's surface.

Today the Grand Geyser is the largest active geyser in the world. Its huge eruptions occur every eight to fourteen hours and last for nine to twelve minutes and can sometimes reach a height of sixty metres.

The Yellowstone is one of the largest volcanoes in the world. Because it is located directly above a geological hot spot, a huge cave constantly fills with magma. It is situated at a depth of eight kilometres and is the reason for the park's visible geo-thermal activity.

Some kilometres south of Nymph Lake is another geothermal area, the Norris Geyser Basin. This area is unique among the landscapes of Yellowstone Park as it is not only the park's hottest area but also boasts the largest geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser.

Although Yellowstone National Park is important for North America's plant and wild life, this nine thousand square kilometre nature reserve is primarily a geological park.

Amazing, fantastic, incredible and wonderful: how can you put into words a place that provides so many remarkable glimpses of the inner workings of Planet Earth?

Grand Canyons First Raft Journey

Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Today, the raft journey through the Grand Canyon is one of the West's great white-water thrills. It's hard to imagine just how daunting the trip must have been in 1869, when John Wesley Powell first decided to attempt it. Back then, the canyon was utterly unexplored. It existed on maps only as a blank spot in the southwest. Powell was a geology professor from Illinois who had lost his right arm as an officer during the Civil War. Despite this handicap, he got together nine men, mostly his own friends and relatives, and transported four wooden boats to Green River in Wyoming. Waving goodbye to a few well-wishers by the riverbank, they set off to face 1,000 miles of unknown river. The challenge was extreme. The intrepid group had to learn how to ride the rapids as they went, with their clumsy boats regularly overturning. They subsisted on a diet of dry biscuits for much of the time. Three men became so discouraged they decided to hike out through the desert. They were never heard from again, and are presumed killed by Indians. But Powell and the others would emerge unscathed at the southern end of the Grand Canyon, three months after their trip had begun. Powell became a national celebrity, as famous in the United States as Neil Armstrong would become after walking on the moon – a feat that occurred, coincidentally, exactly a century later.

The Colorado Monument - National Parks Vacations

Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010

In amongst the Grand Canyon, the Bryce Canyon and the Arches National Park sits the Colorado National Monument. Located only 12 miles away from the Grand Junction you will have the ability to experience one of the many great wonders of the world.

The Colorado National Monument is apart of the Colorado Plateau with the sheer walled canyons, unusual rock formations, fossils of dinosaurs, towering monoliths and many remains of prehistoric Indian cultures. The land reflects the history and environment perfectly, especially with the colorful sandstones everywhere you look.

There are many things you can do here, especially hiking and camping. Throughout the summer time there is designated campfire programs and people are able to travel here all year long, 24 hours a day.

John Otto, a man who lived on and off of the monument for almost 30 years helped preserve the Colorado National Monument as much as he could and in 1911 it became official that it was now a national monument. He started camping out at the canyon back in 1906 and after 5 years it finally became a place that would never be touched or harmed.

The Colorado National Monument is something that you should take the time to see if you are traveling through or near Colorado. The beauty surrounding it and the many other great findings in the Colorado Plateau make it a great escape from the real world. Take a hike through the trails or plan a weekend away with the family, there is much to do while experiencing the Colorado National Monument.

Best National Parks to Visit in the Spring

Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010

The United States is filled with so many beautiful National parks that come to life in the spring. You can enjoy the beauty of the national park along with the beauty of spring wildflowers in these parks:

Arches - Moab, UT - Features over 2,000 natural sandstone arches as well as many other unusual rock formations. Weather has exposed millions of years of geologic history in a landscape of contrasting colors and textures. Desert annuals like grasses and wildflowers are adapted to the arid environment and can be seen here in April and May.

Great Smoky Mountains - Gatlinburg, TN - well known for its mist-shrouded ridges of forest which straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a world-renowned preserve of wildflower diversity including over 1,660 varieties. It is sometimes referred to as the “Wildflower National Park.”

Yellowstone - Yellowstone, WY - Famous for Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, along with the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This park was established in 1872, and is America's first national park. In the spring you may see Wild Strawberries, Glacier Lilies and Bluebells among many other wildflowers.

Yosemite - Yosemite, CA - is best known for its stunning waterfalls and Half Dome. The best time to visit is late May and early June, when mountain snowmelt and waterfalls are at their peak. In Yosemite Valley & Wawona: you will find flowering dogwood and California Poppies beginning in May. More Wildflowers begin in early June such as Sierra Onion, Lupine, MariposaLlily, and Pentstemon.

Zion - Springdale, UT - Includes towering cliffs and small narrow canyons in unique sandstone ranging in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons. With elevations ranging from 3,600 to 8,700 feet, Zion National Park has a diversity of plant communities, supporting more than 900 species of plants. In the early spring, many plants take advantage of the seasonal rains, to flower such as the Desert Marigold or Slickrock Paintbrush.

National Parks Video

Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Holland America sponsored this video for Ken Burns' new special on PBS "National Parks: America's Best Idea."