national parks (19)

12684760255?profile=RESIZE_710x©Perry Kibler

There´s an undeniable allure for travellers to embark on a cinematic pilgrimage to the locations that have captured our imaginations on screen. One such destination which promises to enchant, with sweeping vistas and rugged landscapes, is Utah, the setting for Kevin Costner's epic four-film series Horizon: An American Saga, the first of which was just released at the end of June. With a budget of $100 million, the films series a dozen years of the settlement of the U.S. West befo

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When I encountered my first giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove, my head did not tilt back far enough to see the top. Walking around the trunk practically required a GPS. Leaving noise and civilization behind to walk among these ancient trees brought us to the famous "Grizzly Giant," the grove’s elder statesman, which rivals the Statue of Liberty in height and sports a branch extending outward that is larger than the trunks of most trees.

 

9132585854?profile=originalAnna Dudko/Dreamstime.com

 
Welcom

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I have been whale-watching a few times (always a joy) and visited Anacapa Island, but our recent Channel Islands Outfitter trip to Santa Cruz Island was one of the highlights of my travels. Kayaking in February may not have been the ideal month to choose, but we were well-prepared thanks to the helpful information on Channel Islands Outfitter’s website, including to dress warmly for the hour-long boat ride to Santa Cruz and to wear a bathing suit and rash guard under their supplied (and warm) we

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USA's Top 5 Adventure Destinations for 2015

9008920294?profile=original Whether you had a good year last year or not, it’s important to kick off any new year’s resolutions for 2015 on a positive note. A great challenge to set yourself for 2015 would be to travel and explore more, with the offerings that the USA have on hand there will be no shortages of adventures to experience!

1. The American Prairie Reserve

• Known as "America’s Serengeti," this reserve in northeastern Montana is a must for all adventure seekers. 

• The reserve is buying back private land as

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Is there a better way to kick off spring than taking a trek through an ancient petrified forest or going butterfly watching on a mangrove island? Yes: Go there for free!

National Park Week starts this Saturday, April 21, and lasts through April 29. During this time, admission is free to all 397 U.S. national parks.

Some national parks never charge entrance fees. For example, admission to Great Smoky Mountains National park costs zilch. But at parks that do charge to get in, you could save a nice c

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Top Spots to Spot Tigers In India

There are a lot of parks to see ample wildlife in India, but some parks definitely have an edge over the others as far as tiger sighting is concerned. Here are the top few national parks in India where the chances of spotting the big cat are higher, but then, at the same time one should remember that the animal is quite elusive.

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1.    Corbett National park: This was established by the legendary hunter Jim Corbett in 1936 and was the first national park to be established in India. The park covers

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Winter in Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is open year around and Winter has it's own challenges and rewards. The pics give you an idea of the incredible beauty here in Yosemite National Park but the temperature on the Valley floor remained a constant 32 degrees so most of the walkways are frozen solid. The hike up to Bridalveil Falls was downright comical. The frozen path proved incredibly challenging to walk on but it did create a fun and entertaining  comradery with the other visitors. Those of us that reached the upp
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For Memorial Day Weekend our son invited us to Bakersfield, CA.  Normally when we think of Bakersfield we think of a small city North of  Los Angeles, CA, just past the Grapevine.  What was once a small little town of honky tonk bars, race cars and working farmers is now a sprawling city boasting of small communities where folks are neighborly.

Surprisingly enough good food and local shopping is easy to find.Major hotel chains offering comfortable accommodations are located just off the 99 High

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When visiting any location we should all try and be the best tourist that we possible can be, looking after and respecting our beautiful nature spots.

If you are planning on booking a US car hire and visiting one of the country’s national parks it’s a good idea to do a little research before you travel. Most parks will have their own website that will tell you the park rules such as opening hours, speed limits and they will also list the areas where you can or can’t drive.

For example the Yosemit

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Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio is cataloged as one of the main tourist destinations in Costa Rica. One of the most usual itineraries chosen by tourists is the Arenal-Monteverde-Manuel Antonio, having this last one as the perfect choice for their beach part of the trip.
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This popularity has been gained thanks to the number of elements composing this very favorite destination. First of all, the biodiversity of wildlife is incredible, with the primary and secondary tropical forests and a very large number of animal

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9008644889?profile=originalThe smallest national park in Costa Rica has something big to brag about: it was just named in the top 10 national parks in the world Forbes Magazine.  Manuel Antonio is a pristine rainforest park and includes five secluded beaches.  During a visit, you will see sloths, a variety of monkeys (watch out! They'll steal your food!), toucans, intricate tropical flowers, the occassional boa lazily resting on a branch and a variety of colorful birds.  The beaches are among the most beautiful in Central

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India's National Parks

Forests in India treasures abundance of wildlife breed that additionally abode civic parks in India. Wildlife tourism offers accomplished befalling to appointment abundant array of animals in India including tiger, Indian peacock, cobra snake, Asiatic lion, bobcat etc and endless cardinal of aerial species.

Periyar National Park

Nestled in the ranges of Western Ghats in Kerala, Periyar Esplanade is a abode that is one of the acclaimed civic parks in India. Appointment Indian animals like Bonnet Ma

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Yellowstone National Park is the most popular park in Montana attracting millions of visitors every month. The park is full of scenic beauty, science and has a long history. It is also the first national park in America that extends from Wyoming to Idaho and Montana. The park is popular for its varied wild life and eco systems. Its popularity is further enhanced with its geothermal features. The old faithful geyser is the best and most commonly visited place at the Yellowstone National Park and

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Yosemite And the Unexpected Visitor

Please listen to this Yosemite Audio PostCard, a story about this national treasure and an unexpected park visitor .

Yosemite itself is the iconic image of a national park made famous by Ansel Adams and his obsession to capture in dramatic photographs the magical play of light falling on cedars and shadows.

And winter’s off-season is a terrific time to visit.

Frost-glazed grasses catch the sunlight and fragment it into a thousand mirror images of the stone cathedr

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Road Trip: Ohio to Las Vegas (and Back)

Once again we had the webcam attached to the rear view mirror and aimed out the front windshield. Thanks to everyone who rode along with us from up to 80+ mph on the Highways to about 1 MPH on the dirt roads back in the Rocky Mountains to the red roads of Zion. All total it was just over 6500 miles through 16 states in about 3 weeks. Highest altitude (noticed on the GPS) was around 10,000 ft.
RNMP08236.jpg aa055de8.jpg Off the Main Road in Rocky Mountains Red Roads of Zion
1eb8d6ce.jpg 981dc19c.jpg 1df9d112.jpg Black Hills of South Dakota - at end of tunnel is view of Mt Rushmore
(Tuesday) - Started much later than we had planned, left home around 5pm. Drove to Cloverdale, Indi
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Ladybugs in Yosemite

 Many of the smaller Natural Wonders of the Yosemite are are missed by the average tourist and Ladybugs are a great example.. These orange beetles hibernate each Winter at the base of trees in certain areas protected by bark and pine needles. There can be hundreds and even thousands hibernating together and they are pretty well concealed. During the Springtime swarms of orange beetles fill the air as they wake up and fly away.

Yosemite Audio Adventures are filled with fun facts about the natural

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Yosemite Water, Is It Safe?

This is a question that is asked frequently by visitors to Yosemite National Park and the answer is NO!

Neither the park nor anyone else can guarantee the safety of the water in rivers and creeks.

Either buy your beverages and cart out your trash or simply buy a water filter.

There are many such filtering devices on the market that range in price from $10.00 up. Check them out!

REI has a good selection. I personally use a chemical by McNett called Aqua Mira Part A & B.

Most filters are easy to carry

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By Bret Love for GreenGlobalTravel.com

 

Author Joseph Campbell once said, “Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation.” There are few places in the modern world in which this connection between mankind, mythology and nature is more obvious than Hawaii.

 

More than 150 years before Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of the Species, Hawaiian kahunas (or priests) recited an ancient creation chant– the epic Kumulipo– which trac

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Many if not most countries of the world, of course, set aside choice pieces of territory to protect and often showcase precious natural environments. But thanks to its size and a conservationist ethos dating back to the mid-19th century (though these days being increasingly threatened), few countries offer the number and diversity of natural parks – state and national – as the United States of America, from “sea to shining sea”, as its national anthem poetically puts it. And its 400 national p

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