Wayne Wendel's Photography : National Parks- powered by SmugMug

Wayne Wendel's Photography

National Parks Galleries

Big Bend National Park : Big Bend National Park is the one place you can go and explore the last remaining wild corner of the United States. The Park has three distinct ecosystems, river (Rio Grande), desert (Chihuahuan) and mountain (Chisos) in its 800,000 acres. Big Bend gets its name from the great turn in the Rio Grande River as it travels south along the border of Texas and Mexico. The Park is one of the least visited in the national park system but in my three visits it is one of my favorites.

Big Bend National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park : Traveling south and west from Alburquerque, NM we headed for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Our first stop was at Rattlesnake Springs, a prime birding habitat due to the pond fed by an underground spring. We saw, Summer tanager, Scarlet tanager, Orchard oriole, Ladderbacked Woodpecker, Western Kingbird and a variety of other local birds. The next day we visited the Caverns, walking down into the mouth and hiking a little over a mile in length and a decent of 800 feet. We rode the elevator up.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Grand Canyon National Park : Your first sight of the Grand Canyon takes your breath away. You suddenly realize how small you are as the landscape makes a lasting impression on you.

Grand Canyon National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park : Rocky Mountain National Park is in northern central Colorado with the closest city being Estes Park. RMNP became the nation's tenth national park in 1915. It is primarily a mountain ecosystem with two-thirds of the park above treeline. Two rivers flow through the park, the Colorado River and Fall River. The headwaters of both rivers are fed by the melting mountain snow.

RMNP is traversed by the Trail Ridge Road, highest continuous auto highway in America.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Yellowstone National Park : Yellowstone is the country's first and largest national park in the lower fourty-eight and one of the most biologically complex ecosystems in the world. The park sits on the Yellowstone Plateau formed by volcanos and carved by glaciers. It is one large culdren of volcanic activity. It was named from the Minnetaree Indians who called the area Rock Yellow River and later transformed into "Yellow Stone". Teddy Roosevelt visited the area and later designated it as America's first National Park.

Yellowstone offers you closeup, within reason, expierences with Bison (Buffalo), Elk, Mule Deer, Grizzly Bears, Coyotes, Wolves, and I could go on. The landscape becons the photographer.

Yellowstone National Park

Arches National Park : Arches National Park is located in eastern Utah in the La Salle Mountains. The forces of nature have carved out a landscape of natural arches, balanced rocks, fins and pinnacles found nowhere else in the world. Arches NP is one park worth visiting.

Arches National Park

Joshua Tree National Park : Joshua Tree National Park, located in south central California, is a combination of two desert ecosystems, the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert. The Joshua trees, for which the park is named, can be found in the western half of the park in the elevated Mojave Desert. The Joshua tree is actually a giant lily. Legend has it that Mormons making their way across the desert named the tree after the biblical figure, Joshua. The tree with its limbs stretched upward to heaven praying for a victory. Settlers used the trees for various jobs; steam engine fuel, fencing, corrals, etc. It is an amazing sight to see these trees dotting the desert landscape. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks that I have visited. It is classic desert habitat.

Joshua Tree National Park

Acadia National Park : A cold and rainy day in Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park

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