With no clear picture of when normal travel can resume, I decided to revisit some past adventures and share some of my favorite travel photos. Looking back at these memories definitely brightens my mood, even if I was supposed to be catching a flight to Arizona at the end of this of week (another time, Saguaro)!
To choose photos for anything resembling a “Top 10” list, I had to come up with a category to narrow down the options. This post features 10 Scenic Photos (meaning, no people) from 10 different U.S. National Parks. I limited myself to one photo per park, which was not easy! In no particular order, here are my selections:
(1) Yosemite National Park (California, 2006). This is not one of Yosemite’s most iconic locations, but I consider it one of the most beautiful nature photos I’ve ever taken. It was an easy pick for this list!
(2) Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida, 2018). I love the postage stamp quality of this photo taken through one of the windows of Fort Jefferson and how it highlights the amazing colors of the waters.
(3) Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, 2008). It is hard to pick one photo to represent this massive park, and again this isn’t a particularly iconic spot, but this shot of a lone buffalo with thermal steam in the background is a favorite of mine. Technically, there are people in the background, but I’m allowed to bend my own rules!
(4) Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming, 2008). It seems only logical to follow Yellowstone with a photo of the nearby Grand Tetons at sunrise. It’s hard to beat this view from the back porch of a room at Jackson Lake Lodge even if the price is a little steep.
(5) Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah, 2014). This photo was taken during an early morning, solo hike down to the floor of Bryce Canyon on the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop Trail. It is an experience I treasure especially because the for first half of the hike I was alone on the trail and able to peacefully take in the beauty and scope of the surroundings.
(6) Arches National Park (Utah, 2016). There are no arches in this photo from Arches, but I’ve always loved something about the scale and the colors that are captured in the picture. The area is called Wall Street.
(7) Badlands National Park (South Dakota, 2008). This park holds a special place for me as it was the first major stop on an amazing two-week road trip with my mom. It was my first big road trip as an adult who shared in the planning and driving, and it was a gorgeous day in the Badlands when we arrived!
(8) Glacier National Park (Montana, 2008). Look closely and you can see cars driving along the side of the mountain on the incredible “Going to the Sun” Road that is only accessible in the summer. The drive is not for the faint of heart, and I recommend making the trip in an open-air touring car to enjoy the experience without the “thrill” of driving yourself!
(9) Acadia National Park (Maine, 2016). This crisp, early morning view from the top of Cadillac Mountain is even more amazing if you know that we drove up there the day before only to encounter an impenetrable haze. Lesson of the day: Good things often come from trying again!
(10) Joshua Tree National Park (California, 2019). This one is more recent, but I haven’t gotten over the glowing effect created by the light of the setting sun in the Cholla Cactus Garden.
Bonus: Zion National Park (Utah, 2014). This photo represents a goal for the future — to hike past the end of the paved trail and explore The Narrows!
