Archive for the ‘Great Sand Dunes’ Tag
Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Brian Lackey. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/1/17.
Humpback whale breaching at Kenai Fjords National Park. Photo by Kaitlin Thoreson, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/5/17.
Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park is only accessible to visitors by boat. Photo by Carl TerHaar. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 6/5/17.
Among one of the most inspiring vistas in the world, Tunnel View provides a perfect sunrise view of Yosemite National Park in California. From here you can see El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall rising from Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome in the background. This view gets its name from its location at the east end of the Wawona Tunnel. Photo by David Laurence Sharp. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/4/17.
Unexpected beauty in Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior 7/20/17.
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A jaw-dropping winter sunset at California’s Yosemite National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/6/17.
This picture of Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in Colorado is a perfect combination of stone, sand, snow and light. The Sangre de Cristo (“Blood of Christ”) Mountains were named by early explorers for the crimson light that often appears on them at sunrise or sunset. The red color is especially vivid when the mountains and dunes are covered with snow. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 2/5/17.
You can never see too many sunsets on the Blue Ridge Parkway. After the first snow in Virginia this winter, photographer Brandon Dewey drove out to capture the sights. “The sky normally lights up once the sun dips behind the mountain ridges, but this night, there wasn’t that much color. About 20 minutes after sunset, I was just about to pack up my gear when the sky finally caught on fire for less than two minutes.” Photo by Brandon Dewey, Brandon Dewey Photography (www.bdeweyphoto.com). Posted on Tumblr by the Us Department of the Interior, 2/3/17.
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Yellowstone National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 1/3/17.
Moonlight brightens snowy dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/2/17.
Along the Mississippi River Flyway in Iowa, Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge provides important habitat for migratory birds. Floodplains and forests are used by many wildlife species including migratory songbirds, waterfowl, hawks and eagles, deer, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. After a recent snowstorm, it’s also a stunning winter sight. Photo by Jessica Bolser, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/5/17.
Bring skis, snowshoes or sleds to enjoy snowy winters at Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. From January through April, ranger-led snowshoe walks are a great way to explore this volcanic landscape. Over 75 percent of the park is designated as wilderness, offering unparalleled opportunities for solitude and adventure. Photo by National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/3/17.
Badlands National Park in South Dakota can seem like a formidable and forbidding landscape, but with proper planning and a sense of adventure, the park is a nature lover’s paradise year round. The spires, pinnacles and ravines, which frustrated earlier travelers, provide a visual “gateway to forever” with views that can stretch over 50 miles. Photo by Mike Pflaum, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 12/29/16.
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Supermoon peers over Mount Herard in this amazing pic at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 11/18/16.
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Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Dunes And The Rainbows
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A spiderweb of lightning fills the sky at Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Photo by Chelsey Dever. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/5/16.
Summer makes for some epic thunderstorms. Case in point: this dramatic pic of a lighting strike at Badlands National Park in South Dakota from earlier in August. Photo by Badlands’ Seasonal Park Paleontologist Phil Varela, National Park Service. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 9/2/16.
In this rare sight, a rainbow (some call it a “blob-bow”) brightens the dunes following an afternoon storm at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Summer thunderstorms at the park are common and bring cool winds, heavy rain and lightning. When storms approach, be sure to come down off the dunes, as lightning often strikes the dunefield. The electrical current fuses or melts sand particles together, resulting in a “fulgurite” (Latin for lightning rock). Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/14/16.
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You’ll need to make more than one visit if you really want to enjoy fall colors at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. Different trees peak at different times, so each journey into this gorgeous forest offers a unique experience. Throughout October, maples, oaks, gums and dogwoods put on a splendid show you don’t want to miss. Photo at Blue Hen Falls by Craig Walton. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/13/16.
From mountains to sand dunes to wetlands, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in Colorado has a terrific diversity of ecosystems. Each landscape is affected differently by the seasons. With fall descending on the park, that means patches of aspens in the alpine ranges are starting to show their gorgeous yellow colors. What a view! Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/11/16.
Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Josh Packer. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/13/16.
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Nothing says spring like the colorful wildflowers of Handies Peak Wilderness Study Area in Colorado. More than beautiful springtime displays, this secluded landscape offers alpine lakes, large canyons and 13 peaks over 13,000 feet. Make the most of this season by hiking, backpacking, camping or mountain climbing in this remarkable wilderness. Photo by Bob Wick. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 4/5/16.
Now is the perfect time to see Mars in the summer night sky at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 8/10/16.
Offering a huge reward for little effort, Dream Lake is only a mile hike from Bear Lake Trailhead at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Winter conditions can add complications, but there’s nothing like sunrise painting the mountains to make you forget about the cold. Photo by Crystal Brindle. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 2/24/16.
Dinosaurs once roamed here, and visitors today can see the fossils of these ancient creatures embedded in the rocks of Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. The park also preserves petroglyphs (patterns chipped or carved into rock) and pictographs (patterns painted on rock) of designs shaped like lizards, birds, spirals and more. Photographer Dustin Baugh captured this beautiful photo before cooking dinner at his campsite: “The meadow was full of deer and Canadian geese wandering the swollen river banks, with one large bighorn sheep grazing near the cliffs.” Photo courtesy of Dustin Baugh. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/2/16.
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A fiery sunset overtakes the sky at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, casting an otherworldly glow on the park’s purple sands. Photo courtesy of Chris Wheeler. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 2/9/16.
Describing this beauty is impossible. Sunset over Arches National Park. Photo by David Long. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/10/16.
Grand Canyon National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/26/16.
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Every March, thousands of Sandhill cranes stop in Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve on their way to their northern breeding grounds. The fields and wetlands of Colorado’s San Luis Valley provide excellent habitat for these majestic birds. With the dunes and mountains nearby, they dance and call to each other. It’s one of nature’s great spectacles. Sunrise. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/11/16.
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Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Dunes And The Rainbows
Gold!
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Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado boasts the tallest dunes in North America. Spreading across 30 square miles, this ocean of sand glows under a winter coat of snow. Cleveland Peak catches the moonlight too, creating this gorgeous winter shot. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/8/16.
Wrangell-St Elias National Park under the aurora borealis and the moon. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 1/5/16.
Rocky Mountain National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 1/4/16.
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Wyoming is an important habitat for more than 250 species of resident and migratory wildlife. The area was used by nomadic Indian tribes, fur trappers and early pioneers. It is rich in history and natural beauty, as you can see from this stunning winter scene. Photo by Tom Koerner, US Fish & Wildlife Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/6/16.
With no roads or trails, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve is a vast wilderness. From November to March, most activity ceases, while -10ºF to -40ºF temperatures persist. The dry interior climate doesn’t see much snow, but what little amount falls stays to cover land in ice and silence. It is a stunning, but harsh landscape. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/7/16.
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