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  • Stock Creek exits the south end of Natural Tunnel before flowing south to join the Clinch River. For safety, do not enter the tunnel. At the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long! The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA.
    08VA-2018_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • At the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long! The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA.
    08VA-2023_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • At the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long! The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA.
    08VA-2003_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • At the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long! The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA.
    08VA-2029_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • At the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long! The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA.
    08VA-2025_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • The restored narrow gauge train steam engine #66, painted green, is exhibited at the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia (where both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave). The locomotive was used for the "Rim Rock Railroad" which operated as a frontier town and tourist attraction from 1969 to 1974 at the Rim Rock Recreational Park in Norton, Virginia. Current location: N 36° 42.140 W 082° 44.784 (17S E 344001 N 4063273).
    08VA-2045_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • The last orange and yellow leaves drop in early November at the unique Natural Tunnel State Park, near Duffield, Virginia, where both a train and a river share the same natural limestone cave, measuring 850 feet (255 meters) long. The railroad has used this tunnel since 1890. Natural Tunnel began forming during the early Pleistocene Epoch and was fully formed by about one million years ago. The Glenita fault line running through the tunnel, combined with moving water and naturally forming carbonic acid may have formed Natural Tunnel through the surrounding limestone and dolomitic bedrock. After the tunnel formed and the regional water table lowered, Stock Creek diverted underground, then later took the path of least resistance through the Natural Tunnel, through Purchase Ridge, flowing south to join the Clinch River. Daniel Boone is believed to have been the first white man to see it. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) dubbed it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; and the tunnel has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Natural Tunnel State Park was created in 1967, and opened to the public in 1971. For a time, a passenger train line ran through Natural Tunnel, and today, the railroad still carries coal through it to the southeast USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    08VA-2041_Natural-Tunnel-SP-Virginia.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. This panorama was stitched from 11 overlapping photos.
    1503SW-0983-93pan_Sipapu-Natural-Bri...jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1503SW-0962_Sipapu-Natural-Bridge.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1503SW-0954-57pan_Sipapu-Natural-Bri...jpg
  • Kachina Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Kachina Bridge with a span of 192 feet through white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Kachina is named for rock art on the bridge that resembles symbols commonly used on kachina dolls. This panorama was stitched from 8 overlapping photos.
    1503SW-0895-902pan_Kachina-Natural-B...jpg
  • The majestic Hickman Natural Bridge has a span of 133 feet. The hike is 1.8 miles round trip with 400 feet gain in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    1503SW-0264-69pan_Hickman-Natural-Br...jpg
  • Devils Punchbowl was naturally carved by Pacific Ocean waves crashing into a rock headland, creating two caves which collapsed to leave two natural arches. Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock, Oregon coast, USA.
    2102OR2-419.jpg
  • The Pacific Ocean enters a natural arch at Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock, Oregon coast, USA.
    2102OR2-421.jpg
  • Mist is backlit by the Natural Entrance of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in the Chihuahuan Desert, southeast New Mexico, USA. Hike in on your own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park visitor center. Geology: 4 to 6 million years ago, an acid bath in the water table slowly dissolved the underground rooms of Carlsbad Caverns, which then drained along with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains are the uplifted part of the ancient Capitan Reef which thrived along the edge of an inland sea more than 250 million years ago during Permian time. Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects part of the Capitan Reef, one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. The park's magnificent speleothems (cave formations) are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through soil and limestone rock, dripping into a cave, evaporating and depositing dissolved minerals. Drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself. The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling (as stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains). The faster drips are more likely to decorate the floor (with stalagmites, totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, and cave pools). Today, due to the dry desert climate, few speleothems inside any Guadalupe Mountains caves are wet enough to actively grow. Most speleothems inside Carlsbad Cavern would have been much more active during the last ice age-up to around 10,000 years ago, but are now mostly inactive.
    1404NM-5019_Carlsbad-Caverns-NP.jpg
  • Autumn foliage colors reflect in Bays Mountain Reservoir. Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium is an attractive nature preserve in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Enjoy walking a 2.3-mile loop (and other trails) around the old city reservoir which provided water 1917-1944 and now serves as lake habitat. Bays Mountain Park is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee and was declared a State Natural Area in 1973. As part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, the ridge of Bays Mountain runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport, in eastern Tennessee.
    1510SE-1046_Bays-Mountain_Tennessee.jpg
  • Beach view south from Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock, Oregon coast, USA.
    2102OR2-406.jpg
  • Beach view south from Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock, Oregon coast, USA.
    2102OR2-409.jpg
  • Two natural bridges decorate the entrance of Peekaboo Gulch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA.
    20.10US1-0026.jpg
  • Two natural bridges decorate the entrance of Peekaboo Gulch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA.
    20.10US1-0025.jpg
  • Historically, humans have mined the Paint Pots, natural ochre beds in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. The Paint Pots formed by the accumulation of iron oxide around the outlets of three cold mineral springs. The Ktunaxa (formerly Kootenay), Stoney, and Blackfoot tribes collected ochre here for important ceremonies and trade. The yellow ochre was cleaned, kneaded with water into walnut sized balls, then flattened into cakes and baked. The red powder was mixed with fish oil or animal grease to paint their bodies, tipis, clothing or pictures on the rocks.  In the early 1900s, Europeans hand-dug and sacked the ochre for hauling 24 kilometers via horse-drawn wagons to the Canadian Pacific Railway line at present-day Castle Mountain, where it was shipped by train to Calgary and became a pigment base for paint.
    1807CAN-464.jpg
  • Cathedral Spires. Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark is run by the City of Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA. The park's outstanding geologic features of are ancient sedimentary beds of red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into fins by forces during uplift of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak massif.
    1709US1-1750.jpg
  • Boulders erode and split from the top of Enchanted Rock. Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost.
    1403TX-175_Enchanted-Rock_Texas.jpg
  • Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-132-134pan_Enchanted-Rock_Tex...jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Upper Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4101-Upper_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Upper Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4075-Upper_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • Five-Finger Fern (or Western Maidenhair, Latin name Adiatnum pedatum aleuticum) thrives in the lush green Twin Falls Natural Area, Ollalie State Park, in the Cascade foothills of western Washington, USA.
    05TWI_23-Five-Finger-Fern_Western-Ma...jpg
  • The natural arch in Sea Lion Rock measures about 20 by 20 feet. These sea stacks are seen from the scenic Indian Beach Trail in Ecola State Park, Oregon coast, USA. Deep winter mud on the path kept us from reaching Indian Beach.
    2102OR2-147.jpg
  • Beach view south from Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock, Oregon coast, USA. Multiple overlapping photos were stitched to make this panorama.
    2102OR2-399-404-Pano.jpg
  • Two natural bridges decorate the entrance of Peekaboo Gulch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    20.10US1-0031-38-Pano.jpg
  • Balanced Rock. Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark is run by the City of Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA. The park's outstanding geologic features of are ancient sedimentary beds of red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into fins by forces during uplift of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak massif.
    1709US1-1773.jpg
  • Balanced Rock. Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark is run by the City of Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA. The park's outstanding geologic features of are ancient sedimentary beds of red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into fins by forces during uplift of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak massif.
    1709US1-1765.jpg
  • Rock formations. Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark is run by the City of Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA. The park's outstanding geologic features of are ancient sedimentary beds of red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into fins by forces during uplift of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak massif.
    1709US1-1762.jpg
  • Rock formations. Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark is run by the City of Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA. The park's outstanding geologic features of are ancient sedimentary beds of red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into fins by forces during uplift of the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak massif.
    1709US1-1706.jpg
  • Intriguing towers of calcium-carbonate decorate the South Tufa Area, in Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, Lee Vining, California, USA. The Reserve protects wetlands that support millions of birds, and preserves Mono Lake's distinctive tufa towers -- calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. Mono Lake has no outlet and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Over the past million years, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams and evaporation has made the water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean. This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp, and provides critical nesting habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp and blackflies. Since 1941, diversion of lake water tributary streams by the city of Los Angeles lowered the lake level, which imperiled the migratory birds. In response, the Mono Lake Committee won a legal battle that forced Los Angeles to partially restore the lake level. This panorama was stitched from 11 overlapping photos.
    1507CAL-2464-74pan_Mono-Lake-CA.jpg
  • Atop Enchanted Rock, looking towards Little Rock. Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-191-203pan_Enchanted-Rock_Tex...jpg
  • Cactus and grass grow in a bowl atop Enchanted Rock. Explore a large pink granite dome at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas, USA. Enchanted Rock is a fascinating exfoliation dome (with layers like an onion), rising 425 feet (130 m) above its surroundings to elevation of 1825 feet (556 m) above sea level, in the Llano Uplift. Geologically, the exposed rock (monadnock or inselberg, "island mountain") is part of a pluton (bubble of rock slowly crystallized from magma) within the billion-year-old igneous batholith, Town Mountain Granite (covering 62 square miles mostly underground), which intruded from a deep pool of hot magma 7 miles upwards into the older metamorphic Packsaddle Schist. The overlying sedimentary rock (Cretaceous Edwards limestone) eroded away to expose the prominent domes seen today: Enchanted Rock, Little Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, and Buzzard's Roost. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1403TX-159-160pan_Enchanted-Rock_Tex...jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Upper Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4028-Upper_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Upper Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4023-Upper_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • Walk 3 miles round trip to beautiful Lower Twin Falls (150 foot drop), South Fork Snoqualmie River, Twin Falls Natural Area, Ollalie State Park, Interstate 90 Exit #34, near North Bend, Washington, USA. This verdant forest receives more than 90 inches of rain each year.
    05TWI_12-13pan_Lower-Twin-Falls_Olla...jpg
  • Natural rock forms honeycomb-like patterns at Takiroa Maori Rock Art site in the Waitaki Valley (2007 photo), South Island, New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    07NZ_1182_Takiroa-Maori-Rock-Art.jpg
  • Walk 3 miles round trip to beautiful Lower Twin Falls (150 foot drop), South Fork Snoqualmie River, Twin Falls Natural Area, Ollalie State Park, Interstate 90 Exit #34, near North Bend, Washington, USA. This verdant forest receives more than 90 inches of rain each year.
    05TWI_03_Lower-Twin-Falls_Ollalie-SP.jpg
  • Branches cast shadows on a dirt road/trail at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg, Texas, USA.
    1403TX-123_Enchanted-Rock_Texas.jpg
  • A short ascent to Wolkenstein Castle gives a good view over Vallunga/Langental valley, in Puez-Geisler Nature Park, Val Gardena, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Dolomites, in the South Tyrol region (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) of Italy, Europe. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-50515-16pan_Vallunga_Dolomites.jpg
  • A hiker walks up a quiet road in Vallunga/Langental valley, Puez-Geisler Nature Park, Val Gardena, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Dolomites, in the South Tyrol region (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) of Italy, Europe. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-50442_Vallunga_Dolomites.jpg
  • Wolkenstein Castle was built in the 1200s, was named for a 1400s troubadour, collapsed in 1525 AD, was rebuilt but then fell into disrepair. Vallunga/Langental valley makes a perfect walking destination in Puez-Geisler Nature Park, in Val Gardena, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Dolomites, in the South Tyrol region (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol). For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 8 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-50493-501pan_Vallunga_Dolomite...jpg
  • Walk in beautiful Vallunga/Langental through a deeply glaciated U-shaped valley, in Puez-Geisler Nature Park (Italian: Parco naturale Puez Odle; German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler) near Selva di Val Gardena, in the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. The mostly Ladin-speaking town of Sëlva Gherdëine (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Italian: Selva di Val Gardena) is in Südtirol/South Tyrol/Alto Adige, in the Dolomiti, part of the Southern Limestone Alps. The Dolomites were declared a natural World Heritage Site (2009) by UNESCO. Panorama stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    11ITA-8257+63-64_Vallunga_Puez-Geisl...jpg
  • Horse and colt. North faces of the Geisler/Odle Group drop nearly 1000 meters into Val di Funes (Villnöß valley) in the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. Puez-Geisler Nature Park (Italian: Parco naturale Puez Odle; German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler) is in Südtirol/South Tyrol/Alto Adige, in the Dolomiti, part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Italy. The Dolomites were declared a natural World Heritage Site (2009) by UNESCO.
    11ITA-3059.jpg
  • Hikers walk under the North faces of the Geisler/Odle Group, which drop nearly 1000 meters into Val di Funes (Villnöß valley) in the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. Puez-Geisler Nature Park (Italian: Parco naturale Puez Odle; German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler) is in Südtirol/South Tyrol/Alto Adige, in the Dolomiti, part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Italy. The Dolomites were declared a natural World Heritage Site (2009) by UNESCO.
    11ITA-3043-45pan_Geisler-Odle-Group_...jpg
  • Dragon head formed by a naturally twisted and dried tree branch. Hike to Piute Pass via Loch Leven and Piute Lakes (9.7 miles, 2200 ft gain) in John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, Mono County, California, USA.
    2007CA-1595.jpg
  • A naked, human-like breast shape grows naturally in the red and yellow bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) tree, along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-054_Arbutus-menziesii_breast.jpg
  • A naked, human-like breast shape grows naturally in the red and yellow bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) tree, along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-057_Arbutus-menziesii_breast.jpg
  • A mountain goat rests at Hidden Lake by Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, or Rocky Mountain Goat) is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. It is an even-toed ungulate in the family Bovidae, in subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), in the Oreamnos genus, but is NOT a true "goat" (or Capra genus). Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Glaciers carved spectacular U-shaped valleys and pyramidal peaks as recently as the Last Glacial Maximum (the last "Ice Age" 25,000 to 13,000 years ago). Of the 150 glaciers existing in the mid 1800s, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park as of 2010, and all may disappear as soon as 2020, say climate scientists.
    02GLA-06-26_Mountain-goat_Hidden-Lak...jpg
  • A mountain goat surveys Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, or Rocky Mountain Goat) is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. It is an even-toed ungulate in the family Bovidae, in subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), in the Oreamnos genus, but is NOT a true "goat" (or Capra genus). Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
    02GLA-05-03_Mountain-goat_Hidden-Lak...jpg
  • Baja California, MEXICO: The boojum or cirio (Fouquieria columnaris, synonym Idria columnaris) is a bizarre-looking tree in the family Fouquieriaceae, whose other members include the Ocotillos. It is nearly endemic to the Baja California peninsula, with only a small population in the Sierra Bacha of Sonora. A fifty-year-old specimen might be a foot thick at its base, and less than five feet tall. It's one of the slowest growing plants in the world, at the rate of a foot every ten years, which means a mature fifty-footer may be more than 500 years old. An Arizona botanist, in 1922, applied the name boojum, after the imaginary "boojum" that inhabited "distant shores" in Lewis Carrol's poem Hunting of the Snark. The early Spaniards called it cirio, or candle, probably because of its resemblance to the handmade tapers that decorated the altars in the Jesuit mission churches. The flowers bloom in summer and autumn; they occur in short racemes, and are creamy yellow with a honey scent. Published in Americas Magazine, "Bizarre Blooms of Baja" article, April 2006 (official magazine of the Organization of American States, OAS).
    89BAJ-X1-31mod2-Boojum-trees.jpg
  • Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro) in Vallunga is dedicated to the patron saint of cattle and contains 300-year-old frescoes (depicting the life of Jesus), in Val Gardena, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. Vallunga/Langental valley is preserved in Puez-Geisler Nature Park. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Dolomites, in the South Tyrol region (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-50542-45pan_Vallunga_Dolomites.jpg
  • A Six-spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae, a black insect with 6 red wing spots, in the Zygaenidae family) sips nectar from a Knapweed (Centaurea genus) flower in the Dolomites, Italy, the Alps, Europe. Geisler/Odle Group, near St. Magdalena (Santa Maddalena). See the valley and municipality of Funes (Villnöss) in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), Italy. Enjoy great hiking here in the vast Nature Park of Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Europe. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-30033_Six-spot-Burnet-moth_kna...jpg
  • Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus Marmota. This animal lives atop Alpe di Seceda, in the Geisler/Odle Group, above Ortisei, in South Tyrol, the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-20934_marmot_Dolomites.jpg
  • Walk an idyllic path in Selva di Val Gardena village beneath Langkofel/Sassolungo peak on your way to Vallunga, in the Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Dolomites, in the South Tyrol region (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) of Italy, Europe. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-50431_Langkofel-Sassolungo-Dol...jpg
  • Vallunga/Langental, Puez Group, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei or St. Christina, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). As sheep and cows graze en route, Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro) in Vallunga is fittingly dedicated to the patron saint of cattle and contains 300-year-old frescoes depicting the life of Jesus. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-21181_Vallunga_Naturpark-Puez-...jpg
  • Views of the Geisler/Odle Group and a church in St. Magdalena (Santa Maddalena) village are iconic of the Dolomites mountains. See the valley and municipality of Funes (Villnöss) in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), Italy. Enjoy great hiking here in the vast Nature Park of Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Europe. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-30175-77pan_Geisler-Odle-Dolom...jpg
  • Mountain bikers push their bicycles up the Panoramaweg/Panorama Trail. Views of the Geisler/Odle Group and a church in St. Magdalena (Santa Maddalena) village are iconic of the Dolomites mountains. See the valley and municipality of Funes (Villnöss) in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), Italy. Enjoy great hiking here in the vast Nature Park of Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Europe. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-30148_Geisler-Odle-Dolomites.jpg
  • Views of the Geisler/Odle Group and a church in St. Magdalena (Santa Maddalena) village are iconic of the Dolomites mountains. See the valley and municipality of Funes (Villnöss) in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), Italy. Enjoy great hiking here in the vast Nature Park of Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Europe. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-30023_Geisler-Odle-Dolomites.jpg
  • Vallunga/Langental, Puez Group, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei or St. Christina, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). As sheep and cows graze en route, Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro) in Vallunga is fittingly dedicated to the patron saint of cattle and contains 300-year-old frescoes depicting the life of Jesus. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 8 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-21197-204pan_Vallunga_Naturpar...jpg
  • At Prera Longia/Pieralongia, between Alpe di Seceda and Alpe di Cisles/Cisles-Alm, walk by curious rock outcrops, near St. Christina, in Val Gardena, in South Tyrol, the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. In the background are the Puez Group (middle) and Langkofel Group (right, Sassolungo, 3181 meters/10,436 feet). The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-21019-25pan_Val-Gardena_South-...jpg
  • Sharp spires of the Geisler/Odle Group soar above a hiker on green Alpe di Seceda, above St. Christina and Ortisei, in South Tyrol, the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-20979_Alpe-di-Seceda_Dolomites.jpg
  • Sharp spires of the Geisler/Odle Group soar above green Alpe di Seceda, above St. Christina and Ortisei, in South Tyrol, the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-20944_Alpe-di-Seceda_Dolomites.jpg
  • A hawkweed flower (Hieracium genus of sunflower) blooms in Alpe di Seceda, in the Geisler/Odle Group, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Puez-Geisler Group from verdant pastures to alpine wonders to U-shaped Vallunga valley, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles). UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA2-6228.jpg
  • Vallunga/Langental, Puez Group, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei or St. Christina, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). As sheep and cows graze en route, Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro) in Vallunga is fittingly dedicated to the patron saint of cattle and contains 300-year-old frescoes depicting the life of Jesus. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-21240-46pan_Vallunga_Naturpark...jpg
  • A sea bird reflects in Tidal River at Wilson’s Promontory National Park in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Natural tannins leach from decomposing vegetation and turn the water brown. “The Prom” offers natural estuaries, cool fern gullies, magnificent and secluded beaches, striking rock formations, and abundant wildlife. Drive two hours from Melbourne to reach Wilson’s Promontory. Renting a camper van is a great way to see Australia with “no worries” about booking a bed. One night in the campground, our camper van rocked us awake in what we though was an earthquake. The rocking soon stopped and the dark shape of a wombat (a marsupial “bear”) wandered off into the night from underneath the van, where he had been licking our tasty sink drain! Around the campground, we were also delighted to see wallabies and the Common Brushtail Possum. Visitors also commonly see echidnas, koalas, bats and sugar-gliders. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-20006_Tidal-River_Wilsons-Prom...jpg
  • A pretty waterfall plunges under the natural bridge in Big Collapse Doline (Velika dolina) in Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Archaeological finds in Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja, near the natural entrance of Skocjan Caves) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2106_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • Mali Prstavac waterfall plunges 18 meters at the Upper Lakes (Gornja Jezera). Plitvice Lakes National Park (Nacionalni park Plitvicka jezera, in Croatia, Europe) was founded in 1949 and is honored by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Waters flowing over limestone, dolomite, and chalk in this karstic landscape have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams, beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Warming conditions after the last Ice Age (less than 12,000 years ago) allowed the natural dams to form from tufa (calcium carbonate) and chalk depositing in layers, bound by plants. Plitvicka Jezera is a municipality of Lika-Senj County, in the Republic of Croatia. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    13CRO-096-102pan_Plitvice-Lakes-Croa...jpg
  • Multiple streams of the beautiful waterfall Veliki prstavac plunge 28 meters. Plitvice Lakes National Park (Nacionalni park Plitvicka jezera, in Croatia, Europe) was founded in 1949 and is honored by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Waters flowing over limestone, dolomite, and chalk in this karstic landscape have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams, beautiful lakes and waterfalls. Warming conditions after the last Ice Age (less than 12,000 years ago) allowed the natural dams to form from tufa (calcium carbonate) and chalk depositing in layers, bound by plants. Plitvicka Jezera is a municipality of Lika-Senj County, in the Republic of Croatia.
    13CRO-064_Plitvice-Lakes-Croatia.jpg
  • Trees reflect in the tannin-stained water of Tidal River at Wilson’s Promontory National Park in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Natural tannins leached from decomposing vegetation turn the water brown. Drive two hours from Melbourne to reach Wilson’s Promontory, or “the Prom,” which offers natural estuaries, cool fern gullies, magnificent and secluded beaches, striking rock formations, and abundant wildlife. Published on the back cover of "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-20003_Tidal-River_Wilsons-Prom...jpg
  • A wild Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) forages in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This large white cockatoo is found in wooded habitats in Australia (widely in the north and east but not in inland areas with few trees) and in New Guinea (except for highlands). They are numerous in suburban Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane. Outside of their natural range, they have been introduced to Perth, Singapore, Palau, and New Zealand. They live 20-40 years in the wild and up to 70 years in captivity. They are considered a pest in some areas and are demanding as pets, being very loud and having a natural desire to chew wood or hard materials.
    04AUS-10052_Sulphur-crested-Cockatoo.jpg
  • A pretty waterfall plunges under the natural bridge in Big Collapse Doline (Velika dolina) in Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Archaeological finds in Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja, near the natural entrance of Skocjan Caves) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site. This panorama was stitched from 10 overlapping photos.
    13SLO-2088-97pan_Skocjan-Caves-Slove...jpg
  • From Rifugio Guido Lorenzi on Monte Cristallo in the Ampezzo Dolomites, look northeast across blue ridges of the Sesto Dolomites (Dolomiti di Sesto, or Sexten/Sextner/Sextener Dolomiten) to the pyramids of Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for "Three Peaks of Lavaredo," called Drei Zinnen or "Three Merlons" in German). A lift to Forcella Staunies on Monte Cristallo gives unforgettable views over the Dolomites mountains (part of the Southern Limestone Alps) near Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Province of Belluno, Veneto region, Italy, Europe. Monte Cristallo lies within Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. Directions: From Cortina, drive 6km east on SR48 to the large parking lot for Ski Area Faloria Cristallo Mietres (just west of Passo Tre Croci Federavecchia). Take a chair-lift from Rio Gere to Son Forca (rising from 1698m to 2215m). Then take the old style ovovia (egg-shaped) Gondellift Forcella Staunies to Rifugio Guido Lorenzi (2932m) for astounding views. Climbers enjoy spectacular via ferrata routes here. Cortina gained worldwide fame after hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 8 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-40194-201pan_atop-Monte-Crista...jpg
  • A lift to Forcella Staunies on Monte Cristallo gives unforgettable views over the Sesto and other Dolomites mountains near Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Province of Belluno, Veneto region, Italy, Europe. Monte Cristallo lies within Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. Directions: From Cortina, drive 6km east on SR48 to the large parking lot for Ski Area Faloria Cristallo Mietres (just west of Passo Tre Croci Federavecchia). Take a chair-lift from Rio Gere to Son Forca (rising from 1698m to 2215m). Then take the old style ovovia (egg-shaped) Gondellift Forcella Staunies to Rifugio Guido Lorenzi (2932m) for astounding views. Climbers enjoy spectacular via ferrata routes here. The ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo (Ladin: Anpëz, German: Hayden, at 1224 meters/4016 feet) lies at the head of Valle del Boite surrounded by the beautiful Dolomiti, part of the Southern Limestone Alps. Cortina gained worldwide fame after hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-40100_Monte-Cristallo_Dolomite...jpg
  • From Rifugio Guido Lorenzi on Monte Cristallo in the Ampezzo Dolomites, look northeast across blue ridges of the Sesto Dolomites (Dolomiti di Sesto, or Sexten/Sextner/Sextener Dolomiten) towards the pyramids of Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for "Three Peaks of Lavaredo," called Drei Zinnen or "Three Merlons" in German). A lift to Forcella Staunies on Monte Cristallo gives unforgettable views over the Dolomites mountains (part of the Southern Limestone Alps) near Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Province of Belluno, Veneto region, Italy, Europe. Monte Cristallo lies within Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. Directions: From Cortina, drive 6km east on SR48 to the large parking lot for Ski Area Faloria Cristallo Mietres (just west of Passo Tre Croci Federavecchia). Take a chair-lift from Rio Gere to Son Forca (rising from 1698m to 2215m). Then take the old style ovovia (egg-shaped) Gondellift Forcella Staunies to Rifugio Guido Lorenzi (2932m) for astounding views. Climbers enjoy spectacular via ferrata routes here. Cortina gained worldwide fame after hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-40174-75pan_atop-Monte-Cristal...jpg
  • A pair of male and female Blue-footed Boobies (Sula nebouxii) do a sky pointing mating dance at Suaraz Point, a wet landing location on Española (Hood) Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador, located 972 km west of the continent of South America. The Blue-footed Booby is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The name “booby” comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool/clown," which describes its clumsy nature on land. Like other seabirds, they can be very tame. The natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean. In 1959, Ecuador declared 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands to be Galápagos National Park, which UNESCO registered as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Ecuador created the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 1998, which UNESCO appended in 2001. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    09ECU-5151_Galapagos.jpg
  • Bluebird on a branch. Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1701.jpg
  • Air Plant or cathedral bells (Kalanchoe pinnata in the Stonecrop family, Crassulaceae) is an ornamental garden plant and medicinal herb native to Madagascar, and naturalized in Hawaii. The individual flowers are tubular, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, enclosed in papery, inflated, green to reddish pink sepals, and have 4 red, narrowly triangular lobes. Starting in Koke'e State Park, the Awaawapuhi Trail descends through rainforest from 4120 feet elevation to drier landscapes at the spectacular valley rim of Nualolo and Awa'awapuhi valleys at 2500 feet. Kauai is in the Hawaiian Islands, USA. Hike 6.5 miles round trip accumulating 1800 feet gain, via lands managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). This air plant photo is from the remote Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.
    1701HAW-1804.jpg
  • Air Plant or cathedral bells (Kalanchoe pinnata in the Stonecrop family, Crassulaceae) is an ornamental garden plant and medicinal herb native to Madagascar, and naturalized in Hawaii. The individual flowers are tubular, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, enclosed in papery, inflated, green to reddish pink sepals, and have 4 red, narrowly triangular lobes. Starting in Koke'e State Park, the Awaawapuhi Trail descends through rainforest from 4120 feet elevation to drier landscapes at the spectacular valley rim of Nualolo and Awa'awapuhi valleys at 2500 feet. Kauai is in the Hawaiian Islands, USA. Hike 6.5 miles round trip accumulating 1800 feet gain, via lands managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). This air plant photo is from the remote Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.
    1701HAW-1793.jpg
  • A bee gathers nectar and pollinates a purple knapweed flower (Centaurea genus), at Passo Cibiana, Dolomites, part of the Southern Limestone Alps, Italy, Europe. Centaurea is a genus of hundreds of species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants (commonly called knapweed, starthistle, centaury, or centory) in the family Asteraceae. Centaurea are found only north of the equator. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-50305_bee_Centaurea.jpg
  • A Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) nests on North Seymour Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador, located 972 km west of the continent of South America.  The Blue-footed Booby is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The name “booby” comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool/clown," which describes its clumsy nature on land. Like other seabirds, they can be very tame. The natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean. In 1959, Ecuador declared 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands to be Galápagos National Park, which UNESCO registered as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Ecuador created the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 1998, which UNESCO appended in 2001.
    09ECU-4599_Galapagos.jpg
  • Plants emerge from blocks of eroded rock in Hoover Wilderness of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Eastern Sierra Nevada, Mono County, California, USA.
    2007CA-2274.jpg
  • Air Plant or cathedral bells (Kalanchoe pinnata in the Stonecrop family, Crassulaceae) is an ornamental garden plant and medicinal herb native to Madagascar, and naturalized in Hawaii. The individual flowers are tubular, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, enclosed in papery, inflated, green to reddish pink sepals, and have 4 red, narrowly triangular lobes. Starting in Koke'e State Park, the Awaawapuhi Trail descends through rainforest from 4120 feet elevation to drier landscapes at the spectacular valley rim of Nualolo and Awa'awapuhi valleys at 2500 feet. Kauai is in the Hawaiian Islands, USA. Hike 6.5 miles round trip accumulating 1800 feet gain, via lands managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). This air plant photo is from the remote Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.
    1701HAW-1792.jpg
  • Air Plant or cathedral bells (Kalanchoe pinnata in the Stonecrop family, Crassulaceae) is an ornamental garden plant and medicinal herb native to Madagascar, and naturalized in Hawaii. The individual flowers are tubular, 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, enclosed in papery, inflated, green to reddish pink sepals, and have 4 red, narrowly triangular lobes. Starting in Koke'e State Park, the Awaawapuhi Trail descends through rainforest from 4120 feet elevation to drier landscapes at the spectacular valley rim of Nualolo and Awa'awapuhi valleys at 2500 feet. Kauai is in the Hawaiian Islands, USA. Hike 6.5 miles round trip accumulating 1800 feet gain, via lands managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). This air plant photo is from the remote Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.
    1701HAW-1754.jpg
  • Enjoy walking a 2.3-mile loop (and other trails) around the old city reservoir which provided water 1917-1944 and now serves as lake habitat, in Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium, an attractive nature preserve in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Bays Mountain Park is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee and was declared a State Natural Area in 1973. As part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, the ridge of Bays Mountain runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport, in eastern Tennessee. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1510SE-1060-63pan_Bays-Mountain_Tenn...jpg
  • A Galápagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) rests at Suaraz Point, a wet landing location on Española (Hood) Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, South America. Their numbers have been wiped out by human-caused disturbance, and only 150 mating pairs of this rare hawk exist. As the most recent natural animal arrival on the Galápagos archipelago 300,000 years ago, and as the only original predator, this endemic raptor is known for its fearlessness towards humans and authority over other birds. Females are noticeably larger than males as in many species of birds of prey. Mature adults are generally a sooty brownish black with a slightly darker crown. Pale brown, grey, or buff feathers line the edge of the mantle, and the tail is a silvery grey. Their grayish black bill contrasts with a yellow cere, legs and feet. Juveniles are a blackish brown, mottled with buff and white and a black streak extending from the corners of their mouth. Unlike adults, juveniles’ bills are blue-grey at the base, their cere a grey-green (a soft, fleshy swelling found on the beak), and their feet a pale yellow-green.
    09ECU-5183_Galapagos.jpg
  • Burney Falls is a beautiful National Natural Landmark on Burney Creek in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Shasta County, California, USA. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which plunges 129 feet. The waterfall was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney who lived nearby in the 1850s. The McArthurs settled nearby in the late 1800s and their descendants saved the waterfall from development, bought the property and gifted it to the state in the 1920s. The park is northeast of Redding, six miles north of Highway 299 on Highway 89 near Burney. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the park.
    1412CA-062_Burney-Falls.jpg
  • Hikers admire sharp peaks of the Cadini Group in the Sesto Dolomites, Veneto region, Italy, Europe. In the Cadini di Misurina, Cima Grande rises to 2999 meters (9839 feet), between Cima Piccola and Cima Ovest. The Cadini Group is in the municipality of Auronzo, in the Sesto Dolomites (Dolomiti di Sesto, or Sexten/Sextner/Sextener Dolomiten) which lie north of the Fiume Ansiei valley. From the Rifugio Auronzo toll road, hike for spectacular views around Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for "Three Peaks of Lavaredo," called Drei Zinnen or "Three Merlons" in German). The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-50065-p1a_Cadini-Group-Dolomit...jpg
  • A stream flows from le Coronelle in the Rosengarten/Catinaccio group at sunrise in the Dolomites, Italy, Europe. From Pera di Fassa village (in Pozza di Fassa comune in Val di Fassa), in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region, Italy, take a bus or lift to visit Rifugio Gardeccia Hutte and hike in the Rosengarten mountain massif (Catinaccio Group) of the Dolomites. 200 million years ago, Triassic coral reefs fossilized into Dolomite. Collision of tectonic plates lifted the Dolomites within the Southern Limestone Alps. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-10956-61pan_Catinaccio-Rosenga...jpg
  • Crepuscular rays of sunlight break through clouds near Marmolada (Ladin: Marmoleda, German: Marmolata, 3343 meters / 10,968 feet elevation), the highest mountain in the Dolomites, or Dolomiti, a part of the Southern Limestone Alps, in northern Italy, Europe. The view looks westwards from a trail west of Gasthaus Passo di Giau. The Dolomites are honored as a natural World Heritage Site (2009) by UNESCO.
    11ITA-2194.jpg
  • Lower Antelope Canyon (or "the Corkscrew") is a beautiful slot canyon in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. Flash floods and other erosion have carved Navajo Sandstone into this natural rock cathedral.
    11AZ1-2236-37pan_Lower-Antelope-Cany...jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Lower Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4183-Lower_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • Flash floods have eroded a slot of Navajo sandstone into a natural cathedral at Lower Antelope Canyon, in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. (The older spelling "Navaho" is no longer used by the Navajo, an American Indian group who call themselves Diné, or Dineh, "The People.")
    06AZ_4143-Lower_Antelope_Canyon.jpg
  • The natural landmark of Chimney Rock was frequently acclaimed in mid-1800s diaries on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail. At Chimney Rock National Historic Site in Nebraska, a slender rock spire rises 325 feet from a conical base. Modern travelers can see it along U.S. Route 26 and Nebraska Highway 92. At 4228 feet above sea level, the distinctive formation towers 480 feet above the adjacent North Platte River Valley. Its layers of volcanic ash and brule clay date to the Oligocene Age (34 million to 23 million years ago).
    2109NE-17.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1693.jpg
  • See Opaekaa Falls from a roadside viewpoint in Wailua River State Park on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, USA. In this waterfall, Opaekaa Stream plunges 151 feet over basalt formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, on land now managed by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HDLNR). From Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in Wailua, drive 2 miles up Kuamoo Road (Route 580) to the Opaekaa Falls  parking lot on the right.
    1701HAW-1109.jpg
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