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March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

Chaco Canyon

Interior doorways at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico is the largest concentration of ancient pueblos in the southwest. At its center, Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center of the Anasazi or Ancient Pueblo People between AD 900 and 1150, and contains the most impressive ancient ruins north of Mexico.

Situated high on the Colorado Plateau at over 6,000 feet, the Anasazi were skilled masons and built fifteen major structures at Chaco. Called Great Houses, they included the impressive 650 room Pueblo Bonito (a world heritage site) using stone and timber brought in on a network of roads from up to 15 miles away. They also practiced astronomy and experts believe their buildings were aligned to capture the solar and lunar cycles. Many of them remained the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century.

No one knows exactly why this powerful culture suddenly disappeared in the late 12th century, but they left behind a lasting legacy in stone.

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

Glacial Waters

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park in northern Montana is a world carved by ice. Known to Native Americans as the “Shining Mountains”, canyons flow down from this alpine environment along the Continental Divide that were formed a millennia ago when mastodons roamed the earth.

Moving just inches a year, the glaciers fill the rivers and streams below with silt giving them their unique turquoise hue. And set against the red and green sedimentary rock (the oldest in the entire Rocky Mountain chain), the colors provide a visual feast while the chill in the air is a constant reminder that the ice is not far above.

Glacier is recognised as an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site, and preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks and glacial-carved valleys. Though evidence shows that within thirty years all of the ice may be gone, rangers are quick to point out that the park was named as much for the forces that formed it as the glaciers themselves.

A trip to this magnificent park should be on anyone’s bucket list to North America, but it’s frozen remains are just one facet of the many awe-inspiring sights waiting to explored.

November 16, 2020December 20, 2021

White Sands National Park

Yucca and dune patterns at dusk, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico — Yucca and dune patterns at dusk, White Sands National Park, New Mexico

White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico is probably the least iconic spot within the National Park system. It has no sheer cliffs, no grand waterfalls, no red-rock strata, and no great clefts in the earth – in fact, it doesn’t even have a forest to call its own. And that’s just fine.

What it lacks in the notable landforms shared by other parks, it more than makes up for with an endless sea of the most glorious pure white gypsum sand and a special quality of light found nowhere else. Visiting White Sands is not so much a trip to see natural wonders as it is pilgrimage to experience an unparalleled expanse of light and form.

Our newest park is so vast and featureless in fact that once you leave the road in the main dune area it’s quite easy to get lost. The park service has placed pickets along major trails, but these often are blown down or buried in the shifting sands so carrying a GPS and noting distance land forms on longer hikes is a must.

The best times to visit are spring and fall when the temperatures are moderate, and as with any desert environment it’s essential to carry sun protection and water. Dusk and dawn provide the sweet light this park is known for and the rangers are very accommodating with gate closures. So the next time you’re heading to the southwest, make time to visit White Sands. It might be a little out-of-the-way, but it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.