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  • The forest edges of the Beardslee Islands appear to be impenetrable with bushes and shrubs, but once you get past them, the island's forests open up to a moss-carpeted and lichen-rich landscape. This image is from an island once the site of a fox farm.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Interior forest of a Beardslee Islan...jpg
  • The forest edges of the Beardslee Islands appear to be impenetrable with bushes and shrubs, but once you get past them, the island's forests open up to a moss-carpeted and lichen-rich landscape. This image is from an island once the site of a fox farm.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park a popular destination for cruise ships is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Interior forest of a Beardslee Islan...jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. This photo of the glacier was taken on the Trail of Time. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Mendenhall Glacier in the fall.jpg
  • Moss covers the forest floor along the Trail of Time Trail near the Mendenhall Lake and Mendhenall Visitor Center just outside Juneau, Alaska.
    Moss along Trail of Time Trail.jpg
  • "The Nunatak" rises out of low clouds near Nunatak Cove in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. The Nunatak is a 1,205 foot glaciated knob located on the east side of the Muir Inlet.
    The Nunatak.jpg
  • "The Nunatak" reaches up to clouds bathed in sunset light in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. The Nunatak is a 1,205 foot glaciated knob located on the east side of the Muir Inlet. The rocks in the foreground are encrusted with blue mussels and rockweed.
    The Nunatak and rockweed.jpg
  • Fall foliage along the Trail of Time near the Mendenhall Glacier
    Trail of Time fall still life.jpg
  • An iceberg from the McBride Glacier is stranded on a Muir Inlet beach during low tide near Van Horn Ridge. In the background is "The Nunatak." Muir Inlet is located in Glacier National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska.
    McBride Glacier and The Nunatak.jpg
  • The 40-square mile of salt flats in the Badwater basin are the result of mineral rich water evaporating until only the salts remain. It is a repeating process, which over thousands of years, layers of salt into polygon-shaped crust. The Death Valley saltpan is one of the largest protected saltpans in North America. This close-up view is of salt at Badwater.<br />
<br />
Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California near the border with Nevada is one of the hottest spots on earth, holding the hottest recorded air temperature of 134 °F. The Park also is location of the lowest spot in North America, 282 feet below sea level at the vast salt flats at Badwater Basin. At 3.4 million acres, the park is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Death Valley National Park sits between the Panamint Range on the west  and Amargosa Range on the east.
    Close-up of salt at Badwater.jpg
  • A pair of bald eagles perched in a tree near an eagle nest overlooking the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 7,440-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. <br />
<br />
The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
    Pair of bald eagles with setting moo...jpg
  • A pair of bald eagles perched in a tree overlooking the Cattail Pool at Loess Bluffs NWR (formerly known as Squaw Creek). Loess Bluffs is a wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 7,440-acre refuge, located in northwest Missouri is known for the migrating waterfowl, particularly Snow Geese. Fall and Spring migration can bring millions of Snow Geese to the refuge. Also, bald eagles and an occasional golden eagle pass through the area during the fall and winter months. <br />
<br />
The 10-mile auto tour around the waterways and marshes of the refuge is an excellent way to spot birds of prey, waterfowl, beavers, otters, and muskrats.
    Pair of bald eagles with setting moo...jpg
  • Death Valley National Park Visitors come not only to experience the record heat but also the beauty. Despite the desert conditions, the park is known for its spring wildflowers. Under perfect conditions, the park experiences a rare event known as a wildflower "super bloom" which produces a sea wildflowers. Most of the desert wildflowers are annuals. This ensures their survival as this allows them to lie dormant as seeds during times of drought. Pictured here is Desert Gold, also known as Hairy Desert Sunflower, in Death Valley National Park.<br />
<br />
Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California near the border with Nevada is one of the hottest spots on earth, holding the hottest recorded air temperature of 134 °F. The Park also is location of the lowest spot in North America, 282 feet below sea level at the vast salt flats at Badwater Basin. At 3.4 million acres, the park is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Death Valley National Park sits between the Panamint Range on the west  and Amargosa Range on the east.
    Desert Gold blowing in the wind,.jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. This photo of the glacier was taken on the Trail of Time. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Mendenhall Glacier in the fall.jpg
  • Water from the Polychrome Glacier flows into the area known as the Plains of Murie in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The view is from the former Polychrome Rest Stop on the park road at the Polychrome Pass and is looking toward the Alaska Range. The plains are named after Adolpf Murie who was a wildlife biologist who did research in the park on wolves and bears. Murie was instrumental in preserving the biological integrity of Denali National Park.
    Plains of Murie from Polychrome Pass.jpg
  • Maple trees display their fall colors along Devil's Well Rd. in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, near Devil's Well.<br />
<br />
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964, making it America's first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is known for its caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams. Visitors can enjoy water activities, such as floating, canoeing, tubing, swimming and fishing. Additionally there are opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing. Over 130 miles of waterways and 300 identified caves exist within the park.
    Fall in the Ozarks.jpg
  • Maple trees display their fall colors along Devil's Well Rd. in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, near Devil's Well.<br />
<br />
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964, making it America's first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is known for its caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams. Visitors can enjoy water activities, such as floating, canoeing, tubing, swimming and fishing. Additionally there are opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing. Over 130 miles of waterways and 300 identified caves exist within the park.
    Fall in the Ozarks-3.jpg
  • Maple trees display their fall colors along Devil's Well Rd. in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, near Devil's Well.<br />
<br />
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964, making it America's first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is known for its caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams. Visitors can enjoy water activities, such as floating, canoeing, tubing, swimming and fishing. Additionally there are opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing. Over 130 miles of waterways and 300 identified caves exist within the park.
    Fall in the Ozarks-2.jpg
  • A grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) disturbs glaucous-winged gulls (Lars glaucescens) on a beach near an unnamed stream next to Tlingit Point in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Grizzly bears can be found in every part of Glacier Bay. It is common to see bear activity of bears along the park’s 1,100 miles of coastline. Bear-resistant food canisters (BFRC) are required to store food for backcountry campers. The use of BRFCs has greatly reduced human-bear incidents in the park. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Grizzly bear with gulls.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-7.jpg
  • The Forest Loop Trail passes by several ponds as it passes through the lush spruce and hemlock rainforest in Bartlett Cove of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The easy 1.1-mile loop trail through the forest that sits on a glacial moraine is popular for birding, wildflowers, and other wildlife.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Forest Loop Trail pond-2.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-4.jpg
  • A kayaker displays a piece of glacial ice found floating in the Muir Inlet of Glacier Bay National Park. The piece of ice is from the retreating McBride Glacier. Recent research determined that there is 11% less glacial ice in Glacier Bay than in the 1950s. Still even with the earth’s rapidly changing climate, Glacier Bay is home to a few stable glaciers due to heavy snowfall in the nearby Fairweather Mountains. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Glacial ice.jpg
  • The skull of a sea otter (Enhydra lutris) lies in the moss of an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Sea otters, a keystone species of the North Pacific, were almost entirely eliminated by commercial fur hunters in the early 1900s. While they received wildlife protection in 1911, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that sea otters were observed to inhabit Glacier Bay for the first time. As the most abundant marine mammal in Glacier Bay, current estimates put the number of sea otters at 8,000. While orcas are the primary predator of adult sea otters, newborns are preyed upon by bald eagles. Sea otters are positively impacting the kelp forests as the otters protect the kelp forests from excessive grazing by the sea otters’ prey.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Sea otter skull-2.jpg
  • This spent Nuttall’s cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii) shell was photographed in the intertidal zone of a beach in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Nuttall’s cockle is native to the coastlines of the Pacific Northwest and California. Indigenous peoples consider the clam as a food source.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park a popular destination for cruise ships is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Nuttall’s cockle.jpg
  • These interstadial tree stumps in the Muir Inlet of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve may look unimpressive, but they are important witnesses to the park's glacial history. Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska is the largest known repository in North America of interstadial wood from the Holocene period, which began about 11,700 years ago and continues today. Interstadial wood is not fossilized; rather, it was frozen and unfrozen when glaciers advanced and receded in the bay. The forest was sheared off when the glacier advanced but left the stumps behind. Scientists can study the rings of these trees for clues to the glacial timeline of the park. Some stumps in the park date to over 9,000 years ago, and twigs date to 13,700 years ago.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Interstadial tree stumps.jpg
  • A humpback whale engages in "tail slapping" in the Sitakaday Narrows of the main bay of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in this view seen from Young Island located in the Beardslee Islands of the park in southeast Alaska. In the near background is Marble Mountain and in the far background is Mt. Abdallah. It is unknown why whales engage in this behavior but speculation is that it is a way to ward off other whales or the opposite, an invitation to join a group of whales.
    Sitakaday Narrows humback whale tail...jpg
  • A pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) stretches its wings on boulders at South Marble Island in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Pelagic cormorants can hold their breath for 2 minutes and dive as deep as 138 feet to catch fish. They use their wings to steer while diving.<br />
<br />
South Marble Island is also known for its colonies of nesting birds, including tufted puffin, pelagic cormorant, black-legged kittiwake, pigeon guillemot, and common murre.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Pelagic cormorant.jpg
  • A silhouetted kayaker glides across the calm waters surrounding the Beardslee Islands on a foggy day in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In the background is Eider Island<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Silhouetted kayaker.jpg
  • Glaciers flow from Mount Bertha (upper left) and Mount Crillon (upper right) to form the upper portion of Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Johns Hopkins Glacier.jpg
  • In 2001, a 44-year-old pregnant whale was struck by and killed by a cruise ship in the waters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As part of a legal settlement with the cruise line, her skeleton was used to make one of the world’s largest humpback interpretive displays. The whale, given the name “Snow”, was 45.5 feet long and weighed 35 tons at the time of her death. Snow’s death contributed to research that helped settle the scientific question of how long humpbacks can live, now believed to be up to 96 years.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Whale skeleton exhibit,.jpg
  • A kayaker kayaks past a small iceberg floating in the Muir Inlet of Glacier Bay National Park. This piece of glacial ice is technically not an iceberg due to its small size. The size category for an iceberg is huge, with the height of the ice must be greater than 16 feet above sea level, a thickness of 98-164 feet, with a coverage area greater than 5,382 square feet. Next size down is bergy bits (height less than 16 feet above sea level but greater than three feet), then growlers (less than three feet above sea level - the size of a truck or grand piano), and then brash ice.<br />
<br />
The piece of ice is from the retreating McBride Glacier. Recent research determined that there is 11% less glacial ice in Glacier Bay than in the 1950s. Still, even with the earth’s rapidly changing climate, Glacier Bay is home to a few stable glaciers due to heavy snowfall in the nearby Fairweather Mountains. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Kayaker and iceberg.jpg
  • Rain approaches Avalanche Lake as seen from the Avalanche Lake Trail in Glacier National Park in Montana. Avalanche Lake was named in 1895 by a party including Dr. Lyman Sperry, namesake of the Sperry Glacier, who witnessed many avalanches during their stay. The meltwater from Sperry Glacier feeds the lake. Along the cliff face Monument Falls can be seen cascading down the mountain in the background. Avalanche Lake is the destination of the 4.5-mile roundtrip Avalanche Lake Trail.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.<br />
<br />
EDITORS NOTE: The image is a composite panorama image.
    Avalanche Lake-2.jpg
  • Rain approaches Avalanche Lake as seen from the Avalanche Lake Trail in Glacier National Park in Montana. Avalanche Lake was named in 1895 by a party including Dr. Lyman Sperry, namesake of the Sperry Glacier, who witnessed many avalanches during their stay. The meltwater from Sperry Glacier feeds the lake. Along the cliff face Monument Falls can be seen cascading down the mountain in the background. Avalanche Lake is the destination of the 4.5-mile roundtrip Avalanche Lake Trail.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Avalanche Lake.jpg
  • The Trail of the Cedars, a wheelchair-accessible trail, in Glacier National Park affords visitors entry to the magical world of a western red cedar / black cottonwood forest. In this photo, a black cottonwood tree (Populus balsamifera), foreground, is bathed in the dappled light of the forest. The fuzzy fruit of the tree float in the air during the spring and early summer creating the look of warm-season snow. They inhabit riparian areas including streams. <br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Black cottonwood.jpg
  • Twigs and small branches litter the forest floor under a giant western red cedar tree (Thuja plicata) along the Trail of the Cedars, a wheelchair-accessible trail, in Glacier National Park. The humidity of the Lake McDonald Valley enables the cedars to grow in size of 100 feet tall, and diameters of four to seven feet with many of the trees being more than 500 years old. The western red cedar is one of the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from southern Alaska to northern California. This grove in Glacier National Park is near the eastern terminus of the western red cedar range.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Western Red Cedar.jpg
  • The centerpiece of the Lake McDonald Lodge lobby in Glacier National Park in Montana is its massive fireplace. Built to resemble a rustic hunting lodge with Swiss-influenced architecture, the lobby’s open space extends to the third floor. The lobby’s hanging lanterns are reproductions of original work made by Kanai craftsmen for the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada, which had been moved to Lake McDonald in the 1960s. <br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road which allowed automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Lake McDonald Lodge-2.jpg
  • Three male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse perform a mating dance on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is chased by other males on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse chase.jpg
  • The skull of a sea otter (Enhydra lutris) lies in the moss of an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Sea otters, a keystone species of the North Pacific, were almost entirely eliminated by commercial fur hunters in the early 1900s. While they received wildlife protection in 1911, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that sea otters were observed to inhabit Glacier Bay for the first time. As the most abundant marine mammal in Glacier Bay, current estimates put the number of sea otters at 8,000. While orcas are the primary predator of adult sea otters, newborns are preyed upon by bald eagles. Sea otters are positively impacting the kelp forests as the otters protect the kelp forests from excessive grazing by the sea otters’ prey.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Sea otter skull.jpg
  • This abandoned building sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm building.jpg
  • A moss-covered boulder is lit by a sliver of sunlight along the 4.5-mile roundtrip Avalanche Lake Trail.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Moss on boulder.jpg
  • The centerpiece of the Lake McDonald Lodge lobby in Glacier National Park in Montana is its massive fireplace. Built to resemble a rustic hunting lodge with Swiss-influenced architecture, the lobby’s open space extends to the third floor. The lobby’s hanging lanterns are reproductions of original work made by Kanai craftsmen for the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada, which had been moved to Lake McDonald in the 1960s. <br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road which allowed automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Lake McDonald Lodge.jpg
  • Lake McDonald is the largest of the glacially carved lakes in Glacier National Park in Montana. Lake McDonald is ten miles long and 472 feet deep. While the lake has numerous species of fish, the fishing is considered poor due to the lack of nutrients in the lake.  Western red cedar and hemlock are found in the lake’s valley.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Lake McDonald.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • A female Columbian sharp-tailed grouse surveys a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse - fema...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse struts across a lek in southern Wyoming. This photo shows a male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse with its distinctive orange comb and the purple air sacks that they inflate to amplify the courtship call and display their health. Also, note on the down-like feet the fleshy projections on their toes called pectinae. These help distribute the bird’s weight when walking on snow as snowshoes do.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse on lek.jpg
  • Two male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse fight on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse fighti...jpg
  • A female Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is chased by other males on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse chase ...jpg
  • Two male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceoff each other on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceof...jpg
  • Two male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceoff each other on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceof...jpg
  • A  male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse performs a mating dance on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • Death Valley National Park Visitors come not only to experience the record heat but also the beauty. Despite the desert conditions, the park is known for its spring wildflowers. Under perfect conditions, the park experiences a rare event known as a wildflower "super bloom" which produces a sea wildflowers. Most of the desert wildflowers are annuals. This ensures their survival as this allows them to lie dormant as seeds during times of drought. Here, a field of Desert Gold, also known as Hairy Desert Sunflower, explodes into a sea of yellow during the super bloom of 2016 in Death Valley National Park. In the background is Corkscrew Peak.<br />
<br />
Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California near the border with Nevada is one of the hottest spots on earth, holding the hottest recorded air temperature of 134 °F. The Park also is location of the lowest spot in North America, 282 feet below sea level at the vast salt flats at Badwater Basin. At 3.4 million acres, the park is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Death Valley National Park sits between the Panamint Range on the west  and Amargosa Range on the east.
    Desert gold super bloom.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-9.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
This aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide was taken two days after the landslide.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-8.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-3.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 4.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 1.jpg
  • The main bay of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is vast, stretching 69 miles from its mouth to the furthest extent. It is hard to imagine that the area pictured (a small portion of the bay) was a single large glacier of solid ice only a little over 200 years ago. In the mid-1700s, this view (and quite a bit beyond) would have been covered by a glacier nearly a mile in thickness. Since then, the massive glacier that filled the bay has retreated 69 miles to the heads of various inlets. <br />
<br />
Recent research determined that there is 11% less glacial ice in Glacier Bay  than in the 1950s. Still, even with the earth’s rapidly changing climate, Glacier Bay is home to a few stable glaciers due to heavy snowfall in the nearby Fairweather Mountains. <br />
<br />
The pictured view is of the Beartrack Mountains looking from Tlingit Point on the left to North Marble Island and South Marble Island on the far right.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.<br />
<br />
EDITOR’S NOTE: The image is a panoramic composite of several overlapping images.
    Beartrack Mountains panorama.jpg
  • The Tribal House (Xunaa Shuká Hít) on the shores of Bartlett Cover in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was completed in 2015. It is an example of the traditional architectural style of Tlingit ancestral clan houses. Glacier Bay was the traditional home of the Huna Tlingit until the 1700s, when a rapidly advancing glacier pushed them out of the bay. The tribal house project was built as a collaboration between the Huna Tlingit and National Park Service. The tribal house is not only used to tell visitors the story of the Huna Tlingit but it is also used a place for tribal members to reconnect with their homeland and to pass on their traditional and ancestral knowledge to clan members.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Tribal House.jpg
  • A sea otter (Enhydra lutris) floats on its back in the Sitakaday Narrows of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Sea otters, a keystone species of the North Pacific, were almost entirely eliminated by commercial fur hunters in the early 1900s. While they received wildlife protection in 1911, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that sea otters were observed to inhabit Glacier Bay for the first time. As the most abundant marine mammal in Glacier Bay, current estimates put the number of sea otters at 8,000. While orcas are the primary predator of adult sea otters, newborns are preyed upon by bald eagles. Sea otters are positively impacting the kelp forests as the otters protect the kelp forests from excessive grazing by the sea otters’ prey.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Sea otter.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-3.jpg
  • The acorn barnacle (Balanus glandula) is one of the most common species of the barnacle found on the Pacific Coast, including these that were photographed in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Acorn barnacles are typically found in the upper intertidal zone attached to rocks, mussels, and pier pilings. Adult acorn barnacles are hermaphroditic (both male and female) but must mate with other individuals to reproduce.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park a popular destination for cruise ships is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Acorn barnacle.jpg
  • Devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus) is the bane of hikers due to its needle-like prickly stems. Known to Tlingit as S’áxt’, the plant can be seen along the Forest Trail in the Bartlett Cove area of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The plant, a member of the ginseng family, has many medical and herbal uses by the Tlingit. In the autumn, devil’s club berries are a favorite of bears and thrushes.<br />
<br />
The Forest Loop Trail passes through the lush spruce and hemlock rainforest in Bartlett Cove. The easy 1.1-mile loop trail through the forest that sits on a glacial moraine is popular for birding, wildflowers, and other wildlife.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Devil's Club.jpg
  • A giant western red cedar tree (Thuja plicata) stands along the Trail of the Cedars, a wheelchair-accessible trail, in Glacier National Park. The humidity of the Lake McDonald Valley enables the cedars to grow in size of 100 feet tall, and diameters of four to seven feet with many of the trees being more than 500 years old. The western red cedar is one of the most widespread trees in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from southern Alaska to northern California. This grove in Glacier National Park is near the eastern terminus of the western red cedar range.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Western Red Cedar-2.jpg
  • Avalanche Creek overflows onto the forest floor along the 4.5 mile roundtrip hike to Avalanche Lake.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Avalanche Creek-2.jpg
  • Pictured are remnants of the 2018 Howe Ridge wildfire in Glacier National Park in Montana. The fire, started by a thunderstorm, resulted in the mandatory evacuation of private cabins and federally owned properties, including the Lake McDonald Lodge complex. The fire eventually burned 12,435 acres. This image was taken along a trail along McDonald Creek.<br />
<br />
Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Forest fire damage.jpg
  • A  male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse takes flight from a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • Two male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse fight on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse fighti...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse surveys a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse restin...jpg
  • A female Columbian sharp-tailed grouse surveys a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse - fema...jpg
  • A  male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse performs a mating dance on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faces off with another male on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceof...jpg
  • Male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse perform their mating dance on a lek during the pre-dawn in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse rests on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse restin...jpg
  • A male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse takes flight from a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in fli...jpg
  • Two male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse faceoff each other on a lek in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse stando...jpg
  • This aerial view shows the last portion of the McBride Glacier before it meets the ocean in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The McBride Glacier is the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating. Muir Inlet can be seen in the upper right of the photo.<br />
<br />
The dark line of rock debris is called called a medial moraine. A medial moraine is formed when two glaciers meet and the debris on the edges of the adjacent valley sides join and are carried on top of the glacier.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Medial moraine, McBride Glacier.jpg
  • Two large glaciers come together to form the main flow of the McBride Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The dark lines of rock debris are called medial moraines. A medial moraine is formed when two glaciers meet and the debris on the edges of the adjacent valley sides join and are carried on top of the glacier. <br />
<br />
The McBride Glacier, the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Medial moraines, McBride Glacier.jpg
  • Denali (Athabaskan for "The High One") basks in the final light of sunset on a summer evening in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The snow and glacier covered mountain, part of the Alaska Range soars to a height of 20,310 feet. Denali is the tallest mountain on the North American continent. Although Mt. Everest is higher, the vertical rise of Denali is greater. This view is of the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake.
    Sunset on Denali.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-6.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-5.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-4.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-2.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • The mountains of the Chilkat Range serve as a backdrop for the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse and mountains.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 2.jpg
  • The “Healing Pole” (Yaa Naa Néx Kootéeyaa) tells the history of the relationship of the Huna Tlingit and the National Park Service, which was fraught with hurt and misunderstanding. Glacier Bay is the traditional home of the Huna Tlingit until the 1700s when a rapidly advancing glacier tragically pushed them out of the bay.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Healing Pole.jpg
  • The Forest Loop Trail passes by several ponds as it passes through the lush spruce and hemlock rainforest in Bartlett Cove of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The easy 1.1-mile loop trail through the forest that sits on a glacial moraine is popular for birding, wildflowers, and other wildlife.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Forest Loop Trail pond.jpg
  • A kayaker kayaks past a small iceberg floating in the Muir Inlet of Glacier Bay National Park. This piece of glacial ice is technically not an iceberg due to its small size. The size category for an iceberg is huge, with the height of the ice must be greater than 16 feet above sea level, a thickness of 98-164 feet, with a coverage area greater than 5,382 square feet. Next size down is bergy bits (height less than 16 feet above sea level but greater than three feet), then growlers (less than three feet above sea level - the size of a truck or grand piano), and then brash ice.<br />
<br />
The piece of ice is from the retreating McBride Glacier. Recent research determined that there is 11% less glacial ice in Glacier Bay than in the 1950s. Still, even with the earth’s rapidly changing climate, Glacier Bay is home to a few stable glaciers due to heavy snowfall in the nearby Fairweather Mountains. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Kayaker and iceberg-2.jpg
  • A fallen moss-covered tree is slowly absorbed into the floor of a temperate rainforest along Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Glacier Bay’s forests consist of evergreen trees like western hemlock and Sitka spruce dripping with lichens and mosses. A thick layer of vegetation such as fungi, liverworts, and wildflowers covers the forest floor. According to the National Park Service, "the sheer quantity of things living or that once lived but are now decaying means that this type of forest produces some of the largest accumulations of organic material on earth."<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales, which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Moss-covered fallen tree.jpg
  • The skeleton of a sea otter (Enhydra lutris) lies in the moss of an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Sea otters, a keystone species of the North Pacific, were almost entirely eliminated by commercial fur hunters in the early 1900s. While they received wildlife protection in 1911, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that sea otters were observed to inhabit Glacier Bay for the first time. As the most abundant marine mammal in Glacier Bay, current estimates put the number of sea otters at 8,000. While orcas are the primary predator of adult sea otters, newborns are preyed upon by bald eagles. Sea otters are positively impacting the kelp forests as the otters protect the kelp forests from excessive grazing by the sea otters’ prey.<br />
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Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Sea otter skeleton.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-6.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-5.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin-2.jpg
  • This abandoned cabin sits in the rainforest at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found at this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm cabin.jpg
  • This rusted barrel is among some of the historical artifacts found at the site of a historic fox farm on an unnamed island in the Beardslee Islands located in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Several significantly damaged small cabin-like buildings are all that remain of the operation. Fox farming in Southeast Alaska began in the early 1900s with the introduction of Russian arctic foxes, which were prized for their snow-white fur. The Great Depression caused most of the fox farms to cease operations. The National Park Service reminds visitors not to take or move historical objects, and that weather-damaged structures like those found on this site should not be entered due to the likelihood of imminent collapse.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park, a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fox farm artifact.jpg
  • This view of the gorge of Avalanche Creek is from the Trail of the Cedars, a wheelchair-accessible loop trail, that begins and ends along the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana. The 4.5 mile roundtrip hike to Avalanche Lake begins near here.<br />
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Glacier National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Montana encompasses more than 1 million acres. The park’s nickname is the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.” The park was established in May 1910. Soon after, hotels and chalets were established in the park, including the Lake McDonald Lodge. In 1932 construction began on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, allowing automobiles to traverse the park. Climate change is affecting the park. As of 2010, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park, down from the 150 that existed in the mid-19th century.
    Avalanche Creek.jpg
  • Alley Spring is located in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways near Eminence, Mo. The spring is the 7th largest in the state with an average daily flow of 81 million gallons that flows past the historic Alley Mill and then into the nearby Jacks Fork River. The spring itself is 156 feet deep.<br />
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The Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964, making it America's first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is known for its caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams. Visitors can enjoy water activities, such as floating, canoeing, tubing, swimming and fishing. Additionally there are opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing. Over 130 miles of waterways and 300 identified caves exist within the park.
    Alley Spring.jpg
  • The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes located in Death Valley National Park near Stovepipe Wells, is the largest dune field in the park. While the sand dunes appear tall, the highest dune only rises about 100 feet. The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are the easiest sand dunes to visit in Death Valley National Park. Three types of dunes are found in the dune field: crescent, linear, and star shaped. The dune field is named for the Mesquite trees that create hummocks that provide places for wildlife to live. Here a lone hiker stretches as the dunes are bathed in the first light at sunrise.<br />
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Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California near the border with Nevada is one of the hottest spots on earth, holding the hottest recorded air temperature of 134 °F. The Park also is location of the lowest spot in North America, 282 feet below sea level at the vast salt flats at Badwater Basin. At 3.4 million acres, the park is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Death Valley National Park sits between the Panamint Range on the west  and Amargosa Range on the east.
    Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes at sunrise ...psd
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