Travel Photography: National Parks In The Usa by Sharon Elrod

Photographers, amateur and professional alike, can turn a summer road trip into an exciting and challenging photo opportunity. Scenic national parks throughout the continental United States provide wildlife and landscape vistas not found anywhere else. In addition, if you’re really looking carefully, the wonders of nature can be found on most roads and highways.

Opportunity abounds for great pictures in Glacier National Park, for example. This area was formed by glaciers and remains in its primitive condition for the most part. Only one road crosses the Park. Bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk and moose are the larger carnivores who call this Park home. Various habitats provide conditions for a variety of plant and animal life, thus creating a unique environment not equaled anywhere else in the country.

Late June and July offers opportunity for a spectacular wild flower display that will thrill photographers. Some short roads (more like trails) lead to trail heads that one can traverse to find the fields of flowers throughout the park. Some perimeter roads also provide this opportunity. Autumn brings the blazing colors that mark the beauty of nature’s changing seasons. And photographers love blazing color.

Early morning shots of wildlife grazing are available for early risers. Traveling Going-To-The-Sun Road (the one that crosses the park) and taking some of the offshoot roads leads you to grazing areas. There is also opportunity for pictures that combine wildlife and wildflowers, an especially staggering display of nature’s beauty.

Other photo ops in national parkland include Bryce Canyon, also formed by glaciers and the Grand Staircase in Escalante, New Mexico. Arizona and Utah offer Monument Valley and its grand rock formations that were formed by wind and water erosion. Yellowstone National Park will be a national favorite for many years to come.

Our national parks are among the most spectacular in the world.