National Parks Traveler

When the colossal Ice Age floodwaters of Glacial Lake Missoula swept through Eastern Washington, the water gouged and eroded the land, pushing out soils and rocks and carving huge, wide channels known as coulees. Frenchman Coulee is one such channel measuring about 0.5 miles wide from wall to wall. This coulee is bounded on either side by almost vertical cliffs of mostly columnar basalts created from the Columbia River Basalt lava flows.

"In its almost 100 years overlooking the Painted Desert, the inn has undergone many changes. The original building from the early 1920s was made of petrified wood. Today's adobe facade dates to the 1930s renovation of the Painted Desert Inn."

A National Natural Landmark, "the Drumheller Channels are the most spectacular example in the Columbia Plateau of basalt "butte-and-basin" channeled scablands. This is an erosional landscape characterized by hundreds of isolated, steep-sided hills surrounded by a braided network of (usually) dry stream channels. The landscape is the result of dramatic modification of the Columbia Plateau volcanic terrain by late Pleistocene catastrophic glacial outburst floods—the Missoula Floods. These floods occurred at a scale remaining unparalleled on earth, either in the geologic record or in historical account."

"Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. Rich with geological and paleontological history as well as human history, there is much to discover while exploring the 3,000 acres of Scotts Bluff National Monument."

Dry Falls is a geological wonder of North America. Carved by the Ice Age Floods more than 13,000 years ago, the former waterfall was once four times the size of Niagara Falls. Today, the 400 foot-high, 3.5 mile-wide cliff overlooks a big sky and a landscape of deep gorges and dark, reflective lakes. The park is a notable site along the National Ice Age Floods Geologic Trail.

This is the 1913 strike, day 46. The mills stood silent for five months as workers joined in a bitter strike that brought the city national attention. Paterson's success was built largely on the innovative, entrepreneurial, hard-working spirit of its citizens - most of whom were immigrants. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many worked in mills manufacturing everything from cotton textiles, steam locomotives, Colt revolvers and aircraft engines to silk fabrics in such quantities that Paterson was known as 'Silk City'. Former mill buildings includ the Rogers Locomotive Building (Paterson Museum), the Colt Gun Mill ruins and the Allied Textile Printing (ATP) site ruins. All are located within the National Historic Landmark district.

"Natural Bridges National Monument was named the world's first International Dark Sky Park in 2007 ... Owachomo is the smallest and thinnest of the three natural bridges here and is commonly thought to be the oldest. We may never know for certain, because each of the bridges is eroding at different rates. Owachomo means "rock mound" in Hopi and is named after the rock formation on top of the east end of the bridge. Before William Douglas gave it this name in 1908, it was called "Edwin" or "Little" Bridge. Prior to that, it was referred to as "Congressman" by miner and explorer Cass Hite.

"Astonishing biodiversity exists in Congaree National Park, the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States."

"Storm clouds in a vast sky over the immense dunes release a sheet of rain in the distance. Wide open spaces in Kobuk Valley National Park enable a visitor to see weather coming and going."

"Commonly known as Andersonville, the military prison facility was officially named Camp Sumter, in honor of the county in which it was located. Construction of the camp began in early 1864 after the decision had been made to relocate Union prisoners to a more secure location. This decision was made because of the battles taking place near Richmond, VA where many prisoners were being held, and as a way to procure a greater food supply."