#death-valley-sage

#death-valley-sage

Breckenridge will host its first-ever Wildflower Week from July 2 to July 12, celebrating the arrival of colorful blooms in the mountain meadows. The event will include a farmer's market, live music, and kids' crafts, along with wildflower hikes led by naturalists and floral cocktail classes.

"It was so emotional and meaningful for everybody. [There] was like an excitement. But it was also super sorrowful at the same time," said Best.

Researchers have known since at least 2008 that wildfires can create chromium-6, but a new study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology in November, is the first to report details such as how long it might persist in groundwater.

The average elevation across the United States varies significantly, creating a divide between the high-altitude West and the lower-lying East and South, which impacts skiing conditions.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which stretches 1.25 million acres across the Arizona-Utah border, allows visitors to explore striking desert terrain with fewer logistical hurdles and crowds.

We found our route but advanced only a few hundred yards before encountering an impassable logjam. The dense forests on either side meant that we couldn't go around it, only through.

Driving the Avenue of the Giants is a unique and beautiful experience. As it winds through Humboldt-Redwoods State Park, you will encounter many spectacular groves of redwoods and hiking trail options.

Goblin Valley State Park is often overlooked and relatively undiscovered, making it a perfect alternative for those seeking solitude away from crowded tourist spots like Bryce Canyon.

Before state Route 62 was built, there was seamless 95-mile-long habitat connectivity between the San Bernardino and Little San Bernardino mountain ranges, extending from the I-10 south of Joshua Tree National Park to the I-15 near the Cajon Pass. Now, plans for two new wildlife crossings across the highway aim to bring back some of that connectivity, while potentially saving a local population on the brink of extinction in the process.

Eruptions of Echinus Geyser varied tremendously when the geyser was vigorously active. They could be vertical or inclined, occasionally soaking onlookers with warm water, and could be regular enough that the park would sometimes post predictions-the duration of an eruption could often be used to forecast the timing of the subsequent eruption.

By midwinter, Los Angeles is defined less by cold than by light. Cool, clear mornings give way to afternoons shaped by the low winter arc of the sun, painting the mountains in long shadows and the sky in improbable color. And as that low light settles in, my whole body shifts in spirit. Somewhere deep in the limbic system, a synapse fires like a flare, tracing the old circuitry of migration and memory - that annual pull toward the wide-open deserts of the American Southwest.

For 2025, there was good news and bad news: overall, these areas were visited 323 million times over the course of the year. That's the good news; the bad news is that this figure was down ever so slightly - specifically, 2.7% - from a record-setting 2024.

As a SoCal resident, I visit Anza-Borrego at least once a year to explore the sandstone Slot canyon and surrounding desert, keeping an eye out for animals like chuckwalla lizards and bighorn sheep. Despite its incredibly dry environment (the park averages just four to eight inches of rain a year, and summertime temps routinely hit the hundreds), Anza-Borrego teems with life and opportunities to explore one of the nation's most unique ecosystems.

Western water law is based on the prior appropriation doctrine, which gives the first entity to make "beneficial use" of water the right to keep on using that amount, even if that means that upstream "junior" users' spigots will get shut off. By the early 1900s, a rapidly growing California was enthusiastically diverting the Colorado River, with huge irrigation districts gobbling up the senior water rights.

Many glamping places are right off the highway. With Backland, we wanted an immersive nature experience-total comfort, with unobstructed views. The camp sits on an immense and grassy meadow ringed by an unnamed forest. Ten nature suites looked more like futuristic Quonset huts than white tents.

Longer days, blooming flowers, and increasing temperatures make spring the perfect time for an escape to one of the 63 major US national parks. After traveling solo to all of them, there are a few I think are especially worth seeing between the months of March and June.

"One time is enough." That's what I'd heard countless times about visiting Las Vegas before making the trip myself. I'd always wanted to go, if only to have that once-in-a-lifetime experience. Turns out, one time wasn't enough. I've been five times now, and I have no doubt there will be a sixth. The nightlife and gambling aren't what keep me coming back, though. These days, I skip the casinos and explore nature instead - and one of my favorite places is about 45 minutes outside the city: Valley of Fire State Park. There was no turning back once I found a side of Vegas I didn't know I was missing

Some travelers love vacations that involve doing absolutely nothing-trips where lounging by the beach or pool, napping, reading, or going for a light swim are the most rigorous activities on the agenda. Other travelers, however, crave trips that are a bit more ... active, whether that means hiking, biking, or parasailing. If you fall into the latter category, you should consider heading to Wyoming for your next trip, according to Wander.