Men’s Journal Names the 9 Quietest and Darkest National Parks.

Looking for a some peace and quiet in the wilderness? Want to get a chance to see the night’s sky in all of its glory? If so, than Men’s Journal has just the list for you. The magazine has enlisted the aid of researchers from the National Park Service’s Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (Yes, that is a real thing!) to provide us with a definitive list of the darkest and quietest national parks in the entire U.S.

The NPS department has been monitoring the amount of light seen in the parks since 1999 and sound since 2000, and they have found some unsettling things. For instance, the amount of light and noise found inside the national parks is much higher than what many people would believe, even in these remote settings. Those phenomenon have an impact not only on human visitors, but the animals hat live there too. MJ sites a recent study for instance that says increased noise levels reduces the bird population in an area by as much as a third.

So, just where should we go to get away from it all? According to this article, the nine best national parks for seeking darkness and reduced noise include places like Isle Royale in Lake Superior, Big Bend National Park in Texas, and Haleakala National Park in Hawaii. Obviously there are others that make the cut as well, but I’ll let you discover exactly which of the parks earned a spot on the list.

I have to say, looking over the list, I was surprised as much by the places that didn’t make the cut, as some of the ones that did. For instance, I thought for sure Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska would be there simply because it is so remote and lightly visited that there can’t possibly be too much noise and light found there. Also, places like Acadia and Voyageurs are also known for their incredible views of the night sky. Still, the parks on the list are all spectacular destinations as well, and definitely worth a visit.

Check out the entire list here.

Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – Men’s Journal Names the 9 Quietest and Darkest National Parks

** see also: – Trekking – posts on my site :

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : GOKYO, KALA PATTAR and EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK (19 days).

– Everest Base Camp – CLASSIC treks. / Version polish and english /

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : EVEREST HIGH VALLEY – Travel Guide. /Version english/

The Top 10 Most Visited National Parks for 2017.

The U.S. National Park Service has announced visitation numbers for America’s national parks in 2017, and as usual these amazing outdoor spaces continue to attract a large audience. According to reports, more than 330 million people filtered through the park system last year, which is down slightly from 2016 when the NPS celebrated its 100th anniversary.

If you’ve seen the list of most visited parks in the past, you’ll probably be able to tell which ones made the cut. But, there has been some shuffling around of the parks with perennial favorite Yosemite dropping from number 3 down to number 5, while Zion moves up to take its spot in the top five.

Here’s what the top ten looks like:

1. Great Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee
2. Grand Canyon in Arizona
3. Zion National Park in Utah
4. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
5. Yosemite National Park in California
6. Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming
7. Acadia National Park in Maine
8. Olympic National Park in Washington state
9. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
10. Glacier National Park in Montana

In total there are 59 national parks in the entire system, but 417 “sites” that include monuments, battlefields, historic places, and so on. If you include those into the mix, the visitation picture looks a bit different. Here are the top ten most visited places that the National Park Service oversees:

1. Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia
2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay Area
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee
4. Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey
5. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
6. Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada and Arizona
7. George Washington Memorial Parkway in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
8. Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
9. Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

None of these are bad places to have on your bucket list if you haven’t seen them.

Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – The Top 10 Most Visited National Parks for 2017

** see also: – Trekking – posts on my site :

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : GOKYO, KALA PATTAR and EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK (19 days).

– Everest Base Camp – CLASSIC treks. / Version polish and english /

– Trekking in Nepal Himalaya : EVEREST HIGH VALLEY – Travel Guide. /Version english/

50 Parks to Visit in 50 U.S. States.

The U.S. has always been at the forefront of creating public lands for its citizens and foreign visitors to explore. After all, the country was the first to designate a national park when Yellowstone was first created way back in 1872. Today, there are fantastic parks to explore in every state in the Union, and Popular Mechanics wants to help you discover the best ones.

In a slideshow entitled “50 States, 50 Parks” readers will go through each state in alphabetical order, with the individual slides providing some information on the absolute best park to visit at that particular destination. So, for example, in Alaska you’ll learn that Denali National Park has earned a spot on the list, which is no small feat when you consider the fantastic national parks that exist there. The slide not only contains a brief explanation for what makes Denali special, but an epic photo from the location as well.

Other great parks that make the cut include Grand Canyon (Arizona), Yosemite (California), Starved Rock State Park (Illinois), and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. I’ll leave the remaining 45 parks for you to discover, as it is a lot of fun to see what choices were made for each state.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the national parks, but there are some pretty spectacular state parks to be found as well. Thankfully, this list doesn’t count them out and you’re likely to discover plenty of new places to add to your “must visit” list. Check out the entire slideshow here.

Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – 50 Parks to Visit in 50 U.S. States

** see also: –

Video: A Timelapse of the Italian Dolomites.

Located in northern Italy, the Dolomites offer a spectacular setting that is strikingly different from the Alps. Rugged and dramatic, these mountains look more like something you’d find in Patagonia rather than Europe. In this clip, we take a journey into the Dolomites, both during the day, and at night. You’ll get a brief glimpse at what makes this place so special, and if you haven’t been there yourself, it will definitely be added to your bucket list.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/231079200[4K] Sleepless In The Dolomites – Tiemo Weidemann (Panasonic GH4 / DJI Phantom 4 PRO)from Tiemo Weidemann on Vimeo.Autor : Kraig Becker

* source: – Video: A Timelapse of the Italian Dolomites

** see also: – https://himalman.wordpress.com/category/video/