Advertisements
Location: Lincoln, New Hampshire, USA.
Date and Time: Around 3pm on February 18, 2017.
Categories
Ice Castles
Advertisements
Trail Ridge Road, a highway to the sky in Rocky Mountain National Park is the most scenic, highest, and continuous two laned paved road in the United States. The Trail Ridge Road is actually a stretch of U.S. Highway 34 and the road covers 48 miles between Estes Park on the east side and Grand Lake on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The road winds and climbs up about 4,000 feet in a matter of minutes. It crosses the Continental Divide and reaches the high point at 12,183 feet elevation where evergreen forests come to a halt. Depending on weather conditions, Trail Ridge Road is generally open from late May through October. This fascinating drive takes you to a variety of habitats through woodlands of aspen/pines to thick subalpine forests of fir and spruce, and from lowland mountain meadows to alpine tundra. The drive on Trail Ridge Road offers phenomenal views of mountain range, amazing wildlife sightings, and spectacular seasonal alpine wildflower. The drive on Trail Ridge is so thrilling and is definitely a memorable experience.
Along the way there are numerous overlooks. It takes anywhere between 1 ½ hours to 4 hours to drive on Trail Ridge Road depending on traffic and stops at overlooks. Drive slowly and follow the traffic. Stop at every overlook, don’t rush, take a stroll to overlooks, relax, and enjoy the remarkable views. If you experience high altitude sickness, slow down, sit for a while, drink plenty of water, and take your own time.
These photos are from our drive on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in late September 2019. Drive through Trail Ridge Road in summer is more beautiful and pretty as the landscapes welcome with more green lands with a blanket of colorful wildflowers, amazing wildlife, and stunning snow capped peaks in the backdrops.
1 / 34
Trail Ridge Road Attractions from Estes Park (east side) to Grand Lake (west side)
- Many Parks Curve Overlook: A hairpin turn at Trail Ridge road. The boardwalk across the road from the parking lot takes to the sweeping views of Longs Peak, the park’s only peak that rises above 14,000 feet, Deer Mountain, many towering peaks, and massive lowland meadows Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, Upper Beaver Meadows
- Rainbow Curve Overlook: Features incredible views of Horseshoe Park, Deer Mountain, the Mummy Mountain range, and Alluvial Fan Falls
- Forest Canyon Overlook: A short stroll offers massive views of eastern edge of Forest Canyon and a deep U-shaped green valley
- Toll Memorial Trail (Tundra Communities Trailhead): The trail features beautiful seasonal wild flowers, alpine tundra meadows, Mushroom Rocks, viewpoints of Longs Peak, the Continental Divide, and wildlife sightings
- Lava Cliffs Overlook: Features a rare section of volcanic rock cliffs
- Gore Range Overlook: Offers views of the Never Summer Mountains and the Gore Range as it sits above the treeline in the alpine tundra
- Rock Cut: Feathers a beautiful projecting rock formation looking like big welcoming towers. The rock had to be cut in order to allow the Trail Ridge Road to pass through it
- Alpine visitor Center: Located at the top of the Trail Ridge Road at 11,796 feet above the sea level, and is a great place to relax. It features a 360 degree view of the remarkable alpine mountain peaks and alpine tundra. Restaurants, gift shops, and restrooms are available. You can hike the short, uphill, steep 0.6 mile Alpine Ridge Trail. The hike offers outstanding panoramic views of mountain peaks, beautiful alpine tundra scenery, and seasonal wildflowers
- Medicine Bow Curve Overlook: A hairpin turn on Trail Ridge Road. This is the right place to take panoramic views of the Medicine Bow Mountains, known as the Never Summer Mountains
- Farview Curve Overlook: Features spectacular views of an expansive Kawuneeche Valley and the Never Summer Range
Advertisements
Location: My Mom’s Garden at Kota, Udupi District in Karnataka, India.
Date and Time: Around 10am on July 24, 2019.
Advertisements
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the USA. It is renowned for its spectacular landscapes. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west in the state of Colorado. Estes Park town is in northern Colorado and it is the base for the Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park has more lodging and restaurants than Grand Lake. The East side of the park mesmerizes with its incredible landscapes from snow capped granite peaks to crystal clear lakes and gorgeous waterfalls along with many accessible trails with stunning views.
These photos are from a two day visit to Rocky Mountain National Park in late September 2019. The Aspen trees started turning into golden colors, the alpine tundra turned to yellowish brown, and the elk mating season had just begun. These brought the park’s magnificent views though it was a cloudy and gloomy day.
2 / 32
Places to Go
- Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, Sheep Lakes, Moraine Park discovery Center and Amphitheater, Alluvial Fan Falls, Alberta Falls
- Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Lake Haiyaha, Sprague Lake, Bierstadt Lake, Cub Lake
Best Things To Do
- Drive along the scenic Bear Lake Road. Visit Moraine Park Discovery Center and Moraine Park Amphitheater. There are plenty of pull-outs or overlooks along Bear Lake Road. Keep some extra time for stopping for photos, wildlife, sights, and for unplanned delays
- Take a short drive on South Moraine Road and Fern Lake Road. Enjoy Moraine Park which has vast beautiful meadows and amazing roaming wildlife in the backdrop of snow capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains in the distant
- Drive Fall River Road and stop at the scenic overlook Horseshoe Park and Sheep Lakes. Good photo-op for elk and sheep in this scenic meadow
- Hike the Bear Lake Loop Trail and embrace the gorgeous lake surrounded by the magnificent peaks. More info here
- Enjoy hiking to Emerald Lake, a stunning emerald green alpine lake which offers outstanding views of Longs Peak, Hallett Peak, and wildflowers. The hike is more delightful with the beautiful floating lily pads covering Nymph Lake and gorgeous Dram Lake along the way. More details here
- Hike to the gorgeous waterfall Alberta Falls that falls over a rocky cliff. This waterfall is easily accessible from the Glacier Gorge parking area or the Bear Lake parking area
- Relax and relish at Alluvial Fan Falls. The trail feathers a waterfall over big boulders. This trail also offers hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching
- Hike the popular and splendid Sprague Lake Trail, Bierstadt Lake Trail, Lake Haiyaha Trail, Cub Lake Trail and Fern Lake Trail
- Explore downtown Estes Park
- Ride the Estes Park Aerial Tramway
- Enjoy kayaking on Lake Estes
Categories
Bales of Hay
Advertisements
Location: Somewhere on MT-141, between Glacier National Park, Montana and Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA.
Date and Time: Around 3pm on August 30, 2012.
Advertisements
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S. The park mesmerizes people with its breathtaking diverse landscapes of snow covered mountains, jagged valleys, pristine lakes, alpine trees and tundra, seasonal abundance wildflowers, and amazing wildlife. The park is a paradise with many gorgeous alpine lakes. The park has 156 lakes with 450 miles of streams. There are plenty of scenic paths with 300 miles of hiking trails that will lead to a number of pristine and crystal blue picturesque lakes within the park.
These photos are from our two day visit to Rocky Mountain National Park in the last week of September 2019.
3 / 26
Places to Go
- Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Lake Haiyaha, Sprague Lake, Bierstadt Lake, Cub Lake, Sky Pond, The Loch Lake, Gem Lake, Chasm Lake
Best Things To Do: Enjoy hiking easy, popular, less than 4 mile short trails that are the most scenic. Embrace the breathtaking views of the gorgeous lakes surrounded by magnificent peaks along the hikes.
- Bear Lake Trail: This is an easy, popular, busy, and short 0.7 mile loop trail. The trail begins from the Bear Lake Trailhead beyond the Bear Lake Ranger Station located at the end of Bear Lake Road. The trail offers a gorgeous lake surrounded by magnificent peaks. The trail circles around the subalpine lake and passes through a woodland of pine and aspen trees. Parking lots fill up quickly during the morning of the summer season so start early for a better chance to get a parking spot; you will be lucky to get a parking spot early. It is highly recommended to use the free park shuttle at the Estes Park Visitor Center in order to avoid the congested traffic and hassle of parking. Do the hike in the early morning in the counterclockwise direction for great photos of Hallett Peak and Longs Peak reflecting off the lake during calm weather.
- Nymph Lake: It is a short, easy, mostly paved 1.2 mile round trip hike from the Bear Lake Trailhead. The trail makes a steady climb up with a glimpse of Longs Peak through the jagged forest. The trail offers a beautiful lake with the floating layer of yellow lily pads. In the summer, the lake is covered with yellow blossoms of lily pads. You can further continue hiking to reach another pretty lake, Dream Lake.
- Dream Lake: This 2 mile round trip hike to Dream Lake begins from the Bear Lake Trailhead. The trail becomes a steep climb for a small portion after Nymph Lake. This portion of trail, between Nymph Lake and Dream Lake offers an outstanding view of Longs Peak, Hallett Peak, and an abundance of wildflowers during the summer. At around 1.1 miles from the Bear Lake Trailhead you will hit the junction for the trails that lead to Dream lake and Lake Haiyaha. Take the right trail to continue on towards Dream Lake. At the end, the views of Hallett Peak, Flattop Mountain, and subalpine lake are spectacular. You can further continue to hike to another jewel Emerald Lake.
- Emerald Lake Trail: This hike is the most popular, busy, and is considered as a moderate trail. This 3.3 mile round trip hike through the forested jagged valley offers amazing scenery with high peaks, three beautiful lakes: Nymph lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, and the waterfalls. The hike to Emerald Lake begins from the Bear Lake Trailhead, located at the end of Bear Lake Road. The first lake, Nymph Lake is at around 0.6 miles. After passing Nymph lake, the hike becomes steep uphill. Continuing climbing up about 0.5 miles to reach the second lake, Dream Lake. The trail has a series of steep steps. If you experience high altitude sickness, slow down, sit for a while, drink plenty of water, and take your own time. As you climb up, around 0.5 miles you pass through a very pleasant and impressive pine forest. At the end of the hike, you see the real beauty of Emerald Lake carved by Tyndall Glacier. Embrace the subalpine lake while listening to the sound of a waterfall rushing down the gorge between the two mountains.
- Lake Haiyaha Trail: This is a less crowded trail when compared to the popular Emerald Lake trail. This 3.6 mile out and back trail begins at Bear Lake Trailhead then goes around Nymph Lake. After passing Nymph lake around 0.3 miles, you hit the junction for the trails that lead to Dream lake and Lake Haiyaha. Take the left trail and hike almost a mile to reach Lake Haiyaha. The hike offers a giant rock-filled blue lake, a waterfall, and colorful wildflowers that bloom throughout the spring season.
- Sprague Lake Trail: This paved trail is a short and easy 0.8 mile loop trail located at the end of Sprague Lake Road. The trail features a beautiful lake and impressive surrounding peaks. Hike the trail in the morning to capture wonderful photos of panoramic views of the Continental Divide and majestic peaks reflecting on the lake. The sunset reflections surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks at Sprague Lake is also simply amazing.
- Bierstadt Lake Trail: This 3.2 mile loop trail begins from the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead and is considered as moderate. The trail offers a gorgeous lake with stunning panoramic views of mountains along the Continental Divide. It is a steep uphill trail with a series of switchbacks to reach the top of the Bierstadt Moraine. Approximately 1 mile from the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead, just after top of the Bierstadt Moraine, the trail reaches the Bierstadt Lake Loop Trail junction. Take right at the junction and a short walk in order to reach the southwestern shore of the lake for great photos.
Advertisements
Location: Hull Bay, St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Date and Time: February 19, 2019, around 2pm.
Categories
Acadia National Park, Maine
Advertisements
Acadia National park is located in the north-easternmost U.S. state Maine, basically on Maine’s Mount Desert Island. The park maintains parts of Mount Desert Island, coastal Schoodic Peninsula, and many adjacent smaller islands. The Park offers different landscapes through woodlands, rocky beaches, rugged cliffs, and granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain. Bar Harbor town is on the bay side and is a popular tourist spot with restaurants and shops. With the breathtaking views of jagged coastlines, colorful cliffs, and natural lakes, Acadia has more activities like hiking, biking, and camping.Click on the links below to explore more.
Quick Facts and Tips
- Best time to Visit: Fall
- Summer is good, but be ready to beat the crowd
- Spring is not bad, but be prepared for foggy, rainy, and chilly days
- Fly Into
- Closest: Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) and Bangor International Airport (BGR)
- Good Deals: Portland International Jetport and Boston Logan International Airport. It is almost a 3 hour drive to Acadia National park from Portland International Airport. Also consider Boston Logan International Airport, then catch a direct flight to Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (BHB) or drive 4 and half hours to Acadia National Park
- Clothing
- Summer: Casual t-shirts, shorts, tank tops, capris, light jackets or long sleeves for the cool morning and evenings
- Fall: Long sleeves, fleece and warm jackets, vests, scarf, hat and gloves
- What to expect
- Beautiful Ocean views, Colorful cliffs, Woodlands, Rocky beaches, Granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, Thunder hole, Jordon Pond, Bubble Pond, Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Harbors, Schoodic peninsula, Wildflowers, and Wildlife
- How many days: 2 to 3 days
- Entrance Fee: $30 per vehicle, $15/$25 per person/motorcycle, good for seven days
- Be sure to check the Park Website for current updates on roads closures and trails conditions before you heading out
- Starting early is the best way not only to beat the traffic, but also for the best lighting and more elbow room
- It will be freezing during sunrise even in the summer at the Summit of Cadillac mountain, dress accordingly
- There are plenty of overlooks along The Park Loop Road and Schoodic Peninsula Road. Keep some extra time for stopping for photos, wildlife, sights and for unplanned delays
- Take food and water so you can spend the day touring
- Always walk in the middle of the trails and keep away from tall vegetation to avoid ticks. Mostly during late spring to early fall, ticks are prevalent and active in Acadia
- Weak/no cell phone signals, highly recommend to have maps downloaded or printed
- There is a lot to capture, so keep your camera ready. Make sure that camera is fully charged and also keep backup battery and memory cards
- Best things to do
- Drive the scenic Park Loop Road. The Park Loop road is open April 15 through November. It is like a hop on hop off road, so allow yourself at least four to five hours to enjoy the number of gorgeous overlooks along the drive through the Park Loop Road
- Enjoy a wonderful relaxing walk, or a bike ride or horse-drawn carriage ride along the 45 miles of carriage road in Acadia Carriage Road. This features the beautiful valleys of Acadia into the heart of Mount Desert Island. Private vehicles are prohibited on Carriage Road
- Drive the Cadillac Mountain Road and see the spectacular sunrise at the Summit. More details here
- Experience the thunderous boom and high flying foam during the high tides at the power of the Park, the Thunder hole
- See the iconic Bass Harbor Lighthouse at Mount Desert Island. For more details, visit this post
- Drive alongside the beautiful ocean on Schoodic Peninsula loop road
- Have fun at the Sand Beach/Seal Harbor Beach
- Spend a joyful evening at Bar harbor town
- Enjoy hiking some of the popular and easy trails
- Relax and relish the beauty of the ocean at Schoodic Point
- Take a Boat Tour of Acadia. There are many companies like Acadian Boat Tours and Bass Harbor Cruises offerings tours of the islands and costliness of Acadia National Park
Categories
Walking In A Winter Wonderland
Advertisements
Location: Rockland Lake State Park, Valley Cottage, New York, USA.
Date and Time: February 9, 2021, around 2pm.
Advertisements
Popular and easy trails in Acadia National Park
- Cadillac Summit Loop Trail: This 0.3 mile short walk from the parking lot offers gorgeous views of a glaciated coastal and island landscape. Seeing the sunrise at the summit itself is a magical experience. Cadillac Mountain is the East Coast’s highest mountain at 1,530 feet and the loop trail at the summit offers picturesque 360 degree views. It gets cold in the morning and evening so make sure to dress accordingly. No matter what time of the year you go, you will definitely hit the crowd.
- Ocean Path: This is a flat 2.2 mile trail from Sand Beach to Otter Point (or vice versa). This path along the ocean is the best option for viewing sunrises and awesome cliffs and ocean views. There are plenty overlooks along the path where you can sit, have your own time, relax, and embrace the beauty of the nature on full display.
- Jordan Pond Path: 3.3 loop trail, starts at Jordan Pond parking lot, presents a spectacular view of the Bubble Mountains and the clear Jordan lake and is good for all skill levels.
- Thunder Hole: Visit Thunder Hole to experience huge splashes with thunderous booming sounds against the natural rocks on the shore. Try to visit during high tides for optimal thunder splashes as the big waves crash to the hole. The parking lot is across the road and there are ramps that leads to the partially down to the Thunder hole.
- Ship Harbor Trail: 1.3 mile loop trail near Southwest Harbor that offers beautiful wild flowers, colored rocky shorelines, open blue bay, and is good for all skill levels. The trailhead is located just a few minutes from Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Southwest Harbor. The trail winds through the beautiful woods and a lake before hitting the ocean and tide pools.
- The Anvil Trail: This 2 mile out and back trail located near Winter Harbor on Scoodiac loop road is rated as moderate. The trail begins at the Blueberry Hill parking area off the Schoodic Loop Road and quickly climbs through the pine forest to the Anvil. The blue painted patches are either on the rocks or on the trees lead to the summit of Schoodic Head. The hike is sometimes steep and rocky with heavy roots of pine trees. The hike opens up to the beautiful forest and offers panoramic views of the Mount Desert island and beautiful coastline.
Categories
Flowers of the Ohelo
Advertisements
Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii, USA.
Date and Time: October 6, 2016, around 2pm.
Advertisements
Schoodic Peninsula is part of Acadia National Park and is about an hour drive from the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island. Schoodic Peninsula is one of the less crowded areas of the Park with spectacular and unforgettable views of huge waves crashing onto the colored rocks covered coastline. This is the only part of the Park on the main land that can be easily accessed by road. After passing Winter Harbor town, this 11 mile one-way scenic loop road goes all around the Peninsula that runs parallel to the ocean and offers many attractive pullovers.
These photos are from our two day visit to Acadia National Park in mid September 2012.
4 / 21
Best things to do
- Drive alongside the beautiful ocean on the Schoodic Peninsula loop road. The scenic and relaxed drive offers many pullovers with stunning views of the ocean, crashing and splashing big waves, rocky beaches and tide pools, pink granite and boulders covered coastline, forested islands, lighthouses, seabirds, and most importantly, opens up for spectacular sunsets as well as sunrises.
- Enjoy hiking the Anvil Trail. This 2 mile out and back trail is located near Winter Harbor on Schoodic loop road and is rated as moderate. The hike opens up to a beautiful forest, ocean views and a chance to see wildlife
- Relax and relish the breathtaking view of the ocean at Schoodic Point. Schoodic Point is the southern tip of the Schoodic Peninsula and is totally exposed to ocean waves. It is really amazing to view the pounding waves during the rough seas as well as the stunning views of Cadillac Mountain to the West. Walk around the magnificent colored rocks and boulders and enjoy the breeze.
- Appreciate the colorful and various size boats at Winter Harbor, the harbor that is not freezing over in winter. Winter Harbor is an attractive port for the local fishermen
