Trifter

Glacier Bay, Alaska

At the end of the continent is a wild coast called Glacier Bay. The bay is a large Y shaped fjord. Mountain ranges rise to 15,000 feet. There are 10 tidewater glaciers, coastal beaches, fjords, and protected coves encompassing this breathtaking wonder.

There’s such a diversity of life existing here, that it’s hard to believe that only 200 years ago, all of this was capped under nearly a mile of glacial ice. A century later, it has retreated 65 miles, leaving a landscape that is changing everyday.

Grand Canyon

Carved by the Colorado River, is a gorge known as the Grand Canyon. Jokingly called by us Arizonans as the “12 second tour” (due to the accidental falls by tourists), this canyon took more than six million years to be created.

It is more than a mile deep, and 277 miles long. The canyon developed in two different direction. It first started from the west, and then from the east. The two then converged forming a canyon rich in color. So when traveling here, pay attention, and watch your step.

Sedona

Snoopy Rock

It is known for its red sandstone, and unusual formations. The city was named after the city’s first postmaster’s wife, Sedona Miller Schnebly. To us Arizonans, it is known as Red Rock Country.

Cathedral Rock

The type of reddish-orange layering of rock in Sedona, is found only in this vicinity. It has monoliths known as Coffeepot, Snoopy, Cathedral Rock, and Thunder Mountain.

Redwood National Park

So much diversity exists at the Redwood National and State Parks. It contains some of the most amazing forests in the world. The trees are the tallest living organisms than anywhere in the world, with trees growing as tall as 350 feet. Some of the redwoods that grow here take 400 years to mature, with some even being as old as 2,000 years.

Once upon a time the majestic redwoods began to fall victim to the lumbering trade. But eventually they became protected under the Save-the-Redwoods-League. The park is now part of the World Heritage Site as a testament to the slow growth of these beautiful trees, and as a reminder at how we need to be responsible in protecting them.

Crater Lake

Located in Oregon, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was created with the collapse of a volcano. It is nearly 2,000 feet deep, and is the seventh deepest lake in the world. The Lake was created when Mount Mazama exploded caving in on itself. Eventually over time, melting ice and rainwater would fill the crater creating what is seen today. The original volcano no longer exists, but a new one is taking shape. It is known as Wizard Island, and the mound is slowly developing into a new volcanic state.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Unlike the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon is comprised of about a dozen smaller eroded ravines. The erosion has created thousands of bizarre and unusual rock formations, ranging in a vast array of beautiful colors.

The park is named after Ebenezer Bryce a Mormon farmer, who established the region in the 1920’s. The rock shapes were created by water erosion (rain and melting snow). The fragile shapes are known as hoodoos.

Yellowstone National Park

Located in Wyoming, Yellowstone became a national park in 1872. Known for its geothermal fissures, and the world famous Old Faithful, this park was the first of its kind. Yellowstone spans an area of almost 3,500 square miles.

Yellowstone Lake is centered over Yellowstone Caldera, one of the largest super volcanoes on the continent. The caldera is still an active volcano, and has erupted on many occasions over the last two million years.