Newest National Parks

America's Newest National Parks

These desert lands are an oasis for those thirsting after beauty

Two new national parks and a new national preserve belie popular myths about American desert lands. Created by the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Mojave National Preserve, all in California's Mojave Desert, are not simply cactus-strewn sandboxes. In fact, they are practically teeming with some 700 species of plants and 760 species of wildlife, some of which are extremely rare.

And cultural artifacts also appear on the arid landscape, from mysterious ancient pictographs to the Boeing  burial ground, where the aircraft manufacturer has laid several 748s to rest.

Gas, water, food are few and far between, though, and summer daytime temperatures average more than 100 degrees. Make sure you consult a map carefully before you travel. The best months for visiting are October through May.

Death Valley National Park

At 5,000 square miles, it is now the largest national park in the lower 48 states. Badwater, the lowest and hottest place in the United States, is located here, but many of the mountains in the park can be chilly, even in the summer. Notable sites include Eureka Valley's 700-foot sand dunes and Scotty's Castle, the opulent home of an early prospector. Death Valley is probably the most visitor-friendly of the new national parks, with hotels, campgrounds, and even a golf course within its boundaries.

Joshua Tree National Park

National Monument Dr. Twentynine Palms, Ca.

Ansel Adams shot some of his most famous landscape photographs here. Home of the gnarly, 20- to 40-foot Joshua tree it is also a world-famous spot for rock climbing. Although there are adequate camping facilities in the park, one might want to stay instead in Tewntynine Palms or Palm Springs for the comforts of cilvilization.

Mojave National Preserve

Lake Mead National Recreation Are, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City, NV.

Initially proposed as a national park, but downgraded to a national preserve to allow hunting. With 19 mountain ranges, groves of white fir and Joshua trees, limestone caves, and extensive, ancient petroglyphs, there is plenty to keep one occupied. Of the new parks, however, the Mojave is probably the least equipped for visitors, with a few campgrounds and no towns nearby.

And cultural artifacts also appear on the arid landscape. Photo by Elena.

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park

3 million visitors per year – 54 sqaure miles – the highest coastal mountains on the east coast.

The park is made of two islands and a peninsula: Mount Desert Island (which is accessible by a land bridge), Isle au Haut, and Schoodic Peninsula.

Artists and writers flocked to Mount Desert Island in the 1850s, attracted by its dramatic natural beauty and the rustic life it offered. Later, in the Gay 1990s, wealthy vacationers, inspired by the paintings, came and built “cottages” of a level of opulence that the country had not seen before. Many of the cottages were burned to the ground in the great fire of 1947, but the magnificent landscape that the painters celebrated remains – jagged, granite cliffs with forests of birch and pine that grow right up to the coastline.

The park's proximity to the ocean gives it a milder climate that that of the mainland, which helps it to sustain more than one of the best places on the Eastern Seaboard to take in fall foliage. The park is also known as The Warbler Capital of the United States. Over 375 species of birds, including around 30 varieties of warblers as well as the endangered peregrine falcon, inhabit the park.

Peak season tips: Expect nothing but bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Park Loop Road on the east side of Mound Desert Island on the summer. To avoid crowds, try the island's much less crowded but only slightly less spectacular western side. Also consider taking a ferry trip either to Baker Island or to Isle au Hault. June is the best month to see birds in the spruce, fir, and hardwood forests. August is the best month for sea birds.

Camping : The Blackwoods campground on the east side of Mount Desert Island is exceptionally well-landscaped with more than 300 campsites interspersed among groves of trees. It is open all year. Reservations via Mistix are advised.

Jordan Pond. Photo by Elena.

On the less-crowded west side is the 200-site Seawell campground, which is open only druing the summer. You have to hike in from a parking lot to reach it, but the serenity of nearby roads that are less traveled makes it well worth the extra effort. Sites there are available on a first-come, first-served basis only.

Particularly remote are Isle au Haut's five small lean-to shelters, which are perfect for escaping the cars and crowds without sacrificing convenience. The ferry there lands at a nearby hamlet where one can obtain provisions.

Best one-day trip : From the visitor center, take Park Loop Road to the 3.5-mile road that leads to Cadillac Mountain, where a short, paved trail winds around the 1,530-foot mountain, the highest coastal mountain in the nation. Back on Park Loop Road, turn around and continue down the East Coast. Stop at Sand Beach – it's a good place for a dip, and the 1,4-mile Grat Head Trail there offers a moderate hike around a rocky, forested peninsula. Continue on Park Loop Road to Route 3 and turn onto Route 198. Keep an eye open for Hadlock Pnd Carriage Road Trail where there is a 4-mile loop across three granite bridges. This trail goes past the highest waterfall in the park and is one of the best places to enjoy the spring blooms.

Best experience: Take the charming carriage ride through the park that is offered by the Wild Wood Stables near Jordan Pont. If carriages are too old-fashioned for you, this also is one of the few national parks where snowmobiles are allowed. The network of carriage roads provides excellent terrain.

Parade Gay in Montreal

Montreal's Pride Parade

Each August, Montréal Pride welcomes the world’s LGBTQ+ community for 10 days of Pride. With dozens of activities including the Pride Parade, bustling Community Day and the unforgettable T-Dance, it’s all here. Gay, lesbian, trans or any other shade of the rainbow, Montréal Pride has something for everyone.

All the pictures of the Pride Parade have been taken by Elena.

This colourful festival offers an exciting, fun-filled program: Community Day, free shows and T-Dance at Parc des Faubourgs, festivities in many of the Village's establishments and the famous Pride Parade!

The parade takes over Saint Catherine Street, but there’s also the celebrations in the Parc Des Faubourgs all weekend and in clubs and bars all over the fine French city.

Musicians opening the Pride Parade.

Head to old Montreal for this circuit-style party in a tiny space filled with extremely hot guys. 

North American pride events usually take place in June, but Montreal's busy festival schedule makes that tough.

When Montreal Pride took over organizing the events in 2007, the only spot available was in mid-August.

Ajouter une légende

ATQ - Association des transsexuels et transexuelles du Québec. Je suis mois. Je suis trans.

Red and black cars.

Green men from the skies.

A boat, all aboard on the vessel!

Ancient Spartans are proud to take part in the Parade!

A man proudly waving the gay flag.

Indian ladies, Asian community.

People dancing.

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

3 million visitors per year – 1,441 square miles – the best example of virgin temperate rain forest in the country. 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, WA.

On a relatively isolated peninsula with no roads traversing it, Olympic is one of the most pristine of the nation's parks. It has been referred to as the last frontier. It divides into three distinct environments: rugged coastline, virgin temperate rain forest, and rugged mountains, at the foot of which is the largest intact strand of coniferous forest in the lower 48 states. The park also plays host to 60 active glaciers.

Peak season tips: Though three-quarters of the precipitation falls from October 1 to March 31, Olympic still receives mroe rain than any other area in the United States. Always bring rain gear.

Camping : Nestled in thickets of spruce, the main coastal campgrounds of Kalaloch and Mora proide privacy and a sense of wilderness. For an even greater sense of solitude, try one of the two smaller campgrounds, Ozette Lake or Erocson's Bay – the latter is accessible only by canoe. All of the coastal campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The Hoh campground is the largest in the rain forest. The four smaller campgrounds, especially the 29-site July Creek campground on Quinault Lake, have more privacy and better wildlife-watching.

On the mountain, the Deer Park campground, at an elevation of 5,400 feet, feels remote but it is accessible by car and provides an excellent base from which to explore the mountains.

Most of the 17 developed mountain campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but group reservations at Kalaloch and Mora campgrounds can be made through either the Kalaloch park ranger or the Mora park ranger.

Best one-day trip: On a drive up Route 101, you can take in the park's harbor seals, gigantic driftwood, and tide pools teeming with activity along the coast. On the right, you'll pass a sign for the world's largest cedar tree. Switch off onto the spur road to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. There is a ¾-mile round-trip hike that winds through the dense rain forest at the end of the road. Back in your car, turn onto the road to the Mora Campground, where there are several short scenic trails along the beach.

Flowers, just sakura flowers. Photo by Elena.

All Aboard the Orient Express

All Aboard the Orient Express

Eight incredible rail journeys that take you to Hell and the Outback

For years I have been traveling the great rail lines as a life-long lover of a rapidly disappearing way of looking at the world. Here is a highly subjective listing of some of my favorites, based on the scenery outside, the service inside, and the ever-intangible “romance factor.”

The California Zephyr – Chicago to Oakland

The original California Zephyr of 1949 was conceived as a cruise train – the journey was just as important as the destination and took 8 to 10 hours longer than the competition. Its successor continues that tradition by scheduling the three-day trip to time the best scenery with daylight hours, leaving Chicago in the afternoon and arriving in Denver the following morning so you wake up to see the breathtaking beauty of the Rockies. Along the way in the passage through the Sierra Nevada and a fine view of San Francisco Bay. It offers Amtrak's largest helping of scenery.

The Cariboo Dayliner – British Columbia, Canada

The fourteen-hour trip from North Vancouver to Prince George includes some spectacular and seldom-seen scenery through the Coast Mountains and up the Fraser River Valley. For a day trip, travelers can get off in Lillooet to return to North Vancouver by sunset. BC Rail runs the trains daily in the summer and three times a week in the winter. The cars are not particularly luxurious, but their enormous windows allow the scenery to work its magic. Reserved seats include a meal.

A train! Photo by Elena.

Copper Canyon – Mexico

This line along the edge of Mexico's spectacular Copper Canyon (for times the size of the Grand Canyon) and through the Sierra Madre was proposed at the turn of the XXth century as a short route from Kansas City to the Pacific and completed 60 years and one revolution later. The 14-hour trip includes a 15-minute stop to view the rugged canyon bottom. Stay overnight in Los Mochis for the return trip, or – if you are ambitious – make the somewhat unpredictable trip overland and by ferry to Baja California.

Indian Pacific – Sydney to Perth, Australia

This three-days trip covers 2,720 miles, from the Pacific through the Blue Mountains west of Sidney and across the outback to Perth and the Indian Ocean. Most of the journey is spent in the austere beauty of the Nullarbor Plains, where one stretch of track goes 297 miles without a curve. Passengers can kivk back in luxuriosly refurbished lounge cars as they watch wild kangaroos leap across the outback. One of the attractions is going completely across something.

The Oslo-Trondheim-Bodo-Narvik – Norway

Surprisingle enough, Hell is located near the Arctic Circle. It is a small town nestle in the Dover Mountains of Norway, just a few miles from Trondheim and not nearly as unpleasant as its namesake. Norwegian State Railways operates several day trains and a night train through the mountains. The scenery is austere, but the trains are comfortable and well-equipped. Sharp-eyed travelers may sight the occasional musk ox.

Rhaetian Railway Benina Line – The Swiss Alpa

This train descends some 4,000 feet as it makes its way from Chur, Switzerland, across the Benrina Pass and into Tirano, Italy – all without the reassuring traction that cog railways offer. It is the highest crossing of the Alps by any rail line. The train itself is not particularly exciting, but the scenery is unsurpassed. There is no dining car, but travelers have about an hour in Italy to buy ice cream before the return trip. Eurail passes are valid, or travelers can make reservations at any Swiss train station. The express line travels each way once a day. Book through a travel agent or call the rail line in Switzerland for details.

The Trans-Siberian Railway – Moscow to Vladivostok

A seven-day journey into the Far East on the world's longest continuous rail line. Of the regular trains on this route, the Rossiya is the best. It's not luxurious, but it does offer sleeping berths and a dining car. The entire trip can exhausting, so you may want to take it in bits and pieces. A consortium of Eastern and Western businessmen have put together a charter train, called the Rhythm, that runs the same route on occasion and offers world-class dinging and the height of luxury. The best part of the trip is finding out that a country that was once absolutely forbidden is absolutely beautiful.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – Paris to Budapest or Venice

Perhaps the ultimate experience in pampered land travel, on of the most famous of train lines. Murder is rare, but fine dining and classic details like posh, overstuffed upholstery are not. The cars have been restored so authentically that most of them do not have air conditioning, so you may want to avoid travel during the hottest months. The dining car service is that of a four-star restaurant. Uniformed gold-braided stewards will go out of their way to make your trip a comfortable one. We recommend the southbound line for scenery, but you should take the trip for what's inside the windows.