Tagged: rock formations

Bizarre Yet Beautiful Badlands: Hidden Gems In New Mexico’s Wilderness [52 PICS]

August 6th, 2015 Permalink

When you think “alien” and New Mexico, Roswell might come to mind, but “alien” in this case is about 5 and a half hours away in the little known New Mexico Wilderness areas of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah and Bisti/De-Na-Zin. The rock formations are fantastic and surreal, alien in appearance, and the area is full of dinosaur bones and other fossils. Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area has over 6,500 acres, including the Valley of Dreams, and the nearby Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness has more than 41,000 acres; all are remote and full of colorful hoodoos, pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, canyons, washes and other bizarre formations laid out in a remote maze. Those who brave the wilderness may not see another soul during their adventure, but they are rewarded by seeing some of the most unusual scenery and incredible landscapes in New Mexico; it is a photographer’s dream shoot location. [52 Photos, 1 Video]

Stars in the Valley of Dreams, Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness in New Mexico

Magnificent Milky Way from the Valley of Dreams, a hidden gem within the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area. These bizarre yet beautiful badlands are located in northwestern New Mexico. This stunning shot was captured at the GPS coordinates of 36.141132, -107.976894. Photo #1 by John Fowler

More Photos

Bizarre but Beautiful Pancake Rocks & Blowholes in New Zealand National Park

July 18th, 2014 Permalink

On the edge of the New Zealand’s Paparoa National Park, you can walk among bizarre rock formations, many that resemble stacks of pancakes. The Tasman Sea surges into undercut cavities, booms, and then seawater geysers shoot through blowholes, making the spectacular natural attraction of blowholes in Pancake Rocks a “must see” at high tide and/or storms. [45 Photos]

Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki

The west coast of New Zealand is famous for its unique natural attractions of “Pancake Rocks” and blowholes, making Dolomite Point in Punakaiki “a must see” when visiting the southern island’s coastal region. Photo #1 by Christian Mehlführer

More Photos

Incredible Rocky Rainbow Vista Carved into the Valley of Fire [38 PICS]

March 28th, 2014 Permalink

Back when the dinosaurs walked the Earth, the Valley of Fire was forming. Time and the elements carved the fossilized sand into greats mazes of canyons, arches, ridges, domes, and valleys. Today, the Valley of Fire is a National Natural Landmark and the oldest state park in Nevada. This amazing and colorful wilderness in the Mojave Desert is only about an hour away from the bright city lights of Las Vegas; it comes highly recommended to experience. Sunlight striking the bright red rocks make the valley look like it’s on fire, but there are also layers of multicolored rocks in a “rainbow” of colors that stretch for many miles. Rainbow Vista is a breathtaking site to behold in the Valley of Fire. [38 Photos]

Amazing Rainbow Vista, rainbow of colored rocks at Valley of Fire during sunset

Amazing Rainbow Vista, rainbow of colored rocks at Valley of Fire during sunset. The Nevada State Park sign states, “Rainbow Vista: You are looking across 150 million years of time. The great maze of canyons, domes, towers, ridges and valleys before you are carved from sand deposited during the time when dinosaurs walked the earth. This is wild, virtually untouched wilderness. It is an ‘Adventure in Color’ for you to experience by car and on foot.” Photo #1 by LDELD

More Photos

Paradise In The Devil’s Garden: Plitvice Waterfalls

July 13th, 2012 Permalink

Once upon a time in Croatia, this mysterious world was hidden deep in an enchanted forest and called “The Devil’s Garden.” For the few brave souls that dared to venture beyond the woods, they found a paradise of amazingly-colored lakes, spectacular karst and thunderous waterfalls. Together it creates the natural phenomena which can still be seen at Plitvice Lakes National Park. Every year, at least 1,200,000 visitors come to be awed by the geomorphology and natural beauty of changing lake colors. There are 16 cascading lakes in crystal-clear shades of blue and green. Plitvice waterfalls have been called some of the most beautiful to be found among UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Plitvicka Jezera National Park is spread out over 73,350 acres and some of the most amazing features are underground in the form of subterranean caverns. [37 Photos, 4 Videos]

Walking through Plitvice NP

Plitvice National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where 16 gorgeous lakes from azure to green to gray are said to constantly be changing colors based on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and depending upon the angle of sunlight. It’s an amazing natural phenomena and just one of the many reasons people come to Plitvice. Photo #1 by Desktop Nexus

More Photos

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: 10th Most Visited U.S. National Park in 2011

April 23rd, 2012 Permalink

Coming in as the 10th most visited national park in 2011 is Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northern Ohio. It offers adventurers a little bit of everything in the 20,339 acres of woods, water, wildlife and even caves. There are nearly 200 miles of trails within the park for visitors to hike, bike or for horseback riding. The Cuyahoga River, meaning ‘crooked river’ in Mohawk, is fed by more than 190 miles of other waterways to tempt fishermen of all ages. Millions of years ago, water etched out the 105-foot high sandstone Ritchie Ledges and Ice Box Cave, also carving other wonderful rock formations. More than 2 million visitors came to Cuyahoga Valley National Park last year to enjoy the wooded ravines, gentle rolling hills, 170 waterfalls, historic railway, buildings and paths. Welcome to Ohio’s only national park, welcome to Cuyahoga Valley National Park! [40 Photos]

Ledges with spring trees at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Ritchie Ledges, which formed more than 300 million years ago, with spring trees at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Ledges are found within the Virginia Kendall Park unit of Cuyahoga National Park. Photo #1 by © Tom Jones / NPS

More Photos

Adventure Lovers’ Paradise: Arches National Park [47 PICS]

January 28th, 2012 Permalink

Arches National Park is a gorgeous 76,679 acre landscape which preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. The park is located in eastern Utah, right outside Moab which is an outdoor adventure lovers’ paradise. The park is in the high desert where the forces of nature like erosion have exposed millions of years of geologic history, diverse colors and textures of arches and very unusual rock formations. 43 arches have collapsed since 1970, yet still the beauty of nature here will leave you in awe. Arches National Park is an outdoor adventure lovers’ paradise with many activities such as backpacking, biking, camping, canyoneering, commercial tours, hiking, rock climbing and plenty to keep a photographer busy. According to the National Park Service, “To many, the most outstanding natural features of Arches are the park’s geologic formations. Over 2,000 catalogued arches range in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum considered to be an arch), to Landscape Arch which measures 306 feet from base to base. Towering spires, fins and balanced rocks complement the arches, creating a remarkable assortment of landforms in a relatively small area.” [47 Photos]

Arches National Park, Utah, Delicate Arch -- The iconography of time

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park ‘The iconography of time’ is the title given to this amazing long exposure capture. The photographer said, “Billions of years ago some of those stars sent their light on a journey to delicate arch long before its grains of sand had even settled to the bottom of a vast ocean. This complex intermingling of time and space and light fills me with much awe, wonder and inspiration. I live for these moments.” Photo #1 by Jason Corneveaux

More Photos