May 092013
 

Introduction :
The Death Valley National Park is located in the state of California and small portions of it in Nevada in USA. The Death Valley National Park is a place of many extremes with its harsh landscapes of desert, sand dunes and steep mountain ranges. The world highest temperature of 56.7 deg celsius was recorded right at the Death Valley National Park together with the lowest elevation in North America at Badwater Basin. A geological phenomenon can also be seen at the Racetrack Playa where rocks move in long tracks along the valley floor without any human intervention. The national park measures 13630 square km in area with the Death Valley itself measuring over 210 km long.

One of the many finely craved gates around the area
The Devil’s Golf Course located in the Mojave Desert
Image attribution to gabri_micha @ Flickr

One of the many finely craved gates around the area
Road towards the Telescope and Wildrose peaks
Image attribution to adombrowski @ Flickr

The overall harsh landscape of the Death Valley National Park
The overall harsh landscape of the Death Valley National Park
Image attribution to adombrowski @ Flickr

An abandoned gold mine left during the California gold rush
An abandoned gold mine left during the California gold rush
Image attribution to maveric149 @ wiki

History :
The native American cultures were believed to have been living in the area for the last 10,000 years and traces of human existence were proven up to 3000 BC with the petroglyphs above Mesquite Springs. The California Gold Rush brought the first Europeans to the Death Valley where mines and wagons can still be found today. Tourism began in the 1920s and the region was declared as a national monument in 1933 before its expansion into a national park in 1994.

The overall harsh landscape of the Death Valley National Park
Proof of human existence at the Mesquite Springs
Image attribution to Complex01 @ wiki

The Racetrack Playa is known for its geological phenomenon of moving stones
The Racetrack Playa is known for its geological phenomenon of moving stones
Image attribution to sarahkatrina @ Flickr

The Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the whole of North America
The Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the whole of North America
Image attribution to will1972 @ Flickr

Abandoned radiator tank in the desert
Abandoned radiator tank in the desert

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Death Valley National Park is the McCarran International Airport (LAS) which is the principal airport serving the state of Las Vegas and is approximately 260 km away from the center of the national park.

Feb 012013
 

Introduction :
The Yosemite National Park is located in the central eastern part of California in USA on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain. The total area is 3080 square km and is famous of its spectacular sceneries such as the granite cliffs, clear lakes the 6th highest waterfall in the world. It is a designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its unique geological features and glaciations over million of years and biological diversity. The main attractions are the Glacier Point where you can view the Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, the Vernal Falls, Tunnel View of the valley, O’Shaughnessy Dam and the Mirror Lake.

glacierpointviewofyosemitevalley.jpg
Glacier Point view of the Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley
Image attribution to DDB @ Flickr

Yosemite Falls
The Yosemite Falls is the 6th highest waterfall in the world

Mirror Lake
The crystal clear water at the Mirror Lake
Image attribution to KY Cheng @ Flickr

History :
Human settlements first began in Yosemite around 3000 years ago with the Native American groups and European travellers first visited the area during the 19th century finding a band of Native Americans living in the valley known as the Ahwahnechee. The rough terrain challenged many travellers in the past and only few had made it on horseback or coach to the area. The building of a rail road in the Yosemite Valley made the journey easier and today, the Yosemite National Park has up to 4 million visitors every year.

Tunnel View of the Yosemite Valley
Tunnel View of the Yosemite Valley
Image attribution to Left Hand @ Flickr

Vernal Falls
The Vernal Falls
Image attribution to Left Hand @ Flickr

O'Shaughness Dam
O’Shaughness Dam
Image attribution to Random Curosity @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to Yosemite National Park is the Oakland International Airport(OAK) followed by a 8 hours bus ride. The nearest airport is the Fresno Airport which shrinks the bus ride to around 5 hours.