Summer Vacation Guide

Spring just started, but it's not too early to start thinking about summer vacation. National parks have figured into vacation plans ever since the invention of national parks. They are great places to see amazing scenery- and crowds, or have a chance encounter with wildlife- and crowds. Here are a few lesser-known parks with fewer visitors. Just be careful getting there- some are very remote with little or no road access, which always makes for a better adventure.
By taking these roads less travelled, you'll get to experience more than the stereotypical majestic mountains and sweeping desert vistas. Our national parks have so much to offer!
Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Great Kobuk Sand Dunes

Surrounded by mountains, this park is home to a vast caribou herd and extensive sand dunes. Yes, sand dunes North of the Arctic Circle! The sand is the result of glaciers grinding the mountains down. Also found in the park is the boreal treeline, where forest yields to tundra. Be prepared to fly in; there are no roads leading to Kobuk Valley and no services, either.

Tundra fire

National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa

Tutuila Rainforest

This is America's only national park south of the Equator. Full of white sandy beaches and coral reefs, it's a rare ecosystem in the park service holdings. The mountains and rainforests host fruit bats and several species of virds, including a beautiful blue kingfisher. Aside from natural splendor, you can also learn about traditional Samoan culture. Travelling there can be expensive, as American Samoa can only be reached by a long flight or a long ship voyage.

Pola Islands

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

North Woods winter

This northern Minnesota park is a kayaker's dream. About 40% of the park is water. This system of interconnected lakes, streams, and wetlands was named after the voyageurs, or four traders, who used this area to transport their wares from the interior to civilization on the Great Lakes. Today, the park preserves water quality, ancient rock formations, boreal and hardwood forests, and endangered species like wolves. While not as remote as Alaska and American Samoa, it's a long drive from the Twin Cities and getting around without a boat of some sort is limited.

Loons on a lake

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Sand dunes with Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Off the beaten path in the Rockies, but not too far off, this park features alpine tundra, subalpine meadows, wetlands, forests, mountain streams, lakes, and of course sand. Such a diverse landscape attracts an equally diverse array of flora and fauna. Thousand year old trees share the park with prairie grasses, wildflowers, and scrub sage. Animal life ranges from dung beetles to horned toads to pronghorn, elk, and bear. There is only one road in, but it's an easy drive from Pueblo.

Elk with snowy sand

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

Cave boxwork

If you're looking for a good time above or below ground, Wind Cave is the place for you. Upstairs is a convergence of short and tall grass prairies and forest, right on the edge of the Black Hills. Downstairs is one of the world's longest cave systems. Sacred as the birthplace of the Sioux Indians in their origin stories, the cave gets its name from the wind blowing in or out of the small natural opening. Wind direction changes based on barometric pressure and is a good indicator of weather. While rare formations like boxwork can be found in the cave, rare animals like bison and black-footed ferrets are found above. This park is also easy to reach, about an hour south of Rapid City.

Prairie and forest

This week's information and all pictures comes from the National Park Service. Great Sand Dunes pictures come from their Flickr page.

Migration

The days are getting shorter and cooler. Leaves are starting to turn and fall. Winter is approaching, and many animals are have already begun their seasonal migration. While some hibernate to avoid unfavorable seasonal habitat conditions, others move temporarily to more suitable habitat.

Migrations occur across all different animal classes: birds do it, and so do mammals, fish, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and crustaceans. Even some people do it. Florida and Arizona get plenty of snowbirds from up north every winter. More traditionally, nomadic tribes still exist in Africa and Asia living as they have for centuries.

We’re an ecology blog, not an anthropology blog so let’s forget about nomads for a minute. Perhaps the most visible migrations here in America are those of birds and monarch butterflies. Birds migrate to and from pretty much everywhere. Some stay within North America when migrating while others fly from pole to pole. Others, of course, are somewhere in between.

We’ll use the Baltimore oriole as an example of avian migration. They arrive in the eastern US from Central and northern South America in April and May. This is their breeding ground. They begin nesting right away and eggs usually hatch in June. Southern migration begins as early as July and has peaked by September.

Baltimore oriole (NPS)

Monarch butterflies journey to Mexico in a multi-generational migration. Northern monarchs go south to the oyamel fir trees in the mountains of central Mexico. Millions of them cover the trees. After winter, they head north again, laying eggs on milkweed plants. Caterpillars hatch in a few days and eat the plants before forming a chrysalis. A new butterfly emerges and continues the northward journey, stopping at milkweed to lay eggs and start the hatching and migrating process over again. The northernmost monarchs are able to return to Mexico in a single journey.

Monarch butterfly

The pronghorn in Wyoming migrates vertically. It moves from summer grounds in Grand Teton National Park about 150 miles south to lower elevation in the sagebrush habitats of the Green River area. This is North America’s longest mammal migration.

Pronghorn

Not all migration is seasonal. Zooplankton in the ocean migrate vertically through the water column on a daily basis. At night the move toward the surface, and by sunrise they are headed back to the briny deep. While a journey of hundreds or thousands of feet might not seem like much to you, keep in mind that these tiny critters probably can’t see as far as the other end of a yardstick.

Zooplankton (Nature International Journal of Science)

Fall migration is happening now. Who is moving through your neck of the woods?

This week's information comes from:

Journey North (Baltimore oriole)

National Geographic (monarch butterfly)

Wildlife Conservation Society (pronghorn)

Nature International Journal of Science (zooplankton)