Mashable’s Max Knoblauch compiled a funny series of 1-star Yelp reviews of famous US National Parks, turning the best snippets into image macros. If you’ve used online reviews to help make travel decisions you already know people’s experience of the same place can be wildly different. The lesson? Take individual reviews (especially those on…
The Wilderness Act of 1964 marked a historic moment for the American environmental movement: for the first time, land was set-aside for the specific purpose of protecting it from the reach of mankind. The landmark act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, a nationwide system of federally protected lands known as wilderness areas. Today…
Located in Nelson Lakes National Park, Blue Lake—also known as Rotomairewhenua—holds the title of the world’s clearest lake. Scientific tests carried out in 2011 by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) showed Blue Lake to be the clearest natural body of fresh water known to man. According to the NIWA…
Photograph by CHRISTOPHE JOBIC Website | Facebook | Twitter | 500px Taken in Botswana’s Mabuasehube area in the Kalahari desert, this candid capture by Christophe Jobic shows a family of curious meerkats. As Jobic explains on 500px: The sun was setting when I drove by this active family of meerkats (suricata suricata) on a…
Gorbea Natural Park is a protected area located between the provinces of Alava and Vizcaya in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Gorbea takes its name from its highest peak, the Gorbea (or Gorbeia) at 1,482 metres (4,862 ft) above sea level. The natural park is located near a number of nearby cities and…
DARK AND STORMY Photograph by Peter Essick/National Geographic In this incredible black and white photograph by Peter Essick, we see mighty thunderclouds towering over Banner Peak (12,942 ft/3,945 m) on the right and Mount Ritter (13,149 ft/4,008 m) on the left. Both are situated in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area in the…
FIVE FINGERS PEAK Photograph by chensiyuan on Wikimedia Commons Seen here is the famous Five Fingers Peak of Huangshizhai, located in the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China since 1992. Wulingyuan is noted for its more than 3,000 quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks across most…
Photograph by BRENDON CREMER Website | Facebook | Twitter | 500px In this candid capture by Brendon Cremer we see a young hippo with a curious expression on his face. Taken at Chobe River in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, Cremer explains: “This young hippo, part of a larger pod, was very inquisitive and interested…
THE GLACIER SKYWALK Photograph by Glacier Skywalk | glacierskywalk.ca The Glacier Skywalk is a barrier-free, glass-floored observation platform, situated 280 meters (918 ft) over the Sunwapta Valley in Jasper National Park. Located in Alberta, Canada, the skywalk opened to the public on 1 May 2014 and tickets can be purchased directly through…