Upon the completion of my trip to Virgin Islands National Park in February 2024, I have officially finished the content gathering phase for the second volume of Park Portraits. This volume features the next sixteen parks added to the national park system. Stroll among the birds of the Everglades. Ride horseback through the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. Camp in the crater of Haleakala. Experience it all in this visually stunning sequel to Park Portraits: Volume 1.
Bryce Canyon | Grand Teton | Carlsbad Caverns | Everglades | Great Smoky Mountains | Shenandoah | Olympic | Kings Canyon | Isle Royale | Mammoth Cave | Big Bend | Virgin Islands | Haleakala | Petrified Forest | Canyonlands | North Cascades
Highlights of Volume 2
The photography in Volume 2 has long been some of my all-time favorite. This second collection of 16 parks not only encapsulates the ever-growing diversity as our national park system expands, but it exemplifies the extraordinary sites and wildlife found in our public lands. Where Volume 1 introduces us to our nation’s most iconic and classic treasures, Volume 2 dives into the action of the national park experience. Together, we will swim coral reefs in the Caribbean, backpack a volcano halfway around the world, witness half a million bats take to the skies, and come face to face with unforgettable wildlife in the Smoky Mountains. Some of my most unbelievable park experiences happened in these locations and I cannot wait to share them with you.
Lessons Learned
Wrapping up Volume 2 is a significant milestone because it means we are well over halfway in our quest to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks. We’ve toured two separate cave systems, spanned 15 states, captured all four seasons, and explored just about every known ecosystem from the tropics to the desert. If I’ve learned anything from visiting this specific batch of parks, it has to be the value of lesser-known parks. While Volume 1 parks are given all the notoriety and national acclaim, Volume 2 parks are hidden gems. And when it comes to escaping crowds, the hidden gems are worth their weight in gold. I’ve come to find wildlife more active, park staff more committed, and landscapes even more bizarre.
Onward and Upward
Looking ahead, Volume 3 will be the most ambitious and yet perhaps the most rewarding. In addition to some of the wildest landscapes in the lower 48, we turn our gaze north to America’s “Last Frontier” with 7 of Alaska’s 8 national parks falling in Volume 3. This next collection of parks will truly test the limits of distance and isolation. So here’s to many more miles to come.
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