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Tag: national parks

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Essays Hiking
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park

River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park

Posted on Posted onAugust 23, 2023March 9, 2025By Heather

Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air … Continue ReadingRiver reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park

Categories Abroad
Spring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam

Spring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam

Posted on Posted onMay 18, 2023May 29, 2023By Heather

My trip to the Netherlands began and ended in its busy capital, Amsterdam. I spent … Continue ReadingSpring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam

Categories Domestic Travel Tips
Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota

Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota

Posted on Posted onAugust 8, 2022June 9, 2024By Heather

It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. … Continue ReadingVoyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota

Categories Domestic
1% of 1% of Yellowstone National Park

1% of 1% of Yellowstone National Park

Posted on Posted onMay 29, 2022January 28, 2025By Heather

June 15, 2022 – Yellowstone National Park Update: I published this story just two weeks … Continue Reading1% of 1% of Yellowstone National Park

Categories Domestic Hiking
Western Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota

Western Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota

Posted on Posted onMay 21, 2022March 15, 2025By Heather

We daydreamed about visiting Badlands area for years. We were drawn by the mystique of … Continue ReadingWestern Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota

Categories Domestic
50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail

50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail

Posted on Posted onNovember 22, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

My two fitness goals this year were to summit another 14,000-foot peak and do a … Continue Reading50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail

Categories Dog-Friendly Domestic Hiking
The 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

The 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

Posted on Posted onJune 26, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

I set two simple outdoor fitness goals this year – hike and summit at least … Continue ReadingThe 50-Miler That Wasn’t: Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

Categories Domestic Hiking
The Sonoran Desert & Saguaro National Park, Arizona

The Sonoran Desert & Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Posted on Posted onMay 13, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

The types of cactus and landscape change as we approach Arizona from New Mexico. The … Continue ReadingThe Sonoran Desert & Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Categories Dog-Friendly Domestic
White Sands National Park, New Mexico

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Posted on Posted onApril 20, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

The last time I saw White Sands was more than two decades ago, when it … Continue ReadingWhite Sands National Park, New Mexico

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking
Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Posted on Posted onJanuary 12, 2021August 25, 2023By Heather

Bryce Canyon in southern Utah is the last of the four national parks I visited … Continue ReadingBryce Canyon National Park

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking
Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

Posted on Posted onDecember 19, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

Capitol Reef National Park was the major destination on my 3-week long national parks road … Continue ReadingCapitol Reef National Park

Categories Domestic
Small Town America: Antimony, Utah

Small Town America: Antimony, Utah

Posted on Posted onDecember 3, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I said I wanted peace, quiet, and serenity. Did I ever find it in Antimony, … Continue ReadingSmall Town America: Antimony, Utah

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking
Finding Perspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Finding Perspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Posted on Posted onNovember 27, 2020March 23, 2025By Heather

I booked this cottage in Montrose, Colorado because I needed a place to stay close … Continue ReadingFinding Perspective at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking
Shiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Shiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Posted on Posted onNovember 14, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

On the way into Blackhawk, Colorado, where I was staying at a beautiful little cabin … Continue ReadingShiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Categories Domestic
Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Posted on Posted onNovember 11, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I have long hoped to string together a series of national parks to form a … Continue ReadingAutumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Categories Domestic Hiking
Outdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs

Outdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs

Posted on Posted onSeptember 30, 2020August 25, 2023By Heather

I’m sitting in front of a fire in my sweats, under a red, chunky knit … Continue ReadingOutdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs

Categories Travel Tips
Ultimate List of Gift Ideas for People Who Love to Travel

Ultimate List of Gift Ideas for People Who Love to Travel

Posted on Posted onOctober 12, 2018August 25, 2023By Heather

The holidays are upon us. If you’re anything like me, you are wondering what to … Continue ReadingUltimate List of Gift Ideas for People Who Love to Travel

Categories Domestic Hiking
How to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego

How to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego

Posted on Posted onMarch 29, 2018August 25, 2023By Heather

I found myself back in San Diego, California for the second spring in a row … Continue ReadingHow to Spend a Long Weekend in San Diego

Categories Travel Tips
15 New Year’s Travel Resolutions Ideas

15 New Year’s Travel Resolutions Ideas

Posted on Posted onDecember 31, 2017August 25, 2023By Heather

As 2017 comes to a close and I look forward to a clean slate in … Continue Reading15 New Year’s Travel Resolutions Ideas

Categories Adventure Travel Domestic Hiking
Desert Hiking Trip to Moab, Utah

Desert Hiking Trip to Moab, Utah

Posted on Posted onOctober 10, 2017August 25, 2023By Heather

This was the second leg of my annual solo hiking trip to Utah. I spent … Continue ReadingDesert Hiking Trip to Moab, Utah

I'm Heather Physioc.

Photojournalist focusing on conservation, outdoor, wildlife and nature topics. OWAA award winner. Prints available, 50% of print sales to conservation efforts. Dog's best friend.

.🇺🇸 🇮🇹 🇳🇱 🇫🇷 🇧🇪 🇬🇧 🇨🇴 🇵🇪 🇨🇷 🇭🇳 🇬🇷 🇧🇧 🇸🇪 🇲🇽 🇭🇷 🇸🇮

Heather Physioc, Writer & Photographer at KCTRVLR
the author + photographer
Outdoor Writers Association of America 2024 Excellence in Craft Winner Badge

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Select prints available for purchase in my Zenfolio store. 50% of all earnings to conservation causes. Contact me for licensing.

See my latest work.

  • Artificial intelligence threatens real creativity everywhere.March 9, 2025
  • Living Peoples, Not Dying Languages: Inside the fight to preserve and revitalize Quechua and other Indigenous languages in the AndesJanuary 23, 2025
  • My top 24 photographs of 2024.December 31, 2024
  • Portorož, Piran & Lipica: Experiencing the Istrian Peninsula & Karst Region of SloveniaMay 31, 2024
  • Spring Scenes & Hidden Gems in Lower Town Zagreb, CroatiaMay 26, 2024
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Hey, heads up.

You may find a few affiliate links to outside websites if I reference specific products I use within my articles. If you click through these links and end up purchasing a product, I may receive a small return that helps me fund my excursions, photography and travel. I also sell prints and wall art of my landscape photography here. Half of all proceeds are donated to conservation charities.

Copyright © 2025 | KCTRVLR by Jonathan Tucker