Architect Murray D. Heatherington designed the Cypress Log Cabin for the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago as a model of cypress design and construction.

Located way up north, along Noatak National Preserve’s southern border and within spitting distance of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, not only is Kobuk Valley a land of sand dunes in addition to rivers, forests, and mountains, but it’s also where 250,000 caribou pass twice a year on an annual migration between their summer and winter grounds.

Medano Pass Primitive Road Remains CLOSED from Castle Creek to Medano Pass. Park staff (road crews and patrol rangers) were able to make initial assessments of the road damage and found deep washouts and sections of the road covered with woody debris.

If you have not yet visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico, you may initially assume there is nothing but white gypsum sand dunes to photograph. It might come as a bit of a surprise to see so much greenery growing atop the sand when you first enter the park. Oh, you will see those sparkling, bright white dunes a few miles past the fee booth.

Located in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is home to North America’s tallest sand dunes. These dunes, which rise abruptly from the shadow of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, are formed by the interplay of winds funneling through mountain passes and the ongoing recycling of sand via wind. While the star attractions, Hidden Dune and Star Dune, tower approximately 750 feet above the valley floor, one of the park’s extraordinary features is Medano Creek, a seasonal stream that emerges in spring and early summer.

The brisk Outer Banks winds continuously cause the sand to shift on the dune. Northeastern winds of the winter have a greater effect than do the southwestern winds of summer. Accordingly, Jockey’s Ridge actually migrates up to six feet annually in a southwestern direction. Some dune stabilization comes from the surrounding maritime forests and thickets.