Zion National Park, May 2009 Some time after 2009, Zion National Park became a much busier place: National Parks Service data shows visits in May doubled from 2009 to 2025. Growing up 30 minutes from the park, we often had moments of relative solitude in t...

Vast, barren salt flat landscapes surround the Great Salt Lake where water existed about 40 years ago. The muddy, salty, sulfurous ground here is not pleasant to walk on—note the lack of footprints, because nobody comes here, despite being a waterfront w...