Tag Archives: wildlife

List

Top 10 Non-Fiction Books on Wildlife

November 20, 2024 Raven About The Parks 6 Comments

It is the holiday gift buying season again, so in addition to promoting our newest travel guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America, we decided to rank our favorite non-fiction books about wildlife. We did not realize how many we had read until we started researching other lists on the subject, so the competition was stiff. We focused on wildlife, not domesticated wild animals, so we left off three popular books: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton, and Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists, including our Top 10 Gifts for National Park Lovers.

10. Lily Pond: Four Years with a Family of Beavers by Hope Ryden (1989)

A personal story that is enhanced by references to scientific studies on beavers

9. Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams (1991)

Mostly autobiographical, this beautifully written tome is a love letter to Utah’s Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

8. Red Fox: The Catlike Canine by J. David Henry (1996)

Red foxes live almost everywhere in the U.S. having adapted to a wide variety of environments

7. A Beast the Color of Winter: The Mountain Goat Observed by Douglas H. Chadwick (1983)

North American mountain goats are the subject of this concise volume; Chadwick has also written The Wolverine Way (2010)

6. Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America by Richard Nelson (1997)

Set mostly in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, this is an interesting perspective on a common mammal

5. Built for Speed: A Year in the Life of Pronghorn by John A. Byers (2003)

This book taught us so much about our backyard neighbors, from their predatory zygotes to their oversized hearts and lungs

4. Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds by Sy Montgomery (2010)

The first book we have read by prolific nature writer Sy Montgomery, but certainly not the last

3. The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone’s Underdog by Rick McIntyre (2019)

The first of a series that documents the dramatic lives of the reintroduced wolfpacks of Yellowstone National Park over the decades

2. Watch the Bear: A Half Century with the Brown Bears of Alaska by Derek Stonorov (2023)

One of the best books about bears ever written, it dispels myths based on a lifetime of close observation in Alaska

…and finally our #1 non-fiction book about wildlife:

1. Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds by Bernd Heinrich (1999)

Even if you know a lot about these fascinating and intelligent birds, you will learn something new. The obvious #1 choice for Raven About the Parks!

Honorable Mentions

North American Tree Squirrels by Michael A. Steele and John L. Koprowski (2003)

Two researchers recount their studies on these frequently seen, but often misunderstood creatures

Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildlife by Bruce D. Taubert (2016)

Incredible color photographs and expert tips on where to find wildlife in Arizona

Prairie Dogs: A Wildlife Handbook by Kim Long (2002)

A succinct look at this keystone species; we have also read the author’s equally good Squirrels: A Wildlife Handbook

The Social Lives of Animals by Ashley Ward (2022)

A biologist shares her personal experiences with wild animals across the globe

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey (2010)

Well-written and inspirational look at the often-overlooked wildlife that shares our daily existence

The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs (2007)

Personal encounters with wild animals from the celebrated author of House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest (2007)

A Naturalist in Alaska by Adolph Murie (1961)

Set in Denali National Park, previously on our list of Top 10 Books Set in a National Park

Wildlife Watching in America’s National Parks: A Seasonal Guide by Gary W. Vequist and Daniel S. Licht (2013)

This useful guide was previously in our Top 10 Guidebooks to National Parks

Tracks of the Unseen: Meditations on Alaska Wildlife, Landscape, and Photography by Nick Jans (2000)

Previously in our Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Alaska; Jans’ work is also included in the anthology Wild Moments: Adventures with Animals of the North (2009)

Know someone who loves National Parks? Gift them our travel guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Utah

Bears Ears National Monument

November 6, 2024 Raven About The Parks 8 Comments

Bears Ears National Monument

Utah

Managed by U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

Established 2016

1,351,849 acres

Website: https://www.blm.gov/visit/bears-ears-national-monument

Overview

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service manage the more than one-million acres of Bears Ears National Monument in partnership with five local Native American tribes. After it was established, in 2017 it was controversially reduced in size to 201,876 acres before being restored four years later. Much of the southern portion of La Sal National Forest, including the Dark Canyon Wilderness, is included inside its boundaries. The entire area protects millions of years of the paleontological record and has more than 100,000 archaeological sites, especially on Cedar Mesa where day-use and overnight permits are required. The BLM has excellent maps and trip-planning resources available on their website.

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments. It is now available for sale on Amazon.com.

Highlights

Butler Wash, Moon House Ruin, Newspaper Rock, Moki Dugway, San Juan River, Elk Ridge Scenic Backway, Dark Canyon Wilderness, Mule Canyon, Seven Kivas, The Citadel Trail

Must-Do Activity

It would be easy to spend more than a week exploring the roads and trails within Bears Ears National Monument. Everyone should try to drive the good 17-mile-long dirt road through Valley of the Gods to see rock formations like Rooster Butte and Woman in the Tub. West of Blanding, paved State Route 95 passes Mule Canyon Interpretive site, Butler Wash Interpretive Trail, and Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite. In La Sal National Forest, the 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a well-maintained (though unpaved) route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211, which connects to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. There are multiple trails along the way that provide access to the Dark Canyon Wilderness, an area known for old-growth forests, natural arches, and Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs.

Best Trail

There are many trails to choose from, but one of the most popular is off unpaved Texas Flat Road that enters Mule Canyon (parking fee) and accesses House on Fire, a well-preserved granary located one mile in after multiple stream crossings. There is a paved parking lot suitable for RVs at Butler Wash Interpretive Trail, a half-mile one-way walk on to an overlook of a cliff dwelling.

Photographic Opportunity

Along Highway 211 to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, be sure to stop at the paved parking lot for Newspaper Rock. Another nice panel of rock art is found in Sand Island Campground along the San Juan River near Bluff, Utah.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Fees

A day-use fee of $5 per person applies at several parking areas on Cedar Mesa in southern Bears Ears National Monument, including Mule Canyon access to House on Fire Ruins. There are pay stations at several sites, as well as pre-paid online permits (including for 20 people per day to access Moon House Ruin).

Road Conditions

State Route 95 and Highway 211 are both paved, but other roads like the Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods Road, and 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway should not be attempted by RVs. A high-clearance vehicle is required to drive many side roads, including six-mile-long Cigarette Springs Road to The Citadel and Seven Kivas Trails. Be aware that flash floods are a danger as many roads traverse canyons.

Camping

There are numerous developed campgrounds spread throughout Bears Ears National Monument. We enjoyed our stay at Hamburger Rock Campground outside the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Dispersed camping is also a good option, especially in scenic Valley of the Gods and along lightly-traveled Elk Ridge Scenic Backway. All backcountry camping on Cedar Mesa requires a permit and no campfires are allowed.

Related Sites

Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah)

Hovenweep National Monument (Utah-Colorado)

Explore More – Where are the actual Bears Ears formations that give the National Monument its name?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments

Colorado, Utah

La Sal National Forest

October 30, 2024 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

La Sal National Forest

Utah, Colorado

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region

535,288 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mantilasal

Overview

La Sal National Forest is found in two separate sections of southeastern Utah surrounding the La Sal and Abajo Mountains, topping out on 12,721-foot Mt. Peale. Much of the southern portion of the National Forest, including the Dark Canyon Wilderness, was included in the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument, established in 2016 and then controversially reduced in size before being restored. Since 1949, it has been administratively combined with the northern and separate Manti National Forest, so it can be difficult to find information for La Sal National Forest alone.

Highlights

Bears Ears National Monument, La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway, Warner Lake, Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, Buckeye Reservoir, Elk Ridge Scenic Backway, Harts Draw Highway, Abajo Loop State Scenic Backway, Mt. Peale, Arch Canyon, Mt. Tukuhnikivatz

Must-Do Activity

Many visitors access the forest south from Moab on the mostly-paved La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway, a steep drive suitable for passenger vehicles that is accessible in the warmer months. The often snow-capped La Sal Mountains are featured as the backdrop in nearly every photo of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. The Sierra La Sal (“Salt Mountains” in Spanish) were a prominent landmark on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. Be sure to make the dirt Gateway Road (FS 207) detour 5.4 miles to visit Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, where there is also a commanding view of Fisher Mesa and Bull Canyon. Oowah Lake and Warner Lake are also located on unpaved side roads (3.2 and 5.2 miles respectively) from La Sal Mountain Loop Road.

Best Trail

The 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a well-maintained, though unpaved route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211, which connects to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. There are multiple trails along the way that provide access to the Dark Canyon Wilderness, an area known for old-growth forests, natural arches, and Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs. A high-clearance vehicle is not required to reach Big Notch Trailhead where a trail steeply drops into Dark Canyon. Erosion has cut red clay walls that make navigation somewhat difficult in places. About four miles in, not far past the large Cicada Arch on the north side, you reach a spring at the meeting with Drift Trail Canyon. Another two miles takes you to Scorup Cabin, a good place to turn around or explore Horse Pasture Canyon.

Watchable Wildlife

Wildlife species are similar to Utah’s Dixie National Forest and Fishlake National Forest, including black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, porcupines, raccoons, skunks, badgers, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and pronghorns. Large birds include bald eagles, golden eagles, northern goshawks, turkey vultures, wild turkeys, common ravens, and various species of owls and woodpeckers. Look for short-horned lizards in the Dark Canyon Wilderness. There are many trout and other gamefish found in the streams and small lakes spread across the high-elevations of the La Sal and Abajo Mountains.

Photographic Opportunity

In the summer months, take La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway to Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks to see 200-million-year-old therapod tracks, plus an awesome overlook to the north.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

None

Road Conditions

La Sal Mountain Loop Road is mostly paved, but side roads to Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, Oowah Lake, and Warner Lake are not. The 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a rocky, unpaved route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211; and side roads to some trailheads require a high-clearance vehicle.

Camping

Warner Lake Campground takes reservations, as does Buckeye Reservoir in Colorado and a few others. Dispersed camping is also an option, especially along lightly-traveled Elk Ridge Scenic Backway.

Wilderness Areas

Dark Canyon Wilderness

Wilderness

Related Sites

Arches National Park (Utah)

Bears Ears National Monument (Utah)

Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah)

Nearest National Park

Canyonlands

Conifer Tree Species

Utah juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper, two-needle pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, white fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir

Flowering Tree Species

Gambel oak, quaking aspen, Fremont cottonwood, Utah serviceberry, bigtooth maple, manzanita, sagebrush

Explore More – Due to an administrative error in 1908, what was the misspelled name of La Sal National Forest (which was quickly corrected)?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

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Idaho, Montana

Kootenai National Forest

October 2, 2024 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Kootenai National Forest

Montana, Idaho

Managed by U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region

2,145,268 acres (1,812,380 federal/ 332,888 other)

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai

Overview

In northwest Montana, Kootenai National Forest includes parts of the Cabinet, Purcell, Salish, Selkirk, and Whitefish Mountains on the border of Canada. In 1975, the 422-foot-tall Libby Dam on the Kootenai River created 90-mile-long international Lake Koocanusa (a contraction of Kootenai-Canada-U.S.A.). Elevations in Kootenai National Forest range from 1,832 feet up to 8,738-foot Snowshoe Peak in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, encompassing a variety of habitats from subalpine meadows to arid plains with cacti.

Highlights

Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway, Northwest Peak Scenic Area, McGregor Lake, Yaak Falls, Ten Lakes Scenic Area, Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, Loon Lake, Tenmile Falls, Bluebird Basin Trail, Vinal McHenry Boulder National Recreation Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Must-Do Activity

There are more than 1,200 miles of trails in Kootenai National Forest, including 90 miles of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Two of the best places to hike are the Northwest Peak and Ten Lakes Scenic Areas, in the remote upper corners of the National Forest. Outside of Libby, Montana, Blue Mountain Trail (1.5 miles one-way), Skyline National Recreation Trail (22 miles), and Scenery Mountain Lookout Trail (2.5 miles) all climb to incredible overlooks. At Kootenai Falls (see Photographic Opportunity), a new suspension bridge crosses the Kootenai River to Forest Service land on the north shore. From there, Koot Creek Canyon Trail travels another three miles to a dirt road in Kootenai National Forest.

Best Trail

In 1959, Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area preserved 101 acres of western redcedar trees up to eight feet in diameter. A one-lane paved road with pullouts leads 4.3 miles from Highway 56 to a large parking area with a day-use fee. The main trail is a less than one-mile loop with interpretive signs, but continues five miles to the North Fork of Ross Creek. The old-growth forest is also home to large Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, grand fir, and western hemlock trees growing above a lush green understory of ferns and Devil’s-club.

Watchable Wildlife

The mountains provide habitat for grizzly bears, black bears, Canada lynxes, bobcats, mountain lions, wolverines, mink, pine martens, long-tailed weasels, porcupines, snowshoe hares, pika, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Hoskins Lake is a wintering range for mule deer and white-tailed deer, as well as an osprey nesting area in the summer. The National Forest’s numerous rivers and more than 100 lakes support gamefish like cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and endangered bull trout. The endangered white sturgeon is also found in this area.

Photographic Opportunity

Located in a county park on the side of Highway 2, Kootenai Falls is only about 20 feet tall, but it is impressively wide and beautiful. An overlook is located one-tenth of a mile from the parking lot, but there is also a walking bridge that crosses over the railroad tracks to a viewpoint at the edge of the falls, and a suspension bridge only a quarter-mile further downstream.

Peak Season

Summer

Fees

Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area has a day-use fee (or the America the Beautiful pass is also accepted).

Road Conditions

Paved roads like the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway, U.S. Highway 2, and State Highway 56 make it easy to explore Kootenai National Forest. To access Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, a one-lane paved road with pullouts leads 4.3 miles from Highway 56. A nice drive through the Purcell Mountains can be made by looping State Route 508 and Forest Road 68.

Camping

There are Forest Service campgrounds at Kilbrennan Lake, Loon Lake, Rexford Branch, Caribou, Red Top, Whitetail, Pete Creek, Howard Lake, and elsewhere. Big Creek Baldy Mountain lookout cabin can be rented, too.

Wilderness Areas

Cabinet Mountains Wilderness (also in Kaniksu National Forest)

Related Sites

Kaniksu National Forest (Idaho-Montana-Washington)

Bitterroot National Forest (Montana-Idaho)

Coeur d’Alene National Forest (Idaho)

Nearest National Park

Glacier

Conifer Tree Species

lodgepole pine, whitebark pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, , western larch, alpine larch, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, grand fir

Flowering Tree Species

Rocky Mountain maple, boxelder, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, dwarf birch, paper birch, Piper’s hawthorn, Bebb willow, western mountain-ash, choke cherry, western serviceberry

Explore More – The Kootenai (or Kootenay in Canada) River is named after the local Ktunaxa Indians, which translates as what in the Algonquian language?

Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods

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California

Tule Lake National Monument

September 11, 2024 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Tule Lake National Monument

California

Managed by National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Established 2008

1,391 acres

Website: nps.gov/tule

Overview

Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the detention of more than 110,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese descent at ten concentration camps in the contiguous United States. At Tule Lake War Relocation Center, 7,400 acres were enclosed by barbwire to hold about 12,000 people in northeast California. Once a loyalty questionnaire was distributed throughout the ten camps, those considered disloyal to the U.S. government were all shipped to the renamed Tule Lake Segregation Center, which held 18,789 inmates at its peak. Overcrowding, harassment, beatings, and a fatal farm accident led to riots and mass demonstrations, and martial law was declared from November 13, 1943 to January 15, 1944. This camp was the last to be closed on March 20, 1946, months after the end of the war. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006, and two years later became one of nine sites within World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (which included Pearl Harbor National Memorial). When that was disbanded in 2019, Tule Lake National Monument was created.

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments. It is now available for sale on Amazon.com.

Highlights

Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum, Tule Lake Segregation Center prison

Must-Do Activity

Most of the buildings at Tule Lake Segregation Center were moved elsewhere following the war. One of the few remaining structures is the prison, which is only accessible on ranger-guided tours offered Memorial Day to Labor Day on Thursdays through Sundays (call ahead for required reservations). The concrete jail had six cells to hold 24 men, but incarcerated over 100 at one time mostly outside in Army tents used as unheated punishment quarters. The prison is always visible from the National Park Service (NPS) visitor center off Highway 139. It is worth getting a tour to go inside to see original graffiti from inmates and the reinstalled metal doors that were purchased by a private citizen in the 1940s and kept at their farm for decades. Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum (fee) has a one-hour audio tour and there are online virtual tours that show several sites within Tule Lake National Monument, including the inside of the jail prior to the restoration.

Best Trail

There are no designated trails there, but from the NPS visitor center near Newell you can photograph the rock formation known as Peninsula/Castle Rock (solely managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). It is also visible while checking out the rock art at Petroglyph Point within Lava Beds National Monument.

Photographic Opportunity

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was stationed at Camp Tulelake from 1935 to 1942, constructing 23 buildings and repairing canals. Several small groups of Japanese Americans were held at Camp Tulelake to separate them from the general population at Tule Lake Segregation Center. Later in the war, Italian and German POWs were stationed there before the buildings were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, tours of Camp Tulelake are not available due to ongoing preservation work, but you can photograph it through the fence on Hill Road and hike to bird viewing blinds in Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/tule/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

Ranger-guided tours require a reservation, but they are free. There is an entrance fee for the museum at Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds.

Road Conditions

Highway 139 and Hill Road are paved, but most of the roads through the former Tule Lake Segregation Center and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge are unpaved.

Camping

Indian Well Campground is located in Lava Beds National Monument near the visitor center and Cave Loop Road. Dirt roads in the nearby Modoc and Klamath National Forests provide free dispersed camping.

Minidoka National Historic Site (Idaho-Washington)

Amache National Historic Site (Colorado)

Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds Museum

Explore More – Providing crucial habitat along the Pacific Flyway, what type of migratory birds can be seen at Tule Lake, Clear Lake, and Modoc National Wildlife Refuges?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments

Bears Ears National Monument

La Sal National Forest

Kootenai National Forest

Tule Lake National Monument

Start your U.S. National Forests, National Parks, and National Monuments adventure here!