Posted on March 11, 2018, 11:50 am, by QT Luong, under
New images.
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is recent, been having designated by President Obama in October 2014. This, combined with its relatively large size (346,177 acres or 541 square miles), has made it a target for the Trump administration’s “review” of national monuments. However, the San Gabriel Mountains are long-established recreation grounds for the second largest […]
Posted on March 4, 2018, 9:00 am, by QT Luong, under
New images.
Instead of its utilitarian name, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument could also be have been called Sand to Snow National Monument because it spans a similar range of elevations, from the desert floor to the top of San Jacinto Peak, which culminates at 10,834 feet. Although San Jacinto Peak is lower than […]
Posted on February 25, 2018, 10:15 am, by QT Luong, under
New images.
Sand to Snow National Monument owes its name to the striking elevation difference between the Sonoran Desert floor (about 1,000 feet) and 11,500-foot San Gorgonio Mountain, Southern California’s highest peak. That gradient makes Sand to Snow possibly the most botanically diverse national monument in America. Unlike Mojave Trails and Castle Mountains, no roads penetrate its […]
Posted on February 18, 2018, 11:35 pm, by QT Luong, under
New images.
If I was to sum up my impressions of Castle Mountains National Monument in one word, it would be “primitive”. See what I managed to discover and photograph in one day of exploring this beautiful desert area that manages to make the Mojave National Preserve appear civilized, without the benefit of any detailed information nor […]
Posted on February 10, 2018, 4:30 pm, by QT Luong, under
New images.
Protecting a huge 2,500 square kilometers (1.6 million acres), Mojave Trails National Monument is the largest of the three California desert national monuments established by President Barack Obama in February 2016. In the heart of the California desert, Mojave Trails National Monument forms a connective tissue linking Joshua Tree National Park in the south to […]
Posted on June 10, 2017, 12:58 am, by QT Luong, under
New images.
Most of the times a barren-looking grassland, the little-known Carrizo Plain came to life thanks to the abundant rains of last winter, to become the site of a “super bloom”, with some of the best wildflower displays I had ever seen in California. Find out where I discovered the best blooms in this vast and […]
Posted on May 13, 2017, 11:55 pm, by QT Luong, under
Uncategorized.
The Department of the Interior is reviewing the protected status of 27 national monuments. After explaining what they are, I will be giving the perspective of a photographer of the national parks, with the hope that it will encourage you to speak out for the national monuments. People know what a national park is, but […]
Posted on December 6, 2009, 5:17 pm, by QT Luong, under
New images.
I have posted new images of three National Monuments in Arizona: Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki and Chiricahua. Both are volcanic landscapes not usually associated with Arizona, yet they couldn’t be more different. Sunset Crater Volcano preserves lava flows and smooth cinder domes (unfortunately the namesake volcano is closed to hiking), while Chiricahua is a wonderland […]
