Ann, you can get close to the big bears at Katmai if you stay on the paths, and use the viewing platforms. In general, they are so focused on the salmon that they pay little attention to humans, except those who may be catching fish.
I have bee to Arches and Canyonlands once, and to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon twice. My favorite of these is Bryce, although the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is also quite nice. Yosemite is crowded, but somehow the crowds don't bother me as much as the crowds at Yellowstone and the South Rim. In some respects, I like the New Mexico dessert better than Utah, especially around the pueblos (although Mesa Verde is also most interesting). Lee and I have been to all of the major National Parks and many of the smaller ones. To me, Katmai offers the most variety and animal contact, and is, therefore, my favorite. Yosemite, Hawaiian Volcanoes, and Haleakala are close behind. I feel the ghost of Ansel Adams everywhere in Yosemite. There are few thrill that equal feeling the warmth of the lava as it flows to the sea or watching the sun rise out of the Pacific from the summit of Haleakala. I got tired of Yellowstone rather quickly, but enjoyed Grand Teton. Glacier, Acadia and Great Smokies were all a bit disappointing. The best part of Glacier was the trip up to Waterton, and Acadia just could not match other parts of the Maine coast, such as Ogunquit. Different strokes for different folks. Dan Matyola http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola On Thu, Jun 7, 2018 at 12:51 PM, ann sanfedele <[email protected]> wrote: > I would have loved to have gone there. but not sure how up close and > personal I'd want to get with a griz.. > Denali is high on my list... but not where I would feel comfortable hiking > .. and... you have to be lucky to be there when it is "out" > > Nothing surpasses the southern Utah national parks.. Arches, Canyonlands, > Bryce and Zion.. The colors of the geological strata and the big skies > and desert plants > are endlessly enchanting to me... > > Dan - if you have not been to those parks I highly recommend a tour in mid > September through October > > I'm scared of volcanos and I actually am not so fond of Yosemite - always > a mob scene and massive grey granite formations are not as pretty to me as > those > in Utah and Arizona. > > ann > > > On 6/6/2018 9:22 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: > >> Katmai is, in my experience, the best of all our national parks, >> surpassing >> even Yosemite and Hawaii Volcanoes. I highly recommend it to anyone who >> has an interest in wildlife and photography. >> >> >> Dan Matyola >> http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola >> > > -- > ann sanfedele photography > https://annsan.smugmug.com > https://www.cafepress.com/annsanstuff > https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/annsan > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
