There are extraordinary places in North America where the forces of time and nature have carved monoliths that form mysterious, sacred temples. These places captivate human beings from all walks of life by providing a connection to the grandeur and creative power of the natural world. Zion National Park in southern Utah has magnetized, and…

“The big tree (Sequoia gigantea) is nature’s forest masterpiece, and, so far as I know, the greatest of living things.” —John Muir Giant Sequoias, the world’s largest trees by volume, are found only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. These majestic trees were the impetus behind the creation of the…

Up a windy road lined with trees in Blacksburg, South Carolina, stands Kings Mountain National Military Park. My children, ages 2 and 4, had begged us to stay at the nearby (and equally beautiful) Kings Mountain State Park, which had, among other amenities, an impressive playground. Luckily, my husband is as enthusiastic a lover of…