National Parks Adventure: Rachel Pohl Shares Her Favorite Moments

While climbing Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, I was about 100 meters off the ground, and we had a three-meter tripod sticking out from the rock walls, holding an IMAX camera. It took days just to get it up there. At one point, I had my hands and feet on opposing walls, basically doing a split. Being out in the elements like that and capturing it on film was awesome.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, Michigan, is an under-appreciated, unique and peaceful place. In the spring and summer, wildflowers blanket trails and it’s a great place to go mountain biking. In the winter, it’s one of the top spots in the USA for ice climbing.

My favorite by far is Bryce Canyon National Park. Walk as far as your body can take you, and make sure that includes a stop at a stunning area known as Fairyland Canyon. The view from the rim is incredible but it really gets awe-inspiring once you get down among the hoodoos and spires. When the sun hits these rock formations, it’s like they’re made of glass. Walk within them, then go back to the top for a view from above. This gives you a better idea of the scale of these ancient figures. Bryce is also home to Sunrise Point and Sunset Point, which are within a half-mile of each other. Visiting one in the morning and the other in the evening is an other-worldly experience.

I am enchanted by desert landscapes, and I highly recommend southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park. It stays warm during the day well into the winter sometimes, stretching the season.