Some images are just plain extraordinary — and often, the photographer has invested a great deal of time and effort to make that image happen. Photographer Dave Morrow describes the process of making this image from Mount Rainier National Park in early October 2012:

“I went up to Sunrise Point at Mt. Rainier last weekend with my buddy Keith. After a lame sunset, we waited for the Milky Way to come out. The placement was just perfect & the sky was pitch black! Time to jack up the ISO and shoot some stars… This was one of many from the night:)”

Visit Rainier on a beautiful day, and you’ll get a great photograph. Stick around for the sunset, and you’ll often get an exceptional photograph. Wait till the chill of October sets in on a clear night, and stand around fiddling with your camera for a few hours in the dark… and the results just might be extraordinary.

Photo by Dave Morrow - www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Dennis Davenport’s photo of a great horned owlet from Ridgefield National WIldlife Refuge in Washington was a finalist in the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s 2012 photo contest. See more amazing finalist photos here. 

Have you visited the National Christmas Tree this year? Make sure you visit Santa’s Workshop and see some of the free musical entertainment offered at the National Christmas Tree this year! 

Find more info here: http://go.usa.gov/gyaA

Photo: National Park Service 

The Tragedy at Pearl Harbor happened on this date in 1941. We thought we would share this picture of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC as we remember those brave men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day.

Photo: National Park Service 

How cool is this photo of a Burrowing Owl? These owls from Washington are making their way to Canada, where the birds are endangered, to participate in the country’s owl breeding program. The conservation effort is a result of coordination between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of International Affairs and several other USFWS programs. 

Photo: Matthew Paulson 

The Hoh Rain Forest is located in the stretch of the Pacific Northwest rainforest which once spanned the Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska to the central coast of California. The Hoh is one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States and is one of the park’s most popular destinations (including the Hall of Mosses pictured above).

Photo: National Park Service

Olympic National Park is a collection of very diverse landscapes such as mountains, beaches, and forests. It has also been home to many different groups of people for generations, starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago up to today. The Park is currently home to multiple American Indian tribes such as the Hoh, the Makah, and the Quileute. These tribes work together with the National Park Service to preserve the cultural history of the park and its resources. A landmark case in 1974 gave local tribes the right to fish in the park. However, due to the dwindling of fish levels in the area, both the tribes and the park are devoted to protecting these fish communities.

Photo: National Park Service 

Deliberately setting aside the controversies of the war, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors the men and women who served when their Nation called upon them. The Memorial is a unit of National Mall and Memorial Parks. This world famous memorial stands prominently on the National Mall just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial.

On this Memorial Day, we honor the men and women in uniform who have died in service our country. 

Photo: Wei Sun, National Parks Service 

Soaring 14,410 feet into the sky, Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. It dominates the landscape, inspires our imagination, and challenges our senses. This active ice covered volcano is a symbol of the dramatic forces that shape our world. From its old growth forests and subalpine meadows to its glacier-clad peak, Mount Rainier offers many opportunities to explore its natural beauty.

Mount Rainier is also rich in cultural history. For thousands of years, tribal groups have gathered here. Designated a national park in 1899, many areas contribute to its National Historic Landmark District status.

Photo: William Lee - National Park Service

Nez Perce National Historical Park is a non-traditional National Park site. The park tells a story about a people that is spread over a large geographic area. For countless generations, the Nimiipuu or Nez Perce have lived among the rivers, canyons and prairies of the inland northwest. Despite the cataclysmic change of the past two centuries, the Nez Perce are still here.

The park has thirty-eight sites in four states - Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington. A park map is available here and can be used in conjunction with this list. Comprehensive trip planning information is also available here.

In this photo, a 150-year-old buffalo hide tipi in the park’s collection was photographed.  The tipi was probably made in the 1850s and consists of sixteen to twenty buffalo hides, stitched together with sinew. 

Photo: National Park Service