
Los Alamos D3, AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Fermi Film Collection; McKibben Joseph D1, Los Alamos National Laboratory, courtesy of AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Fermi Film Collection, Physics Today Collection
Summertime always brings around memories of being a kid; on vacation from school, biking around my neighborhood, relishing the lack of homework, going to summer camp, and family trips to National Parks. I was lucky enough to travel to parks throughout the United States, from Acadia in Maine to Yosemite in California to Glacier Bay in Alaska. Visiting and learning more about the natural lands that make up our country instilled in me an early appreciation for the outdoors. This month, in honor of the National Park System’s 105th birthday
Los Alamos D3, AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Fermi Film Collection; McKibben Joseph D1, Los Alamos National Laboratory, courtesy of AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Fermi Film Collection, Physics Today Collection
Los Alamos Laboratory scientists on a 1945 hike in Bandelier National Monument
Located just south of Los Alamos, New Mexico, it makes sense that a number of scientists would visit this National Monument. Beyond providing visitors opportunities to hike and gaze upon beautiful views of New Mexico, Bandelier is home to Ancestral Puebloan settlements that date back to 1150 CE. You can take a virtual tour of some areas of the Monument from the comfort of your own home here
Lamont-Hussey Observatory H1
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, John Irwin Slide Collection
The Lamont-Hussey Observatory sits within the Franklin Nature Reserve
The Franklin Nature Reserve is entirely within the city of Bloemfontein, and visitors can enjoy views of the city, local wildlife and plant sightings, and walking/biking trails. Along with its Nature and Game Reserves, South Africa has 19 National Parks
Irwin John B8
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, John Irwin Slide Collection
John Irwin poses for a picture atop Pinnacle Peak in Mount Rainier National Park
Fun fact: Professor and former Superconducting Super Collider director Roy Schwitters
Newman, Michael C1
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Clayton Collection
Michael Newman, Donald Clayton, and W. Michael Howard sit on the porch of Buck Meadows Lodge near the entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite is known for its breathtaking waterfalls and glacial geology. Scale the notorious El Capitan
Yukawa Hideki C26
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Yukawa Collection
Hideki Yukawa, Ryōkichi Sagane, and John Cockcroft in Japan’s Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
This park, located just south of Tokyo, consists of four main regions
Sulphur Mountain H2
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station building atop Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park
Built for the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year, the Station was in operation and used by geophysicists to study particles until 1978, and then was demolished in 1981. Today, travelers to Banff National Park can see the concrete foundation where this building stood and visit the original stone weather station
Ackerman Edward C3
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, John Irwin Slide Collection
Carl Borgmann and Edward Ackerman at Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park in Chile. It’s likely that Borgmann and Ackerman stopped at this park while in Chile to visit the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory site. In October, 1965, when this photo was taken, Carl Borgmann
The Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Sagan Carl F2
Copyright Bill Ray
Carl Sagan stands in the desert of Death Valley National Park
If you’d prefer to experience America’s lowest, driest, and hottest National Park from your air-conditioned home (and I wouldn’t blame you!) view the National Park Service’s images of Death Valley here
While I have fond memories and experiences of America’s National Parks, I want to acknowledge that this is not the case for all Americans. Many of America’s National Park lands were forcefully or violently taken from indigenous communities and continue to represent American colonialism. While being far from perfect solutions, there have been recent steps towards more Native American representation in the management of National Parks, such as this call to transfer the National Parks to Native communities