Western Wildfires In National Parks

Above, smoke obscures this view of Wizard Island at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The summer season has not been to kind to several western national parks. Wildfires have been raging at several and historic structures have either been lost or threatened.

According to NPR.org:

Wildfires burning in the Western U.S. are threatening some of America's most treasured national parks – and in some areas, the damage has already been done. 

Last week in Montana, a 20-square-mile blaze burned the historic Sperry Chalet, a hotel and dining room built in 1914 and only reachable by trail.

Fires have been burning in Crater Lake National Park for weeks and the smoke settled inside the crater. Other fires have been burning in Yosemite National Park and one swept through an ancient grove of sequoia trees. Thankfully, those survived.

I saw a wide area of a burned out forest in Lassen Volcanic National Park. I wanted to take photos of it, but there were no turnouts to do so.

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