The other day I was exploring a very large and highly detailed map of the U.S. I was focusing on the various parks, and after drooling over famous ones that I haven't visited (all of the ones in the Southwest) I began to think about how ma ny beautiful but lesser-known parks there are.

So, my questions are:

1. What are your favorite lesser-known parks (outside the U.S., too) for LF pho tography and photography in general?

AND

2. Why are they your favorites (what makes them special for you or what about t hem do you enjoy photographing)?

I have some favorites:

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota and Canada On the border of Minnesota and Canada, this collection of interconnected lakes i s one of the least trampled parts of Minnesota (which is where I grew up). One of my favorite images (alas, not on film) is of a tiny, rocky island with scragg ly pines. I?ve seen loons, at least one bald eagle, a beaver, and a moose with her calf. In the forest there are birch trees, pinecones, and soft light. I?d go there again in a heartbeat.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina Sand dunes line the road that runs along the beach. Sand sometimes blows off of the dunes and covers the road. There are some very gnarly trees in near some o f the dunes.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin I haven?t been there in a long time, but I remember bear tracks on the beach (bi g tracks). Also, the air there is very, very pure.

Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands Rounding the bend and seeing Hawksnest Bay (on St. John) is like arriving in the South Pacific. Near the center of the beach is a large outcropping of rock tha t looks (to me, anyway) very Polynesian. The reef is full of fish, squid, and E lkhorn coral. While Trunk Bay is one of the most photographed places in the Car ibbean, it is probably one of the most worthy of being photographed. The water is such a saturated turquoise that you need to see it to believe it.