Nat Geo Offers the Best Trips for Summer 2016

Are you looking for some suggestions for where you should go on vacation this summer? Are you stumped on which destinations should be on your short list? Than you're in luck, because National Geographic Travel has released their picks for the best trips for summer of 2016.

Amongst the destinations that earn a spot on Nat Geo's list are Banff National Park in Canada, Acadia National Park in the U.S., and wine country in the Pacific Northwest. Each of those places have a lot to offer the outdoor enthusiast looking to put a bit of adventure into their summer season, but if the beach is more your speed than consider Moorea in French Polynesia instead. Want a long-distance adventure? Than why not hop aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway?

These are just a few of the options that earn a spot on the list, with some other great choices that I'll leave for you to discover yourself. The important thing to take away from this article however is that it is not too late to start planning a summer getaway. In fact, some of the best adventures come together over after a brief period of planning, with anticipation for hitting the road driving the idea.

Check out National Geographic's full list by clicking here.

Video: Photographing the Wolves of Yellowstone National Park

The May issue of National Geographic magazine is dedicated completely to the world's first national park – Yellowstone. When preparing to release the issue Nat Geo sent a team of photographers to the park to capture the landscapes and wildlife that exist there. Amongst them was Ronan Donovan who was charged with shooting photos of the wolves that live there. In this video, he talks about the challenges and rewards of that assignment, which was unlike any other he'd had before.

Video: For the Love of the Climb

In this video, mountaineers Cory Richards and Mark Jenkins share their passion for climbing in the big mountains and what drives them to take sometimes extreme risks in the high places of our planet. It is an insightful look at why alpinists do the things they do, offering some explanation of what the mountains mean to them. For those who don't understand the mountaineering culture, this might provide a bit of an explanation.

Video: Meet Nat Geo Wildlife Photographer Joe Riis

Joe Riis has one of those jobs we all dream of. He is a wildlife photographer for National Geographic an occupation that takes him to wild and remote places all over the world. In this video, we learn more about Joe and his job, but also discover that even when you lead an adventurous life, there are still plenty of challenges to finding happiness and contentment. This is a clip you shouldn't miss. Particularly if you're looking to lead a more fulfilling life.

Joe from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

Video: 5 Things to Know Before You Go on an Adventure

Before you set out on your next adventure, you'll want to watch this video. It comes our way from National Geographic, and it shares advice that a team of climbers learned while traveling to Myanmar to climb the highest peak in Southeast Asia. That expedition wasn't an easy one, with lots of challenges to overcome before they ever reached the mountain. But what they learned along the way was invaluable.

Video: The Wildlife of Chernobyl

It has been 30 years since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in the Ukraine. Since than, the city, and the surrounding area, has been mostly deserted of people, but wildlife has returned to the area and is thriving. In this video from National Geographic, we get a glimpse of those creatures that include wolves, foxes, dogs, and other animals. It is fascinating to see them wandering through a place where humans continue to shun. As is usual, nature finds a way.

Video: Animal Migrations in Yellowstone National Park

As if you needed further proof that Yellowstone National Park is a truly special place, National Geographic has released a fantastic video that not only shows us the amazing animal migrations that take place in the park each year, but also the breathtaking landscapes that exist within the park as well. I've been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, and Yellowstone remains one of my favorite places. This video will help you understand why.

Video: Yellowstone's Bear Bathtub

Yellowstone National Park has an amazing natural pool of water that seems to be a favorite with the local bear population. So much so that the pool has been dubbed the "bear bathtub." National Geographic stationed a camera trap near the pool and managed to capture some fantastic video of the bears enjoying some time in the tub. It's difficult not to smile while watching them frolic in the water. Sit back and enjoy this one.

Rare Sumatran Rhino Dies Days After Being Found

A few weeks back I shared a story that had conservationist feeling optimistic about the potential future for a rare species of rhino. Now, a short time later, that story has turned tragic, as it was revealed that the rhino has now died in captivity.

Back in March, it was revealed that a rare, and highly endangered, species of rhino was discovered in the wilds of Sumatra. Those creatures were believed to be totally extinct, as none have been spotted there in more than 40 years. In order to protect the animal, she was captured in a pit trap and taken to a sanctuary where it was believed that she would be well protected from poachers.

But over the past few days, the rhino – who was named Najaq – saw a down turn in her health as she struggled to fight off an infection. On Tuesday, it was announced that she lost the fight, and passed away due to complications from the infection. There is a pending investigation to learn more about the situation, but it is believed that Najaq suffered an injury from a snare set by poachers prior to her being discovered. Wounds from that injury grew infected, leading to the death of the rhino.

This is obviously sad news. A few weeks ago the discovery of this creature brought hope that perhaps the species could be brought back from the brink of extinction, but this is a setback that makes those efforts even more difficult. Najaq does give us hope however that there are rhinos still out there in the wilds of Sumatra just waiting to be discovered. Hopefully conservationists find them before the poachers do.

Nat Geo Gives Us the Best New Gear for Spring 2016

Need some new gear for your upcoming spring adventures? National Geographic has you covered, as  Nat Geo Adventure presents its selections for the best new gear arriving on store shelves in the days ahead.

And just which items earn a nod from the NG crew? They recommend REI's new Flash 65 backpack, a new stove from Snow Peak, and the Concerto sleeping bag from Nemo. Other items on the list include Mountain Hardwear's new Ghost UL2 tent, an incredibly lightweight shell from The North Face, and a comfortable new backpacking boot from Vasque.

This is just a taste of the items that make Nat Geo's list. There are all kinds of other items including a mountain bike and bike accessories, jackets, knives, watches an other products that will no doubt be objects of lust for gear junkies and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.

Spring is a great time to get outside and get back to chasing your favorite activities and adventures. Some new gear always helps with the process, and is good encouragement too.

The 10 Best Campgrounds in America's National Parks

The classic summer road trip to visit a national park is a quintessential part of American culture. After all, the parks are home to some of the most iconic and beautiful landscapes found anywhere on Earth. They also happen to have some outstanding campsites available for visitors as well, providing inexpensive, yet very memorable, places to pitch your tent for the night. 

National Geographic Adventure has assembled a list of the 10 best campgrounds in America's national parks, highlighting some of these great places. As Nat Geo points out, many of the national park campsites get very crowded in the summer months, but their list took this into account and suggested places that are more off the beaten path, and far from the typical gathering points for visitors. 

So, which campsites earned a spot on the list? Some of the suggestions include Tuweep on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Piñon Flats in Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. Each of these is unique, remote, and beautiful, and the accompany article describing them tells you not only what to expect when you're there, but how to book a stay as well.

To find out which other campsites earned a spot on the list, read the entire story here. Then, start planning your summer visit to a national park too. 

Climbing Prodigy Completes One of the Toughest Bouldering Problem in the World

If you haven't heard the name Ashima Shiraishi, you certainly will know who she is soon. The 14-year old rock climber has just completed one of the toughest bouldering problems in the world, giving the world a glimpse of her amazing talents and what promises to be quite a climbing career ahead.

Ashima lives in New York City, but on a recent spring break trip to Japan she went to a mountainous region near the town of Miyazaki on the southern island of Kyushu. While there, she took on a bouldering problem named Horizon that is rated as a V15 – the second highest rating possible on the bouldering scale. That scale differs from the Yosemite Decimal System by rating climbs on a scale of V0 to V16. Very few V16 boulders have been completed.

Horizon features some real challenges for climbers and includes a minimum of 25 moves to complete. The route goes up a tapered path that splits the ceiling of a tunnel, and includes well-rounded rocks that are often slick with moisture. The climb is far longer than most other bouldering problem, and has only been completed one other time by Japanese climber Dai Koyamada.

With her success on this route, Ashima has become the first woman to complete a V15 bouldering problem, and the youngest person to do so. She has also managed to climb a 5.15a rated rock climbing route as well, making her the first woman to achieve that feat as well.

Obviously this is an impressive accomplishment for any climber – male or female – regardless of age.  As I said, expected to hear Ashima's name more in the future, as she continues to push boundaries in the climbing world. Since she is just about to turn 15, we can expect big things from her in the future.

Find out more about her climb of Horizon in this story from Nat Geo.