The Carrizo Plain National Monument is located in southwestern California, one hundred miles northwest of Los Angeles and halfway between Bakersfield and the coast. It’s one of those places that few people visit and even avid nature photographers may not know about. Designated as a national monument in 2001, this remote basin has the largest display of spring wildflowers in California. The wildflower season usually starts in late March, peaks in mid-April and ends in mid-May. Twelve miles south of Wallace Creek, on the east side of Elkhorn Road, is a gate that frames a large silo or tank that once held grain or water. The tank has split open and the lid has collapsed. Park outside the gate, and pack all your lenses and your tripod for a spectacular photo of the Temblor Range covered with bright shades of blue, yellow and orange. Hike up the dirt road after closing the gate behind you. Watch for the first side trail leading off to the north. It starts with a short, steep climb for two hundred feet then levels off for a short break and then climbs again. This goes on for thirty minutes before reaching the halfway point where a long, slightly-inclined trail follows a narrow ridge. Along the length of that ridge are spots wide enough for your tripod. Looking up to the southeast is the top of a distant hilltop. When I arrived, it was covered with solid splashes of blue, yellow and orange.

When you hear reports of a great spring wildflower display coming, check my Issue #142 to improve your photo trip.

An unpaved mountain road climbs several thousand feet from the village of Hyder, at the southern-most tip of Alaska, and Fish Creek, which is almost at sea level, to the 4,300 foot summit above Salmon Glacier. About fifteen miles up the road are several small beaver ponds. Beautiful reflections cover these still ponds in mid-morning and late afternoon. This is a good spot to photograph hoary marmots whistling from the edge of their burrows to warn other marmots of your approach. The road to the glaciers continues to climb past steep mountainsides dotted with alpine wildflowers that bloom through the middle of August. Summer is short in this part of the Pacific Northwest.

A trip to Hyder is the easiest way to discover Alaska with my newsletter #65.

In the past, I’ve photographed the Everglades, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, the Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Fort Myers, and Cedar Key, where I found these Willets. For this photo exploration of Florida’s Wildlife Refuges, I traveled up the Gulf Coast of Florida, across the northern part of the state, and worked my way down the Atlantic Coast, visiting and photographing in parks, refuges, and wildlife refuges for two weeks. Some of the places I explored were remote and a few were popular wildlife parks crowded with tourists. I tried to find the best places for photographers who are looking for birds, wildlife, and subtropical landscapes in northern Florida.

Florida is my favorite destination for bird photography. My newsletter #78.

A very photogenic lighthouse is at the southern tip of Point Loma, the long peninsula that forms the west side of San Diego Bay.  Follow Cabrillo Memorial Drive and continue driving south on Point Loma, through the open gates of Fort Rosecrans Military Reserve. Keep heading south. A National Park pass will get you into the Cabrillo National Monument to the parking area at the end of the road. If it’s a clear day, check out the panoramic view of San Diego from the visitor Center and then follow the short trail to the old lighthouse at the top of Point Loma. One of the original eight New England-style lighthouses that were built on the West Coast still stands at the top of Point Loma, 462 feet above sea level. It was so high that it was often hidden in fog and low clouds. A new lighthouse had to be built nearby, down at the water’s edge. The new lighthouse is not accessible to the public.Follow the paved path that completely circles the old lighthouse to find the best lighting for the time of day you arrive. Morning light strikes the front of the building. Afternoon light creates interesting shadows cast by the white picket fence.

All the best photo spots south of the town of Santa Maria - all the way (300 miles) to San Diego in Issue #121.