Long before the magnificent cathedral-like spires emerged, the region witnessed intense volcanic activity. Each volcanic explosion blanketed the land with thick ash, which eventually transformed into bentonite clay over millions of years. Erosion and geological forces sculpted the clay into mesmerizing cliffs and canyons adorned with the enchanting spires that grace the park today. Designated as one of the first four state parks of Nevada in 1935, Cathedral Gorge became a cherished natural wonder, attracting adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike.

While the desert environment of this Nevada state park can be unforgiving, it provides a unique habitat for various desert-dwelling creatures. On the valley floor, vibrant life flourishes, with yucca, juniper trees, primrose, and sage adding splashes of color to the predominant buff-colored clay formations. As night falls, the nocturnal inhabitants emerge, including coyotes, kit foxes, and mule deer. The park’s clear blue skies often host the graceful flight of ravens, kestrels, sparrows, and occasionally red-tailed hawks or golden eagles.

For visitors seeking a deeper connection with nature, Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada offers four captivating hiking trails that meander through its diverse terrain. Wildlife enthusiasts can embark on a quest to spot the park’s inhabitants or explore the enchanting series of caves, aptly named Moon Caves, Canyon Caves, and Cathedral Caves. For those eager to spend more time surrounded by nature’s wonders, the park offers 22 campsites with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. The campsite comes with shaded picnic areas, access to drinking water, and many other modern facilities, enabling enthusiastic guests to immerse themselves in the serene beauty of the park under the clear desert skies.

Due to current world health events, many areas that used to host hundreds of visitors daily had to be temporarily closed. Such is the case with the Kruger National Park in South Africa. As the once vehicle-filled tar toads of the park are now empty, a pride of lions decided to enjoy the absence of tourists to the fullest and lounge in the sun to their hearts’ content. The pride was seen by a ranger that decided to take photographs of this unusual sight and share them with the world.

An Unusual Sight in Kruger Park

With all traffic gone from the area, a pride of lions was spotted sleeping on the tar road in the park. Usually, this road would be filled with cars taking a tour of the park, and animals wouldn’t be found sleeping on it. What makes this sighting of the lion pride more unlikely is that they normally reside on Kempiana Contractual Park, which isn’t an area visitors normally see. Section ranger Richard Sowry was the one to see the pride lounging on the road and he took these remarkable pictures of the big cats.

There’s More to See Besides Lounging Lions

With mountains, tropical forests, and bush plains all being part of its landscape, the Kruger Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. Although it was temporarily closed to the public on the 25th of March this year, there are a series of live-streamed wildlife safari drives that all those who are interested can join and observe. The live streams will be held from andBeyond Ngala Private Game Reserve and Djuma Private Game Reserve, and each live-stream will last around three hours. Among the continent’s iconic species that can be seen here are lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, hippos, zebras, and many others. The bush fields are also home to over 500 bird species and 137 mammals.