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What has been your experience in the National Park System this year? Have you found lots of crowds, or has your experience been more enjoyable because you haven’t encountered scores of other visitors milling about? Crowding in the National Park System is not new, but is it threatening the integrity of the parks, their natural resources, and how you experience them?
Mountain lions in California, in and around Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, have many challenges they must overcome to survive. The species faces a continuous onslaught of threats -- from poaching, disease and poisoning to drought and wildland fires. But one threat tops them all -- a fragmented habitat that prevents this stealthy and solitary creature from safely accessing the huge territory it needs to find genetically diverse mates.
A whopping $38 million has been raised to date for the construction of a wildlife corridor over the 101 Freeway west of Los Angeles. When completed, the overpass will be the largest in the world, spanning 10 lanes of highway and access roads and connecting the fragmented wildlife habitat around the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It will benefit all wildlife in southern California’s richly diverse ecosystem, but especially the declining mountain lion population.
In 1814 Fort McHenry in Baltimore was a regular army garrison. That year Britain, at war with France since 1793, sailed up the Chesapeake Bay with 5,000 soldiers and a plan to retaliate American attacks in Canada. British troops fought a battle at Bladensburg, Maryland, and went on from there to seize control and burn a number of government and military buildings in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol.
When traveling to a national park, not everything goes as planned. Maybe you’ve been disappointed about the crowds. Or maybe couldn’t find lodging. Or maybe you weren’t able to squeeze in everything you wanted to do. But have you ever found yourself complaining about scenery that you determined to be substandard…or dismissing the exact feature for which the park is known? Today the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick -- with voice talent courtesy of Susan Emerson and Stuart Eldridge -- talks to a graphic designer and illustrator wh
How can aspiring scientists and researchers get a hand in conducting research in the National Park System? Ryan and Julie Sharp, who both spent time working for the National Park Service, work to raise funds for scholarships for college students hoping to conduct research in the parks.
For many, the National Park Service is seen as an agency of friendly rangers tasked with helping them get the most out of their national park vacation. But the agency is much more complex than that. Indeed, it could be seen as one of the country’s most science-focused agencies, as it deals with all sorts of "ologies" – biology, paleontology, archaeology, sociology, ecology, cetology, bioecology, and, in light of the popularity of dark night skies, even planetology.
The coronavirus pandemic of the past year prompted many across the United States to discover, and rediscover, the joys of being outdoors in nature. Across the country there were at times record numbers of visitors to our national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management Lands, and state park lands. You might call it a land rush, and one that saw quite a number of people invest in recreational vehicles and boats for their outdoor experiences.
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Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.
Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.
You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.
