In the wake of articles by the National Parks Traveler and the Wall Street Journal, two U.S. senators are wondering why a private company is being paid millions of dollars to manage the website that serves as a national portal for accessing recreational activities on federal lands.

On August 1, 1823, an English missionary named William Ellis visited Kīlauea caldera with his Hawaiian guides on a tour of the Island of Hawaiʻi. He and his missionary companions were the first Westerners to visit the summit of Kīlauea, and the book that Ellis later published includes the first contemporary written observations of Kīlauea’s eruptive activity.

Burros are considered invasive animals at Death Valley National Park, but that doesn't mean folks can use them for target practice. Recently someone did just that, shooting and killing five burros in the Lower Wildrose area of the park.

Record heat across the southern tier of the country is creating deadly conditions for some national park visitors, including those at Death Valley National Park, where the key message was "Travel prepared to survive."