Muir Woods National Monument, a setting of towering trees, also harbors an overlooked habitat that is valuable to endangered coho salmon. Enhancing this habitat is the focus on a stream project set to begin next week.

The Yellowstone volcanic system has hosted some very large eruptions. But there have been much larger volcanic explosions in geologic history—including several in the western USA!

A weeklong celebration of high country wildflowers kicks off Friday at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah, where the Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival highlights the many beautiful species of wildflowers (some found nowhere else in the world) that bloom each year in the park’s subalpine environment along the rim of the Cedar Breaks Amphitheater.

The 30-mile highway through Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California has opened for the summer season, though sections might seem like winter. A higher-than-average snowpack slowed operations, but through the hard work of National Park Service and Caltrans road crews, the road has been fully cleared. Visitors to the park should prepare for winter conditions at higher elevations, and possible delays due to ongoing road work.