Cycling west from Cheticamp, the road itself tells me where Nova Scotia’s Route 30 ends and the highway through Cape Breton Highlands National Park begins. Both are part of the Cabot Trail, but crossing the Cheticamp River into the park, the quality of the road surface visibly improves. It widens and the blacktop is newer without the patches, cracks and bumps typical of the provincial section.

There's another Dark Sky Park in the National Park System to add to your must-visit list: Curecanti National Recreation Area in Colorado.

As drought, high temperatures, and wildfires take a toll on Southwest landscapes, they increasingly are being accompanied by financial calamity for economies built around national parks.

Across the National Park System, many units are returning to requirements that visitors wear face masks inside federal buildings.