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Visiting the Parks

"Disabled Traveler's Companion" Offers Valuable Accessibility Insights for Visiting National Parks

Let's face it, the National Park Service is making strides in addressing ADA needs, but has a ways to go. One couple that frequently travels to parks is making it easier for disabled travelers to anticipate what their visits will be like through websites that assess individual park's accessibility factors.

The Dark Side of National Park Visits

When you're planning a visit to a national park, don't overlook the dark side. No, we aren't suggesting you join forces with Darth Vader, but many parks offer a great opportunity to enjoy a view that's unfortunately becoming increasingly rare—the night sky. An upcoming nationwide event and several other opportunities can help you protect and enjoy the beauty of the night.

Art in the Parks: Cape Cod National Seashore and Bandelier National Monument

For going on 150 years the landscapes of the National Park System have been inspiring artists. Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt and Maynard Dixon are just three of the long, distinguished roster of artists who found their proverbial muse in places such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion national parks. Here are two more you can add to that list, one contemporary, one from the early 20th Century.

Paddling The Nobel Hammock Trail In Everglades National Park

I must admit that the only paddling I've done south of the Mason-Dixon Line was on the white-water rivers of West Virginia. The thought of paddling the watery tendrils of Everglades National Park conjures thoughts of swarms of insects that'd keep me swatting the air more than paddling the water. But a recent report by the park on paddling the Nobel Hammock Trail has given me a change of heart.

Rockfalls In Yosemite National Park Are Part of Life

My first visit to Yosemite National Park back in June 1999 coincided with a rockfall that forced me out of a tent cabin in Curry Village and into one in Tuolumne Meadows. Ever since, I've been intrigued by rockfalls in the park's iconic valley. While the frequency of rockfalls in recent years might be alarming to park visitors, they are calling cards evidencing the active geology that's ongoing in Yosemite.

Just Exactly What Is A National Park "Cooperating Association"? Here's the Answer

The next time you go into a national park visitor center to buy a map, look at the person at the register. She or he won't be wearing the green and gray of a national park uniform; rather an employee of a cooperating association will be taking your money. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains Association, a membership organization, runs the visitor center bookstores and does a lot more.

Yosemite National Park Officials Looking At What Needs To Be Done To Tioga Road Corridor

If you've traveled Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park at the height of summer, you no doubt have been struck by the grandeur of the high-country scenery. And, you've no doubt noticed the car-clogged trailheads that dot the two-lane road. And the crumbling road shoulders. Well, so have Yosemite officials, who are now beginning work on a plan to rehabilitate 27 miles of the road.

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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.

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The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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