| National Parks Traveler

I love Barky's comment! My family has a few small concessions in the Parks (in New Mexico) and we work hard to carry handmade items by local artists - often Native Americans. Jewelry, pots, weavings... It really does have a positive impact on the local economy! We have some stuff made in China - because there's a demand and many items (spoons, anyone?) are not made anywhere in the US.

Jun 3rd - 11:02am | Anonymous

Patches and brochures. I keep the brochures in a file box. Unfortunately some units (such as Constitution Gardens) appear not to have such publications.

Jun 2nd - 22:49pm | WAG

Must haves: the park brochure from the VC, patches, postcards, and passport stamps, CD's of regional music (bluegrass and hammer dulcimer from Great Smoky Mountains, whaling songs from New Bedford, etc.), baseball caps from the "Big" parks (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Everglades, Mt. Rainier, etc.), and usually one of the KC Publications "Behind the Scenery" books on the park.

Jun 2nd - 22:17pm | Meg

I used to do t-shirts -- one of these days I need to make a National Park T-shirt quilt because I've got enough to cover a king-sized bed, I think. And I do refrigerator magnets. I've got them from 28 different national parks and monuments (in addition to many other places I've visited).

Jun 2nd - 22:13pm | offroad

Thanks for making me laugh Laran :) See his/her post above.

Jun 2nd - 21:34pm | Marilyn

I usually get magnets and sometimes ornaments. I have collected, but can't seem to find anymore at the National Parks, are the 8" square ceramic tiles to hang on my kitchen wall. I have collected five tiles from Glacier National Park and one each from Zion NP, Acadia NP, Yosemite NP, Bass Harbor, and Montana Huckleberry.

Jun 2nd - 20:54pm | suki

It's patches for me...and Passport stamps...and if there is a cool old-style poster, that's mine, too. I have the patches on 2 backpacks that I hike with...the only problem is deciding which one to take! Someday, they will probably all get sewn onto a blanket or something...maybe a sleeping bag.

Jun 2nd - 17:55pm | PamB

I collect stamps in my passport book, postcards, bookmarks, calendars, and magnets from every park. I display the magnets on my office filing cabinets so I can escape anytime of the day and I get to choose a different bookmark everytime I begin a new book.

Jun 2nd - 17:36pm | Amy

Postcards (I'm covering my RV cabinets with them). Christmas ornaments and passport stamps. I used to collect key rings, hung them like charms on a long braided rope bracelet & draped it over a mirror until it got too heavy. Pottery and other local art work is very special. I too want to buy at the VC to support the parks & local artists.

Jun 2nd - 16:06pm | Mitzi Koons

We look for lapel pins and patches to decorate our Bauble Boards with! I also like to keep the maps and use them as background papers for scrapbooks.

Pruning the Parks: Father Millet Cross National Monument, 1925-1949, Was the Smallest National Monument Ever Established

Jun 3rd - 11:40am | Anonymous

Thanks for this interesting history!

Opposition Mounts to Tourism Promotion of National Parks

Jun 3rd - 10:57am | Lee Dalton

A friend just returned from Memorial Day weekend in Moab and told horror stories of his visit to Arches. Half an hour to get through the gate -- the line to the entrance was half a mile long. Once inside, he says everywhere you looked were signs warning you to "Stay On The Trail." No parking spots available anywhere. Etc, Etc, Etc.

Jun 3rd - 10:54am | Kurt Repanshek

Interesting column, David, one anyone who heads to national parks for enjoyment should read.

Jun 3rd - 10:26am | David Page

Thanks for continuing to take this issue on, Kurt. It's a scorpion's nest to be sure, and I feel like, as with so many complex and contentious issues these days, most people just look away and keep on walking.

Jun 3rd - 08:41am | amwdew

The symbiotic yet problematic relationship between tourism promoters and the American national parks has, as Runte points out, been an issue throughout the whole history of the national parks.

National Park Mystery Plant 8 Revealed: Indian Paintbrush

Jun 3rd - 10:52am | tomp

Slim and RangerLady (and probably Kirby) _could_ have pointed out that all species of Castilleja are parasitic on other plants, technically root hemiparasites.

Jun 3rd - 09:10am | Kirby Adams

Slim must be a lot of fun at Christmas when the Poinsettias hit the shelves. ;-)

Jun 3rd - 09:08am | Kurt Repanshek

Picky? Nahhhh. I'd say you learn something every day!

Jun 3rd - 09:04am | RangerLady

Don't feel bad Slim...I do the same thing!

Jun 3rd - 08:49am | Bob Janiskee

To be perfectly honest, Slim, "picky" was not the first term that came to mind. :0)

Jun 3rd - 08:21am | Slim

The color in the Indian Paintbrush is actually the bract: the flower is a wee little yellow thing in the center. I love to challenge my friends by asking them what color they think the flower is, and then informing them that they are describing the bract instead. I know -- picky, picky, picky.

Jun 3rd - 04:39am | Matt Shafer

I enjoyed reading the rhymes and solutions to them. The Indian paintbrush reminds me of my time living in Colorado and many days hiking in the Arapaho National Forest as well as Rocky Mountain National Park. I always enjoyed taking a break to appreciate the beauty of the Indian paintbrush as well as Columbines and other native flowers. Thank you for conjuring up some great memories!

Grizzly Bear Shot and Killed By Hikers In Denali National Park and Preserve

Jun 3rd - 07:40am | corv78

Rick, I agree that I don't think you can have enough firearms training but it's impossible for someone my age to even attempt get 40+ years of that since I'm not even that old. Please don't poo-poo the training, that 30 hours was in the past 2 months and tailored to my specific training requirement, different from anything I've done in the past.

Jun 3rd - 01:47am | Rick B.

If you know that you've had "30 hours" of firearm training, you haven't had enough. I've both been trained and trained others for over 40+ years and don't necessarily feel I've had enough. And Goddess save me from someone trained by Blackwater. Denali is not Fallujah.

Jun 3rd - 00:53am | joenpb

When I did my backpacking trip in Denali the rangers showed us a 30 minute film similar to what I saw at Glacier NP, on what to & not to do. They stressed when walking through the bush, to shout out Hey bear! or something similar. If you're not on the tundra, most of the time you can't see very far, and the noise of the creek or river is also fairly loud.

Jun 2nd - 22:44pm | Z

Oh my god, these comments are hilarious. You guys can't even spell!

Jun 2nd - 22:42pm | Z

Oh my god, these comments are hilarious. You guys can't even spell!

Jun 2nd - 19:23pm | Kath

I've been charged by a black bear in Kings Canyon. It happened in seconds. Fortunately it was a bluff charge. I can't imagine being charged by a bear the size of a grizzly. For bear spray to be effective you have to be closer to the bear than I would want to be.

Jun 2nd - 17:11pm | Kurt Repanshek

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that no one would have wanted the hikers mauled.

Jun 2nd - 16:57pm | Kath

Usually around here when a mountain lion or a bear mauls a human being, law enforcement tracks it down and kills it. If memory serves that's what was done in Alaska with the bear that mauled the girl mountain biking in a park near Anchorage. (I don't know what Denali's policy is on that). In Yosemite, a bear that injures a visitor is killed, I believe.

Jun 2nd - 15:06pm | dean

The more we allow handguns in National Parks, the more likely we are to see the accidental shooting of a backpacker "rustling" in the eye-high tundra plants. If you want to backpack, don't bring a gun. If you want to hunt, don't bring a backpack. If you want to stay home and watch National Geographic, by all means do so. Just don't shoot me if I surprise you in The Bush.

Jun 2nd - 15:03pm | twoton

I cant believe that all of you value the life of a bear over a human... that is the dumbest thing i have ever herd of... i think that this man did exactly what most humans would have... There life was in danger and he defended himself... i would have done the same thing... he did not discharge his weapon in a reckless manner... and he did not intend on going into the woods to kill a bear....

Ask A Ranger. Violence Is Nothing New To The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Jun 3rd - 06:13am | Bruce W. Bytnar

The book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as other on line sources.

Jun 2nd - 14:53pm | corv78

David Codrea wrote "Rangers have no legal duty to protect anyone, and risk no liability should they fail to do so." While Mr. Bytnar was able to show that the law requires that Dept. of Interior personnel "protect persons" it does not require them to provide individual protection, per se. Should I be attacked by someone in the park, the legal system would never hold Mr.

National Park Mystery Spot 10 Revealed: It’s the Jones House at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Jun 3rd - 05:43am | Bob Janiskee

Anon, I have no earthly idea -- or unearthly idea, for that matter -- whether the mansion is haunted. I do know that many people have reported paranormal experiences in national parks. You can read about some of these incidents right here in Traveler.

Grand Teton Puts Down Another Bear

Jun 3rd - 00:07am | Anonymous

i think that by putting a bear down is a bad thing the people could of just tried to scare it away. there is not need to kill the bear.i don't agree with that,i thing that by killing an animal is sin. because no animal desirves to be killed at any matter. thats also hurting the envirment to other baers... so what if even more bears started doing this are they all going to have to die??

Tracking Crime in National Parks Is Not An Exact Science By Any Means

Jun 2nd - 23:39pm | Field Ranger

In essence, there are 392 National Park Services. Intercommunication between the various units is often limited to a personal level, where one Ranger knows another who might be able to help with a case. No concerted efforts exist to share information on events or criminals who come to different parks.

Vandalism Leads to Closure of Ramp at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Jun 2nd - 21:42pm | dapster

Kurt, The photo caption reads: "The National Park Service does not know how many chicks, like this least tern, are killed by vehicles at Cape Hatteras. What is known is that in 2004 two chicks were killed after the park service removed fencing from around their nest sites. Photo by Walker Golder "

Jun 2nd - 18:57pm | Anonymous

"An overnight blow takes care of that, as do the daily tide cycles. Check out the DEIS on the subject and you will find the impacts of said ruts to be "Long term Negligible" across the board." Just because the DEIS says it is so doesn't make it so, I'm sure there was much in that doc that you challenged the Park's analysis on also.

Jun 2nd - 16:04pm | Kurt Repanshek

Dapster, Re the Audubon story you cited, if I recall correctly, the ORV side long has maintained that an ORV has never run over a plover. What do you make out of the photo showing a tire track across a bird?

Jun 2nd - 15:50pm | dapster

Anon, Some good points! Allow me to expand:

Nine Injured By Lightning Strike At Old Faithful In Yellowstone National Park

Jun 2nd - 21:33pm | Rich H.

Unfortunately the Old Faithful streaming cam was off line.

Jun 2nd - 17:19pm | y_p_w

I would have thought the most vulnerable would be those sitting on the aluminum bench seats.

Jun 2nd - 16:08pm | Rap

let the countdown for the lawsuits begin...

Jun 2nd - 15:00pm | Regina

Glad everyone seems to be OK! Wonder if it was caught on the live web-cam feed. Old Faithful has one if I remember correctly.

Commemorative Quarter Places Old Faithful Geyser, Bison On a Quarter

Jun 2nd - 20:46pm | Liz

If you are interested, Yellowstone National Park Quarter event is on June 3rd at Yellowstone National Park at 10:30 MT. If you can't make it to the event, you can check out the live webcast at http://bit.ly/b2Oxmd. The webcast starts at 10:25 MT.

Calving Glacier Injures Two Hikers In Glacier Bay National Park

Jun 2nd - 16:26pm | Kurt Repanshek

Sharon, Glad to hear everyone's on the road to recovery. Sounds like an incredible story that you'll be retelling for years! If you have any photos of the glacier you'd like to share, I'm sure our readers would be interested.

Jun 2nd - 15:45pm | CP

Sharon--thanks so much for the information and the expression of appreciation. I will make sure our staff in the plane receive it, as well as Acting Chief Ranger Gus Martinez and District Ranger Jacqueline Ashwell who cooridinated the NPS response. We all wish you and your husband a speedy recovery! Cherry Payne, Superintendent Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Road Work in Zion National Park Will Impact Hiking, Canyoneering Access

Jun 2nd - 15:19pm | indelable

Just drove into Zion over Memorial holiday, beautiful and not too crowded at all. I do hope everyone who wants to see this incredible Canyon will still find a schedule to include a weekend at least. There is so much to see, personnel are very helpful and the scenery incredible.

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