| National Parks Traveler

I think the point is that with different agencies with different missions, we have options when it comes to enjoying our public lands in different ways. I remember hiking in Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe with a group that included an extremely capable hiking dog. It didn't detract from my experience.

Jul 12th - 09:36am | zrfphoto

Those commenting here need to learn to spot a troll when they see one and not engage in an endless, unwinnable and off-topic arguement. Now does anyone have any other ideas for potential National Parks? :-)

Jul 12th - 08:12am | Kurt Repanshek

You know, ec, there are times when I think you just like to argue with folks, that if I told you the sky was blue you'd say it was red. If you saw where I board my dogs, you'd be pretty impressed...

Jul 11th - 23:09pm | Sara

You can hike with a dog in some NPS units, including some of those with the "National Park" designation. Acadia, Shenandoah, and Congaree National Parks all allow dogs on a number of trails. In Shenandoah, dogs are allowed on all but about 20 miles of over 500 miles of hiking trails. Acadia has more than 100 miles of hiking trails that allow dogs.

Jul 11th - 22:33pm | ecbuck

Why single out National Parks' rules as being "petty"? I am certainly not singling out the National Parks. There are plenty of "petty" rules elsewhere. Nor do I deem all NP rules petty.

Jul 11th - 22:31pm | ecbuck

if those 43 million households with dogs starting coming to the parks with their dogs, I'd venture there'd be a bigger mess than you envision... And of course, no one suggested that would be the case. By the way, what do you do with your dogs when you go to a park...put them in a kennel? I find that far more dispicable than a bark or random poop.

Jul 11th - 21:59pm | drew

National Parks are open to everyone. But we're all not allowed to do whatever we want in National Parks--and for good reason. There are rules and deterents to using all sorts of things in our lives. Why single out National Parks' rules as being "petty"? We're not allowed to ride our bike or bring our dog into churches, schools, museums, football stadiums, the U.S. Capitol and more.

Jul 11th - 20:46pm | Kurt Repanshek

I guess it comes down to your personal preference, ec. I don't see any NPS regs/rules that deter me from visiting the parks. I have dogs, but not being able to bring them to a park isn't an issue (and, actually, most parks allow you to bring your dogs, even Yellowstone. You just have to keep them leashed and within 100 feet of a road.)

Jul 11th - 20:45pm | ecbuck

That would not tend to indicate that very many people are deterred from visiting the parks due to any "petty" regulations.

Jul 11th - 17:37pm | Quiet please

hikertom,enjoy those hikes,Peace

Jul 11th - 17:37pm | Michael Kellett

Hi Quiet please, I am glad you love national parks. However, you are missing the big picture.

Jul 11th - 17:02pm | hikertom

Quiet Please: Yellowstone and Yosemite are not "parking lots". All you have to do is walk half a mile from the parking lot and you will find solitude. Ninety percent of the tourists in Yosemite, for example, crowd into Yosemite Valley, which isn't even 1% of the area of the park.

Jul 11th - 16:34pm | Quiet please

Kurt, your closer to the issue than I am.I'll stop beating around the bush here and come right out and say it's all about money. I've said yes we need rules and want these lands perserved but the Natl Park Service should keep what they have and quite crying they need more money before one more Natl Park is added.

Jul 11th - 15:52pm | gutz54

Dogs barking on trails and bothering the wild-life i want to see and people throwing garbage around doesn't fall in the "silly" catagory in my opinion.....go figure

Jul 11th - 15:25pm | CROTALID

Only the lazy consider Wilderness Areas "off limits." Park the car, get out, walk a few miles, and it's all yours.

Jul 11th - 12:27pm | Michael Kellett

dahkota, Sorry, but I have to disagree with some of your statements on wilderness vs. national parks. I am a strong supporter of both and have been involved for years in both wilderness and national park campaigns. I think you have some mistaken information about both.

Jul 11th - 10:51am | dahkota

Just an FYI, it is designation as "Wilderness," not National Park, that preserves land ("restrains human influences"). The National Parks have so much land designated as wilderness because that land was designated as wilderness before the NPS got it. The NFS, BLM, and Wildlife Service also have millions of acres designated wilderness.

Jul 11th - 10:46am | Kurt Repanshek

What is petty to some is important to others. For instance:

Jul 11th - 10:13am | ecbuck

I do not think that is NPS's primary mission. And I don't think anyone here is arguing that it is. My only argument is that some restrictions that come with NP status are petty and deter some people from coming to the parks.

Jul 11th - 09:29am | David Crowl

ec...under state and local rules the land always seems to have less protection than the NPS provides. So if you believe in the protections the NPS provides, you would be "for" including special places under this protection. As for bringing more or less people to visit...I do not think that is NPS's primary mission.

Jul 11th - 09:00am | ecbuck

Buxton and Gutz- (and Kurt) There are two issues here. Are the rules reasonable and the original question, do the rules deter people from coming to the parks. I think that there is little doubt that the latter is true - and that was the point that Quiet was making.

Jul 11th - 08:17am | ecbuck

As for reality, the Park Service does have a different mandate for managing its holdings than do the U.S. Forest Service and BLM, as I know you know.

Jul 11th - 08:09am | gutz54

Unfortunatly we must have rules-- some people just don't think the 'rules" apply to them.Thats why no dogs in the park-- I have dogs and love them but I understand other people don't want to see a dog on a trail in Yellowstone or in any other Nat Park. If a dog sees a bear its going to start barking--- the next person coming along will miss the chance to see that bear. Plastic bottles?

Jul 11th - 06:01am | muddymoose

Yes, restrictions exist at NPs. That's kind of the point. Without restrictions they would be just like any other logged, mined, farmed, populated, trampled, over-recreated, and otherwise despoiled areas.

Jul 11th - 05:54am | Buxton

Went to Mt Reiner we hiked up the trail, saw this beautiful little meadow off to the right that looked like it was a trail. The sign said stay out and explained why. We came to a trail that did let us go inside a meadow that had interpretive signs that made it even more clear why we needed to stay on the trail, were satisfied and then kept on. No Problem!

Jul 11th - 01:25am | Scott Merritt

EC- you aren't paying attention. Your use of "special" is strictly subjective. The folks draining the Everglades certainly did not view that land as "special". There was no "special status" to preserve as far as they were concerned. So in fact NP designation DID create a "special status" that we are all forced to recognize, like it or not.

Jul 11th - 00:23am | Scott Merritt

EC - very sorry to hear about Yellowstone's restrictions on your wife; that really does not seem fair. Having said that, the more complete and accurate picture of reality is that NP status may create restrictions that may entice potential visitors, and may deter other potential visitors.

Jul 10th - 21:09pm | Kurt Repanshek

Yeah, Kings Canyon was so special they were logging the giant sequoias. At Petrified Forest they were stealing the fossilized wood, at Yellowstone they were hacking off pieces of travertine, even from Old Faithful.

Jul 10th - 20:56pm | ecbuck

National parks aren't like all other public lands...if they were, they wouldn't be the special places they are. They were special places BEFORE they were national parks. Making them parks had nothing to do with them being special.

Jul 10th - 20:35pm | hikertom

Quiet Please: I hike and backpack in the wilderness areas of many of our national parks and national forests in California and Oregon and I have never heard anyone tell me: "...stay away from that wilderness we don't want you using that". Who told you that and where did you hear it?

Jul 10th - 20:27pm | Kurt Repanshek

EC, I'd disagree. National parks aren't like all other public lands...if they were, they wouldn't be the special places they are.

Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road, Not A Good Place For Vertigo

Jul 12th - 06:31am | atwillw

Trail Ridge Road is a great primer for road travel in the Andes. :)

Jul 11th - 21:32pm | Megaera

It would be a shame to put barriers up on Trail Ridge Road. I never even thought about the possibility before, but one of the best parts of that road is how it's just this little ribbon of asphalt. Barriers would make it a much bigger, much uglier mark on the landscape.

Jul 11th - 17:39pm | gutz54

Kurt-- I agree-- not for the faint of heart-- but what a view!! Almost as spectacular as the Going to the Sun road or the road over the Bear Tooth mountains out ofthe North west exit from Yellowstone.

New Lodging Options At Glacier National Park

Jul 11th - 21:29pm | Megaera

How great of them to provide budget lodging in these renovations! All so often when we hear about things like this, it's always upscale, and often it's taking reasonably-priced lodging and making it upscale. I'm so glad they've done the right thing this time!

Congressman Claims National Park Service "Discouraging" Visitation To Yosemite National Park

Jul 11th - 17:44pm | gutz54

Does it seem strange that there is an ice skating rink in Yosemite valley?

Jul 11th - 09:57am | Zebulon

As a cyclist though, I find it amusing to see the equestrians complaining about kicked out...

Jul 11th - 09:01am | hikertom

Yosemite Valley is only 7 square miles. Yosemite National Park is 1200 square miles. There is too much crammed into such a small part of the park. It would be better to spread out visitor impact.

Man Sentenced In Connection With Damage To Max Patch Bald On Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Jul 11th - 17:33pm | ecbuck

Gutz - agreed.

Jul 11th - 15:47pm | gutz54

Sounds like he got off pretty lucky....

Jul 11th - 14:32pm | ecbuck

Max Patch is a natural bald and was not created by clear cutting. There are many such balds throughout the southern Appalachians. Not that it really makes a difference. The guy commited vandalism and should be punished to the full extent of the law no matter how the bald was created.

Jul 11th - 13:08pm | mark2280

Isn't it ironic that someone gets fined for tearing up a place that was created by clear cutting?

National Park Service's 2012 Search-And-Rescue Caseload Reflects Many Ill-Prepared, Out-Of-Shape Visitors

Jul 11th - 10:33am | Stormy

Kurt has an absolute point! DH read a story not so long ago about a couple of 'idjits' who used the emergency beacon because they were out of water & wanted more. They were severely chastised to say the least when SAR showed up. They later used the beacon to 'summon' a chopper because they 'didn't want to walk back' as they were 'too tired'.

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