In this provocative essay, Dr. Alfred Runte examines, and questions, the recent transfer of public lands to Native American governments.

With the Interior Department led by a recent oil industry lobbyist and the National Park Service by a past political appointee who overlooked environmental rules to please a billionaire, we're embarking on a new paradigm for managing the National Park System, one that includes changing the rules on the fly.

Sinking morale among the National Park Service ranks and accumulating human waste and garbage are just some of the symptoms of the ongoing government shutdown that has left many national parks open but without adequate staffing. Not so visible are the impacts being suffered in long-term environmental monitoring, work on visitor management plans and environmental impact statements, and even potential setbacks to the hiring of next summer's seasonal rangers.

From volcanic fireworks and geothermal explosions to political upheaval, the past year frequently saw national parks in the forefront of news. Here's a look back at some of the top stories of 2018 from the National Park System and National Park Service.

Fifty years ago, Ed Abbey warned the public about Industrial Tourism and the National Parks. He pretty much nailed it. So now what can we do?

Somewhere in the waters of Biscayne National Park lies some of the ugly history of the early 19th century's slave trades. Long hours underwater, and some luck, could help archaeologists expand on the story of the Guerrero with its cargo of hundreds of slaves from Africa.

Hours spent in a line waiting to enter a national park. Crews working to maintain trails that climb through piny forests and are blighted by piles of human waste. Visitors taking out their rage against fellow visitors and park staff when they can't find a parking spot at their favorite trailhead or overlook. These are some of the issues National Park Service staff are trying to solve as they cope with record visitation.

The Florida area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore saw 59 sea turtle nests in the 2018 season, which began with the first loggerhead nest on May 25th.

Almost from the day he took office, President Donald Trump’s environmental agenda has put the profits of big corporations ahead of the public interest. While Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pays lip service to balanced uses of public resources, Trump and his administration have overwhelmingly sided with polluting industries who prefer unchecked resource extraction with minimal public oversight.

Over the decades, lots of people have gotten lost in the National Park System, and not all have been found.

As 2018 nears its end, we’re pleased to present you with this year-end review. It’s been a year of growth for National Parks Traveler, the only website dedicated to daily editorial coverage of national parks and protected areas the world over.

Mushing, watching shimmering Northern Lights, snowshoeing, and even beach-combing are among the great activities you can enjoy in the parks this winter.

The early days of Yosemite National Park witnessed many who aimed to make their fame off the new park, or work hard to protect it or protect the ideals that it encompassed in its wildness.

Winter is a cold, snowy, and decidedly solitary season at Voyageurs National Park, where fellow visitors can be hard to spot. Take December 2017, for instance. The park recorded just 110 visitors, down from 196 a year earlier. But if you relish skimming through the woods on skis or snowmobiles, like to study tracks of what crossed the meadows and frozen ponds, or crave to see the dancing Northern Lights overhead, well, a visit to Voyageurs should be given serious consideration.

Ecosystem restoration. Protecting vistas from trophy homes. Critical wildlife habitat. Preserving Civil War history. And yes, even recreational needs are among the many reasons groups work to purchase private inholdings across the National Park System, which contains approximately 2.6 million acres of inholdings.

Our forefathers were fiendish, hellish, you might even say devilish. Need proof? Look at the maps and the names of many of the places we visit. And then ask yourself, “Why in the Hell are so many places in our Western national parks named after the infernal demon, and his lair?”

As I enter one of the National Park Service’s conservation labs in Charles Town, West Virginia, I see what look like black shards of various sizes arranged on a large white table. It’s clear that this artifact has gone through something dramatic and destructive.

Winter, according to the calendar, is still nearly two months off. But that doesn't mean you can't start planning for your cold and snowy national park excursions. Traveler's Essential Park Guide, Winter 2018-19, can help you do that, and also reveal some hellish places in the park system.

When was the last time you used a manual typewriter? What would you write if you came upon one not far below the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park? Those questions came to mind for Elyssa Shalla, who decided to see how visitors to the park would respond if they came upon such a setting.

It’s really dark where I’m standing--so dark that I’m fumbling with pen and notebook to jot down the amazed comments of the folks next to me: “Cool!” “Oh wow!” “Fantastic!” No, we’re not inside Lehman Cave, where rangers like to turn off the lights for a minute or so during their cavern tours to emphasize the pitch darkness underground. We’re at a picnic area close by the visitor center at the cave, where the ninth annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival is underway.