The Role of Partnerships in the National Park System
Can you imagine what would be missing in the national parks if not for partnerships forged with non-profit groups?
- By [email protected] - October 5th, 2010 2:06am
Featured Stories
Some stories, whether focused on travel or a specific issue, deserve a longer treatment.
Dark Skies in National Parks Make It Easy to Spot the Space Station: Here's How to Look for It
Here's the information you need to see the International Space Station as it arcs across the night sky. A great place to do that is in a national park beyond the reach of urban light pollution and skyline clutter.
National Park Hospitality Association Wants More Lodging In The Parks
There are units of the National Park System, such as Canyonlands, North Cascades, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, just to name three, that have little or no lodging within their borders. It's just such a lack of facilities, believes Derrick Crandall, that serves as a drag on visitation to the park system.
Crandall Testimony 9-23-10.pdf
- By Kurt Repanshek - October 4th, 2010 2:05am
U.S. Geological Survey Taking The Temperature of Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin
Among Yellowstone National Park's various geothermal basins, the Norris Geyser Basin just might be the most colorful, and it's long been accepted that it's the hottest. But how hot is it? The U.S. Geological Survey can tell you, thanks to a network of monitors that is taking the basin's temperature.
New Director in National Park Service's Intermountain Region Looking Forward to Challenges
John Wessels finds himself in arguably one of the best jobs in the National Park Service, that as director of the agency's sprawling Intermountain Region, and yet there probably aren't many who envy him at this point.
Commentary: How Do You Prefer National Parks, Utilitarian, or Utopian?
How do you prefer your national parks? Should they be utilitarian destinations, landscapes that serve all comers, whether they're in search of dazzling vistas or motorized recreation, or Utopian, ideals that should be appreciated for what is found within their borders?
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 28th, 2010 2:12am
Traveler's Checklist: Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the world's first national park created specifically to protect a river system, preserves the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork Rivers, surrounding natural resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.
- By Chance Finegan - September 27th, 2010 3:59am
Trails I've Hiked: Deep Creek/Martins Gap/Indian Creek Loop In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This low-altitude hike in the Deep Creek section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park can be done any time of the year, but it shines in the fall when trees change color along the creek. The loop is also popular in winter once snow and ice close sections of the park that are much higher.
Record Summer of Turtle Nesting at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Spawns....Debate
It's hard to believe an object similar in size, shape, and even color to a Ping-Pong ball could threaten a way of life. But for many who call the Outer Banks of North Carolina home, that's how they view sea turtle eggs, as threats to their enjoyment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and, for some, even their livelihoods.
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 24th, 2010 2:36am
Visit To Mammoth Cave National Park Shows Off Above- and Below-Ground Wonders
While most folks head to Mammoth Cave National Park with the intent to spend most of their time underground, during a recent visit the weather was delightful we decided to spend as much time above ground hiking the trails and limit our tours underground to two guided trips.
- By [email protected] - September 22nd, 2010 2:36am
New Visitor Center and Museum at Chaco Culture National Historical Park Come With Challenges
Still standing centuries after they were built, the ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northern New Mexico have weathered centuries of storms, winds, and tortuous sun. More recent structures have struggled to stand such a test of time.
- By Jane Schneider - September 21st, 2010 2:25am
Traveler's Checklist: Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway
As I cross Basin Creek one more time on my way to Caudill Cabin, I carefully place my left foot and then my right between rocks and wonder where the drought is now that I could use it. It’s a warm mid-summer day and I’m in one of the most remote areas I’ve been in.
- By [email protected] - September 20th, 2010 2:22am
Odds and Ends From Visitor Surveys at National Parks: You'd Be Surprised At Some of the Answers
Pay attention, national park managers and staff. If there's nothing else you do well, be sure to keep the restrooms clean and stocked.
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 19th, 2010 2:21am
At Maryland's Catoctin Mountain Park, a Whiskey Still Gets You Up Close and Personal with Moonshine History
An easy hike on the Blue Blazes Whiskey Still Trail in Catoctin Mountain Park brings you to one of the more unusual exhibits you'll see in a national park -- a genuine whiskey still set up on the secluded site of a very eventful Prohibition-era raid.
By the Numbers: Point Reyes National Seashore
The only national seashore on the West Coast is wondrous to behold, but tough to describe. Here are a few statistics that help take the measure of the place.
- By Bob Janiskee - September 17th, 2010 3:56am
Counting Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park
While most visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park take a cave tour or two and then head on their way, Marissa Maldonado and Samantha Sterman spent their summer counting bats at the park.
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 15th, 2010 2:40am
Big Trees of Yosemite National Park, the Video
When last we checked in on the prolific Yosemite Steve, aka Steven M. Bumgardner, he had just produced a video on rockfalls in Yosemite National Park. Now he's moved on to trees. And we're not talking small ones, like aspen. We're talking giant sequoias!
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 12th, 2010 2:47am
Got Time For A Fall National Park Visit? These Lodges Have Room
If you've got time to squeeze in a fall visit to a national park, here's some good news: There's quite a bit of lodging available in places such as Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley national parks.
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 12th, 2010 2:33am
Picking Apples in the National Parks, Some History
There's a lot of history growing in the National Park System, some of which you can pluck off a tree. An apple tree, that is. Stroll the orchards of Capitol Reef National Park or Hopewell Furnace National Historic site and you'll be surrounded by the fruits of history.
- By Kurt Repanshek - September 12th, 2010 2:12am
Fall Spectacular: Fall Colors Delight Motorists on National Park Roads -- Part II, the Ozarks and Western States
When it comes to autumnal splendor, the Eastern parks get the lion's share of national publicity, but there's some mighty fine leaf peeping to be enjoyed on the park roads in western states and the Ozarks too. Here's how to find some of the best of it.
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