Latest News

The latest news from around the National Park System.

Visitors To Hot Springs National Park Spent Nearly $90 Million In The Area In 2010

How much is a national park worth? That's difficult to truly answer once you move beyond dollars and cents. But if you're sticking on the economic worth, you could say Hot Springs National Park is worth about $90 million to its surrounding communities.

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By NPT Staff - February 23rd, 2012 3:00am

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High Spike In Great Smoky Mountains National Park Visitation Attributed To Good Weather

Great weather, when compared to January 2011, is thought to be behind a nearly 24 percent increase in visitation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park this past January.

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By NPT Staff - February 23rd, 2012 3:00am

Reader Participation Day: Has the Presence of Pythons Changed the Way You Feel About Visiting Everglades National Park?

The National Park Service believes that the big pythons that now living in Everglades National Park are very unlikely to harm visitors. Has the presence of the pythons changed the way you feel about visiting Everglades National Park?

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By Bob Janiskee - February 22nd, 2012 4:00am

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Crater Lake National Park Officials Given Final Say Over Sightseeing Overflights

While legislation has been signed into law by President Obama to give Crater Lake National Park officials final say on whether to allow helicopter sightseeing tours over the park, that authority is lacking in many other units of the National Park System.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 22nd, 2012 3:00am

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Latest Study Shows Warming Climate Forcing Alpine Chipmunks To Yosemite National Park's Roof

Not only is a warming world forcing a tiny chipmunk towards the roof of Yosemite National Park, but it appears to be eroding the genetic diversity of the species as well, according to a study by University of California, Berkeley, researchers.

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By NPT Staff - February 22nd, 2012 3:00am

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Some Mammoth Cave National Park Campgrounds Opening March 1

It might be a bit chilly, but some campgrounds at Mammoth Cave National Park will open for the season on March 1. The Houchin Ferry will get a slightly earlier jump on the season, with operations scheduled to begin this Sunday.

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By NPT Staff - February 22nd, 2012 3:00am

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park More Dangerous Than It Might Appear To the Unprepared

Despite the relaxed tropical connotations "Hawaii" might conjure, those who head to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park without preparing adequately for the trip could run into problems.

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By NPT Staff - February 21st, 2012 3:00am

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Parks Beyond Borders #3: Looking Abroad At National Park News

A roundup of national park news in other nations.

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By Randy Johnson - February 25th, 2012 10:08am

Hunter Convicted Of Shooting Wild Horse On Assateague Island National Seashore

A Maryland man has been handed $5,000 in fines and restitution costs, placed on 18 months probation, and banned from hunting on federal lands for shooting a mare on Assateague Island National Seashore.

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By NPT Staff - February 20th, 2012 3:00am

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Yosemite National Park Study Points To Safety Concerns At The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee Hotel, the flagship lodging in Yosemite National Park, has numerous public safety issues revolving around seismic stability and fire protection for guests and employees. While park officials have come up with a plan for renovating the historic structure, they have no timetable or stated funding source for addressing the violations.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 20th, 2012 3:00am

Vicksburg National Cemetery Releases Study Findings on Unmarked Graves

Officials at the Vicksburg National Cemetery, located on the edge of Vicksburg National Military Park, have released the results of an extensive study of a group of unmarked graves discovered in the cemetery in 2010.

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By Jim Burnett - February 20th, 2012 6:11pm

Counting Birds and Turtles at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

The 2011 Monitoring Reports at Cape Hatteras National Seashore reveals that piping plovers, sea turtles and even the American Oystercatcher really need protection.

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By [email protected] - February 19th, 2012 3:00am

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Muir's March For Hetch Hetchy Valley In Yosemite National Park To Offer More Routes This Year

Though summer is months away in the High Sierra, it's not too early to start thinking about joining "Muir's March" in support of draining the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park.

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By NPT Staff - February 19th, 2012 3:00am

Section of Big Oak Flat Road In Yosemite National Park To Close Until April For Road Repairs

A rockfall that came down on Big Oak Flat Road in Yosemite National Park in January did more damage than initially thought, and access into the Yosemite Valley via the road will be impossible for more than a month while crews work round-the-clock to repair it.

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By NPT Staff - February 19th, 2012 3:00am

March Activities At Pipe Spring National Monument Aimed At Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month

Arizona culture and heritage will be on display at Pipe Spring National Monument in March as the park celebrates Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.

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By NPT Staff - February 19th, 2012 3:00am

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Wind Cave National Park Officials To Discuss Management of "Casey Addition"

Most national park boundaries are fairly static, not growing or shrinking over the years. But Wind Cave National Park is growing by more than 5,500 acres thanks to an acquisition arranged by The Conservation Fund, and now park officials are working on a plan to manage that addition.

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By NPT Staff - February 18th, 2012 3:00am

Effort Under Way In Congress To Reinstate Ban On Firearms in National Parks

A group of congressmen, led by two members of Washington state's delegation, is trying to reinstate a ban against firearms in national parks.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 19th, 2012 9:08am

19 comments

By the Numbers: Gateway National Recreation Area

Gateway National Recreation Area, one of America's flagship urban-oriented parks, generates interesting statistics. One of them is 8,820,757.

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By Bob Janiskee - February 17th, 2012 5:19am

Sixteen Foot-Long Python Captured At Everglades National Park

A Burmese python more than 16 feet in length and weighing 140 pounds has been captured at Everglades National Park, evidence of the problem park officials face with the spread of these non-native constrictors.

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By NPT Staff - February 17th, 2012 5:26am

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The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide

You would think someone who has circumnavigated Alaska by foot, skis, and raft would know a little something about backpacking gear, and Andrew Skurka certainly does.

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By Kurt Repanshek - May 19th, 2017 12:42am

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The Essential RVing Guide

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

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