The Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite National Park, one of the grand architectural masterpieces of national park lodges, is gleaming thanks to an extensive refurbishing of rooms and common areas.

A move being proposed by Biscayne National Park officials to create a 10,000-acre marine reserve in their waters to protect coral reefs and offer divers and snorkelers a place to explore without worrying about fishing lines is not going over well with everyone.

As part of the 50th anniversary of the National Natural Landmarks Program this month, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has designated Lake Shasta Caverns, a pristine cave in northern California, and Ice Mountain, an unusual geological phenomenon called glacière talus in West Virginia, as national natural landmarks.

Legislation that clears the way for the National Park Service to resume issuing permits for commercial horse pack trips in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks headed Friday to President Obama for his signature.