Perhaps the biggest stage for bears in the National Park System these days is Brooks Camp at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, where July is a great month for viewing bears fishing the Brooks River there.

David and Kay Scott, having enjoyed the lodges on the west side of Glacier National Park, now fill you in on the latest with the lodges on the eastern side, including Many Glacier Hotel, as they continue working on an update to their book, The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges.

For many people arriving at Grand Canyon National Park, Mather Point provides the first chance to actually see the famous canyon. In recent years, however, some visitors probably felt they'd spent more time looking for a parking space than at the view. The park recently celebrated the completion of a multi-year project that should make a stop at Mather Point a lot more enjoyable.

A backcountry hiker in North Cascades National Park has been credited with photographing a grizzly in the park, the first confirmed sighting of the species there since 1996.