Paddling trips in the national parks, either by canoe or kayak, expose you to a lot of sunshine. So much that it'll bake you if you're not careful. That's where a good hat, comfortable shirt, and sunscreen, can help you enjoy the day to its fullest.

Imagine Yellowstone National Park as your own private backyard...and you're not allowed to explore the landscape. That, in essence, is the situation employees of the National Park Service and of concessionaires find themselves in.

Another state suffering from the loss of fall tourism has raised its voice, House members are seeking answers from the National Park Service, and a Democratic congressman is petitioning to halt the oil flowing out of park units. Those are just some of the topics involving shuttered national parks.

These days if you hear the terms "snake" and "Everglades National Park" in the same news story, you might logically expect the subject to be Burmese Pythons. The pythons can be very large snakes, but they aren't venomous. A bite from an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a much different story, as one ranger at the park can readily confirm from his recent harrowing experience.