If it seemed a bit crowded during your visit to Yellowstone National Park this year, well, that's because it was. Park officials announced Tuesday that 2009 visitation has eclipsed 3 million and seems likely to set an annual visitation record.
It's just too hot to enjoy camping in some parks during the summer, but fall and winter are prime times for outdoor activity in those areas. Here's a sampling of NPS sites where the "off season" in the rest of the country can be the best season for camping.
Hydration systems will continue to evolve as long as humans head away from the kitchen sink. One of the latest innovations for hikers is the SoftBottle from Platypus, which carries good, and not so good, aspects.
No matter how you cut it, unless President Obama decides to veto some items, the FY 2010 budget for the National Park Service is going to be up roughly $200 million from the current funding level.
Whether you can thank the hoopla around National Parks: America's Best Idea, or attribute it to the weak economy, there are a number of lodging deals available to be had around the National Park System.
Large chapters of Samoan history were washed away when a tsunami wave train inundated the headquarters of the National Park of American Samoa in Pago Pago on September 29.