When Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials implemented an off-road management plan for the 70-mile-long seashore off North Carolina's coast, they agreed to create new public access points to the beach. Next week the public will get a chance to discuss those plans.

While some fruits are ready for harvest at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, other crops could arrive later than normal due to colder weather earlier this year.

My wife suggested that she would like to do something different and interesting on her birthday. Now if I were Bill Gates or that nice Zuckerburg boy that might mean leasing the island of Lanai and inviting friends. Since that is not the case, I suggested a boat trip to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, our first President and Founding Father. It would not only be patriotic but cheap.

There are many incredible drives in the National Park System, but two of the best, at least in the western half of the country, are Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Which is your favorite, and why?