Was the Civil War avoidable? What was the role of the Medical Corps in the Civil War? What weapons were available—and used—by both armies in 1861? Answers to these and other questions will be offered during a winter lecture series at Gettysburg National Military Park to mark the 150th anniversary of the first year of the Civil War.

Glacier National Park can be hard to reach in summer, and doubly hard to reach in winter. But for the lucky ones who do, the setting is gorgeous, as this video attests.

Countless packages will be unwrapped in homes across the country this week, but thanks to a generous gift from one park's Friends group, a famous American landmark got a special wrapping job—and this very large "package" won't be opened until later next year.

John Muir, perhaps the best friend the national parks ever had, died on Christmas Eve, 1914. Here are some numbers that tell the story of the National Historic Site created to preserve and interpret the place he called home for the last 24 years of his life.