Tucked away in southeastern Arizona is an off-the-beaten-path destination often described as a "Wonderland of Rocks." The nickname for Chiricahua National Monument is certainly appropriate, but this area offers a lot more than interesting geology, including a fine variety of trails that could be called a hiking smorgasbord.
It's going to cost you a little bit more to fish in Yellowstone National Park this summer, as officials are raising the cost of a license to help support their fisheries program.
Heading through Arches National Park in mid-March, I figured I'd spend a night at the Devils Garden Campground, and figured I'd have it all to myself. Boy was I wrong.
An independent review of the National Park Service's draft environmental impact statement on an oyster farm at Point Reyes National Seashore pointed to various shortcomings, but added that the document generally was "adequate" in light of "available scientific information."
More than two dozen people are on the ground searching Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a Tennessee man whose car was found parked at the Newfound Gap Parking Area, while overhead crews are looking from a helicopter.
Saguaro National Park is using some new technology to help deter an old-time problem—cactus poachers. Operation PIT Tag inserts tiny micro-chips into cacti to allow positive identification of saguaro cacti which have been heisted from the park. The program makes those plants less attractive targets for rustlers, since it's easy to verify that a tagged cactus is "stolen goods."
It's a good sign of spring, and a great sign that a once-endangered species is doing well: the return of nesting peregrine falcons to Acadia National Park has led to the temporary closures of the Precipice and Valley Cove Cliffs areas of the park.
There are, relative to other parks, only a handful of hikes for you to consider when you visit Petrified Forest National Park, but you still should come up with a pecking order, if only to plan your day. And if you like to hike first thing in the morning, then the Blue Mesa Trail should rise to the very top of your list.