Whether it was the weak domestic economy that persuaded folks to vacation close to home, the strong Euro vs. the weak dollar, Ken Burns' take on the national parks, or simply people deciding they wanted to explore national parks, visitation to the National Park System in 2009 jumped to 285.4 million, an increase of more than 10 million over 2008 levels.

Ever wonder what lies beneath the water of those big man-made lakes in the West? Before the Yellowtail Dam was completed on the Bighorn River in Montana, an expedition took a last look at the river and canyon. A member of that group will share historic film footage and stories at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area on January 28.

Yosemite National Park has been battered by winter, buried under feet of snow that felled trees and closed the park's iconic valley for a day last week. Well, the good news is this snowfall makes for an idyllic setting in the park, and you can experience it at a savings thanks to a lodging sale in the park.

The weather has created plenty of problems all across the country in recent weeks, and the frigid temperatures in Florida affected more than the citrus crop. Thousands of sea turtles were rescued from the unusually cold water, many of them at Canaveral National Seashore.