People seem to like numbers, and hierarchy, so here's a rundown of the leading units of the National Park System in terms of 2011 visitation. The first list combs through all 397 units in the system, while the second looks only at "national parks."

This year marks the centennial for Washington, D.C.'s famous cherry trees, and that adds a little extra drama to the "big question" facing organizers of the National Cherry Blossom Festival every year: Will the trees bloom on the same schedule as the Festival events? The official "peak bloom" prediction for 2012 has now been released.

If you've narrowly escaped from a life threatening situation in a national park, tell us about it.

Eastern National, a non-profit that produces interpretive and educational materials for national parks, has entered the phone app market with its Passport To Your National Parks® iPhone Application, currently available for free on iTunes.