National Parks Traveler

A quick turn of the weather forced rangers into rescue mode at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as high winds and waves left dozens of boaters seeking help. The final tally: 70 distress calls at Lake Mead, 11 rescues performed, including of one woman who spent three hours treading water and praying, and the rescue of five young sea kayakers at Sleeping Bear.

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By NPT Staff - July 10th, 2014 3:06am

Returning Bison To Western Landscapes

With the Interior Department's recent report on how to restore bison to federal and tribal landscapes in the West, the following video about restoring bison to the West is worth a watch. It touches on how the National Park Service will have to look beyond traditional wildlife management practices and existing park boundaries.

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By NPT Staff - July 10th, 2014 2:27am

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Essential Summer Guide '14: Rocks And Roll Through Canyon Country

For mind-blowing scenery, vast vistas of eroded stone, and rugged topography, Utah is the place. The Beehive State is home to five national parks (Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion) and five national monuments (Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante (managed by the BLM), Rainbow Bridge, Natural Bridges, and Hovenweep) for good reason. It’s the greatest earth on show.

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By Patrick Cone - July 10th, 2014 2:06am

Congressman Calls For "Wolf Safety Zone" Around Yellowstone National Park, Says Fish And Wildlife Service Acting "Irrationally" On Wolf Recovery

A congressman from Oregon is calling on Interior Secretary Sally Jewell work with Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho officials to develop a "wolf safety zone" around Yellowstone National Park, saying without one the health of the park's wolf populations will suffer.

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By NPT Staff - July 9th, 2014 2:56am

Death Can Lead To The Dissolution Of Wolf Packs In Denali National Park

Life can be hard for the integrity of a wolf pack, particularly when one of the alpha animals dies, according to studies at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

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By NPT Staff - July 9th, 2014 2:49am

Acadia National Park Officials Proposing Slight Change In Visitor Capacity For Isle Au Haut

One of the great destinations at Acadia National Park isn't on Mount Desert Island off Maine's coast. Rather, it's down coast a bit, on the Isle au Haut, where roughly half of the island is part of the national park. While the Park Service has been working with daily visitor limits since the late 1980s, park officials now want to update those numbers, and hope you'll lend your thoughts.

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By NPT Staff - July 9th, 2014 2:11am

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Photography In The National Parks: The Birds Have Attitude!

Just last week I learned that there was a Williamson's Sapsucker nest in the park, something that is apparently rare, according to another photographer, and that we could get photos of the adult bringing food into the nest. Last year, while photographing a Flicker nest, I saw the same bird and assumed that it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Well, I got the sapsucker part right.