If you've never been to the East Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, you owe yourself the trip. Naturally, the canyon from this South Rim vista is expansive, and there are wonderful views of the Painted Desert, too, but equally alluring is the Desert View Watchtower. This rustic edifice, built in 1932 by architect Mary Colter, sits hunched against the very rim of the canyon, a lonely outpost, built to be a place for contemplation.

Do you wish there were more interpretive rangers, or law enforcement rangers, in the national parks? Do you find yourself looking for an "LE" ranger when you're visiting a park, or wish you could find a park interpreter to help you better understand your surroundings?

Next April, the rolling thunder of artillery will reverberate through the Pennsylvania countryside as Gettysburg launches a five-year long commemoration of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

How better to kick off the year-end holiday season with a snowy trek to the nation's Christmas tree in Sequoia National Park?