National Parks Traveler

The Pacific Crest Trail ranges from Canada to Mexico, running through Washington, Oregon, and California along the way, traversing not one but seven units of the National Park System in the process. While mountain bikers are not supposed to use the trail, recently some have been poaching sections in California.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 19th, 2009 4:11pm

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The American Revolution: Official National Park Service Handbook -- Everything That an NPS Handbook Should Be

Kudos to the National Park Service and Eastern National. This new handbook on the American Revolution is a gem.

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By Bob Janiskee - March 19th, 2009 4:30am

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Voyageurs National Park Offers Birch Bark Weaving Class

Birch bark was a key building material for Native Americans and the fur trappers who traveled across Canada and the northern United States. It was used for baskets as well as canoes. If you've got time, you can learn how to weave your own creations with birch bark at Voyageuers National Park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 18th, 2009 11:33am

National Park Quiz 46: Glaciers

This week’s quiz is all about glaciers and glaciation in the national parks. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you write on the whiteboard 100 times: “Eskers, depositional landforms composed of stratified gravel and sand, characteristically exist as long, narrow, sinuous ridges with steep sides.”

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By Bob Janiskee - October 29th, 2011 4:21pm

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National Park Designation is an Unholy Mess

With national park redesignation back in the news, this seems like a good time to remind Traveler readers just how nonsensical National Park System unit nomenclature has become. Why can’t Congress and the National Park Service put their heads together and come up with a designation system that actually makes sense?

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By Bob Janiskee - March 18th, 2009 3:17am

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Fall Proves Fatal to Climber in Joshua Tree National Park

A 67-year-old icon of the southern California climbing community has died in a fall at Joshua Tree National Park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 17th, 2009 11:34am

Panoramic Photography, Or "How Do I Get All of the Teton Range in the Picture?"

Few photographic presentations can capture the feel and magnitude of our scenic national parks like the panoramic print. When you walk past a wide photo, you can feel yourself getting drawn in. Here's how to make those photos happen.

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By brettgross - March 17th, 2009 3:57am

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Should Ocmulgee National Monument Be Transformed into a National Park By Stimulus Funds?

While no decisions have been announced by the Interior Department as to how stimulus funds can best be used in the National Park System, there are plenty of suggestions being offered. One is to turn Omculgee National Monument into a national park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 16th, 2009 10:19am

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The Only Planetarium in the National Park System

Some units of the National Park System offer premier sites for enjoying the night sky, due to their location far from cities and the accompanying light pollution. One park which doesn't have the advantage of dark skies has something else—the only planetarium in the National Park System.

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By Jim Burnett - March 16th, 2009 4:03am

Spring Blooms Not Too Far Away in Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway, And Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Sunflowers, violets, trillium and other wildflowers are just around the proverbial corner in the Appalachian Mountains. You can spot these and dozens of others in Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, as well as along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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By Kurt Repanshek - March 15th, 2009 12:48pm

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