The path-breaking beginning of America’s national parks in Yosemite is the subject of these two anniversary-related books. For Dayton Duncan, in Seed of the Future, the Yosemite Grant remains the story of a national triumph. For Jen Huntley, in The Making of Yosemite, the act of June 30, 1864, bears irrefutable evidence of a national theft.

The annual migration of Pacific gray whales from waters around Alaska to those off of Mexico is getting underway, and one of the best places to view both the whales and northern elephant seals from the shore is Point Reyes National Seashore. A weekend shuttle bus system, which runs from December 28, 2013, until late March of 2014, helps solve problems with limited parking and crowded roads.

Grand Canyon National Park is the main attraction in a new video, Grand Canyon In Depth, that explores the natural and human history of the landscape within the national park.

If you're planning to visit Hawaii in January, check out these "after dark" programs that will be offered at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.