Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are proposing to begin charging fees for overnight backcountry use, though in return they're promising better service in obtaining a backcountry permit and better ranger presence in the backcountry.

Battlefields that date from 1634 are the beneficiaries of more than $1.2 million in grants from the National Park Service to be used on preserving and protecting battlefield lands.

A nighttime boating accident on Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has killed a 15-year-old Boy Scout, who was tossed out of the boat when it rammed a rock in the dark, according to NRA officials.

With grizzly bears and people coming closer and closer to one another in the front country of Grand Teton National Park, officials have refined their guidelines as to how close people can be to wildlife. The need for the revisions arose as more and more visitors took to the roofs of their vehicles to photograph bears and, in at least two instances, bears took exception and charged the vehicles, according to park officials.