National Parks Traveler

Unseasonably mild weather was present Thursday as Charles F. "Chuck" Sams III was sworn in as director of the National Park Service, a job that comes with a hefty to-do list as the agency struggles to cope with climate change, invasive species, staffing, and crowding that is impacting resources in some parks and the park experience.

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By NPT Staff - December 16th, 2021 1:30pm

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Essay | Change In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem And Grand Teton National Park

Change has been a constant force on the landscape that is now protected in Grand Teton National Park, beginning with uplift of the Teton Range and its subsequent glaciation, erosion, and establishment of plant life. These dynamic processes created the iconic views that we enjoy today. Climate has forever been at the forefront among landscape altering agents.

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By NPT Staff - December 16th, 2021 2:00am

Cape Lookout National Seashore Certified As Dark Sky Park

The secret is out about the dark night skies and great star gazing available at Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The seashore has been certified as an International Dark Sky Park.

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By Compiled From N... - December 16th, 2021 1:45am

Traveler Profile: Lynn Riddick

Lynn is veteran broadcaster and contributing editor who helps generate the Traveler's weekly podcast episodes. A West Virginia University graduate, she lives in San Antonio, Texas.

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By NPT Staff - December 15th, 2021 2:00am

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Cumberland Island's Horses Out Of The Past

The horses of Cumberland Island look rough. They’re small, just ponies really, with dull, scruffy coats and wispy manes and tails. They seem awfully thin, no doubt malnourished with only moss and dune grasses to eat.

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 15th, 2021 2:00am

Reader Participation Day: When Smoke Fills Your Campground

The summer months of 2021 were certainly smoky ones in the West. From California to Kansas, view-obscuring and occasionally choking smoke from wildfires filled the air...and campgrounds and the outdoors in general. Has the prospect of smoky summers becoming the new normal swayed you from booking a campground reservation?

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 15th, 2021 1:45am

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Rare Civil War ID Tag Donated To Monocacy National Battlefield

Dying in battle and being laid to rest in an unmarked grave was a common fear of Civil War soldiers. A recent addition to the collection at Monocacy National Battlefield in Maryland demonstrates one of the ways soldiers sought to ensure their loved ones would know their fate.

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By Compiled From N... - December 14th, 2021 1:45am

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Camping Fees Going Up, Entrance Fees On The Way

Come the first of the year it will be a little more expensive to camp at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, and the park will begin a phased-in approach to entrance fees in March.