Nimble and responsive, the Ally was firm, if not entirely rigid, as we paddled into the swells on Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. This Norwegian curiosity was no slouch on the lake, and even handier on the Lewis River Channel.

Underground Railroad Network to Freedom sites appear in most unlikely places. Here are four in eastern North Carolina.

If you mention "Canadian National Parks" to travel buffs, that nation's spectacular western sites such as Banff and Jasper National Parks will likely come to mind. There are, however, some worthy candidates for your "gotta plan a trip" list on the opposite side of the county in Canada's Maritime Provinces. One not to miss is Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Once upon a time, there were enough Arctic grayling in a creek on the western border of Yellowstone National Park that the stream was named for them, Grayling Creek. In the not too distant future, that creek might once again harbor Arctic grayling, as well as native westlope cutthroat trout, under a plan being implemented by park fisheries experts.