National Parks Traveler

Wildlife viewing is a prime attraction of our national parks. Not every wildlife species we might encounter in the parks is as charismatic as a bison, a bald eagle, or a sea otter, but every species is interesting in its own way. Take this week's quiz and see whether your knowledge of watchable wildlife is as keen as you think. Answers are at the end. No peeking.

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By Bob Janiskee - October 29th, 2011 7:49am

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Geotourism Map Shows You Around the Crown of the Continent

There's a new map you should toss in your bag if you're heading to Glacier National Park. It's not a traditional road map, but rather a map that helps you navigate the "Crown of the Continent" and all it has to offer.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 10th, 2008 3:52am

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Winter Exiting Yellowstone National Park "Kicking and Screaming"

Heat waves baking the East Coast, torrential rains dousing the Midwest. In Yellowstone National Park, it's snow that's highlighting the park's weather.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 9th, 2008 5:42pm

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Bird Nests and Closures Spurring Civil Disobedience at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

As more nesting plovers and oystercatchers lead to more temporary beach closures at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, it appears more folks are acting in civil disobedience to protest the closures.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 9th, 2008 11:26am

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GPS Unit Leads Couple Into Trouble Near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Sometimes that GPS unit doesn't know that you can't get from here to there. A Pennsylvania couple learned that the hard way when they tried to take a backroad in southern Utah.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 9th, 2008 11:04am

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Creature Feature: Texas Banded Gecko

Big Bend National Park is remote and dry – not exactly a place that most people think of right away when they plan a vacation. But the desert is full of interesting things, some of them so small that they might escape notice. Take, for example, the ghostly Texas banded gecko.

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By Chance Finegan - June 9th, 2008 4:39am

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Fall Down Steep, Snow-covered Slope Kills Visitor to Rocky Mountain National Park

A Colorado man has died in a 500-foot fall down a steep, snow-covered slope in Rocky Mountain National Park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 8th, 2008 12:55pm

How Can We Build Advocates for the National Parks?

What draws people to national parks in general, and to national park issues specifically? Why is it that gun issues and deaths inevitably draw attention to the national parks, but stories of insufficient budgets and deteriorating infrastructure and harsh impacts on the "parkscape" draw comparatively scant notice?

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 8th, 2008 5:28am

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National Park Service Considering Commercial Developments for Alcatraz

In a move certain to dismay many national park advocates, the National Park Service has proposed to convert to commercial use a number of buildings on Alcatraz, a popular component of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The proposed developments would include souvenir stands, special venues, and lodging facilities.