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Reader Participation Day: A Fee Too Far?

News that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is requiring you, beginning today, to purchase a "parking tag" if you plan to pull over for longer than 15 minutes to explore the park is somewhat controversial in some circles. If you’ve purchased an annual pass to the parks, or to Great Smoky, or have a senior pass or a military pass, should you have to pay another fee to get out and enjoy the park?

Culture And Controversy At Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park

In the shade of the Royal Ground’s open-air Canoe House, with only the chatter of the Common Myna disturbing the peace, Aunty Keikialiʻi San Filippo sits weaving coconut fronds into baskets and fielding compliments and questions from people from around the world. It's a skill that “Aunty Keiki” developed more than 40 years ago and she has been weaving for Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park since the late 1970s.

National Park Visitation Hit 312 Million In 2022, Eight Parks Accounted For A Quarter Of That

Visitation to the National Park System continued to rebound in 2022, with the head count reaching 312 million, the highest tally since the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to the National Park Service. While 27 parks —2 percent of the 424 units in the National Park System— accounted for half of the 2022 visitation, year-over-year increases largely were seen across the system, the agency said.

Glacier National Park's Move To Recreation.Gov For Permits Heavily Criticized

Public reaction to Glacier National Park's decision to move its backcountry permit system to Recreation.gov brought praise and criticism, highlighted some of the flaws with the reservation system, and underscored the National Park Service's struggle with managing the rush to the outdoors.