Long before the 2024 explosion of Black Diamond Pool brought renewed attention to hydrothermal hazards in Yellowstone National Park, there was Excelsior Geyser. In the late 1800s, that feature set a standard for hydrothermal explosions.

It's been quite a year in the National Park System, and on the web pages of the National Parks Traveler.

There are too many stories about Yellowstone and Grand Teton national park visitors getting in troubling situations with wildlife.

Forests littered with trees that once soared high but now are stacked in disarray like gigantic Pick Up Stix. Rising seas eroding shorelines and squeezing wildlife. A venerable footpath facing many threats. Prices threatening to make a mockery out of the contention that a national park vacation is inexpensive