There is likely no more cherished national park experience on the planet than the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb Mount Fuji. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Japanese do it—and pilgrims from all over the world are joining them. I was one of them not long ago.

Along its thousands of miles of shoreline, across its wide waters, and inside its secluded backwaters, the Chesapeake Bay watershed offers a rich and diverse playground, one that should become easier to navigate thanks to a campaign launched in conjunction with the National Park Service's release of its Chesapeake Bay Watershed Access Plan.

Despite a sour economy and expensive gasoline, nearly 283 visitors traveled to the National Park System in 2012, an increase of nearly 4 million from 2011 and the highest level of visitation since 2009.

A recent report on the aquatic environment at Lake Mead National Recreation Area has mostly positive news for boaters, fishermen, environmentalists and the millions of residents who depend on the huge lake in the desert for their day to day water needs.