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Lodging in the Parks: John Muir Lodge, Kings Canyon National Park

It's a rare occasion when a lodge is built somewhere in the National Park System. As a result, even though the John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park was built in the late 1990s, it's still considered one of the newer lodges in the park system. That said, don't expect a four-star accommodation.

Dining At The Parks: Mesa Verde National Park's Chef Ensures The Southwest Flows Through his Dishes

Talk regional cuisines and when the region that pops up is the Southwest you know the talk is going to get spicy: Chipotle peppers with their rich, smoky flavor, habaneros with their bite, and potentially potent chile rellenos. But Southwestern cuisine is more diverse than its bite might indicate. You can discover that during a meal in the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park, where the menu is built around bison, elk, turkey and quail, as well as squash, black beans, and tortillas.

Septuagenarian Kayaker Overshoots Takeout on Snake River in Grand Teton National Park, Spends Night On A Sandbar in the River

Wyoming's Snake River carves both lazy oxbows and braided channels with swift currents through Grand Teton National Park. It's a great float, but as a 71-year-old Indiana woman discovered the hard way, you have to make sure you hit your takeout point before the current pushes you downstream. She didn't and ended up spending a cool night on a sandbar in the river.

Big Bend National Park Helps Protect Night Skies. You Can, Too—Here's How!

NPS areas are becoming increasingly valuable as places where we can enjoy the night sky with minimal light pollution from civilization, and protecting the "dark" can also save money. A project in Big Bend National Park demonstrates what can be done, and shows what all of us can do, wherever we live.

National Park Mystery Photo 11 Revealed: We Deliver Anywhere in the World in 30 Minutes or Less, Or the Next One is Free

An heirloom of the Cold War, Minuteman Missile National Historic Park is a place that both amazes and chills you. It's amazing in the sheer size of the underground missile silos. It chills you with the sheer thought of what those silos were poised to do.
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Exporting "Rangering": Working To Help Nicaraguans Safeguard Rare Hawksbill Turtles

Who would have figured the stir that a couple of turtles would generate? I was in Nicaragua in late June working with community rangers who are employees of a non-governmental organization known as Paso Pacífico. I was on a beach observing something I had never seen before, something that hardly anyone gets to witness these days. Two hawksbill turtles had come ashore to nest on the beach that Paso Pacífico’s rangers patrol.