National Parks Traveler

Self-reliance in the wilderness can be an intoxicating goal. Shucking society's masses, plights, and foibles for a perceived 'simpler' life in the backcountry can be a heady ambition. Dick Proenneke did it nearly 40 years ago, finding self-reliant comfort in the backwoods of Alaska in a place now known as Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.

Read more about Trekking to Dick Proenneke's Cabin in Lake Clark National Park

By Kurt Repanshek - October 28th, 2007 11:04am

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Museum of the National Park Service Will be Built in West Virginia

A behind-the-scenes effort to both protect Harpers Ferry National Historical Park from neighboring development and obtain land for a Museum of the National Park Service has been pulled off.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 26th, 2007 2:34pm

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Camping in Comfort: A Guide to Roughing It With Ease and Style

Camping in comfort! Who wouldn't want to? Here, I thought, was a book made for me, one that would provide the hints necessary to have an even more comfortable experience in the great outdoors than what I had grown accustomed to the past four decades.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 26th, 2007 11:12am

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Hunting Across the National Park System: Good or Bad?

In the wake of the uproar over hunting brown bears in Katmai National Preserve, does anyone care that Cape Cod National Seashore officials have cleared the way for pheasant or turkey hunts? Or is it only hunts involving charismatic mega-fauna that draw ire?

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 25th, 2007 10:02am

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Lake Quinault Lodge: A Tale Of Two Rooms

Lake Quinault Lodge is a picturesque lodge in a picturesque setting. Kurt stayed there in August, Jeremy stayed there in June, and our experiences could not have been more different. Jeremy would recommend this place, Kurt's not so sure. Read on for the details.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 24th, 2007 3:02am

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Is New Jersey Delegation Unduly Forcing Great Falls of Paterson Park on NPS?

I grew up in New Jersey, so I have no qualms about questioning the efforts by the Garden State's congressional delegation to force the National Park Service to add a waterfall to its collection of sites. This is just the latest instance of politicians simply looking to bring the Park Service brand closer to home for economic benefits.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 23rd, 2007 10:28am

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Kids Detached From Nature? Here's One Example

Think electronics aren't getting in the way of kids and nature? While it might not be true in every nook and cranny of the country, it is happening in some areas. Take California, for instance. Tommy Nguyen told the San Francisco Chronicle trees are pretty boring.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 23rd, 2007 10:06am

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Leadership Summit: Some Afterthoughts

If nothing else, last week's Leadership Summit on Partnership and Philanthropy hosted by the National Park Foundation demonstrated that some major corporations want to support the national parks. The question that lingers, though, is to what extent?

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 23rd, 2007 3:01am

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60 Minutes : The Age of Megafires

"60 Minutes" examines the increasing rate, intensity, and size of wildfires in the West. This is an issue that affects all land management agencies, including the National Park Service. Past fire management practices and climate change are a combination that foster the new age of megafires.

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By jersu - October 22nd, 2007 2:45pm

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Jumping Off Bridge an Annual Tradition in New River Gorge

Annually, on the third weekend of October, thousands of spectators watch over the course of the day as hundreds of BASE jumpers leap from the top of New River Gorge Bridge with the hope their parachutes take them safely to the river's shore, 876 feet below.