The shuttle system that takes visitors into and out of Zion Canyon at Zion National Park long has been singled out for its success. But even a good thing can have problems.

One of the most shameful episodes of the Indian Wars occurred on November 29, 1864, when Colorado militia attacked a peaceful Indian village at Sand Creek and brutally murdered women, children, infants, and old men. Though long overdue, the November 7, 2000, authorization of a national park at the massacre site testified to America’s willingness to shine light into the darker corners of its past.

Don't use Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park as a climate change gauge. While snows have closed the road for the season, a check of past years shows this year's closure is neither particularly late nor early.

Most people have a mental picture of what to expect on their first visit to a new location, and that was definitely the case for a woman at Olympic National Park. However, one of the things that makes travel interesting is that expectations and reality sometimes take different paths in the Great Outdoors.