Wouldn't it be great to make a living as a photographer who focuses primarily on national parks? That's Ian Shive's life these days. If you recall, he recently published a book of some of his park images. This short video provides more insight into his work in the parks. It definitely makes one envious.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park lures visitors with its rumpled, mist-cloaked mountains, its leaping streams, dense forests, and Appalachian history. The thrill of hearing a bull elk's bugle echoing off the mountainsides also is becoming a powerful lure, thanks to an elk recovery program that's developed a healthy herd of the iconic ungulates in the Cataloochee Valley and Oconaluftee areas.

A "short-haul" operation, in which individuals are hooked onto a rope dangled beneath a helicopter, was used to rescue three backpackers from a ledge in Kings Canyon National Park.

A popular drive in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is getting an overhaul next spring. Work will close the Cades Cove Loop Road but not other facilities at Cades Cove for about three months, and the project will use a method designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible.