You are here

Home » National Parks Traveler

Creature Feature: The Hawaiian Hoary Bat (‘ōpe‘ape‘a) is Hawaii’s Only Native Terrestrial Mammal

How hoary bats ever managed to cross thousands of miles of open sea to colonize the Hawaiian Islands is a mystery we may never solve. Scientists do think we’ll figure out how to make their place in the islands secure for the foreseeable future.

Oldest Family-Owned Concessioner in the National Park System Receives New Ten-Year Contract

A variety of visitor services are provided in many NPS areas by private businesses under a concession contract. The oldest family-owned and-operated concession in the National Park System features a famous name, and was recently awarded a new 10-year contract. Do you know where it's located?

"Poor Judgment and Performance" Acknowledged in National Park Service Investigation of Hubbell Trading Post Operations

National Park Service investigators and managers who looked into the business operations at Hubbell Traing Post National Historic Site exhibited "poor case management" and "poor judgment and performance," according to top agency officials.
Image icon NPS-Hubbell Response.pdf

When the Parkway Came

Part of FDR's "New Deal," the Blue Ridge Parkway was envisioned as an economic development tool that would pump both life and dollars into the Appalachian Mountain Range between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. But the long and winding road with the fantastic vistas also took a good deal of life out of the landscape as farms that stood in the path were razed and the families moved off.

Big Bend National Park Offers A Drastic Change From Vistas This Easterner is Accustomed To Seeing

It's not easy to get to Big Bend National Park. Located in the crook of Rio Grande River in West Texas where the river turns from a southeast to a northeastern direction, the park promises spectacular vistas, river canyons, and desert plants. But it's a 225-mile drive from Midland-Odessa and 325 miles from El Paso, the closest airports, so no one goes there on a whim.