Wednesday is often called "hump day"—the midpoint of the traditional work week—but in Alaska, perhaps February could be considered "hump month" for winter. Life in our northernmost state is a lot more fun if you embrace cold weather activities, and the folks in and around Denali National Park and Preserve will "celebrate Alaska's longest season" with an impressive slate of activities February 21-23 at Denali Winterfest 2014.

Nearly 1 million records and artifacts relating to Great Smoky Mountains National Park will soon have a new home, as the Interior Department has OKed funds to complete a $4.3 million Joint Curatorial Collections Facility.

Here at the Traveler we recently asked you to comment on Which Is The Most Overlooked, Or Under Appreciated, Unit Of The National Park System? Well, after my trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, I can answer with great conviction that the three intriguing parks in St. Croix -- Christiansted National Historic Site, Buck Island Reef National Monument, and Salt River Bay National Historical Park -- qualify for both overlooked and under-appreciated.

John Lowry Dobson (1915-2014) amateur telescope maker, co-founder of the Sidewalk Astronomers, and an evangelist for interpreting the "other half" of our national parks, dies at age 98