National Parks Traveler

We look to national park vacations as a healthy lifestyle ingredient, one filled with fun, laughter, and lasting memories. Not on our agendas is worrying about mercury in the fish we pull from mountain streams, droughts that would beach our boats, or industrial and agricultural pollution that impairs the very waters we enjoy in the parks. Sadly, those issues aren’t foreign to the National Park System.

Read more about Essential Paddling Guide: Keeping Our Paddling Waters Clean And Healthy

By Kurt Repanshek - February 17th, 2014 2:49am

Winter Of 2014 Brings Record Crowds To View Ice Caves At Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

For much of the country weary of the cold, the winter of 2014 can't end soon enough, but at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the combination of frigid conditions and word spread by social media has resulted in record visitation to the park. The draw? Sea caves, accessible only by boat in the summer, are festooned in ice in winter, and can be reached by walking across the now-frozen waters of Lake Superior.

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By Jim Burnett - February 17th, 2014 2:45am

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Don't Be Surprised To Hear National Park Visitation Dropped Last Year

When the National Park Service finalizes its visitation numbers for last year, don't be surprised to hear there was a decline from the 283 million tally made in 2012.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 16th, 2014 3:11am

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Climate Change And Jamestown

In this video, National Park Service staff and partnering scientists talk about climate change in the context of Jamestown Island in Virginia, the site of the first permanent English settlement.

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By NPT Staff - February 16th, 2014 2:54am

Exploring The Parks: Hungary's Aggtelek National Park

Aggtelek National Park in Hungary is truly a unique park, with a sprawling and surprising cave system, an equestrian center, and miles of hiking and biking trails. Dan Swartz, a marketing assistant for the park, provided the following overview for Traveler readers.

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By NPT Staff - February 16th, 2014 2:49am

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Here's How To Become A Docent At San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is offering a free training course for those interested in joining the park’s volunteer docent program.

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By NPT Staff - February 16th, 2014 2:24am

Osprey Tracking At Rocky Mountain National Park

Anyone with Internet access will be able to follow two osprey as they nest in and around Rocky Mountain National Park thanks to a cooperative program designed to follow the birds from their breeding grounds to their wintering grounds.

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By NPT Staff - February 15th, 2014 2:20am

Yosemite National Park's Final Merced River Plan Boosts Camping, Lodging Numbers In Yosemite Valley

Barring another lawsuit, a nearly 40 percent increase in campground space and 5 percent more lodging will be allowed in the Yosemite Valley under the final Merced River plan released Friday by the National Park Service.