Retardant drops from air tankers have become a standard weapon in the fight against large wildfires, such as the Rim Fire affecting a corner of Yosemite National Park. There's occasional debate about the pros and cons of that technique, but there's no doubting the skill and courage of the crews of those aircraft. Here's a video with a pilot's-eye view of Yosemite during operations over the Rim Fire.

It would prove to be one of the harshest ironies: American Indians lining up to serve both the Union and Confederate sides in the Civil War, only to have their homelands invaded and taken away in the years following the war.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park could gain a measure of protection from oil and gas leasing on surrounding public lands via a draft plan crafted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, though the agency is being prodded to be even more circumspect in shielding the park.

With the bulk of the summer national park vacations having been taken, we want to know what was the best experience you had in the parks, as well as the worst.