At approximately 9:00 p.m., October 28th, 2022, Newton County Sherriff’s Office received a report of an overdue hiker. Clinton Preston Smith, age 67 from Baton Rouge, LA, was reported missing after failing to return from an October 27th planned hike on the Hemmed-in-Hollow Trail in Buffalo National River, Newton County, AR.
It’s September, so that means it’s time for your next monthly national park quiz and trivia piece. Just how well do you know the units within the National Park System? Test your knowledge before looking at the answers at the bottom of this piece. Maybe you’ll have learned something new.
Have you ever wondered what constitutes a unit and what each unit represents? Do you know what constitutes the difference between a national park versus a national monument versus a national recreation area? Traveler contributing writer Rebecca Latson decided to figure that out for herself and you.
A 64-acre tract of land acquired by the National Park Service allows hikers to travel on the Buffalo River Trail/Ozark Highland Trail all the way from Richland Creek to Dillards Ferry at Buffalo National River in Arkansas.
"The rugged region of the Buffalo National River contains at least seven vegetation types as well as numerous springs and seeps. This provides a variety of habitats which supports a wide array of wildflower species."
Of course, the big birthday in the National Park System being notched this year is at Yellowstone National Park, which turns 150th. But there are 11 units of the system that turn 50 this year.
There are relatively few rivers and streams across the country designated as either "national," "wild and scenic," or "recreational," and so it seems to reason they should be held to a higher environmental standard than their peers. But when you look at those rivers, you'll see a range of regulations when it comes to how big of an engine can be placed on a boat plying its waters.
There's quite a bit of news going on in the National Park System. The Memorial Day weekend brought record visitation numbers and the month of June is heating things up for some national parks like Grand Canyon, while others, like Mount Rainier National Park, remain buried beneath several feet of snow in places. With the snow melting, road and bridge maintnenance in and around some park units is starting up, creating delays and closures for visitors. And a huge congratulations goes to Zion National Park for its certification as the latest International Dark Sky Park.