Snowshoeing might seem like a relatively safe activity in the national parks, but the landscape you're walking across might demand some extra attention. That seems to have been the case in Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, where rangers are searching for a snowshoer who likely fell into the crater when a snow cornice he was standing on collapsed.

As the partial shutdown of the federal government moved past its third day, the National Park System remained closed, but news surrounding the parks didn't end. A glance around the system shows hard times for lodging concessions, a particularly outspoken congressman, and ongoing energy production in some parks.

Webcams provide us with windows on the world. They allow armchair travelers to follow activity outside a Dublin pub, monitor traffic on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, and check on what’s happening at the International Space Station. Webcams also provide windows on nature, some of the best of which comes by way of cameras stationed in our national parks.

Eight national park lodges have joined Historic Hotels of America, a program affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.