Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas is one of the National Park System units in the path of the annular solar eclipse next month and park staff are offering solar-filtered telescopes and eclipse glasses for safe viewing, ranger programs, and a sneak peek at the preserve's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2024.

One of the most incredible experiences I've had in the National Park System was being able to watch the total solar eclipse of 2017 at Grand Teton National Park.

As climate change continues to alter habitats for plants and animals, and as the call for a national biodiversity strategy gets louder, the country's long-distance hiking trails could prove to be valuable corridors for species.

El Morro and El Malpais national monuments preserve rugged, demanding landscapes that nevertheless attracted travelers, from ancestral Puebloans to early 20th century homesteaders. Today visitors study the signatures at El Morro, or peer into the lava tubes that worm beneath El Morro's surface. But there's also the backcountry of both that attract visitors who look for beauty, solitude, and perhaps a connection with those who came long before.