The two of us have enjoyed a half century of travel, much of it devoted to visiting America’s national parks. The initial three decades involved travel in a series of four Volkswagen campers, a vehicle we loved, but that disappeared in 2004 from VW dealers in the United States. If only the company would export its California van to the U.S. More recently we tented and stayed in national park lodges. The many national park visits offered some wonderful surprises including these ten that we seem to remember best.

A dangerous heat wave is sweeping parks in the West this weekend, bringing triple-digit temperatures to Death Valley, Grand Canyon, and Zion national parks, among other park units, and prompting rangers to caution visitors about the heat.

Just as the Blackfeet Nation is taking steps to guard its members against Covid-19 by closing access to the eastern half of Glacier National Park, the Havasupai Tribe is banning outside entry to its reservation, and Grand Canyon boaters have been asked to respect that.

Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim, which has been closed to the public due to a wildfire, is set to reopen Tuesday morning.