Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin Hanging Up His Hat

After 35 years with the National Park Service, Steve Martin has decided it's time to hang up his Stetson. The superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park has announced that he'll retire as of January 1.

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 8th, 2010 3:15am

36 comments

National Parks On Average Are The Backdrops for 41 "Suicide Events" Annually

For an overwhelming majority of visitors, national parks offer spectacular vistas that provide surroundings perfect for enjoyment, contemplation, and relaxation. For a small, yet significant, number, though, the parks are where they decide to die.

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 5th, 2010 3:15am

3 comments

Creature Feature: The Desert Tarantula Looks Big, Hairy, and Scary

The tarantula's fearsome appearance belies the fact that this docile, reclusive creature is nearly harmless.

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By Bob Janiskee - December 5th, 2010 8:31pm

16 comments

Missing From the System? Tule Springs Harbors Ice Age Fossils In An Urban Setting

Not far from the bright lights and card tables of Las Vegas there's a stretch of desert so relished by developers that street names were attached to blueprints of suburbia. Now, though, that landscape and its unique collection of Ice Age fossils is being promoted as the country's next national monument.

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 3rd, 2010 3:15am

Grand Canyon National Park's Watchtower Gets A Facelift

If you've never been to the East Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, you owe yourself the trip. Naturally, the canyon from this South Rim vista is expansive, and there are wonderful views of the Painted Desert, too, but equally alluring is the Desert View Watchtower. This rustic edifice, built in 1932 by architect Mary Colter, sits hunched against the very rim of the canyon, a lonely outpost, built to be a place for contemplation.

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By Jane Schneider - December 3rd, 2010 7:22am

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Reader Participation Day: What is the Greatest Threat To Our National Parks?

It seems not a week goes by without some dire issue being identified as a threat to the national parks. One week it might be funding woes, another week pollution, another diversity concerns, and then, of course, there's climate change.

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By Kurt Repanshek - November 17th, 2010 3:15am

46 comments

Lead-Tainted Carcasses and Gut Piles Pose Hazards for Endangered Condors

Lead bullets in carcasses and gut piles pose lethal poisoning hazards to carrion feeders. Among the creatures most at risk are the endangered California condors that frequent Grand Canyon National Park and other areas of Arizona and Utah.

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By Bob Janiskee - November 13th, 2010 3:15am

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Finding Winter Bliss in a National Park Lodge

Winter can be a blissful time to visit the national parks. You can head south, and enjoy the warm weather and simply pitch your tent, or you can head to the snow belt and explore the parks on skis or snowshoes. But where should you stay? We asked our lodging experts, David and Kay Scott, for their recommendations.

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By David and Kay Scott - January 25th, 2011 4:42pm

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Grand Canyon National Park Crews Working on Making Abandoned Mines Safer

Old abandoned mines are perfect for bats, but they're not ideal for humans. To protect both, crews at Grand Canyon National Park are getting to work on installing bat gates and warning signs at some old mines within the park's borders.

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By Kurt Repanshek - November 6th, 2010 2:15am

NPCA Offers National Park Phone Apps ... For Free!

Add the National Parks Conservation Association to the number of organizations and developers offering a phone app to help you negotiate the national parks. A big difference here, though, is NPCA is giving its app away for free. Another is its emphasis on park wildlife and nature in general.

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By Kurt Repanshek - October 10th, 2010 2:15am

2 comments

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks