It’s really dark where I’m standing--so dark that I’m fumbling with pen and notebook to jot down the amazed comments of the folks next to me: “Cool!” “Oh wow!” “Fantastic!” No, we’re not inside Lehman Cave, where rangers like to turn off the lights for a minute or so during their cavern tours to emphasize the pitch darkness underground. We’re at a picnic area close by the visitor center at the cave, where the ninth annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival is underway.

Big trees, big mountains, and even a big cave greet those who head off the beaten track to Great Basin National Park in Nevada near the Utah border.

A number of National Park System units across the country are planning to start collecting higher fees beginning January 1. Here's a glance at some of them:

One of my most favorite places on the face of the Earth is Great Basin National Park. It’s one of those Get Out and Do parks, although it certainly has a bunch of stuff for you if you prefer Look and See.