Today's younger generations want thrills? Well, the National Park System has plenty of them, from incredible white-water opportunities and climbs to some of what Backpacker magazine calls the most dangerous hikes in America.

Heavy rains and flooding that hit Mount Rainier National Park this week will keep much of the park closed to automobile traffic at least through November 21, park officials said Friday afternoon.

The new Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center opening October 10 at Mount Rainer National Park completes a 9-year project to improve visitor services in the park’s renowned Paradise area. The many green features of the new facility include a snowfield-chilled cooling system and a roof that holds heat and shucks snow.

The year was 1932, and America was in the midst of the worst economic downturn in history. Unemployment stood at 25 percent; homelessness at two million people. When Americans went to the polls, they overwhelmingly elected Franklin D. Roosevelt president. FDR immediately sought 'relief, recovery, and reform' to rebuild America's tattered economy. FDR was not interested in merely handing out money to people. Instead, he wanted to put them to work.