Spring is just around the corner, but Olympic National Park is still dealing with damage from one of the wettest, stormiest winters on record, leaving roads inaccessible and keeping some campgrounds closed for the summer.

What’s in a name? Well, when you hear Hance, the Big Drop, Lost Paddle, or Lava Falls, we’re talking about some of the largest, craziest river rapids in our national parks. Interesting names, for sure, but how do they rate? We posed this question to our river rats: What are the best rapids in the parks? They came up with quite a list. So, if you’re looking for exciting and death-defying whitewater in the parks…

Today's the day, folks. The last day of 2015, and the last day you can make a donation to the national park friends organization of your choice and claim a tax deduction if the group is a non-profit.

More and more people are visiting national parks, media channels are flooding consumer publications with features on the parks, congressional interest seems higher than ususal, and yet parks are struggling to get by, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.