A giant sequoia, one that you could drive through, was toppled this week by the potent winter storm that swept through California, but it was not a tree within a national park.

With more than 400 units in the National Park System, trying to zoom in on any one particular park for a visit can be a challenge. Over the past 12 months the Traveler has "explored" quite a few parks, and we list those stories here to help you plan your next national park adventure.

An Arizona man who had planned a five-day backpack through Sequoia National Park was being searched for Sunday by park crews after failing to come out of the park as planned the day before Thanksgiving.

In Part 1 of this story, Tom Nichols presented a brief history of the National Park Service’s fire management program, with reference to an article by Kyle Dickman, Fighting Fire with Fire. Dickman stated that Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ wildland fire management program is: “America’s most progressive forest management program,” and then asked: “why isn’t it being replicated elsewhere?” Part 2 serves to answer Dickman’s question.