The pivot from being blasted by snow and pelted by rainstorms is speeding straight to the next challenge — a powerful melt that can engorge waterways and send torrential flows down wildfire-scarred mountainsides that are just out of the driest three years on record.

A library of books has been written about John Muir, many of which mention Robert Underwood Johnson, but not many adequately describe his long collaboration with Muir. In this book, Dean King remedies that oversight. Muir’s life story and his contributions to the preservation of what is now Yosemite National Park have often been chronicled and King presents the highlights of that story. What King adds to the Muir story is who Robert Underwood Johnson was and what his role and contributions were in helping Muir in his many battles for protection of Yosemite.

Explore the National Park System extensively and not only are you likely to come across some incredible vistas, diverse natural resources, and rich history, but also some incredible meals in the lodge at day's end, or even at the start of your day.

Yosemite National Park, which was buried beneath a snowstorm late last month, will remain closed at least through the coming weekend, the park announced Tuesday.