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Search Continues For Mountain Lion That Attacked Boy At Big Bend National Park

Feb 9th - 08:21am | C. Holmes

Carol, I hope you enjoy your trip. The Basin area is beautiful. Watching the sun set through the "Window" is one of my absolute favorite things to do...and while these attacks are very serious (and it is clear from the story that the Park staff are taking them very seriously)....they are incredibly infrequent. Have a great trip! I'm jealous!

Feb 8th - 14:40pm | Carol B

We're going there next month and couldnt get a reservation at the Lodge.  Now I'm thinking it'll be a good thing to stay in Terlingua.  Yikes!

Reader Participation Day: What is the Most Romantic Place in the National Park System?

Feb 9th - 08:17am | Jenny

How about...watching Old Faithful erupt with no one else around?  It can happen late at night, and is quite romantic under a full moon!

Feb 9th - 08:12am | Bob Janiskee

Night on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with moonlight on the water and  gentle surf washing the sand that accumulates a pair of barefoot tracks and makes them glow with ghostly phosphorescence.

Feb 9th - 07:28am | Connie Hopkins

One of the most romantic memories I have of time spent with my Hubby (in a NP) is when he took me on my first overnight back country hike. We hiked up to Upper Two Medicine Lake in Glacier NP.

Feb 8th - 16:07pm | Anonymous

Trunk Bay, Virgin Islands National Park (and not taking the park's name too literally). 

Feb 8th - 13:17pm | Faith

Anyplace can be romantic, but it's the person you're sharing it with that makes a spot special.

Feb 8th - 12:10pm | Tom

Dry Tortugas

Feb 8th - 12:09pm | Dick G.

 I 'd say Glacier Point in Yosemite.

Feb 8th - 12:06pm | Tom

How about the Dry Tortugas. Nice and warm. 

Feb 8th - 12:02pm | Anonymous

The Rock Cathedral in Caesars Head Park. Editor's Note—Cesars Head is a State Park in South Carolina.

National Park Mystery Spot 35: What Have You Done?

Feb 9th - 08:14am | Bob Janiskee

Good job, Lisa. Who's next?

Feb 9th - 07:51am | Bob Janiskee

Right on the button, jchappell740.  Good job.

Feb 9th - 07:20am | Bob Janiskee

Welcome to the winners circle, Ken.

Feb 9th - 07:05am | Bob Janiskee

Two more readers -- ed-123 and Aron -- have nailed it. Well done. Aside to Aron:  no, it isn't sneakery. 

Feb 9th - 06:14am | Bob Janiskee

Good job, Eric. That's one correct answer. Who's next?

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Issues Final Rule Guiding Off-Road Vehicle Management

Feb 9th - 07:04am | Angler

Anon at 11:47, you deride Anon at 10:15's use of a "crystal ball", but don't deride Samsdad for his use of a "crystal ball".  Interesting.  Seems to be a continuation of some to shout down those that don't agree with the very vocal ORV users on this issue.  I guess it's Ok to predict doom and gloom, but not Ok for others to think that things might work out alright.

Feb 8th - 17:35pm | SS1

The NPS finally woke up and saw what a mess CHNS has evolved into. Conversation groups became the perfect excuse to initiate some appearance of NPS management that remotely resembles other national parks. 

Feb 8th - 12:47pm | Anonymous

Anon,  Glad to see that all will be hunky-dory with regards to a plan that isn't even in effect yet. While you're gazing into your crystal ball, can you conjure up tonight's Pick 3 NC Lottery numbers?

Feb 8th - 11:15am | Anonymous

People have been predicting doom and gloom for years and it hasn't happened.  Dare County enjoys high visitation and high occupancy and this will do little to change that.  The bulk of the economy on Hatteras Island now, which is really the only area that remotely has a claim to being impacted, is in large beachfront rental housing.  Most of those people don't drive on the beach anyway.  For th

Feb 8th - 10:46am | samsdad

WOW... where to begin... "(“What in essence we tried to do is come up with a balanced plan that, based on the public feedback, provides ORV access to the most popular areas," seashore Superintendent Mike Murray said the other day. "But there’s also strong sentiment wanting some of these areas to be vehicle-free year-round.”)"

Faraway Ranch Tour at Chiricahua National Monument Gets Five Stars

Feb 9th - 04:40am | volunteering ghana

My wife has been to Faraway Ranch once, and she is pushing me to take a family vacation there this summer. This is a great post, thanks for all the info.

Court Rules That Sequoia National Park Officials Violated Wilderness Act By Allowing Horse Trips

Feb 9th - 01:32am | Anonymous

If we just kept people out of the parks, forests, and Federal Lands, there wouldn't be any problem.

Feb 8th - 20:12pm | imtnbke

That's an informative comment, Morris, with valuable information about the Pacific Crest and John Muir trails. I appreciate your first-hand perspective. The High Sierra Hikers Association does seem strongly oriented against horse and packstock use in public lands. See its home page:

Feb 8th - 18:12pm | Morris

[color=navy]As an equestrian, trail advocate and trail maintenance volunteer, I don’t have a problem with examining the issue of stock use in these areas. Obviously there is overgrazing in some

Feb 8th - 16:25pm | imtnbke

George, it is important to understand that the Wilderness Act does not ban bicycles. Not specifically. It bans "mechanical transport," a very broad category, and the federal agencies later picked and chose which forms of mechanical transport they would allow and which they wouldn't.

Feb 8th - 16:22pm | Zebulon

Kurt,

Feb 8th - 16:11pm | imtnbke

I think mountain biking is a laudably primitive and unconfined type of recreation. In 1980, Congress implicitly agreed that it is, when it said bicycles are OK in the Rattlesnake Wilderness in Montana.

Feb 8th - 15:54pm | Kurt Repanshek

Zeb, I believe you dodged the point I was trying to make.

Feb 8th - 15:52pm | imtnbke

Kurt, I'm not maintaining that the organized national mountain bike lobby or local mountain bikers can veto Wilderness proposals. Enough have been passed over mountain bikers' resentment about lost trails (on Mt. Hood, Ore., for example) that no one could argue that we have that power. I'm certainly not asserting otherwise.

Feb 8th - 15:38pm | Zebulon

Kurt, The answer to your question is pretty straightforward: it's a public good and we have to share.  Just like our parents taught us when we were kids. George,

Feb 8th - 14:47pm | George Durkee

To add to Kurt's point:

Feb 8th - 14:44pm | imtnbke

Hi, MM,

Feb 8th - 13:51pm | Kurt Repanshek

Zeb, Here's the dilemma we face: Another perspective could be that you're selfish in that you want to impose your mode of enjoyment on those who would prefer to enjoy the wilderness without bikes -- the setting that The Wilderness Act currently provides -- that you don't care about their wilderness experience and whether you destroy it.

Feb 8th - 12:37pm | George Durkee

I have a question regarding the court's ruling (not the intent of the plaintiff). Just to be clear, did the court rule against the use of pack animals in wilderness per se, or did the court rule against the commercial use (of pack animals)?

Feb 8th - 11:25am | Zebulon

Kurt, With all due respect, I "accuse" you of being selfish.  You're essentially saying that your experience of wilderness/NPS is better than mine, which is why I should be banned from going in (unless I give in and experience it the way you like it).  Seems pretty selfish to me. 

Feb 8th - 10:59am | Kurt Repanshek

Anonymous, if you've ridden on trails in Rocky Mountain, you've done so against the regs: "Trailbikes, mopeds, and bicycles are prohibited off established roads in Rocky Mountain National Park. Nearby National Forests offer off-road trails for backcountry cycling."

Feb 8th - 10:42am | concerned

These issues propel my thinking on a daily basis. I'm a doctoral student of forestry. Lately, for me, it hinges on vulnerability and commodification of wildness.

Sale of Plastic Water Bottles Banned At Grand Canyon National Park

Feb 8th - 22:52pm | y_p_w

Mike Painter: There's no need to buy a refillable water bottle at the park and then throw it away when you get home. It's always a good idea to have one, whether you're a hiker or not. When not in use, keep one in the trunk of your car for emergencies.

Traveler's Gear Box: Therm-a-Rest's NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad Wards Off Cold Nights

Feb 8th - 22:27pm | y_p_w

So there's no foam in there? I've seen what they do with the little star shaped pieces they cut out of their regular pads. They're cut out to save weight and to compress a little better. Their women's models have less material cut out; they say it's something about women being more sensitive to the cold. They actually use the pieces as stuffing in their compressible pillows.

Feb 8th - 20:52pm | imtnbke

Most interesting. As I get older, I'm colder too. On the other hand, as I get older I can more easily afford gear like this. Thanks for the review.

Feb 8th - 18:18pm | Kurt Repanshek

Hmmm, seems to be a kink in the production line somewhere, P.B.

Feb 8th - 18:01pm | PB

Great Review Kurt, unfortunately I just stopped by both REI's in my area and the story was the same that here we are February 2012 and the Xtherm still isn't out yet. Supposedly it's "coming soon", but I wonder if I can wait...trips are being planned and provisions being procurred.

Camping In The Parks: Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Feb 8th - 21:37pm | John

Will,

John Wessels Appointed Director of National Park Service's Intermountain Region

Feb 8th - 16:55pm | Lee Dalton

The reservation is not part of the park.  Two entirely separate entitities.

Feb 8th - 16:35pm | Anonymous

Thanks Mr. Wessels for the plastic bottle ban, although I think it's completely off target. On my first trip to the Grand Canyon in 2008 I was completely appalled by the amount of litter and trash all over the canyon floor at the Havasupai Indian Reservation/Havasu Falls area. On the way out I picked

'Tis the Season for Scenic Drives and Easy Hikes at Saguaro National Park

Feb 8th - 16:38pm | celbert

I lived in Tucson during 1986, and one of my favorite memories of that time is our midnight full-moon bike rides around Rincon's Loop Drive.  But I agree with Jim that there are quite a few great hikes in both units, and this is a great time of year for them.  Sadly, my time there was summer and fall, so hiking would've been an unpleasant option on most of those days!

Digital "Tracks" Help Rangers Solve Vandalism Case at Capitol Reef National Park

Feb 8th - 12:58pm | Anonymous

well... Anonymous is probably right--mule riders probably don't leave graffiti because they don't get off their mules.  They do leave plenty of cigarette butts, litter, and mule urine and poop behind for everyone else though.

How Does Your Congressional Delegation Rank with League of Conservation Voters?

Feb 8th - 12:12pm | Dick G.

Sad that we have to choose between the two extreme positions that the Democrats and Republicans have taken. Seems to be no middle ground.

Young Boy Survives Mountain Lion Attack At Big Bend National Park

Feb 8th - 11:08am | KP

Just to clarify, when we returned to the trail after the mountain lion encounter, it was to show the park ranger the site and hopefully locate the Camelback. There is no way I would have returned to the site so soon after the attack without a ranger. It was only the ranger, my teenage son and myself who returned (leaving the younger children at the lodge).

The Essential RVing Guide

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So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.