You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Nine Injured By Lightning Strike At Old Faithful In Yellowstone National Park

Feb 24th - 17:17pm | Anonymous

This is during the same season that eleven mountain climbers were struck while climbing the nearby Grand Teton. What a crazy season it was in Wyoming. I heard one of the people in Yellowstone suffered an extra shock from her medical alerts system she was wearing around her neck. This kind of stuff is so coincidental and crazy.

America's Great Outdoors Report Carries Lofty Goals That Need Widespread Support For Success

Feb 24th - 16:08pm | Ron Saunders

What a letter. I have no doubt a great many of us can identify to some degree with the writer. Cudos to Keeper and those like him. I have been to the canyon and can understand. Wish I had been able to take that Mule ride but time did not allow. Maybe some day. Lets urge the continuence of that experience for all.

Feb 24th - 09:30am | Keeper

Bob,

Feb 23rd - 10:02am | Matt Stubbs

Bob, One thing to consider is what one persons idea of "special" is and that another persons ideas are will conflict. Not once but every single time!

Feb 23rd - 07:18am | Keeper

I appreciate your post, Bob. Interesting set of questions. I'll get back to you after I get out of the Canyon this evening. That's where I go to get relief from all these questions, LOL!

Feb 22nd - 21:02pm | Bob

Keeper, I'm sympathetic, I really am. And I know you're right when you say, "Bob, I think the reality again is that the "use groups" do not wish to deprive God's creatures of anything. they simply want to share it." I know. They are well-meaning people who want a chance to enjoy these special places.

Arches National Park Developing Formal Climbing, Canyoneering Management Plan

Feb 24th - 15:18pm | Anonymous

Rock climbing at its best is an inappropriate activity for a National Park. It is intrusive, destructive, and trashy; just ask the BLM for a copy of the study they did along Indian Creek.

Wyoming Legislature Agrees To Sell Land Inside Grand Teton National Park; Will Congress Pay For It?

Feb 24th - 14:32pm | jean flinders

I am glad the Interior Dept is trying to buy the land. I am soooooo sick of developers getting their hands on every bit of land. They are so greedy.

Public Comment Opens On Whether to Allow Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon National Park

Feb 24th - 14:31pm | Big D

"We need to head in the direction of clean technologies like solar energy, wind farms." I agree, lets build a line of wind turbines along the GCNP boundary, with solar paenls beneath them. Just kidding. "Gaining Energy independence" via the official "green energy" technologies is like peeing on a forest fire.

Feb 24th - 09:09am | Ronin

I really hope there are enough sensible people who will be aware and active when these corporate tools try to desicrate yet another of this country's vulnerable and venerable places. Think mountain top removal in West Virginia...they won't rest until the land is stripped, poisoned and worthless.

Efforts to Regulate Off-Leash Dogs at Golden Gate National Recreation Area Spark Debate

Feb 24th - 14:20pm | Ron Saunders

This has been one of the best open discussions of an extremely volatile situation affecting many Parks and Recreation Areas. I am encouraged with the manner in which so many people have commented. Facts and opinions without the, too often, accompanying insults and adjectives.

What's Real And What's Not Behind Reality TV's Nature Shows?

Feb 24th - 13:21pm | y_p_w

I remember seeing some documentary on the City of Anchorage's bear hazing team. They were shown dramatically throwing unsecured trash cans at some black bears to get them to take off. I wonder if they perhaps laid in wait with a situation they knew was going to produce a bear incident.

Feb 24th - 10:28am | Todd Wilkinson

Matt: Great thoughts. Indeed, it might be calling the kettle black if, in wearing his polo shirt, Palmer was pretending to be hosting a reality TV show, after he pretended that his plane crashed and he was marooned in the Amazon, but the photo was taken of him as he, being a college professor, was on his way to deliver a lecture.

Feb 24th - 09:53am | Matt Stubbs

No mention of "Survivor Man"!? Well I guess if you are one of the people who have actually been lost in the woods and had seen a show like this it may actually have some value.

Feb 24th - 07:45am | Marjorie

I’ve never seen any of these shows (don’t get reception where I live) but I had some boys out on a hike once who were nuts for Survivor. They spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out how to trap and eat the ground squirrels.

Scuba Diver Dies at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Feb 24th - 12:17pm | Anonymous

As a divemaster candidate, I am baffled and confused to know why regional scuba would take a student diver out on such a cold day when hypothermia is the biggest concern which could lead to a heart attack or his regulator (breathing device) freeze up. My condolences to the family for their loss.

National Christmas Tree Felled by High Winds

Feb 24th - 10:26am | Anonymous

The falling of the Christmas is a warning to the president that if he is coming closer to the evil Chinese communist for the purpose of getting some chips, disaster will accompany. Communism is against God and its purpose is to ruin the world.

Feb 23rd - 11:46am | Rev. S.M. King

Given the increase in entropy that our nation has experienced since 1978, perhaps it is time to replace the fallen Christmas tree with a 50 foot aluminum pole. (Festivus, for our all-inclusive amalgam!)

Reader Participation Day: Should A Federal Budget Stalemate Lead To Closure of National Parks?

Feb 24th - 10:22am | John Conway

So shut down the government to save money... every time that has been done the employees go home, no work gets done, when they get back there's more damage to the system due to lack of daily maintenence, leading to more back logged maintenence, costing tax dollars to repair, and the employees get paid for the lost time anyway, leading to a net loss.

Feb 23rd - 22:40pm | Will Strong

How do you close down a park? It is open space. Are there no rangers, no security? So what?. Sure "close" them down, it wont stop me using them.

Feb 23rd - 21:21pm | MarkK

Privatization wouldn't necessarily mean for-profit. It just means non-government. There are many existing private organizations on a local, state, and national level that run or contribute to parks, museums, etc.

Feb 23rd - 10:15am | justinh

Lawrence, Privatization would seem to be as a disasterous option. What would prevent this from opening the door to chopping down the Redwoods, mining the Grand Canyon, turning open prairie into golf courses, etc.? Not to mention that a for-proft motive might also price the parks out of some families' budgets.

Feb 23rd - 09:19am | ecbuck

If a shutdown of the national parks and other government operations is necessary to get our spending under control, then yes it is a reasonable solution. We all have our pet projects that are "sacrosanct" but the reality is that we all will need to make sacrifices to prevent the utter destruction of our country.

Feb 23rd - 07:16am | Lawrence J. Caldwell

Perhaps the Warren Buffets of the world could consider expanding their scope beyond human charities to those places which contribute to our very survival, our National Parks. Perhaps the privatization of the system is in order. Go where the money and the will exists.

2010 National Park System Visitation Dips To 281.3 Million, Down 4.2 Million From 2009

Feb 24th - 08:54am | Bob

Adams NHP: I have no idea but here's a question: does it depend on school field trips? It's certainly imaginable that school districts would cut field trips in the current financial climate.

Feb 23rd - 23:42pm | jjedit

I find it interesting that you continue to find ways to paint Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in dark and dreary colors. You point to the decline in numbers at Amisted National Recreation Area as well. You didn't include numbers from Big Bend or any other southwestern area park to substantiate your theory concerning border problems affecting attendance.

Feb 23rd - 22:20pm | Steve Nelson

MM, that is a mystery. Visitation was more than 200,000 for 10 consecutive years then fell off the table. I live in Massachusetts and don't recall any problems in the area of the park, or the city of Quincy where it is located. Maybe someone who lives closer to Quincy than I do has an idea. The economy is better here than in many areas of the USA.

Feb 23rd - 19:42pm | MM

Hello: Does anyone who is familiar with Adams NHP have any ideas as to why visitation was so much lower in 2010? Thanks. M

Feb 23rd - 10:20am | Owen Hoffman

Although the visitation statistics indicate a relatively large drop between 2010 and 2009, I wonder how credible the numbers really are? My skepticism is based on the fact that the number of visits are merely crude estimates.

Feb 23rd - 10:08am | Kurt Repanshek

Visitors. NPS does a pretty good job of differentiating between "recreational" visits and "non-recreational" visits.

Feb 23rd - 10:05am | Matt Stubbs

Were they visitors or clean up crews? I would never had guessed the numbers would be up because of visitors?

Feb 23rd - 10:02am | Kurt Repanshek

Actually, Matt. I did overlook that, and it is interesting. Visitation to Gulf Islands National Seashore, figured to be the most likely target for oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, was up in 2010 over 2009, according to NPS stats. 2010: 4,283,747 visitors 2009: 4,132,674 visitors.

Feb 23rd - 09:49am | Matt Stubbs

Did I miss it or did you not mention the oils spill in the gulf?

Reader Participation Day: Do We Need More Interpretive Rangers, Or Law Enforcement Rangers, in National Parks?

Feb 24th - 05:17am | MO

Both are important to the mission. A State Park Ranger myself, an issue with combining roles is LE Rangers are in large part a specialized and reactive arm of the agency. When out with a group of 40 folks, unless staffing permits its not realistic to drop the group to respond to an emergency.

Newspaper Turns Back the Calendar and Calls for "Buffalo Commons National Park" in Kansas

Feb 23rd - 19:20pm | Gaddy Bergmann

The Great Plains have been called an “American Serengeti,” and this is an apt comparison. During pre-Columbian times, and even into the 1800’s, the Great Plains supported huge herds of big game, including as many as 30 million bison, as well as numerous pronghorn, elk, deer, prairie dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, bears, and cougars, and many different kinds of birds and reptiles.

Are Yosemite National Park Officials Overlooking Safety of Curry Village Guests?

Feb 23rd - 19:03pm | Anonymous

safety of yosemite

National Park Mystery Plant 17: Ants in Your Pants Will Make You Dance

Feb 23rd - 09:59am | Bob Janiskee

Congratulations to Dan Martin. At 10:50 am EDT he became the first reader to identify Mystery Plant 17.

Feb 23rd - 08:58am | Bob Janiskee

Not Western yellow paintbrush, John. BTW, Nederland doesn't really function as a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Like lots of other small towns in the region, "Ned" is just within easy driving distance.

Feb 23rd - 08:44am | John

Sounds like the Western yellow paintbrush. Nederland is a gateway to RMNP which is home to this flower. As I recall ants seem to be attracted to this flower. The color is that of gold.

Former NPS Director George Hartzog Passes

Feb 23rd - 09:56am | Randy Johnson

There is a single, oddly downbeat, mention of former NPS Director Gary Everhardt in this page, but for those interested in a broader view of Everhardt's achievements, you might check out my NPTraveler story from last fall— /2010/10/gary-everhardt-%E2%80%9Cright-man-right-time%E2%80%9D-blue-ridge-parkway7132

Traveler's View: The National Park Service Failed Its Mission With Plan For Addition Lands at Big Cypress National Preserve

Feb 23rd - 09:44am | Matt Stubbs

“The Park Service established beach access ramps to enable commercial fishermen to continue to use vehicles to fish from shore while mitigating damage to the barrier dunes by controlling the points of entry, but these ramps also allowed general visitors motorized access to the beach” (P180, Creation and Establishment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore)

Budgeting Woes Likely To Hit The National Park Service

Feb 23rd - 09:27am | Stuart - Budget...

Budget cuts are something that everyone has to take an equal share of if we are going to reduce the deficit and get back to living within our means. But to really tackle the deficit cuts are only half the answer, they must be supported with the creation of more jobs and stimulus to the economy.

A Mammoth Cave National Park Christmas

Feb 23rd - 09:01am | Cody, Jack, Kri...

Absolutely amazing! Such creativity, imagination & talent. It looks like the real thing. Way to go John...we love it!

Updated: National Park Service Budget Would Grow by $138 Million Under President's FY12 Proposal

Feb 23rd - 08:55am | Michael Kellett

Hi Reality Check, Of course, I would like to keep as much of my earnings as I can. But there is no evidence that tax cuts benefit jobs or the economy. On the contrary, the economy was doing much better during the 1950s and 1960s when federal taxes were much higher than they are today.

Group says Landscape Arch in Arches NP, Not Kolob Arch in Zion NP, is World's Largest Span of Stone

Feb 23rd - 07:30am | Brian Williams

I have seen and painted both arches and they are each impressive. But neither one is the largest stone arch in the world. Google 'Shipton's Arch' in Xinjiang, far western China. National Geographic had an article on it with vital statistics and it dwarfs both of these arches. Tough luck, America, you don't always get to be the biggest and best.

Half Dome Permits Available For Reservation Beginning March 1

Feb 23rd - 00:28am | Anonymous

I started my Half Dome hike at midnight on a Saturday and was at the top by sunrise on Sunday. I was about a third of the way back down the trail (not the cables), maybe more, before I saw the ranger hiking up to check for permits. If this is the norm, you should be safe if you get up to the cables by about 9 or 10AM. Could just be the rangers sleep in on Sunday mornings.

Traveler's View: No Professional Bike Racing At Colorado National Monument

Feb 22nd - 20:40pm | Jim Burnett

Rick Smith's comment above is a nice summary of why the park made the right decision in denying this permit. Let's hope heavy-handed politics don't trump a reasonable policy.

Feb 22nd - 20:18pm | y_p_w

I just wanted to clarify that I looked more into the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, and found some more details on the course. I supposed previous versions did start from Alcatraz, but the 2011 course description mentions that they start from a boat adjacent to Alcatraz.

Feb 22nd - 19:20pm | Rick Smith

This from a letter I wrote to the Grand Jct. paper about the bike race. It was addressed to the former editor of the paper who had written an editorial in favor of the race: Dear Mr. Herzog:

The Annual Meeting of the Dumb and Dumber National Park Visiting Society

Feb 22nd - 19:40pm | Eric

To Gal Yellowstone: Real Rangers don't call visitors rude names. It's not nice.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

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.