| Page 1231 | National Parks Traveler

Well I can tell you that today I was hiking along a secluded trail here in the Bishkill, PA area. When I arrived I was the only car in the lot. I went hiking for a couple of miles and went down to one of the rocks by the river, stripped off, and went swimming. Since it was a lovely day and I was alone I decided to hike back down the trail shorts and towl in hand.

Land Deal Closes The Book On the New World Mine Proposed on Yellowstone National Park's Doorstep

Jun 15th - 21:25pm | Anonymous

excellent

Great Strides Being Made in Recovering Island Fox at Channel Islands National Park

Jun 15th - 21:08pm | Anonymous

Has it not occured to everybody that the park line is hogwash, a fabrication meant to bolster the park's agenda? Prior to the onset of Park Service management in 1986, the island fox thrived for the 150-plus years of the ranching era in the presence of large cattle, deer, pig and goat populations.

Seasonal Law-Enforcement Ranger At Glacier Bay National Park Charged with Two Counts of Second-Degree Sexual Assault

Jun 15th - 20:56pm | Anonymous

All of the Charges were dismissed againt Dorian Curry by the District Attorney in Juneau.. This can be verifed with a written request to the Clerk of the Court in Juneau Alaska asking for a copy of the dismissal of charges...

Let's Stay Safe In the National Parks This Summer, Okay?

Jun 15th - 18:33pm | justinh

Laborman, It strikes me, too, as an awful "amendment" for the reasons you mention. The first casualty of the new law may have been the grizzly bear shot to death by a backpacker in Denali.

Jun 15th - 18:03pm | Laborman

How about the idiotic amendment to the credit card reform law which took effect last February which allows anyone to carry a loaded weapon, even assault weapon, into any national park if it would otherwise be permitted under state law?

Mountains-to-Sea Trail Weaves Through North Carolina's National Parks

Jun 15th - 17:11pm | Danny Bernstein

Hi Eno Hiker: Thank you for your complements. Yes, the Piedmont is interesting and I have walked the Sauratown Trail. But I was conscious that I was writing for **National Parks Traveler** so I wanted to emphasize the national parks units that the MST goes through.

Jun 15th - 16:25pm | Eno Hiker

What a wonderful story on the MST. Thanks for all the great details about the beautiful areas it passes through, the challenges that still lay ahead for completing the trail and some of the history on how it got started. I wish there had been more stated about the middle or "Piedmont" sections of the trail.

Jun 15th - 16:03pm | Anonymous

I am currently section hiking the MST and fully support using more existing trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to avoid walking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The suggested route goes through the Cataloochee section of the GSMNP, a unique treasure of the caliber of other North Carolina gems linked by the MST.

Bluffs Lodge and the Best Coffee Shop in a National Park

Jun 15th - 15:56pm | Joe Veler

Our fall color reports start around the middle of September. They are accessible via the home page just like the wildflower reports are. During the winter... we do winter closing reports so we work on it all year. We've also recently added a road closures and weather page. See the links below. I've also provided some links to fall color reports from last year (2009).

Shock-Synthesized Diamonds Unearthed in Channel Islands Reveal a Death-Dealing Extraterrestrial Impact

Jun 15th - 15:23pm | Dennis Cox

The likelihood of the obvservations of an amateur being taken seriously by the academic comunity is inversely proportional to the significance of those observations. So that a really big idea that changes things has about as much chance of being heard as a mouse breaking wind in a huricane.

The Yosemite Fund and The Yosemite Association Come Together Under The "Yosemite Conservancy"

Jun 15th - 13:03pm | Mark S.

Thank you for epitomizing one of the very reasons no one wants to discuss this issue. It, the quality of the Yosemite visit, is not about me. I will gladly camp elsewhere other than Yosemite Valley, which I have done twice in the past three weeks. I would gladly take a number if it means that the experience can be improved for others.

Jun 14th - 10:31am | Anonymous

Mark-- you are right-- there is a problem with to many people wanting to see Yosemite-- will you please stay home next season so someone who has not been there can go?? LOL

Overnight in Shenandoah National Park's Skyland Resort

Jun 15th - 11:35am | Benjamin Lord

Looks like great progress is being made on this trip. That Blue Ridge Parkway seems so long you wonder if you'll ever see the end. Shenandoah is a lesser-known crown-jewel, since it requires exploration and time to uncover its secrets. But it has always been my personal favorite. What are you guys going to do now, since you have to travel West?

Jun 15th - 08:17am | Duncan deGraffenreid

Bring back Buckwheat pancakes! Please!

Get to Know What Search and Rescue On Mount McKinley in Denali National Park Is All About

Jun 15th - 10:40am | tahoma

Outstanding photography in difficult conditions!

Jun 15th - 08:30am | Lee Dalton

Impressive! Very impressive . . . .

Off the Blue Ridge Parkway and into Shenandoah National Park

Jun 15th - 08:22am | Duncan deGraffenreid

Thanks! I emailed him.

Jun 14th - 17:25pm | Bob Janiskee

Peter Bizon, ARAMARK's Executive Chef at Shenandoah National Park, is in charge of the menus at Skyland and Big Meadows. You can contact Chef Bizon at [email protected]

Jun 14th - 17:03pm | Duncan deGraffenreid

Skyland and Big Meadows restaurants used to serve the bestest Buckwheat pancakes up until i think last year. I asked about it and was told it filtered off the menu for lack of demand. If you could put in a good word for bringing them back, the park would be a better place :) Loft Mountain is a beautiful place to camp....I love the mostly flat sites on top of the mountain.

National Park Movies of the 1980s

Jun 14th - 21:12pm | y_p_w

Thinking back to National Lampoon's Vacation, there was a reason why Clark Griswold is in such a hurry to take just a glace at the Grand Canyon and hightail it out of there. He'd just had his credit card denied at the El Torvar, with the clerk refusing to take an out of state check. He then just accidentally opened the cash register, took out a wad of cash, and left the check behind.

Jun 14th - 19:12pm | Random Walker

There was the silly "Harry and the Hendersons," parts of which were filmed in my favorite National Park of all, The North Cascades. The underrated sci-fi B-movie "Cherry 2000" was filmed mostly in Death Valley National Park.

Jun 14th - 18:08pm | Kolby

Another bit of trivia: One of the first scenes of Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi has C3PO and R2D2 walking towards Jabba's Palace. Although the palace was a painted addition to the shot, the "road to Jabba's Palace" was filmed in Death Valley National Park, a few miles south of Zabriskie Point.

Jun 14th - 16:19pm | Bob Janiskee

Thanks, ypw; you've added some important content -- especially The Shining. I must have been sound asleep at the wheel on that one. I could have sworn that The Shining came out in the 1970s, but the release date was May 1980, and it definitely belongs there. I'll go back in at some early opportunity and edit the list to include your additions.

Jun 14th - 15:19pm | y_p_w

Parts of The Shining were supposedly filmed at Glacier National Park. The alleged inspiration for the hotel was the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. The 1986 movie Big Trouble in Little China had a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge from Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands.

Jun 14th - 10:52am | Bob Janiskee

The original typo (title did not match description) was corrected, Ron, thanks to sharp-eyed reader mikeD. The correct title for that 1989 film is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. BTW, the Star Trek film to which you refer is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). Star Trek VI, which was released in 1991, is subtitled "The Undiscovered Country."

Jun 14th - 10:27am | Ron Scofield

It was just an oversite I am sure but the Honorable Mention movie listed as Star Wars V: The empire Strikes Back should have been Star Trek VI: Voyage Home.

Updated: Phone App Reviews: Chimani's Acadia and Nomad's Great Smoky Mountains

Jun 14th - 20:54pm | Kerry Gallivan

Just wanted to let everyone know that version 1.1 of the Chimani Acadia app was just approved by Apple and is available on the App Store for download. It includes the additional photos mentioned in the article, as well as 13 new trails and updated Ranger Events.

Jun 14th - 08:28am | Jenn Grover

Let me pass along a little Android love.....National Park Maps, National Parks Tours, What's Invasive, plus the usual bunch of hiking apps (Hike Utah, etc) and Google Earth.

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway: Peaks of Otter Lodge Really Has An Otter

Jun 14th - 14:06pm | grey_lensman

David & Kay, I am enjoying your articles. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah park are beautiful places. Stay safe.

Jun 14th - 13:38pm | Joe Veler

Contrary to what it might seem, the Peaks of Otter are probably not named after the cute furry mammals that swim and crack shellfish with rocks on their bellies. :-)

Jun 14th - 10:42am | Kurt Repanshek

Good question we should have addressed. It stems from three mountain peaks that together are referred to as the Peaks of Otter.

Jun 14th - 10:20am | Anonymous

Where did the peaks of otter name come from?? Seems kind of odd??

Reservations Open May 15th for Turtle Watch Program at Canaveral National Seashore

Jun 14th - 12:47pm | Oshiners

I called about 2 weeks ago and again today and left a message. I hope I hear from you soon.

Unexpected Deaths of Two Mountain Goats Halt Study at Glacier National Park

Jun 14th - 11:55am | tahoma

It wasn't 'scientific research', haunted hiker, but Olympic National Park spent much of the 1980's relocating introduced and unwelcome mountain goats. I was told by insiders that the mortality rate was about 25%, mostly due to heat stress during transport. They probably have quite a bit of data about drug reactions as well?

Jun 14th - 09:42am | Anonymous

Sounds like it was a problem with placement of the needles and possibly the dose used?? Hopefully the great people doing the research can continue and learn more about our mountain friends!!

Historic Cabins In Zion National Park Get Renovated, But Retain Old Look

Jun 13th - 23:12pm | y_p_w

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the full-on meltdown I saw at the Bryce Canyon Dining Room before on this and other forums. I was actually feeling a bit sympathetic. We got our lunch order in before the meltdown started, and we waited patiently for our order without saying anything to the one waitress on duty. There were maybe 15 occupied tables and one server.

Jun 13th - 21:57pm | jessstryker

Time of season is a huge variable and I can say with certainty that when a facility is pushed beyond capacity I have seen tempers flair both with customers and staff. But I understand this, and am typically very forgiving toward it. I'm certainly not a "hotel snob" and confess when I review the really nice ones I feel a bit like a fish out of water.

Jun 13th - 20:57pm | Lee Dalton

Hmmm. Maybe I need to qualify my remarks. My stay at Mammoth Hotel was in winter. All the employees I encountered were mature Americans. Maybe that makes a difference. My two snowcoach trips in Yellowstone in 2008 and 2010 were provided by some young men who would make excellent interpretive rangers.

Jun 13th - 17:30pm | y_p_w

Ranger KT: I can't believe they are putting TVs in the rooms at the Zion Lodge, especially when there is so much else to do there.

Jun 13th - 13:56pm | Ranger KT

I can't believe they are putting TVs in the rooms at the Zion Lodge, especially when there is so much else to do there.

Reader Participation Day: Has Arizona's Approach To Controlling Illegal Immigrants Led You To Cancel a Grand Canyon Trip?

Jun 13th - 20:14pm | Anonymous

the law does nothing of the sort have you read it?

Ranger Ingenuity 401 - Horse Rescued from Canyon at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Jun 13th - 18:08pm | ts308

Very cool. Ingenuity is rare in our everyday life. Good job by all. I can only imagine the wittisms Ranger Mengel uttered.

Jun 13th - 15:30pm | MARTY MCCASLIN

There could not have been a better choice that to Chris Mengel supervise this operation. He has the talent, experience and coolness to get a large project like this completed safely with out further incident. Marty McCaslin

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