| Page 31 | National Parks Traveler

National Recreation Area designation would be a modest positive step. The NRA advocate quoted in the article correctly notes that the Chesapeake Bay is "as spectacular as Yellowstone or Yosemite, or as great as the Great Smokies, or as grand as the Grand Tetons." However, instead of second-rate status as an NRA, a full National Park could be designated.

Nov 15th - 11:19am | Loui

Born and raised in Maryland. While no one will say that MD's state park system is exemplary, the job the state has done over the last 25 years to rehabilitate and promote the health of the Chesapeake Bay has been.

Essay | Update On Ambler Road In Alaska’s Brooks Range

Nov 15th - 12:56pm | ecbuck

John, how about the other 150 million barrels that Alaska produced and didn't export. Americans didn't benefit from that?

Nov 15th - 11:26am | John Perreault

Alaska exported over 15 million barrels of oil, most of it to China in 2020 and that number continues to grow. 730+ million dollars of zinc to Europe, Asia and Canada in 2020 and now we want to spend billions on a road to acess more. It will be the mining and oil executives that will benifit most from such an operation not you, I or the 20% of the native workers.

Nov 14th - 15:49pm | Loui

All the hand-ringing about the Alaska pipeline came to naught; many of the same arguments are regurgitated by the same crowd now. The idea of "road sprawl" in northern Alaska is so ridiculous both Democrats and Republicans are for building the road. Alaska is mind-numbingly immense. It's not a museum. Yeah, I want more recreational access. Build the road.

Some Questions Raised Over Cumberland Island National Seashore's Human Carrying Capacity

Nov 15th - 12:41pm | Kurt Repanshek

Good catch, Michael. We've corrected it.

Nov 15th - 09:21am | MIchael Seibert

The Plan does not call for a 1,900 square foot dock south of Sea Camp, it calls for restricting boat landing to a specific beach section to avoid nesting shorebird habitat.

Nov 14th - 06:54am | stephen n willis

The wilderness is not Disneyland. Nature is not just another form of human entertainment. This is America and it runs on money. The best way to preserve Cumberland is to steadfastly enforce wilderness standards in the wilderness area -- including the ban on vehicles, including bicycles, and limit access to the rest of the island to off-road feet.

Review | This America Of Ours: Bernard And Avis DeVoto And The Forgotten Fight To Save The Wild

Nov 15th - 09:05am | Chris...

And in 2020 bill gates and Booz Allen privatized the parks wit their for profits private booking company recreation gov. Are public lands are as accessable and open to the public as a Taylor swift concert. With equal cost and odds of attending. Rip america

Lodging In The Parks | Yellowstone Commercial Services Contract

Nov 15th - 03:05am | Parkie2007

This is for the General Stores, which are currently operated by Deleware North, not Xanterra. And have nothing to do with the Xanterra contract.

Nov 14th - 15:52pm | Loui

Xanterra is the worst. What awful food. Could you imagine if Hilton or Marriott took over?

Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Nov 14th - 22:55pm | Bob Vander Meer

It's interesting to read all the comments on this article. Some saying the trail should be closed. Others being pretty callous about the whole thing. If you've never been up to the top of Angel's landing, it's beautiful up there. I've been several times. It's also not a place for weekend hikers. People think it's just a hike because it's so popular and the trail is paved up to a point.

Sunday's Podcast: News Roundup Looking At Air Tours, GAOA, And More

Nov 14th - 04:42am | Mather Forever

Good podcast. Good perspective on air tour plans as well as news on funding going across the country for Great American Outdoors Act projects.

Organ Pipe Cactus: A Sonoran Desert Treasure

Nov 12th - 15:20pm | Jennifer Bain

We've got another NPT story coming soon but you inspired this photo:

National Park Service Silent On Charges It's Skirting Environmental Laws With Air Tour Plans

Nov 11th - 12:37pm | Kurt Repanshek

Listen to this coming Sunday's podcast, A. Johnson.

Nov 11th - 11:23am | A. Johnson

It appears that the NPS is not "skirting" NEPA--it's reasonably interpeting NEPA in that these tour flights are not "major federal actions".

Nov 10th - 21:03pm | Enclave

Not a good look for the NPS!

Three Days In Lassen Volcanic National Park

Nov 11th - 09:16am | chris...

If you plan on backcountry campint- you cant have a fire. I wound up hiking into the woods for 200 yards, setting down my bivy sack and sleeping on the forest floor.

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument: Don't Drink The Water

Nov 10th - 20:56pm | JimE

I went down the river solo a couple years ago from Ft Benton to Kipp. It was awesome! Took me 5 days, though I could have used a couple extra for hikes ( I did a few). Brought all my own water and an activated charcoal gravity system from Berkey as a backup. Also rented a satellite phone so I could let my wife know I was ok.

RVing In The Parks | Ford Offers A DIY Camper Van

Nov 10th - 20:30pm | Really?

Obviously more than "a few fancies (?)" At that price which is multiples of the average car price

Nov 10th - 08:44am | Anonymous

$66K? Better get used to it. I was just at a local car dealership and spotted a Jeep (with a few fancies) for only $111K.

Nov 9th - 16:30pm | A. Johnson

Interesting... but $66K? Yikes!

Mexican Wolf Numbers In The Southwest Growing, But Have A Long Way To Go

Nov 9th - 19:21pm | Jim H

Any numbers on wolf predation on elk and deer?

Searching For Plague Among Lassen Volcanic National Park's Pikas

Nov 9th - 19:14pm | Rebecca Latson

A. Johnson, While I do not know for certain, it seems logical that flea analyses would be sent to Jonathan Bowser, since he is conducting the research.

Nov 9th - 16:34pm | A. Johnson

Where might one find the analysis of the fleas?

Access For All: Archiving The Wilderness Of The North Cascades

Nov 9th - 13:50pm | Lauren

I'm so glad to read about this project. Samantha Richert does an amazing job--archivists are heroes!--and having this collection online will be a treasure.

Nov 7th - 01:01am | Rick B.

The black and white photography of the mountains and glaciers are simply awe inspiring.

NPS Seeks Proposals For Grand Canyon North Rim Commercial Activities

Nov 9th - 10:47am | A. Johnson

" but I've also seen horrible and wasteful business practices from concession operators that are simply bad businessmen...who then blame NPS for their failure. " Can you provide a few examples of this waste?

Nov 9th - 10:46am | A. Johnson

It's not accurate to state that NPS has nothing to do with the pricing of motel/cabins at the North Rim. The prospectus itself mandates that the concessionaire spend millions on repairs and updates; the NPS also collects a sliding scale franchise fee to be paid by the concessionaire. Obviously, those NPS mandates are passed on to the visitor. Just as obvious is the fact that prices for motel

Nov 8th - 21:29pm | y_p_w

A. Johnson: It's a sad reality that the pricing of these lodge, cabin, and motel rooms is leaving more and more ordinary folks behind. If the NPS wants "underrepresented" groups to get out and enjoy our national parks, how does these ever-growing costs of doing so help achieve that goal?

Nov 8th - 13:28pm | Former Employee

NPS has little to no say in how much a concessioner charges or how much profit (or not) is derived from what is essentially a contracted/private business operation within a National Park.

Nov 8th - 09:22am | A. Johnson

Thnaks for the informative report. It's a sad reality that the pricing of these lodge, cabin, and motel rooms is leaving more and more ordinary folks behind. If the NPS wants "underrepresented" groups to get out and enjoy our national parks, how does these ever-growing costs of doing so help achieve that goal?

Forest Restoration, Resilience, And Protection At Lassen Volcanic National Park

Nov 9th - 09:06am | Mike G

This is really good. I applaud the NPS for taking meaningful steps to reduce the fuel loading in our heretofore abused National Parks. In the 1980's Mesa Verde suffered four devastating fires. The existing Pinyon Juniper forest was so thick that fire easily carried through it although typically, PJ is difficult to burn without specific high temperature, high wind conditions. Over 90% of the

Nov 9th - 07:17am | Michael Kellett

This is really bad.

Essay | Don't Stack Rocks

Nov 8th - 18:03pm | WaltD

I always knock down stacked rocks whenever I find them. On long distance trails, they are used to point the way or to validate that the hiker is on the right route. When I hiked the PCT several years ago, I came across cairns that served no purpose other than to potentially confuse hikers, which could lead to tragedy. So folks, don't stack rocks! It's dumb!

Nov 4th - 18:32pm | ecbuck

Can I ask, how was adding the rocks back to the water less intrusive than moving them in the first place? Doesn't natural movement from high waters displace far more rock than man making cairns. Cod aestetic reasons I'm no fan of cairns except in the rare case they are the only way to identify a safe passage but claiming they materially impact the life of the salamanders and mayflies is a lit

Fact-Check: Does Yellowstone Have Glaciers, And Are There National Parks In The Great Plains?

Nov 7th - 12:19pm | CJDillon

You may mean the Pawnee National Grassland. It's not a national park - it's managed by the USDA Forest Service. There are a number of National Grasslands managed by the Forest Service. Areas I think are under appreciated by the general public.

Nov 5th - 15:32pm | Bill Stock

Colorado Grasslands national park- 25 miles east of Fort Collins. Pawnee Buttes

Search Continues For Missing Hiker At Olympic National Park

Nov 5th - 19:03pm | Anonymously

Knowing that trail, it's likely she had to avert a giant tree or clump of them that failed. I've had issues with it where I spent upwards of an hour trying to get back on trail and I can imagine getting fully lost or injured in that situation

Nov 5th - 16:29pm | Toni

Did she sign in at the trail head? Another article reports that she was driving there under rain conditions. Is it possible she never made it to the trail? And .. I assume they did this, but, did they look inside that old chauteau to see if she took shelter there for some reason? Also, have they checked everyone else who was officially using the trail and other camp sites?

Nov 5th - 08:52am | Sierra Mark

Who says she was woefilly unprepared? I agree that getting a permit in person is a good idea but that certainly doesn't stop people from taking too much risk. I prey for her safe return.

Nov 4th - 23:24pm | wendy

And how do you know that she was "woefully unprepared?"

Nov 4th - 21:00pm | Joe Fico

This likely could have been prevented if park policy was changed to give the rangers more power to make decsions. Had Laura been required to pick up her permit in person and her gear was inspcted, just about every, if not every, ranger in the NPS would have known that she was woefully unprepared for this particular trip and she would not have been issued a permit. Sometimes in the US, it seem

"Upper Lot" At Ridge Trailhead on Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park To Be Permanently Closed

Nov 4th - 15:50pm | Randy R

My bad, I meant 11 years, not 12 above. It was great to be back there.

Nov 4th - 12:52pm | Randy R

I doubt anyone will see this post, since the most recent one was 12 years ago! Did the hike two days ago... hadn't done it in 27 years. Prior to that, I'd done it several times in the mid-80s and 90s. Wow -- things have changed! I had read about the new configuration of parking lots and the change of part of the original trail to become the "Ridge Access Trail" that opened two years ago.

Rock Creek Park's Upper Beach Drive To Remain Closed Year-Round

Nov 3rd - 19:49pm | Alex S.

While the map is accurate, the headline isn't. The Park is continuing its policy of closing segments of Beach Drive; these segments have been closed on weekends and holidays for years and on weekdays since 2020. All picnic areas are accessible by car.

Nov 3rd - 10:31am | Kurt Repanshek

Yes, there was a public comment period over the summer.

Colorado Man Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison For Shooting NPS Ranger

Nov 3rd - 17:16pm | Rick B.

He got off easy for attempted murder of a federal law enforcement official.

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