| Page 1205 | National Parks Traveler

Guadalupe Mountains NP with Mckittrick Canyon is also a favorite. "During the Fall, McKittrick Canyon comes alive with color from the turning foliage of maple and hardwood trees. The bright colors stand in stark contrast to the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert." http://www.nps.gov/gumo/planyourvisit/mckittrick.htm

Aug 25th - 10:27am | RangerLady

Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains when the leaves are changing. October is a great time to sit on the porch of Big Meadows Lodge sipping one of their peppermint schnapps hot chocolates and gazing out over the scenery.

Aug 25th - 09:54am | rdm24

Fall is a bad time for the Santa Monica Mountains NRA, because it tends to be on fire.

Aug 25th - 08:17am | Chris

Great Basin NP in Nevada is amazing when the aspens and maples turn.

Aug 25th - 07:34am | Lee Dalton

Zion, when the cottonwoods along the Virgin River turn gold and the weather cools to gentle warm breezes instead of blast furnace hot.

Aug 25th - 05:04am | stuttgartgirl

Capitol Reef in Utah is one of the most overlooked parks, but one of my favourites so definitely deserves to be included as does Glacier in Montana, another favourite.

Bears Lost Ironic Advocate in Jim Cole

Aug 25th - 11:07am | Anonymous

You can get a clear, accurate picture of Cole's conduct around bears in Tim Rubbert's book Hiking With Grizzlies. It's a disturbing picture. Cole relentlessly harassed bears for photographs--for decades. Without his damn bear spray, would Cole have had the cajones to harass grizzlies unmercifully? Again and again, Rubbert's book details Cole's wildly unethical conduct around bears.

Traveler Readers Invited to "Test Drive" Prototype Website For Birding in the National Park System

Aug 25th - 10:57am | RangerLady

I like this website and it will become a great source for me when I head to other parks. I agree that the family and order information is too much and I immediately when to the simpler view. It would be nice to have a picture on the NPS page instead of clicking through the links to find one.

Aug 25th - 10:35am | tomp

Thanks, all, and keep those suggestions coming!

Aug 25th - 09:46am | MikeD

Web site not working for me right now for the most part, but ditto what Tom said. It would be really nice to have 4-season checklists standardized across the system most of all as well as birding-specific info (i.e., hotspots) for parks. Other stuff like photos not necessarily needed but certainly OK to have.

Aug 24th - 10:01am | Tom and Carol Sykes

Access issues aside (when will this ever be fixed!), pertinent birding information web access for a particular park would be helpful if: 1. Lists are up to date. So many checklists in parks are based on old sightings and contain spelling errors or outdated common names.

Aug 24th - 08:07am | Kurt Repanshek

Maggies.mom, You could be encountering one of two problems. 1) If you're using Internet Explorer 8, it could be a compatibility problem that can usually be resolved by clicking on "compatibility view" under the icon "view pages."

Aug 24th - 07:55am | Anne H

The links at the species pages I checked weren't working, eg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eNature. Since the content at your pages is limited, having these work will be very helpful. I'm assuming you're linking to www.allaboutbirds.org at Cornell or possibly to each individual species account.

Aug 24th - 06:59am | Maggies.mom

If you want an immediate comment - the page I am looking at right now (www.nationalparkstraveler.com plus the invitation) has a problem with readability - both the announcement text and the reader comments are showing up so wide that they protrude into the green band at right. I am sure this is not your intent.

Aug 23rd - 23:56pm | Cornell

It gives both too much and not enough. (a) too much: The scientific name and the order are not necessary. Most birders carry one or more bird guides which give the scientific names.

Experts Have No Idea Why Grizzly Bears Rampaged Through Yellowstone Area Campground, Killing One

Aug 25th - 10:34am | RangerLady

I talked to my mother last night and they only have one photo of the cubs, but nothing else. I would be more than happy to pass on your e-mail to her when I talk to my mother again tonight. It's a shame that people have been baiting the bears there. That seems to be a constant problem at the Peaks and I had to deal with it quite often when I worked there.

Aug 24th - 19:52pm | One_of _the_Joggers

Hi RangerLady,

Updated: Searchers Looking for Missing Plane With Park Service Employees Aboard at Katmai National Park and Preserve

Aug 25th - 10:22am | Brandon Cooper

I'm hoping this will end up being just another one of Neal's crazy adventure stories. From Yosemite to Hawaii to the Everglades to Alaska. He is a beast and I pray he, his bro and others are found soon!

Aug 25th - 09:02am | Josh Dripps

Neil and Seth were/are my neighbors in Indiana. We grew up next door to eachother. They are good people. We all pray for the safe return and pray for their famly.

Aug 25th - 07:39am | Warren Smith

I was the manager of Brooks Lodge from 1981-83 and during those years sometimes a plane would go missing for a few days and then turn up with all aboard safe. Weather conditions would deteriorate, or there would be a mechanical problem, and the pilot would prudently decide to just land somewhere and wait it out, or sit until found.

Aug 24th - 11:14am | Robert Morin

I worked with Neal and Mason on the maintenance team at Brooks Camp last summer and know that you couldn't have two more competent survival persons in an emergency situation than these two men. We are all hoping and praying for their safe return to King Salmon. And thank you Ben for the added information.

Aug 24th - 01:30am | Ben Jones

I have a lot of faith in Neal, as he is one of my best friends in the world, to have survived anything that may have happened and to be able to handle any situation that has arisen. He is as outdoorsman as they come and fortunately there was a weeks worth of supplies on board that are there for them while waiting for rescue. I wait anxiously for the good news that they have been found safe.

Aug 24th - 00:18am | akfisheagle

what's his name? I can find out for you. I live here and work for search and rescue on a volunteer basis. I know the people here and will get you the info you need. Scott

Echo Bay Resort at Lake Mead NRA has a New Concessioner and a New Name

Aug 25th - 09:43am | Tony

We are paining a vacation boating trip at Lake Meed the part of September can I launch me 28 foot curser at Echo Bay Marina?

National Park Mystery Photo 26: Water on the Run

Aug 25th - 08:44am | Anonymous

This is the mill pond gate at the Alley Springs Mill in southern Missouri.

Aug 25th - 08:34am | Kurt Repanshek

We've had another correct answer, but we'll give you West Coast readers a bit more time to puzzle over this before identifying the shot...

Aug 25th - 08:31am | Anonymous

Ozark National Scenic Riverways?

Aug 25th - 08:16am | Kurt Repanshek

Uh-oh. While that "not even warm" comment wasn't intended as a hint, it apparently stirred something in Chris's mind, as he's figured it out. However, we're gonna hold off on revealing his answer so others can take a whack at figuring this one out.

Aug 25th - 08:13am | Chris

Is "not even warm" a clue? The color of the water reminds me of Alley Mill (and Spring) in Ozark National Scenic Riverways...?

Aug 25th - 08:05am | Kurt Repanshek

Good guesses, but not even warm!

Aug 25th - 07:32am | Lee Dalton

A lock gate along the C&O canal?

Aug 25th - 06:49am | Anonymous

Cuyahoga Valley National Park?

Should Katmai National Park Replace Its Swikshak Patrol "Cabin"? One Picture Should Answer That Question

Aug 25th - 07:01am | Anonymous

How I wish now that it was not approved as the search for my friend Park Ranger Mason McLeod continues. He was one of the rangers sent to tear down the old cabin.

Another SAR in Alaska, This One for Day Hiker In Denali National Park and Preserve

Aug 25th - 06:40am | Connie Hopkins

Hiking alone is never a good idea and I hope this has a happy ending for his family's sake.

Aug 25th - 06:40am | Connie Hopkins

Hiking alone is never a good idea and I hope this has a happy ending for his family's sake.

Elk Population Growing at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 24th - 23:37pm | Anonymous

I hope Hunting is allowed someday. If you want a species to survive, start managing them...

Becoming A Junior Ranger At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Aug 24th - 21:44pm | Matt Wolf

My son (6) and I had a recent similar experience. He especially loved doing the tree identification and was getting good at it.

Aug 24th - 08:44am | Neil Bernstein

We're proud of our Junior Ranger!

Aug 24th - 07:22am | Anonymous

My husband and I were volunteer campground hosts in Smokemont CG in GSMNP in 2000 & 2001. It was always a thrill to watch a new Jr Ranger being sworn in. Great story!

Updated: NPCA Points Out Threats to Grand Canyon National Park in New Report

Aug 24th - 16:10pm | haunted hiker

The situation at the Grand Canyon is not as alarming as this sounds. The canyon will out last us. The river corridor issues has been around since the Glen Canyon damn was built in 1966. Some native species are benefiting from exotic species like tamarisk.

European Rabbits Facing Death Sentence at San Juan Island National Historical Park

Aug 24th - 12:52pm | Rebecca Barnard

Help us fight this. It's inhumane and ridiculous to kill off a 130-year-old self-sustaining population for the sake of grasses that haven't been there for hundreds of years. The foxes are starving and the eagles are leaving since the rabbits were gassed in April 2010. There are hundreds remaining.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Turning to 240 Volunteers To Help Reduce Elk Herd

Aug 24th - 10:46am | wg

Priscella;

RV Accident in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Injures 6

Aug 24th - 08:54am | Anonymous

Hello, we are on the way to the Park when the accident happened. It was Birthday Aug. 23 and Just a road trip through the Smoky when the accident happen. But we are glad that nobody got hurt really bad. We have fun though in the Oconaluftee Island Park Museum and the Gem Mining in Ruby gem.

Aug 24th - 07:58am | Danny Bernstein

Hi folks - I was at Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Smokies when the accident happened. Yes, it is inconvenient for other visitors but it's part of visiting a public area. You can't control everything. We tried our best to keep the visitors busy and seeing other parts of the park.

National Park Road Trip 2010: Return to the Beginning

Aug 24th - 07:44am | Connie Hopkins

You go David!!

National Parks Road Trip 2010: Across Wyoming

Aug 24th - 05:57am | Mercedes

I'm sure you had such a wonderful trip. Road trip is also one of my plans for my kids this summer but I was not able to get long vacation from work. Hopefully, next year we will be able to pursue that plan. My kids are already excited about it.

Reader Participation Day: Acadia National Park, or Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Aug 23rd - 22:48pm | toothdoctor

My two cents is for Acadia. While I have been to both, and enjoyed them each immensely, there was just something beyond words about my experience in Acadia that makes me want to return on a more regular basis.

Ask A Ranger. Violence Is Nothing New To The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Aug 23rd - 22:29pm | David Fifer

Mr. Codrea, from your comment I'm not sure if you're aware that there exists two general types of National Park Service Rangers: law enforcement (known as Protection Rangers), and non law enforcement rangers (interpreters, guides, maintenance personnel, etc).

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