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Updated: Two Ice Climbers Die in Fall Into Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

May 25th - 14:32pm | MikeD

Kurt - Are these basically frozen waterfalls? Is it typical to climb these cascades in late May?

Senators Pushing to Rollback Fees for National Parks and Other Public Lands

May 25th - 14:28pm | y_p_w

Volpe: These aren’t amusement parks, keep the amenities, I come to see nature. And if you can't manage your budget don't make me pay for it.

May 25th - 12:50pm | Volpe

These aren’t amusement parks, keep the amenities, I come to see nature. And if you can't manage your budget don't make me pay for it.

May 25th - 12:28pm | Roger

It never takes long to drag President Bush into the mix. Anyway, we need to get beyond the notion that everything public is free. If the government has to pay for something, they must get the money from somewhere. Nothing is free! I'd rather pay a high entrance fee than higher taxes.

May 25th - 09:26am | julie s.

The people who complain about having to pay fees at National Parks, tend to be the same people who complain about the lack of facilities, staffing, amenities, etc. at the parks. All the things that require funding. How much of our tax dollars do you think the parks actually get?

May 25th - 07:29am | Gaelyn

I'd like to see access to public lands for free, however, then there needs to be an increase to these sites from Congress or they'll go broke and have to close.

May 25th - 04:47am | Volpe

The public owns the parks and fees to enter are like charging me to go into my own backyard. “The public shouldn't have to pay to access public lands” makes sense. Charge fees for camping, boat rentals etc. but make sure that 100% of that money stays in the park.

Luxury Lodging in Our National Parks

May 25th - 14:23pm | y_p_w

stormy: (not verified) on May 25, 2010 - 8:06am.

May 25th - 09:06am | stormy

Yes, the 'common folk' can walk into these wonderful places and sit down, have a drink, whatever & watch 'the rich at play'. Kinda like the peasants could enter the castle and have the privilege of watching royalty eat their dinner, but never being allowed to join them. Then after the meal, they would be able to buy the leftover scraps at the kitchen door.

Three Florida Panthers Killed In Three Days By Vehicle Collisions, One in Big Cypress National Preserve

May 25th - 13:54pm | RangerLady

When I worked down there I often saw locals purposely running over the animals. I was once trying to get an alligator out of the road and a car went around me to hit it. It infuriates me to see things like this happens. How people can have such a disrespect for any living thing is beyond me. Thank goodness my mother taught me better!

May 25th - 12:53pm | Dorothy Catalano

Slow down drivers now before you waste the beautiful creatures of the southern U.S. Please.

May 25th - 12:09pm | Andrew Block

It's so disheartening to hear about the loss of these three panthers, especially the mother. As a frequent visitor over the years to panther country I've seen the speed signs and in my opinion there is no excuse for people to not see or obey those signs.

90 Years On, Dr. Michael Frome Continues To Lament The State of the National Parks

May 25th - 12:51pm | Paul Pritchard

Thank you Kurt for recognizing the essentialness of Michael Frome. Michael is for the parks THE thinker, writer, preacher, keeper of the sacred documents and Bob Dylan all in one. Yet he is always interested in the people, the rangers, his friends, his family---even the sinners who miss the message of parks.

May 25th - 07:18am | Gaelyn

I am so glad to know that Michael is still around to carry on the fight for environmental conservation on public lands. He was my adviser at WWU Huxley College of Environmental Studies and taught me to be honest in my writings.

May 24th - 19:58pm | Lee Dalton

Barky, exactly WHO are you suggesting run our parks? I'm not questioning the idea that our government has failed in many ways, but I'd like very much to hear more details on just what this Public Trust might be.

May 24th - 19:37pm | Barky

We need to get our parks out of the hands of government and into the hands of a public trust. Now. Our elected officials, and subsequently our government, has failed us and has failed the parks. We need to prune back their power and take the NPS away from them. Congress and the Dept. of Interior just don't get it.

May 24th - 17:34pm | Rick Smith

Kurt-- For many in my generation of NPS rangers, Mike was a true hero, one who spoke on behalf of the parks and programs of the National Park Service, not on behalf of the agency itself. He was the one who made us realize that we owed our allegiance to the parks, not to the Park Service.

May 24th - 16:38pm | Don Castleberry

Re: Mike Frome: I appreciated your coverage of this milestone for our friend, who cares as much for the parks as any of us who spent our working lives in their behalf, inside the NPS. I first knew Mike around 1977, when, as Superintendent of GW Parkway, I would frequently stop by his home for coffee and intense discussion of our common interests.

May 24th - 14:17pm | Scott Silver

At the 75th Anniversary of the National Park System (Vail Colorado, 1991) Michael Frome stated:

May 24th - 13:03pm | john glaza

I was fortunate to live in St. Mary Montana next to the east entrance to Glacier. We traveled the park extensively that year before the snows returned. Glacier at that time was still somewhat remote on the whole and there were many very remote areas accessible within a half day hike. Returning 10 years later and again 30 years later I noticed a remarkable transformation.

Shuttle Buses Ready to Roll in Sequoia National Park

May 25th - 12:04pm | David Frederick

If bus service were provided from Fresno, many people would visit the Park without vehicles. When is that going to happen!?

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Dispute Places Birds, Turtles, and Humans on Small Strip of Sand

May 25th - 11:52am | RangerLady

No problem dapster. It is a very confusing little island with 2 different federal agencies and 1 state park. I worked there for awhile so I had it drilled into my head every day

May 25th - 11:47am | dapster

Whoops! Thanks for the correction, Ranger Lady, as I was in error. I still worry that similar measures may one day be enacted in either PINWR of CHNSRA, and the DEIS has clearly shown a tendancy towards putting such measures in place concerning a bird that is not federally listed. Time will tell, I suppose.... **************************************************************

May 25th - 11:10am | Ron Saunders

Kurt, I think it important at this point to reiterate that most of us did not expect you to 'get it 100% right' from the beginning. Heck, Nobody has so far. I think most will agree that you have been fair. I for one have been pleasantly surprised. This has been a terriffic discussion.

May 25th - 10:32am | RangerLady

dapster, Just to correct one thing...the Virginia side of Assateague Island is a National Wildlife Refuge. It is not a National Seashore. The NPS and FWS work together on that portion even though is a Refuge. The Maryland side of the island is the National Seashore

May 25th - 07:35am | Judy Latham

"the folly of trying to control nature" - Kurt Repanshek If you truly believe this, then it seems to me you should start wielding your word hammer on the pro-access side. NPS, at the enviros whim, attempts to control nature by slaughtering hundreds of so-called predator mammals every year. Imho, it proves the bottom line for the enviros is money. SAVE THE RACCOONS!

May 24th - 19:14pm | Kurt Repanshek

As I noted in the 3rd graf, Matt:

May 24th - 18:55pm | Matt Stubbs

Kurt, I guess because of the responses to any writing you do in reference to Cape Hatteras getting more responses than the next 100 articles combined says something about the feelings about this. I will also state the looking at the letter of the law at the NPS about what constitutes a recreational area and the fact they leave this out ILLEAGALLY (per congress) from legal documentation.

May 24th - 17:42pm | Kurt Repanshek

Wheat, The 2.2 million number does not include those other units you mentioned. You can find it at the National Park Service's public statistics web site: http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/ Once there you can find the stats for Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, etc.

May 24th - 17:12pm | Bob Janiskee

A point of clarification is in order here. The article did not say that Cape Natteras National Seashore -- or any other Outer Banks locale -- has jetties, groins, rip-rap, or seawalls. These were cited as examples of beach hardening tactics on coastal barriers that work against natural processes and are self-defeating.

May 24th - 16:52pm | Wheat

Kurt, I want to thank you for the article as it is perhaps the most moderate piece you’ve written on this exhausting subject. Many are the issues that make up the fight for access to this amazing place.

May 24th - 11:48am | dapster

"Your implication of being inconvenienced for a scenic photo is ridiculous and disingenuous in this situation. It makes you less creditable." Did you perhaps mean "Credible"? No matter, for I am only lessened in your eyes, and by your measure, both of which mean little to me, frankly.

Before It Was A National Park....

May 25th - 11:42am | RangerLady

Hey I know that place! So sorry I missed your visit. It was my day off and I was somewhere on the Chimney Rock trail!

By the Numbers: The North Cascades National Park Service Complex

May 25th - 11:38am | Random Walker

I would say that ones visit to our North Cascades National Park Service Complex is not complete until the hike from the end of the Cascade River Road up to the pass and onward to the Sahale Glacier has been done. It is simply, awe inspiring..

May 25th - 09:31am | MRC

North Cascades is unique as the National Park is composed of only the higher elevations in the Cascade Mountains. The valleys are designated as National Recreation Areas, because the rivers have been dammed into reservoirs and are used for water sports. So a number of nice day hikes start on trailheads in Ross Lake NRA and only after a few miles of hiking you get into the National Park.

May 25th - 07:40am | Anonymous

Thanks for the stats. I've been looking at the NP site for North Cascades as we plan to visit in Sept. May have to alter plans. I had no idea there were so few roads in the park complex. That's okay. We'll enjoy day hikes.

May 25th - 04:54am | Bob Janiskee

@ QTLuong: Thanks for the information about visitation and roads, which I have incorporated into the BTN stats. As you've so aptly pointed out, North Cascades is not exactly a windshield touring park!

May 25th - 04:01am | qtluong

The visitation numbers in the National Park proper are certainly low (2nd least visited park in the continental US, second only to Isle Royale) for a park close to Seattle. That's easier to understand if you add the following number: 6 Miles of road (all unpaved) inside North Cascades National Park.

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

May 25th - 11:03am | Anonymous

I am a Canadian snowbird and have a passport to get into the country. Does this mean I have to carry it with me at all times even when hiking? They don't give out visitor visas at the border and where we stay, we were asked at one of the numerous border checks if we had proof of our citizenship. We usually lock up our passports so they don't get stolen for identity theft reasons.

May 24th - 11:03am | Anonymous

I planned a trip to AZ & UT several months ago and my trip is for personal pleasure, not political reasons. The hotel owner and shop owners I will support along the way will be looking forward to my influx of out of state cash. I have no plans to cancel it.

Did Developers At Harpers Ferry Ignore NEPA?

May 25th - 08:36am | Anonymous

The Developers who bought the Hill Top Hotel in Harpers Ferry back in 2007 have allowed the property to deteriorate and partially collapse this winter 2010. The large pile of debris just sits there potentially leeching Lead and asbestos into the soil and water or air.

Republicans on House Natural Resources Committee Complain About Northern Border Problems

May 25th - 08:09am | Lee Dalton

Wow, can you imagine the size of the fence they're going to need to keep those dangerous Canadians from flying across the border!?

Underwater Archeology Projects in Outer Banks Parks Address Intriguing Questions

May 25th - 07:38am | WDP

I was also under the impression that the sunken ships were also the de facto tomb of the lost sailors, whatever their nationality, and should be respected as such.

Heavy Snows Delaying Opening of Cedar Breaks National Monument

May 25th - 07:25am | Gaelyn

Thanks for the update. I've had visitors asking about Cedar Breaks. We had an inch of snow fall Sunday night at Grand Canyon's North Rim so suspect they got more too.

Tracing The Postage Stamp-Sized History of the National Park System

May 24th - 20:09pm | christopher K

Rather interesting research. I'm curious though, were the images photographs and if so who took them?

Summering in Yellowstone National Park: The Logistics

May 24th - 17:36pm | Kurt Repanshek

Debbie, If you encountered no problems -- traffic, wildlife, etc, you could probably make it in two hours. I'd budget two-and-a-half to be on the safe side. Enjoy!

May 24th - 16:11pm | Debbie

How much time should we allow to drive from Old Faithful Inn to Jackson Hole Airport?

Traveler's Gear Box: What's Covering Your Feet?

May 24th - 16:22pm | Ranger

Now that I've discovered Injinji toe socks, you will never see me hiking long distances in anything else. I have covered many thousands of backpacking miles in my lifetime, using a wide variety of footwear (sandals included). I frequently battled blisters between the toes until I met these socks.

"If You Enter the River, You Will Die."

May 24th - 15:56pm | powski

Putting a sign that says "If you enter the river, you will die" would be like putting a sign that says "If you enter the Beltway, you will die" at each entrance to the Beltway, except I am much more afraid of the beltway than I am of any section of the Potomac (and yes, I have paddled every inch of the river from Riley's Locke through Little Falls).

Rainbow Bridge National Monument Turns 100 on Sunday

May 24th - 11:18am | Kurt Repanshek

MRC, for what it's worth, an Australian expert on dating has placed a tentative age of 7,000-9,000 years on the Great Gallery petroglyphs in Canyonlands National Park and they're on sandstone, as well. Of course, they don't have as much gravity working against them as the bridge does.

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.

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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.