Featured Stories

Some stories, whether focused on travel or a specific issue, deserve a longer treatment.

Seabeaning Among Marine Debris At Padre Island National Seashore

The first time that I went seabeaning, I triumphantly scooped up what looked like a shrivelled brain from a national seashore that was dotted with plastic trash. I turned the fist-sized oddity over in my hands, admiring how the deep grooves on its bumpy brown surface created brain-like patterns.

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By Jennifer Bain - March 9th, 2025 3:30am

Park Employees Lose Jobs Despite Excellent Performance Reviews

On the cusp of careers envisioned to last decades, fired National Park Service employees are left wondering about what might have been.

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By Lori Sonken - March 4th, 2025 11:11am

Hawaiian Bird Species At Risk Of Extinction From Halt In Federal Funding

A federal hold on funding could upend a novel approach to preventing mosquitoes from sending a number of Hawaiian bird species into extinction.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 27th, 2025 5:53pm

Working To Preserve Cashes Ledge, ‘Yellowstone Of The North Atlantic"

An undersea wonderland some 80 miles off the New England coast that bursts with a biodiversity so bountiful that it’s dubbed the Yellowstone of the Atlantic needs better protection, maintain marine ecologists.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 26th, 2025 2:02am

Saving Grenada's Critically Endangered National Bird

Every seven seconds we hear it — the long, drawn out “hooooooo” of one of the world’s rarest birds. The Grenada Dove may be shy, elusive and critically endangered, but it’s cooing its heart out on this drizzly day in the Caribbean.

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By Jennifer Bain - February 19th, 2025 2:35am

National Park Service Can't Say How Many Superintendent Vacancies It Has

While the National Park Service, and other federal agencies, are in a state of turmoil under the administration's push to drastically shrink the size of government, the agency has no idea how many vacant superintendent positions exist across the National Park System.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 14th, 2025 2:30am

What Does The EXPLORE Act Mean For Wilderness Areas?

The EXPLORE Act was celebrated by many in the outdoor community, but wilderness advocates had some reservations.

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By justin.housman - February 10th, 2025 7:19pm

Dirty Toilets, Grumpy Visitors And Vandalism: Get Ready For Summer In The Parks

National park visitors could be confronted by "chaos" this summer if the hold on seasonal hirings by the Trump administration is not lifted soon, says former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis.

opm_memo_request_for_agency_performance_management_data_2-6-2025.pdf

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 6th, 2025 1:55pm

Discovering Life Lessons On The Fly: Embracing New Adventures At Any Age

As dawn painted the Montana sky in hues of gold and amber, I sat in an inflatable raft on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, gripping a fly rod for the first time. This wasn't just a fishing adventure—it became a journey of self-discovery.

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 4th, 2025 2:30am

Recalling A Tragedy That Led To Mammoth Cave National Park

Floyd Collins entered Sand Cave a century ago today to explore its prospects as a visitor site and became trapped in a passageway not much wider than his chest, dislodging a 27-pound rock that pinned his leg.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 30th, 2025 2:30am

Wilderness, The Last Frontier

There is a shrinking potential to increase the amount of official wilderness in the country. The possibilities are waning because of federal agency decisions and congressional opposition or indifference.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 24th, 2025 2:30am

Rare Steller’s Sea-Eagle Visits Terra Nova National Park

“Are you a birder?” the woman asked from the front seat of her pickup truck in the parking lot of a Newfoundland national park on New Year’s Eve.

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By Jennifer Bain - January 21st, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened and Endangered National Parks | Surging Storms

National parks, especially in the Southeast, are bearing the brunt of intensifying weather events.

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By Kim O'Connell - January 18th, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks | Trump's Return Triggering Trepidation

President-elect Trump's upcoming return to the White House is generating grave concerns that the National Park Service will be facing fiscal reductions and policy revisions that could significantly alter both the way it does business as well as how it manages to conserve the park system.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 15th, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks | National Parks And The Mines Next Door

As far as the Biden administration is concerned, a proposed Alaska mining road through a U.S. national park and adjacent federal land is kaput. Rejected. Case closed. Or so it was thought.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 11th, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks | Sea Level Rise Is Reshaping Western Parks

Sea levels are rising and with it comes threats to national park lands fronting the Pacific Ocean.

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By justin.housman - January 8th, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened And Endangered Parks: Steep Lodging Rates Price Out Some Visitors

The privatization of park lodges — occurring since the National Park Service’s inception — has made stays inside the parks unaffordable for many visitors.

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By Kurt Repanshek - January 5th, 2025 2:30am

4th Annual Threatened and Endangered Parks: The Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Hurricane Helene diminished the forest canopy and caused massive damage along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, which already faces major environmental concerns.

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By Kim O'Connell - January 2nd, 2025 2:30am

National Parks Traveler's 4th Annual Threatened and Endangered Parks

Forests littered with trees that once soared high but now are stacked in disarray like gigantic Pick Up Stix. Rising seas eroding shorelines and squeezing wildlife. A venerable footpath facing many threats. Prices threatening to make a mockery out of the contention that a national park vacation is inexpensive

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 31st, 2024 9:07am

First Look At Jasper’s Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre

Behind an electrified fence along a seasonal road in Jasper National Park, a trailblazing Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre is nearing completion despite setbacks from a massive summer wildfire.

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By Jennifer Bain - December 26th, 2024 3:00am

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

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

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.