Featured Stories

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

Essay Winner: 17-Year-Old R.J. Huber On How To Address Threats To National Parks

In his essay in the high school division, R.J. Huber, 17, of Cincinnati, Ohio, cited threats he sees to the National Park System and proposed solutions to counter them.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 18th, 2011 2:15am

Essay Winner: 11-Year-Old Marion Watson On Why National Parks Are Good For Kids

In addressing the value of national parks to kids, 11-year-old Marion Watson, of Petoskey, Michigan, not only drew colorful imagery with her essay, but wrote it on paper she decorated with colorful birds and flowers.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 18th, 2011 2:14am

2 comments

Just How Healthy Is National Park Food For You?

Hiking in a national park certainly is good for your health, but did you ever wonder whether that meal you purchased in the park was offsetting the benefits of that hike? In a bid to help you judge, the National Park Service is working to determine just how nutritious meals purchased in the parks are.

Food for the Parks Report.pdf

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 17th, 2011 2:44am

20 comments

Kicking Off National Park Week By Getting Dirty At Joshua Tree National Park

National Park Week arrived in Southern California with hot, dry, sunny weather, and a volunteer effort indicative of the good that can be done for national parks when the need is demonstrated.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 17th, 2011 2:41am

1 comment

Finding Proper Museum And Curatorial Facilities In the National Park System is No Easy Task

Across its sprawling system, the National Park Service is noticeably short of adequate museum display space and curatorial facilities. But the agency has a plan to address that.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 17th, 2011 2:38am

1 comment

Arlington House, Home of Robert E. Lee

While National Park Week brings attention to many of the iconic national parks, there are many other interesting units in the National Park System that are interesting to visit. One is Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial.

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By [email protected] - April 15th, 2011 10:54am

7 comments

By the Numbers: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history at a convenient location near Fisherman’s Wharf. Here are some statistics that tell the story of this remarkable place.

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By Bob Janiskee - April 15th, 2011 3:59am

Stripping ESA Protections From Northern Rockies Wolf Packs Could Harm Yellowstone National Park Wolves

Yellowstone National Park wolves, which have brought balance to the park's ecosystem and tens of millions of dollars to its surrounding communities, could find themselves targeted by hunters if an amendment attached to the latest Continuing Resolution remains intact.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 13th, 2011 1:33am

17 comments

Sixty Years Later, "Permanent" Oconaluftee Visitor Center Opens In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The new Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is airy, spacious and so beautiful.The museum focusses onthe cultural history of the park.

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By [email protected] - April 12th, 2011 2:40am

1 comment

Traveler's Gear Box: Brooks-Range Mountaineering's Cirro Hoody Jacket

How will a backcountry user honed on down garments react to synthetic insulation? Our intrepid backcountry guide gave the Cirro Hoody Jacket from Brooks-Range Mountaineering a field test. Read her thoughts.

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By Julie Trevelyan - April 12th, 2011 2:34am

2 comments

An Atonement at Fort Sumter

The world knows Fort Sumter as the place where the Civil War started 150 years ago, but I know it as the place where I earned redemption less than two months ago.

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By Bob Janiskee - April 11th, 2011 3:59am

3 comments

Recent Rescues Demonstrate Dangers Of Going Off Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Inviting as the lushly vegetated landscape that wraps the trails that wind through Great Smoky Mountains National Park might be, heading off-trail can be incredibly dangerous, as two recent incidents in the park demonstrate.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 10th, 2011 2:39am

7 comments

Artifacts And Archives From Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Heading South For Safekeeping

Sometime this summer a truck, or trucks, loaded with artifacts and papers at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana, will be sent south all the way to Tucson, Arizona, a journey designed for safekeeping until the monument can build a proper curatorial facility.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 10th, 2011 2:04am

1 comment

Signs Indicate Federal Government Shutdown Would Save Little In National Park Circles

A shutdown of the federal government, while shuttering most of the National Park System, might not save much money, as local economies would be stung and the National Park Service still would have to maintain some presence in the parks.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 8th, 2011 9:01am

8 comments

By the Numbers: Fort Sumter National Monument

The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. One hundred and fifty years later, a national park preserves and interprets the site.

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By Bob Janiskee - April 8th, 2011 3:59am

A Brief Word From Those Who Moderate Traveler Comments

Judging from some of the content of recent comments, some of which have required editing, others complete deletions, it's time to gently remind those who comment to please be respectful of others.

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By Kurt Repanshek - April 7th, 2011 1:25pm

5 comments

Latest Studies On Yellowstone National Park's Wolf Packs Shows Stable Population

In a recent interview, contributing writer Beth Pratt and Doug Smith, who leads the Wolf Project in Yellowstone National Park, talked about wolves, elk, climate change, and the Endangered Species list.

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By Beth Pratt - April 7th, 2011 2:02am

37 comments

Summer Special: Windshield Touring in the Eastern Parks

The National Park System is renowned for scenic drives. These traverses, loops, and shuttles in the eastern parks deserve a place on your windshield touring short list.

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By Bob Janiskee - April 6th, 2011 3:59am

Protecting the Sounds of Nature - Denali Aircraft Overflights Council is Making Progress

If you wanted to immerse yourself in nature, away from the frantic pace and sights and sounds of the manmade world, you might think the wilderness of Denali National Park would be the ideal place. And you would be wrong.

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By Joan Frankevich - April 5th, 2011 2:16am

1 comment

Summer Special: Visiting National Parks by Train

If you'd like to visit some parks this summer but don't relish the thought of airport security hassles or long hours in the car, perhaps train travel is the answer. Here's a sampling of options for trips to parks around the country via Amtrak.

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By Jim Burnett - April 5th, 2011 1:03am

2 comments

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.