Latest News

The latest news from around the National Park System.

Another Heat-Related Fatality In Death Valley National Park

For the second time this summer a visitor to Death Valley National Park has succumbed to the high heat of the park. Officials say the woman's body was found about five miles from her vehicle in the southern portion of the park.

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By NPT Staff - August 31st, 2016 3:24pm

Application Period Opens Thursday For Non-Commercial Snowmobile Permits For Yellowstone

Applications will be accepted starting Thursday for those interested in obtaining a permit for a non-commercially guided snowmobile trip into Yellowstone National Park during the 2016-2017 winter season. A permit is required for all non-commercially guided snowmobile groups to enter the park.

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By NPT Staff - August 31st, 2016 2:30am

Students Go Underground, Get Muddy With Project C.A.V.E.S. At Buffalo National River

The latest video in the “Outside Science (inside parks)” series follows high school students underground at Buffalo National River in northwest Arkansas as they take a weeklong course to learn about cave ecology and geology with Project C.A.V.E.S. (Creative Adventures and Valuable Experiences Through Spelunking).

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By NPT Staff - August 31st, 2016 2:30am

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Preparing For Hurricanes

With two hurricanes approaching the Hawaiian Islands, officials at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park are closing areas of the park until the storms pass.

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By NPT Staff - August 30th, 2016 6:48pm

South Entrance To Yellowstone National Park Opens

Hard work by firefighters battling the Berry Fire in Grand Teton National Park allowed officials on Tuesday to reopen the South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, a week after the wildfire forced its closure.

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By NPT Staff - August 30th, 2016 2:57pm

Renewed Effort To Build Tramway At Grand Canyon Draws Concern

A renewed effort has been launched within the Navajo Nation to have a tramway built from the rim of the Grand Canyon down to the bottom at the confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado rivers.

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By Kurt Repanshek - August 30th, 2016 12:44pm

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Washington Monument Closed Until Mid-September, Longer Shutdown In The Future

Repairs to the elevator at the Washington Monument are taking longer than expected, with officials not expecting it to be up and running before mid-September. Down the road, a nine-month closure of the iconic Washington, D.C., destination is expected to allow for modernization of the elevator.

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By NPT Staff - August 30th, 2016 3:00am

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National Parks Traveler Housekeeping

Here at the Traveler we recently did a little reorganization to make it easier to find some resource materials.

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By NPT Staff - August 30th, 2016 2:30am

Study: Roughly One-Third Of Yosemite National Park Lost For Resource Extraction

During a 32-year-period early in the 20th century roughly one-third of Yosemite National Park was released so it could be opened to natural resource extraction, according to an analysis published in Ecology and Society.

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By NPT Staff - August 30th, 2016 2:30am

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Fires In Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Parks Continue To Cause Visitor Problems

Wildfires in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks continued Monday to complicate visitors' lives, as the South Entrance to Yellowstone remained closed to traffic and smoke was creating health and driving hazards.

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By Kurt Repanshek - August 29th, 2016 2:41pm

Dry Tortugas, Everglades National Parks Returning To Normal, Cape Hatteras National Seashore Prepping For Storm

While Dry Tortugas and Everglades national parks in Florida are returning to normal after bracing for a tropical weather system, at Cape Hatteras National Seashore up the Atlantic Coast in North Carolina officials were preparing for an approaching tropical storm.

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By NPT Staff - August 29th, 2016 10:38am

Lodging In The Parks: YMCA Of The Rockies

Laughing children, teens streaming out of the cafeteria, and elk grazing peacefully on the lawn greeted me as I made my way to check in to the YMCA of the Rockies, a venerable and sprawling retreat cupped in a mountainous bowl sidled up against Rocky Mountain National Park.

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By Kurt Repanshek - August 29th, 2016 3:30am

Grand Teton National Park Foundation Completes $14 Million Jenny Lake Campaign

Grand Teton National Park Foundation has not only completed, but exceeded, its $14 million Inspiring Journeys fundraising campaign to renew Grand Teton National Park’s most iconic destination in honor of the National Park Service centennial.

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By NPT Staff - August 29th, 2016 3:30am

Wrecked In Yellowstone: Greed, Obsession, And The Untold Story Of Yellowstone's Most Infamous Shipwreck

A few years back, Editor Kurt Repanshek and I had an opportunity to tag along on a research boat headed across Yellowstone Lake. I remember it vividly, because on the way back an afternoon mountain storm whipped up some foamy whitecaps and our boat started to look pretty small for such a big lake (it covers 136 square miles, at an altitude of 7,700 feet).

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By Patrick Cone - May 19th, 2017 12:47am

Fire That Destroyed Historic Barn At Ozark National Scenic Riverways Declared Arson

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for setting on fire the historic Wallace Barn that burned to the ground earlier this month in Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

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By NPT Staff - August 28th, 2016 3:00am

Yosemite Nature Notes: A Glimpse At Stephen Mather

As we celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, here's a look back to 1916 and the life of Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service.

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By NPT Staff - August 28th, 2016 8:24pm

Approaching Storm System Prompts Closure Of Dry Tortugas National Park

An approaching tropical storm system prompted Dry Tortugas National Park off the Florida coast to plan to close to recreational visitors at 6 p.m. Saturday, while officials at Everglades National Park on the mainland planned to close the Flamingo Campground that evening.

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By NPT Staff - August 27th, 2016 1:37pm

Georgia Woman Observing A Snake Killed In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A Georgia woman who got out of her car to look at a snake along Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was killed when she was hit by an oncoming vehicle.

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By NPT Staff - August 27th, 2016 1:27pm

2nd Annual Yellowstone Forever Photo Contest

The Yellowstone Park Foundation and Nature’s Best Photography magazine announce the launch of the 2nd Annual Yellowstone Forever Photo Contest.

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By NPT Staff - August 27th, 2016 2:00am

Concessions Worker At Yellowstone National Park Falls To Death At Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone

A young concessions worker at Yellowstone National Park fell to her death into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone while out early in the morning Friday with some coworkers.

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By NPT Staff - August 26th, 2016 7:13pm

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The Essential RVing Guide

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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