Latest News

The latest news from around the National Park System.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Planning To Implement Backcountry Fees In 2013

A backcountry fee system will be implemented in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2013, unless a legal challenge derails it.

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By NPT Staff - September 28th, 2012 3:03am

23 comments

Llama On The Lam Saga Has A Happy Ending At Cowpens National Battlefield

Cowpens National Battlefield and the Revolutionary War battle it commemorates are both named for a site associated with the early cattle industry in America. An recent situation at the park created the need to get a four-legged animal into a pen, but in this case it wasn't a cow—it was a llama on the lam.

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By Jim Burnett - September 28th, 2012 3:03am

4 comments

New Book Traces Impacts Latinos Have Had On The United States

Throughout the National Park System there are traces of Latino heritage, some obscure, some well-defined and well-preserved. A new book explores these traces and helps you understand the impact Latinos have had on the United States since the early 19th century.

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By NPT Staff - September 27th, 2012 3:03am

15 Ways To Enjoy The National Park System This Fall

There's more than just changing leaves happening in America’s national parks this fall and here is a small sampling of some of the activities that are taking place during September, October, and November. Pack up the car, grab your Passport To Your National Parks® book, and spend some time exploring the parks this autumn!

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By NPT Staff - September 27th, 2012 3:03am

Stunning New Video Features Aurora Borealis At Denali National Park

The aurora borealis (Northern Lights) have long been a source of fascination for people fortunate to live in—or visit—locations where they are visible. Now, thanks to the photographic and musical talents of two volunteers, all of us can enjoy a beautiful time-lapse video of the aurora over Denali National Park.

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By Jim Burnett - September 27th, 2012 3:03am

Reader Participation Day: Should The Hetch Hetchy Valley In Yosemite National Park Be Drained And Restored?

Should the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park be drained of its reservoir and restored?

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By Kurt Repanshek - September 26th, 2012 3:03am

27 comments

Fish Barrier Installed In Glacier National Park To Block Non-Native Fish From Reaching Quartz Lakes

The Quartz Creek Fish Barrier Modification and Improvement Project in Glacier National Park was recently completed on Quartz Creek to prevent additional non-native fish from reaching Quartz Lake.

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By NPT Staff - September 26th, 2012 3:03am

Can't Make It To Glacier Bay National Park? Check Out The Bartlett Cove Webcam!

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a hard place to reach any time of year, let alone the fall. But that doesn't mean you can glimpse this beautiful corner of Alaska.

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By NPT Staff - September 26th, 2012 3:03am

Hiker Dies On Bright Angel Trail In Grand Canyon National Park

An unidentified man collapsed and died Tuesday morning on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park.

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By NPT Staff - September 25th, 2012 6:22pm

Body Found Below Cliff At Mount Rainier National Park

A body was found Monday at the base of a cliff in Mount Rainier National Park, marking the tenth fatality in the park this year.

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By NPT Staff - September 25th, 2012 6:25pm

Birding In The National Parks: Rare Bird Shows Up At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

So, you’re a birder looking to add a nifty pelagic species like the Great Shearwater to your list. Where do you go? Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, perhaps?

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By Kirby Adams - September 25th, 2012 3:03am

Full "Harvest Moon" Tours Of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse This Saturday

If thunderstorms in the forecast vanish, a climb up the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse this Saturday night could be spectacular thanks to the rise of a full harvest moon over Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

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By NPT Staff - September 25th, 2012 3:03am

Deer Culling To Resume Next Month In Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site

Deer culling operations will resume next month in Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site as officials continue to reduce the white-tailed deer population to prevent over-browsing of vegetation.

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By NPT Staff - September 25th, 2012 10:29am

31 comments

Fall In Yellowstone ... Means Winter And Road Closures Aren't Far Off

Fall visits to national parks can often turn out to be some of the best of the year. You can smell the seasonal change in the air, see it in the reds, browns, yellows and golds flecking the hillsides, feel it in the leaves crunching beneath your feet, and hear it in the bugling elk.

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By NPT Staff - September 25th, 2012 3:03am

Blue Ridge Parkway Closure Points To Source Of Past Failures

Another Blue Ridge Parkway road closure this fall and winter points to the aging infrastructure that undermines this scenic road, the most visited unit of the National Park Service.

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By Randy Johnson - September 24th, 2012 1:11pm

2 comments

Op-Ed: Park Service Finds Support For Protecting Marine Wilderness After Lengthy Drakes Estero Assessment

The recent National Research Council (NRC) report on the National Park Service’s draft environmental plan of Drakes Estero’s future has provided Interior Secretary Salazar with even further support to protect this valuable estuary in Point Reyes National Seashore

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By Neal Desai - September 24th, 2012 3:03am

4 comments

Man Fined, Banned From Grand Canyon National Park, For Guiding Without A Permit

A man who was guiding backpack trips in Grand Canyon National Park without a permit has been fined and banned from visiting the park for a year.

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By NPT Staff - September 24th, 2012 3:03am

15 comments

Campfires Banned In Parts Of North Cascades National Park Complex

The National Park Service has placed a ban on campfires in portions of Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park.

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By NPT Staff - September 24th, 2012 3:03am

7 comments

Joshua Tree National Park Peak Named In Honor Of Minerva Hoyt

A mountain in Joshua Tree National Park has been officially named after Minerava Hoyt in honor of her efforts to see the park designated.

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By NPT Staff - September 24th, 2012 3:03am

Parks Beyond Borders: The Most Biodiverse National Park On The Planet Is ...; Will There Be More Cottages For The Cairngorms?

A global roundup of national park news

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By Randy Johnson - September 23rd, 2012 11:16am

2 comments

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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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