National Parks Traveler

On February 3, Fire Island National Seashore Superintendent Chris Soller and Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society President Bob LaRosa signed a new five-year partnership agreement. The agreement renews the Society's commitment to work collaboratively with the National Park Service to provide public programming and assist with preservation efforts at the lighthouse.

National Parks Conservation Association officials say a water permit for an oil refinery proposed to be built near Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota seeks four times as much water as the company's initial proposal.

Planning for rehabilitation of the crumbling Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., has been completed by the National Park Service, though the agency is far short of the $250 million estimated to pay for the work.

Despite being one of the snowiest winters in recent years, someone headed into Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and broke into a locked building to steal thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to the National Park Service.

Those hoof beats audible in Banff National Park in Canada are from bison, a charismatic animal that long has been missing from the park's ecosystem.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming is developing an environmental assessment to address wildlife hazard mitigation and greater sage-grouse habitat restoration in and around the Jackson Hole Airport in the park. Public comments regarding the document are encouraged and requested by March 8.

The Pu‘u Pua‘i overlook at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is temporarily closed to protect breeding nēnē (endangered Hawaiian geese) in the area.

From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the quiet wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the National Park Service preserves many pivotal, but lesser known, sites related to the African American experience. These places are among the dozens of national parks that convey stories of soldiers, educators, musicians, entrepreneurs, and freed slaves who blazed trails for all to follow.

There's nothing like a good book or two to help you prepare for a national park visit, whether you're looking for some historical background, a trail or two to hike, or interested in the natural resources or local culture. With that in mind, here are a few titles you might consider in preparation of a visit to Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.