Located roughly mid-way between New York City and Philadelphia, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a verdant, mountainous oasis cut by a cooling river that attracts millions every year, with most coming during the summer months to relax and gain a bit of respite from the region's notorious humidity. Those millions, though, can be oppressive when squeezed too closely together.

An estate house on the grounds of Valley Forge National Historical Park that dates to the 1700s will serve as a party venue for the next decade under a contract the National Park Service signed.

Spray-painted graffiti is becoming an increasing problem in parks around the country, so it was encouraging to learn about a successful investigation of one such incident at Gateway National Recreation Area. This case involved graffiti on top of a historic gun battery structure at the park, and nice work by a ranger has resulted in charges against the individuals responsible.

Steady is a good thing at Voyageurs National Park, where the resident moose population is holding constant with estimates from the past five years, according to wildlife biologists.