Short-term headaches will lead to long-term improvements for visitors who enter Yellowstone National Park from the East Entrance, as construction on a 3.5-mile section of road between Fishing Bridge and Indian Pond will force delays and a closure.

Enthusiasm for camping continues to increase, driven largely by a new generation of campers who are ethnically diverse, physically active, and willing to try new camping accommodations.

The rental car was taking a beating so we decided to turn around. Recent rains had eroded the road and created serious ruts in the shortcut we were taking from Mojave National Preserve into the new Castle Mountain National Monument. After the car went up on three wheels climbing out of the last arroyo, we slapped high fives for successfully retracing our track back to the main road.

Katmai National Park and Preserve is located in southwest Alaska, at the base of the Alaska Peninsula. The park was originally established as a national monument in 1918 to preserve the landscape associated with the 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta, which turned out to be the largest eruption in the world during the 20th century