National Parks Traveler

Barring a major snowstorm, crews at Yellowstone National Park should have some of the park's roads open Friday. While the North and West entrance roads should be clear of snow, more work is necessary for the East and South entrances to be opened.

For the first time in its history the National Park Service is going to have a full-time assistant director for American Indian Relations. Gerard Baker, a 30-year Park Service veteran who most recently has been superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, will take that role on April 24. A full-blood Mandan-Hidatsa Indian, Mr. Baker relishes the opportunity to improve relations between the Park Service and Native American tribes.

Hikers who reach the bottom of the "inner gorge" at Grand Canyon National Park can learn more about the ancient cultures that once lived there thanks to the addition of interpretive panels erected next to ruins near Phantom Ranch.

Seventy-five years is a pretty good show of longevity, and shouldn't be treated lightly. It certainly isn't being overlooked at the Blue Ridge Parkway, where two symposiums are scheduled to celebrate the beautiful ribbon of highway that runs through the Appalachian Mountains.