Temptation in the form of an active volcanic crater can be a powerful motivator, but for 11 people the thrill of staring down into the fuming Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was tempered by a $350 ticket each from park rangers for ignoring closure signs.

They had me surrounded at the border. The border of Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, that is. And “they” were a dusty herd of bison, moving from one lush meadow of grass to another, with their skittish young in tow.

Burmese pythons have made a huge dent on wildlife in Everglades National Park, and now a determination that some have crossbred with Indian pythons means the constricting snakes could slither out of the swamps and onto higher ground in search of their meals.

A tent that had been ripped open, pillows carried away, and an "adult-sized scat pile" near the pillows was enough to prompt Glacier National Park staff to restrict the Rising Sun Campground to hard-sided campers for the immediate future.