In the latter part of the 19th century, cattle drives from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas, might involve upwards of 2,000 head of cattle and last two or three months. At Mesa Verde National Park, where a dozen cattle and 80 horses have been "trespassing" on park property, officials say it would take five years to remove them. And that it could take a decade to improve fencing along the park's boundaries to prevent livestock from returning to the park.

Flooding spurred by heavy rains has closed the entire Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. The trail closure includes associated parking lots from Botzum Trailhead in Cuyahoga Falls to Lock 39 Trailhead in Valley View.

Better wildlife habitat, and a look reflective of how the Brawner Farm area of Manassas National Battlefield Park appeared during the Civil War, was achieved through a prescribed fire set by park firefighters.

Some of the world’s greatest wonders exist in America’s National Park System, from the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful to Mammoth Cave and the Everglades. But the system also features ailing wastewater treatment facilities, rotting buildings, and even the risk of demolition by neglect. Many parking lots are crumbling, some communications systems are antiquated, dams and levees are in serious condition, and employee housing in some parks is shabby.