National Parks Traveler

For many, fall conjures images of blizzards of golden leaves, the eerie bugles of bull elk, and the first crisp, possibly snow-dusted, days of year’s end. For the northern half of the country these are the realities of the National Park System. There are the breathtaking days of hiking, watching wildlife on the move, and even tasting the season in the bounties of wild berries and other fruits.

As the dynamic restoration of the Elwha River drainage in Olympic National Park continues in the wake of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams being dismantled, the opportunity to see the landscape's renewal first-hand arrives on Tuesday, when the first of a small number of ranger-led hikes into the drainage will be offered.

Almost $500,000 is being doled out by the National Park Foundation to help 65 parks across the country underwrite the Ticket to Ride program that helps students visit parks near them.

The annual summer census of bison in Yellowstone National Park shows there are about 5,000 of the iconic animals in the park.