National Parks Traveler

It won't be long before you'll be able to hold both a bison and Old Faithful in the palm of your hand.

My husband, Lenny, and I have been maintaining a section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail for more than 20 years, first in New York State and now on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. For the last eight years, we’ve been the proud adopted parents of 4.9 miles from Devils Fork Gap to Rice Gap located north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and south of Hot Springs, North Carolina.

A 20-year-old man from Bullhead City, Arizona, who is suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs at Grapevine Canyon in Lake Mead National Recreation Area was cited by park rangers last week. He and a 13-year-old boy were reported to have been shooting paintballs in the area.

Coin collectors were enthused by the America the Beautiful series of quarters that features a number of NPS sites, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has just proposed a new commemorative coin project. It would serve as a fundraiser to commemorate the upcoming NPS centennial.