Creature Feature: The Desert Tarantula Looks Big, Hairy, and Scary
The tarantula's fearsome appearance belies the fact that this docile, reclusive creature is nearly harmless.
- By Bob Janiskee - December 5th, 2010 8:31pm
Grand Canyon National Park
Missing From the System? Tule Springs Harbors Ice Age Fossils In An Urban Setting
Not far from the bright lights and card tables of Las Vegas there's a stretch of desert so relished by developers that street names were attached to blueprints of suburbia. Now, though, that landscape and its unique collection of Ice Age fossils is being promoted as the country's next national monument.
- By Kurt Repanshek - December 3rd, 2010 3:15am
Grand Canyon National Park's Watchtower Gets A Facelift
If you've never been to the East Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, you owe yourself the trip. Naturally, the canyon from this South Rim vista is expansive, and there are wonderful views of the Painted Desert, too, but equally alluring is the Desert View Watchtower. This rustic edifice, built in 1932 by architect Mary Colter, sits hunched against the very rim of the canyon, a lonely outpost, built to be a place for contemplation.
- By Jane Schneider - December 3rd, 2010 7:22am
Reader Participation Day: What is the Greatest Threat To Our National Parks?
It seems not a week goes by without some dire issue being identified as a threat to the national parks. One week it might be funding woes, another week pollution, another diversity concerns, and then, of course, there's climate change.
- By Kurt Repanshek - November 17th, 2010 3:15am
Lead-Tainted Carcasses and Gut Piles Pose Hazards for Endangered Condors
Lead bullets in carcasses and gut piles pose lethal poisoning hazards to carrion feeders. Among the creatures most at risk are the endangered California condors that frequent Grand Canyon National Park and other areas of Arizona and Utah.
- By Bob Janiskee - November 13th, 2010 3:15am
Finding Winter Bliss in a National Park Lodge
Winter can be a blissful time to visit the national parks. You can head south, and enjoy the warm weather and simply pitch your tent, or you can head to the snow belt and explore the parks on skis or snowshoes. But where should you stay? We asked our lodging experts, David and Kay Scott, for their recommendations.
- By David and Kay Scott - January 25th, 2011 4:42pm
Grand Canyon National Park Crews Working on Making Abandoned Mines Safer
Old abandoned mines are perfect for bats, but they're not ideal for humans. To protect both, crews at Grand Canyon National Park are getting to work on installing bat gates and warning signs at some old mines within the park's borders.
- By Kurt Repanshek - November 6th, 2010 2:15am
NPCA Offers National Park Phone Apps ... For Free!
Add the National Parks Conservation Association to the number of organizations and developers offering a phone app to help you negotiate the national parks. A big difference here, though, is NPCA is giving its app away for free. Another is its emphasis on park wildlife and nature in general.
- By Kurt Repanshek - October 10th, 2010 2:15am
Reader Participation Day: Can We Afford to Save All Historic Lodges in National Parks?
Whether you hold a sentimental tie to national park lodgings, or look at them nostalgically, can we afford to hold onto all historic lodge facilities in the National Park System?
- By Kurt Repanshek - October 6th, 2010 3:15am
Nature's Rock Stars in the Spotlight on National Fossil Day
Saber-tooth Cats, dinosaurs and Ice Age mammals will be among the star attractions during National Fossil Day. Activities are being held around the nation in this first ever event to focus on some interesting—and really old—stuff.
- By Jim Burnett - October 4th, 2010 2:15am
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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.
Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.
Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.
You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.
