What’s in a name? Well, when you hear Hance, the Big Drop, Lost Paddle, or Lava Falls, we’re talking about some of the largest, craziest river rapids in our national parks. Interesting names, for sure, but how do they rate? We posed this question to our river rats: What are the best rapids in the parks? They came up with quite a list. So, if you’re looking for exciting and death-defying whitewater in the parks…
Flooding problems, possible sewage overflows, and downed trees were causing problems Friday for Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Rock Creek Park, and other National Park System units in and around Washington, D.C., and officials said things could get worse this weekend.
News of a dramatic rescue via helicopter in a national park often involves locations like Yosemite or Grand Teton National Parks, but there's also an elite National Park Service helicopter rescue team based in the East. This year marks 40 years of service by the United States Park Police (USPP) Aviation Unit, and the group has been involved in some unusual and high-profile incidents
A number of national parks are clustered around some of the 10 rivers whose health is being threatened by mining operations, pollution, dredging, proposed dams, and other impacts that American Rivers found them deserving to be listed as America's Most Endangered Rivers.
With the summer travel season officially here, millions of folks will be heading out into the National Park System in the coming months. If you're one of them, just remember to be mindful of your safety, and that of your family and friends.
One of the deadliest stretches of whitewater in the eastern U.S. is located in an unlikely location—just outside the nation's capital. An interagency effort is underway to focus attention on the dangers of the Potomac River Gorge and the Great Falls of the Potomac with a very pointed message: "If you enter the river, you will die."
Eagle 2 is a U. S. Park Police helicopter used in the Washington, D.C. area and it's participated in some dramatic missions. Few, however, have involved a more unusual situation than a recent rescue at Great Falls Park—and it all started with a romantic miscue.