Sequoia National Park

A campfire ban was implemented in parts of Olympic National Park on Thursday, while other national parks in parts of the West were reminding visitors that it's illegal to use fireworks within their boundaries as hot, dry weather continues to push fire danger higher and higher.

A record low snowpack and a drought that's run four years are prompting Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks to implement campfire restrictions later this month as fire danger currently is at levels not normally seen in June, according to park officials.

A much publicized conference, Science for Parks, Parks for Science: The Next Century, opens today at the University of California, Berkeley. Led by the National Park Service and National Geographic Society, conference sponsors propose “to launch a Second Century of stewardship for the parks, 100 years after the historic meetings at UC Berkeley that helped launch the National Park Service.” A specialist on those meetings, Dr. Alfred Runte reports on why the story does not end there.

Fall is a great time to visit national parks in general, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks specifically. The cool mountain air, the towering trees, and the relatively empty hiking trails combined offer an incredible setting for an escape.