Exploring the Parks

In Hawaiʻi, Telling Kalaupapa's Complex Story Of Exile And Isolation

An endangered Hawaiian monk seal was the picture of bliss lolling about a shallow lava rock pool along Papaloa Beach with her slick black newborn pup. Snoozing in the sun, rolling over occasionally in the water, it’s as if she knew that she was safe in this sacred place. The normally solitary seal even tolerated a fellow mom and pup lounging nearby.

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By Jennifer Bain - June 29th, 2025

Trails I've Hiked: Gros Morne's Green Gardens

I almost psyched myself out of doing one of the most diverse hikes in Gros Morne National Park because I was worried about the climb between its coastal headland and ocean beach — and the seemingly daunting uphill return. That climb turned out to be an easy 86 steps. The return was a mostly pleasurable zigzag through the forest.

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By Jennifer Bain - June 28th, 2025

History At Sunset Series Starts At Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia launches its annual History at Sunset series on July 4th weekend.

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By Compiled from NPS releases - June 28th, 2025

National Park Service Seeks Operator For Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art

In early June the National Park Service issued a prospectus seeking proposals to manage the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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By David and Kay Scott - June 26th, 2025

A Journey From Mannahatta To Manhattan

I wanted to see old New York, the earliest New York, the Lenni Lenape land of Mannahatta (“island of many hills”), the 1624 Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, and the 1664 English colony named for the Duke of York, the chief investor in an English slave trading enterprise.

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By Sue Eisenfeld - June 18th, 2025

Preserving Pearl Harbor's Historic Mooring Quays

Standing on the shore of Ford Island just after sunrise, looking out at Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, Khyle Dixon is itching to begin his work day. Three of his colleagues kayak by, carrying jugs of water and the tools they’ll need for a day of historic preservation work on a mooring quay in the blistering Hawaiʻi sun.

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By Jennifer Bain - June 12th, 2025

Through Ancestral Eyes: Storytelling Under The Night Skies Of The Stargazer Highway

Along the Stargazer Highway, properly known as U.S. 191, stories about in the night skies.

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By Eric Jay Toll - May 25th, 2025

Exploring The Parks | Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

In this newest sanctuary, NOAA partners with an Indigenous tribe to protect vital marine habitat and sacred places.

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By Amy Brecount White - May 21st, 2025

Where To Go Caving In The National Park System

Last week we mentioned that Crystal Cave at Sequoia National Park was reopening to the public for the first time since 2021. Now we're going to tell you where else in the National Park System you can go underground.

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By NPT Staff - May 21st, 2025

Taking The Road To Parks Less Traveled

There are, off the more well-trod roads in the National Park System, lesser-known parks that nevertheless offer some unexpected delight.

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By Sue Eisenfeld - May 16th, 2025

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Exploring the Parks

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

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