Rocky Mountain National Park

Flames and far-flying embers from the East Troublesome Fire have spread across Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, forcing the evacuation of Grand Lake on the west side of the park and prompting officials to ask visitors to leave Estes Park on the eastern side.

When you're crossing the Colorado River in the middle of winter, wearing snowshoes, it's best not to have the ice give way and drop you into the river. Sheridan Steele can attest to that.

According to the National Park Service, there are over 5,000 miles of paved roads through the National Park System. Park roads (paved or unpaved) allow us to reach amazing vistas we might not otherwise see within a national park, national monument, or national recreation area. These roads are marvels of construction and merit a nod of appreciation to those builders who may have risked life and limb to ensure completion of that navigable ribbon of gravel or pavement. How many of these roads have you traveled, what have you seen and accessed via these roads, and how much do you know about them?

Western wildfires have been sending clouds of acrid smoke into national parks, obscuring views and raising health concerns, especially for the young and the elderly. Things got so bad at Muir Woods National Monument on Sunday that the park was closed.