Four fan-favorite national parks in the West have announced their plans for how people can visit them this year. Arches, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Yosemite national parks have all implemented vehicle reservation systems for at least the summer visitor season for a few years in order to maintain visitor safety during their busiest time of year. This year, two of the … Read more
Betty Reid Soskin, famously the oldest park ranger in the United States when she retired in 2022 at the age of 100, died in Richmond, Calif. on Dec. 21. She was 104 years old. “This morning on the Winter Solstice, our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Betty Reid Soskin, passed away peacefully … she led … Read more
Nature lovers have a new reason to celebrate Trump’s birthday. The National Park Service (NPS) is changing the fee-free days in 2026, altering policies on when Americans can enter parks for free as well as who qualifies for free entry. The Department of the Interior officially announced the new calendar on Nov. 25, expanding the … Read more
Ready for some summer fun in America’s national parks? So is everyone else. With vacation season in full swing, throngs of your fellow tourists will be winging their way toward fruited plain, purple mountain majesty and all the rest. Last year alone, a whopping 119 million outdoor lovers descended upon these natural treasures — coming from … Read more
Are you hot and heavy for national parks? These people want you to be. Videos mixing raunchy and sexually suggestive captions, audio or clips mixed with beautiful videos of American national parks are going viral on TikTok — or ParkTok, as the kids are calling it. In one clip posted by @visit.yellowstone, Johnathon Caine, an … Read more
Paleontologists recently discovered a 506-million-year-old “moth-like” predator that lurked in prehistoric Canada. In a press release from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), officials identified the creature as Mosura fentoni, an extinct arthropod, as news agencies including SWNS reported. The museum reported that most of the Mosura fossils were collected by ROM paleontologists at Raymond Quarry in Yoho National … Read more
This stunt did not rock. An unruly young tourist could be fined thousands — and even hundreds of thousands — of dollars for tossing a large rock into a tourist-filled gorge at a popular national park. In a video clip that went viral, a young man in hiking gear is seen throwing a very large … Read more
Millions of tourists from all over flock to the nation’s capital each spring to catch a glimpse of the treasured cherry blossom trees. The blooms reached peak blossom this weekend as travelers snapped photos along the Tidal Basin and amid the monuments. While enjoying the scene, however, many visitors may not know there could be some harm … Read more
How the mighty have fallen. If you’re trying to become more outdoorsy this spring — you might want to avoid visiting a national park. Maybe not all of them, but at least the parks that are considered the deadliest — thanks to a new study. Research by the National Park Service examined each US national … Read more
Things are getting hotter than a Dutton family feud. Yellowstone National Park, known for erupting geysers like Old Faithful, is home to one of earth’s largest volcanic systems, with the capacity to wreak havoc on an entire continent — and components of that so-called supervolcano are on the move, experts say. A new study published in … Read more
Travelers are going to have to plan ahead in 2025 as national parks across the country are now requiring reservations. Timed visits are being implemented more as popular destinations are experiencing overcrowding amid “selfie-tourism.” “Some national parks use a timed entry system to manage vehicle traffic. Other parks use tour reservations to manage access to … Read more
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. One of the most remote US national parks is so far off the grid, the only way in is to fly, or hike for miles — and once you’re upclose with the 8.4 million-acre Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska, there are no marked trails or thoroughfares … Read more
A long-distance runner was lost for 30 days in the wilderness of Washington state before his rescue from the brink of death. What was supposed to be a day-long excursion for Robert Schock, 39, became a month-long fight for his life with no food, shelter, clothing or cell phone service. “[The ordeal] has taken its … Read more
Just one bag of Cheetos can be “world changing.” A parkgoer at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico recently dropped a bag full of Cheetos at the caverns. That one bag of the dusty orange snack made a “huge impact” on the cave’s ecosystem, the park said in a Facebook post. A parkgoer at … Read more
This bald eagle is grounded. An overweight eagle was recently grounded by its plump physique after having a little bit too much to eat. The Missouri Department of Conservation was first given reports that a bald eagle at the Civil War location of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield had been hurt, but the truth was much … Read more
It’s becoming un-bear-able. Jackson, Wyoming, a popular gateway for visits to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, is testing an innovative new method to combat the ongoing problem of clueless, clout-chasing tourists approaching dangerous wildlife in hopes of creating winning social media content. The Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board have released a … Read more
Welcome to Yosemite — do you have a booking? Travelers to the legendary California beauty spot and other popular national parks from coast to coast will need to remember to snag a reservation before hitting the road this summer — or risk being denied entry upon arrival. The gate-keeping system, which for a number of … Read more
Pulitzer prize-winning Aquarius novelist Wallace Stegner maintained, “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” Our civic best is comprised of 58 national parks, and 333 national monuments and historic sites. The National Park Service is represented in 49 out … Read more
On April 8, 2024, the shadow of the moon will move across the land of the free, blotting out the sun and darkening the days of millions in a total solar eclipse. This is a big one, extending from Mexico’s Pacific Coast across North America, touching 15 states from Texas to Maine and pulling itself … Read more
The peak bloom dates for the iconic cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital will be several days earlier than the average peak bloom date, the National Park Service predicted on Thursday. The NPS defines the peak bloom date as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry trees, one of about a dozen varieties of cherry trees … Read more