Commentary, news, and life in America's National Parks.

Essential Friends

Essential FriendsCelebrate National Park Week with your essential friends and gateway communities.

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Photos of the Week

06/14/2013 | Tackling Hell In Dinosaur National Monument | Kurt Repanshek
Sentinel Over Colorado National Monument, copyright Marco Crupi
06/10/2013 | Standing Guard Over The Monument | Marco Crupi
04/20/2013 | Waiting For Summer At Glacier National Park | Rebecca Latson
Horseshoe Canyon sunrise, Canyonlands NP, copyright Kurt Repanshek
04/02/2013 | Morning's Coming To Horseshoe Canyon | Kurt Repanshek
03/26/2013 | Cloud-Laced Mountains In Glacier Bay | Kurt Repanshek
03/14/2013 | Comet PannSTARRS Above The Blue Ridge Parkway | Tim Barnwell

Features

Essential Friends + Gateways: High Tech Means High Touch With National Parks

As people become more and more wedded to mobile devices, the National Park System is trying to keep up—and so are its friends. To engage visitors and potential supporters, national park friends groups and foundations are enticing the public with high technology. Here are some savvy ways that’s happening.

Ride Your Bike Through The World's National Parks

A great way to experience national parks is to get out on your bike and pedal through them. While there are many national parks here in the United States that offer great cycling opportunities, places such as Devils Tower National Monument, Badlands National Park, and Shenandoah National Park, you can quickly expand the possibilities when you look out across the globe at national parks abroad.

Goats Do Roam The Appalachian National Scenic Trail

On the Appalachian Trail, goats keep the balds bald. Hikers can see the goats on Roan Mountain and adopt one.

Essential Friends + Gateways: West Yellowstone, A Gateway Town Worth Hanging Around

For more than a century, West Yellowstone, Montana, has been a key jumping off point for a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the world’s first national park.

Wales' Snowdonia: The UK’s Top National Park?

The British Isles have some great national parks—but for the best scenery with easiest access, I’d choose Snowdonia National Park in Wales. Here's why...

Puzzles, Mysteries, and Reviews

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

Friday, May 24th, 2013

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

  • Dirt Work: An Education In The Woods

    In Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, Christine Byl recalls long days of working on trails in Glacier and Denali national parks. She clears brush, digging ditches, building bridges, cleaning up after forest fires, and blasting snow. An inside look on what it takes to make trails accessible to hikers.

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Friday, April 26th, 2013