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As the country endeavors to become more and more energy independent, new techniques for extracting oil and gas from beneath the landscape are greatly expanding the footprint of energy exploration in the country. These efforts have greatly increased the production of oil and natural gas in the United States, and they also are creating problems when the drilling operations turn up on the doorsteps of national parks.

Despite taking in what the Green, Yampa, and other tributaries large and small contribute, the Colorado River is in a death spiral, over-allocated and a victim of growing climate change, left in a state of constant thirst that has made the river the most-endangered in the country, according to American Rivers.

With April having arrived, facilities are opening and visitor center hours are extending at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado.

Group campsites at Dinosaur National Monument's Split Mountain Campground in Utah can now be reserved on-line for spots during the peak months of mid-April through early October.

Folks who run the Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monument access the river at Deerlodge Park, and if you've been down that road lately you know it's a bit bumpy. Monument officials want to improve that condition with a rehabilitation project.

Living in the Rocky Mountains is a great asset when it comes to visiting national parks, for there are so many in just about any direction you head. The past year took me north and south through the region to a diverse collection parks, and I also ventured to Virginia to explore the National Park System.

Seldom Seen Smith has to be rolling his eyes, and George Hayduke just might be thinking of calling the Monkey Wrench Gang back together. Why? A voluminous Interior Department report looking at how best to manage precious water resources in the Colorado River Basin largely ignores national parks the river flows through.

Disconnect for a few days with a trip into the backcountry of your favorite national park and your creativity will flow, according to a study by psychologists.

If you ever sat down to list the units of the National Park System that are misunderstood and under-appreciated, Dinosaur National Monument would be near the top. That realization can't be ignored if you've ever floated either the Yampa or Green rivers that cleave into and expose the underbelly of Dinosaur.

A number of national parks are clustered around some of the 10 rivers whose health is being threatened by mining operations, pollution, dredging, proposed dams, and other impacts that American Rivers found them deserving to be listed as America's Most Endangered Rivers.

National Parks Week, which kicks off Saturday, brings you an opportunity to save on a float trip through either Dinosaur National Monument or Canyonlands National Park with one of the oldest raft companies in the West.

Tempted to book a river trip in a national park this summer? If you're thinking of a white-water adventure in parks such as Dinosaur National Monument, Glacier National Park, or Canyonlands National Park, sooner in the summer just might be better than later due to the below-normal snowpack.