Browse Through the Traveler Content

So, How'd Spot Do in the Backcountry of Dinosaur National Monument?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 3, 2009 - 2:54am

So, what'd you think of SPOT's test run through the backcountry of Dinosaur National Monument? Overall, it seemed to perform well, but I have a couple of suggestions for the designers.

Snowbound Couple Rescued From Fire Tower at Dinosaur National Monument

Submitted by Jim Burnett on May 3, 2009 - 2:52am

A snowbound couple were rescued from a fire tower in Dinosaur National Monument last weekend in an incident that highlights some of the challenges faced by the folks who do search and rescue work.

Captured In Rock

Kurt Made it to Jones Hole on the Green

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on May 1, 2009 - 6:34am

Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek’s Dinosaur National Monument rafting excursion has taken him to the Utah side of the park and to Jones Hole on the Green River. What a great place for hiking, photography, and trout fishing. Check it out.

Terrain Map Shows that Kurt’s Wednesday Campsite on the Yampa Was Way Cool

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 30, 2009 - 3:00am

After spending Tuesday ashore, presumably hiking, Kurt Repanshek headed down the Yampa River again Wednesday and ensconced himself at a new campsite for the night. SPOT has marked the spot in scenic Dinosaur National Monument, and the Terrain topographic map reveals that it's a dramatic place.

Kurt's Yampa River Sojourn Marks Step for a Day

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 29, 2009 - 3:48am

Kurt’s Yampa River rafting trip encounters a one-day delay due to bad weather. Kurt's SPOT gizmo is still reporting his location. The satellite imagery is way cool. Check it out.

Kurt’s Still on the Yampa, and He Wishes We Were There Too

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 28, 2009 - 6:25am

Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek is still on the Yampa, and thanks to his SPOT GPS gizmo, we know he’s still OK and making his overnight camps as planned. He says he wishes we were there with him, but we suspect he's fibbing.

Yampa River, Lifeblood To Dinosaur National Monument, Eyed for Water Diversions

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 28, 2009 - 2:35am

Somewhat small in stature at just about 250 miles in length, the Yampa River that flows through Dinosaur National Monument is significant not just for its white-water rapids but for its unbridled flows. Not a single dam stands in the way of this river famous with rafters and the lifeblood for four species of endangered fish.

Kurt's on the Yampa, and on the SPOT

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 27, 2009 - 2:30am

Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek's paddling excursion on the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument is underway. Using his SPOT GPS gizmo, Kurt has reported the location of his Sunday night camp and let us all know he's OK.

Electronic Technology in National Park Backcountry: Good or Bad?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 26, 2009 - 2:44am

Where do you draw the line when it comes to electronics in the backcountry of the National Park System? Does use of it reflect self-doubt about your abilities, or a savviness in putting the latest technology to work for you?

Secretary Salazar Scuttles Oil and Gas Leases Near National Parks in Utah

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 4, 2009 - 5:23pm

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, in a move that repudiates the Bush administration's energy policies, on Wednesday scuttled a series of controversial oil and gas leases near national parks in Utah.

BLM, NPS Modify Oil and Gas Lease Auction near National Parks in Utah

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 25, 2008 - 7:56pm

Some tweaks to a proposed oil and gas lease auction in Utah could spare some potential impacts to Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument, but conservationists say the National Park Service still dropped the ball.

Study Touts Economic Benefits of Mount St. Helens "National Park"

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 21, 2008 - 7:02am

There's an economic report out touting the benefits that a Mount St. Helens "National Park" would bring surrounding communities. And that begs the question of whether units of the National Park System should be viewed largely as economic engines?

President-Elect Obama's Team Hints At Reversing BLM Leasing Decisions in Utah

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 9, 2008 - 12:53pm

A decision by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to open thousands of acres of public lands abutting national park properties in Utah could be halted by President-elect Barack Obama once he takes office, according to his transition team.

Bush Administration Poised to Sell Oil and Gas Leases Around Dinosaur National Monument, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 5, 2008 - 9:17am

How much is too much? When the oil and gas industry in Utah has nearly 3,500 drilling permits in hand, but which have not been acted upon, why is the Bush administration selling them more, particularly in sensitive areas around national parks and monuments?

New BLM Management Plans Could Have Major Impacts on Utah National Parks

Submitted by Jim Burnett on October 15, 2008 - 1:33pm

If you want to enjoy some of those iconic views from places like Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, you might want to plan your trip sooner rather than later. While most Americans and their elected officials have been mesmerized by the economic crisis and the upcoming election, enormous changes in the management of public lands in Utah are afoot. The effects on a number of national parks could be substantial.

Park History: Dinosaur National Monument

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on October 4, 2008 - 4:15am

If it were designated part of the National Park System today, what would we call Dinosaur National Monument? True, it offers a treasure trove of fossilized dinosaur remains, one that continues to be studied. But there's also the riverine component, mountains, and high desert that all offer outstanding experiences befitting a national park setting.

Paddling Dinosaur National Monument and Niobrara National Scenic River

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 17, 2008 - 8:32am

When folks think about paddling trips in the National Park System, quite often floating the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park rises to the top of the mind. But there are other paddling treks out there, trips that are just as beautiful and inspiring and which just might offer a tad more solitude.

Why Stop At Golden Gate National Recreation Area? What Other NRAs, Monuments, Etc., Should Be Renamed?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 21, 2008 - 3:18am

What's in a name? That's a good question in light of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unsolicited bid to turn Golden Gate National Recreation Area into a "national park."

Do You Care About Energy Exploration Near Our National Parks?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 4, 2008 - 3:19am

As energy prices creep steadily higher, there's a growing segment of America that believes short-term relief can literally be tapped from fossil-fuel resources in the Western states. But many of those resources are found on public lands that buffer national parks, national wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas, and their development could have dire consequences for those landscapes.

NPR on the National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 2, 2008 - 7:56am

National Public Radio is on the road in the National Park System this week, visiting both iconic and obscure parks. But is there a chink in NPR's coverage?

Adios Amigos: Tales of Sustenance and Purification in the American West.

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 17, 2008 - 2:30am

"River time." It's that blissful oasis reached only by pushing off from terra firma, leaping board a raft, kayak, or canoe, and leaving the real world behind. Preferably for more than an afternoon. In the West, this generally is accomplished by heading for the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Green, the Selway, or the Lochsa rivers. For those truly lucky souls, it means putting in from Lee's Ferry onto the Colorado River for two or more weeks of riverine solitude.

Of Geologists, Paleontologists, And Science in the National Park System

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 2, 2008 - 4:59pm

Since boyhood I've embraced a vision of the National Park Service as an agency that not only cared for forested mountains, shimmering lakes, foaming cataracts, dusty trails and a wildlife menagerie that stretched from alligators to wolverines, but also as one with a science mission built around these wonders. How accurate is that vision?