Browse Through the Traveler Content

Tips For Raising Outdoors-Loving Kids

Experiencing the natural world, and specifically national parks, seems richer when you have kids who can share the experience with you. But how do you raise outdoors-loving youngsters?

National Park Quiz 101: Ringer VII Answers Revealed

Did you get at least eight out of ten?

Some Things To Keep In Mind When It Comes To Making Your National Park Charitable Gifts

With so many organizations clamoring for your charitable dollars, how can you decide which group to give to in support of the national parks? Do your homework, urges Jacqueline Vaughn.

Before They're Gone, A Family's Year-Long Quest To Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks

In approaching Before They're Gone, A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, Michael Lanza desires to take his young son and daughter to places that most amazed him -- national parks -- before climate change alters their appearance too greatly.

The Complete Guide To The National Park Lodges

Just in time for Mother's Day, as well as Father's Day, is the 7th edition of The Complete Guide To The National Park Lodges. Along with updates in the rundown on park lodges is the insertion of full-color images from lodges and settings in the national parks.

Coalition Of National Park Retirees Warns Of Congressional Overreach That Could Impact National Parks

You can add the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees to the groups that are concerned about efforts by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop to dismantle many of the nation's environmental laws in the name of border security.

Birding in The National Parks: Bald Eagles No Longer A Ghost Bird in the National Parks

I lowered my binoculars and muttered, “Oh, it’s just another eagle.” With that statement I recognized a few years ago that I officially had started taking Bald Eagles for granted.

Books We've Read This Year, And Actually Liked!

Despite the impending doom that pixels were expected to hand the printed word, we're happy to report that publishers are still turning out books, and more than a few that crossed our desks this year are worth your attention.

Birding in the National Parks

This past year we started a bimonthly column on birding in the national parks, which is a great way to enjoy the parks while learning more about the hundreds of species that flit about the National Park System. Here's a look back at those columns.

Top Six Family Adventures In National Parks

A year's worth of family vacations to national parks led to the following list of top family adventures in the national parks.

National Park Mystery Photo 37 Revealed: It Floats On Water

To find this boomer, you really need to travel far in the National Park System.

Musings from Glacier Bay National Park

It was a familiar sound, and yet unfamiliar. I was out of place: heading into the woods at Bartlett Cove along the coast of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, not the Rocky Mountains, and the whooshing sound startled me.

Visit Your Park: Glacier Bay and Shenandoah National Parks Now in the Archives

If you haven't been checking the Visit Your Park section recently, know that two more parks have been added to the archives: Glacier Bay National Park and Shenandoah National Park.

Glacier Bay National Park Officials Propose To Hold 2012 Cruise Ship Quotas Level With 2011

Glacier Bay National Park officials are proposed to hold the line on cruise ship quotas in 2012 at 2011 levels.

Whale Carcass Leads To Closures at Glacier Bay National Park

When was the last time you had to reroute your hike because of a whale carcass? That's the situation at Glacier Bay National Park, where the remains of a humpback whale have come ashore and turned into a magnet for bears and other scavengers.

Listen To The Interview: Andrew Skurka

For six months in 2010 Andrew Skurka went on the adventure of a lifetime. By foot, ski, and raft the adventurer circumnavigated Alaska, a journey of 4,678.8 miles that tested him physically and mentally. Listen to this podcast as he shares insights to that trek.

A Walk Around Alaska, The Andrew Skurka Story

What could possibly inspire someone to circumnavigate Alaska, traveling 4,678.8 miles by foot, ski, and inflatable raft? For Andrew Skurka, the challenge was both physical and mental and an underlying desire to "take advantage of the 70, 80 years that I've got on this planet."

Watching Climate Change Across the National Park System

Across the National Park System many changes are expected from climate change, from more wildfires and vanishing glaciers to invasions of non-native species and flight of long-term residents. Writer/photographer Michael Lanza, concerned that today's park landscapes will change significantly by the time his young kids are his age, has been touring the park system with his family to show his children what they might miss later in life.

2010 in Review: Traveler's Checklists

This year we posted 16 Traveler's Checklists to help you plan your park visits. Did you miss any? Here's a list with handy links.

Glacier Bay National Park Ponders High-Tech Method for Important Salmon Study

How's the salmon population doing in Glacier Bay National Park? With increasing fishing pressure, it's an important question, and the park is proposing a high-tech, low-impact method to gather some key information. The study site is located in designated wilderness, and the park is inviting public input on the idea.

Calving Glacier Injures Two Hikers In Glacier Bay National Park

Two hikers who were exploring the backcountry of Glacier Bay National Park are recovering today from injuries sustained when ice from a calving glacier struck them.

How Many Cruise Ships are Enough At Glacier Bay National Park?

For many, the most popular way to arrive and visit Glacier Bay National Park is via cruise ship. But how many cruise ships are enough in the park's waters, where humpback whales frequently swim?

Reader Participation Day: Which Is Your Favorite National Park Gateway Town?

If you had to pick a gateway town to live in -- not because of its associated national park, but because of its atmosphere -- which would you choose?

National Geographic Society Re-releases Books On Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Alaska

Though no doubt driven by marketing aspirations, the National Geographic Society has rereleased three books that will take you into the heart of some iconic national parks.

National Park Quiz 78: Harbors

Don’t harbor any illusions; this month’s quiz is no walk in the park. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you write on the whiteboard 100 times: "During the 1950s, some scientists suggested that 'instant harbors' could be created with well-placed atomic bombs."

Glacier Bay National Park Rangers Use Satellite Technology to Help Tangled Whales

Rangers in Glacier Bay National Park respond not only to human visitors in trouble, but also to marine life that need help. A recent case of a humpback whale that became entangled in a polyester line demonstrates not only the quick response of park rangers, but also how satellite technology can play a role in saving whales.

Gustavus Moose Hunt: If You're Heading to Alaska for a Moose Hunt, You Might Want to Read This

If you've landed a spot in the annual Gustavus Bull Moose Hunt, be careful you don't stray into Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. And if the moose you've shot heads into the park, contact a ranger.