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Browse Through the Traveler Content

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

Submitted by Kirby Adams on January 31, 2012 - 1:02am
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!

Submitted by NPT Staff on December 30, 2011 - 1:12am
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

Submitted by NPT Staff on December 27, 2011 - 1:06am
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

Submitted by Michael Lanza on December 11, 2011 - 1:22am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on October 13, 2011 - 12:07am
To find this boomer, you really need to travel far in the National Park System.

Musings from Glacier Bay National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on September 15, 2011 - 12:50am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on September 4, 2011 - 12:30am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 5, 2011 - 6:19am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 13, 2011 - 12:03am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 20, 2011 - 12:25am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 20, 2011 - 12:12am
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

Submitted by Michael Lanza on January 19, 2011 - 1:19am
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

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on December 27, 2010 - 2:59am
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

Submitted by Jim Burnett on December 19, 2010 - 12:19am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 1, 2010 - 9:34am
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?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 19, 2010 - 12:34am
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?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 19, 2010 - 12:12am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on April 5, 2010 - 12:34am
National Geographic Park Profiles: Yellowstone Country
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

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on February 17, 2010 - 2:58am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 7, 2009 - 2:47am
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

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on September 16, 2009 - 4:07am
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.

Seasonal Law-Enforcement Ranger At Glacier Bay National Park Charged with Two Counts of Second-Degree Sexual Assault

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 11, 2009 - 8:17pm
National Park Service officials are working to terminate a seasonal law-enforcement ranger at Glacier Bay National Park who has been charged with two counts of sexual assault in the second degree.

UPDATED: Search Ends for Woman Missing from Cruise Ship in Glacier Bay National Park

Submitted by Jim Burnett on August 4, 2009 - 2:35am
A search for a woman who was reported missing from a cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park on Monday morning has ended. Searchers have recovered a body believed to be that of the missing woman, many miles from the park

Take Care if You're Visiting Alaska National Parks, As Bears Aren't Being Bashful

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 19, 2009 - 8:57am
Two recent bear incidents in national parks in Alaska should send a message to all visitors that they have to be particularly vigilant when traveling in bear country.

Vessel Speed Restrictions Extended At Glacier Bay National Park to Protect Whales

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 30, 2009 - 6:27am
More humpback whales and their calves are showing up in the waters of Glacier Bay National Park, and that has prompted park officials to extend speed restrictions on vessels cruising through those waters.

Cruising Into Glacier Bay National Park

Submitted by preston on May 31, 2009 - 1:46am
Most people who visit Glacier Bay National Park never touch a glacier, but – with an icy breath – the glaciers reach out and touch them.

Glacier Bay National Park Issues New Cruise Ship Contracts

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 17, 2009 - 2:40am
Officials at Glacier Bay National Park have signed off on a small set of 10-year contracts for cruise ship operations. Is that a good thing?

Natural History: What's Happening to Harbor Seals At Glacier Bay National Park?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 16, 2008 - 2:09am
Wildlife biologists in Alaska are concerned about the decline in harbor seal numbers at Glacier Bay National Park. In an ongoing study they are capturing seals to take biological samples and implant transmitters that hopefully will shed some light on why the overall population has been dropping.