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Traveler's View

We don't often take sides, but when we do, you can find our position here.

Traveler's View: The National Park Service's Perplexing Director

Charles "Chuck" Sams came to the National Park Service's directorship as an outsider being counted on to improve employee morale, fight harassment in the agency, oversee how millions of Great American Outdoors Act dollars were being spent, and, as some believed, to be "a leader that NPS employees will admire and respect."

Traveler's View | Overcrowding Paradise...

Last week on the National Parks Traveler’s podcast we talked with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly about the state of his park. Part of that conversation touched on crowding and congestion, a problem a number of parks have been dealing with in recent years. It’s a good problem, in that more and more people want to visit these amazing places, but it’s not without its impacts on park resources.

Traveler's View: Past Time For Transparency For Recreation.Gov

It shouldn't require a lawsuit to provide some transparency into the inner workings of Recreation.gov, but now that one has been filed it hopefully will reveal how much it costs Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., to operate the national portal for recreating on public lands, the process it follows to set its add-on fees, and how much it is earning from the public's desires to enjoy their federal lands.

UPDATE | Traveler's View: Did Washington Hear About Yellowstone's Disaster?

Neither Interior Secretary Deb Haaland nor National Park Service Director Chuck Sams has publicly commented on the catastrophic flooding at Yellowstone National Park, if only to express their deep concern and intentions to rally government resources around the beleaguered park known around the world and often credited with spurring the global national parks movement.

Traveler's View: America's Outdoor Recreation Act Of 2022 Needs Help

Recreational interests were understandably thrilled when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent to the Senate floor America's Outdoor Recreation Act of 2022, but there are flaws with the measure that heighten risks to federal lands and the flora and fauna that depend on them.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.