| Page 1067 | National Parks Traveler

I just spent a week in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There were bear warning signs posted everywhere. Yet visitors continued to do stupid things which could incite bear attacks. A mother and three cubs feasted on roadside berries. Naturally everyone stopped to take photos. Many left their cars and got as close as possible to the bears for a better picture. Some got too close and tu

National Park Mystery Spot 28: A Natural Shape

Sep 7th - 06:01am | Bob Janiskee

GeorgeS and Lawrence J. Caldwell have solved part of the puzzle. Remember that you must identify the specific mystery spot and name the National Park System unit in which it is located.

Sep 7th - 05:52am | Lawrence J. Caldwell

One of the arches in Utah?

Sep 7th - 05:43am | GeorgeS

That sounds like Arches National Park

Crisp September Weather Brings Crisp Apples, Along with History, To the National Parks

Sep 6th - 21:33pm | RangerLady

Kurt, we're up to 3100 trees here at Captiol Reef! Right now Ginger Gold apples, Flemish Beauty Pears, and Italian Prune Plums are ripe and there are still a few peaches that haven't been picked. Come on out!

Sal Hollow Trail In Mammoth Cave National Park Closed To Mountain Bikers, Open To Horses

Sep 6th - 20:46pm | Josh

Yes, God forbid there be one trail that they can't ride horses on. I guess this one will be rutted up and covered with beer cans before too long...

Sep 5th - 10:37am | disturbed

I cant' help but wonder why it is that almost everything for sale in our National Parks visitors centers are made in some other country. Great souvenir, a t-shirt or baseball hat "made in China" or some other foreign place. A post card I purchased in Ranier NP says that there "are more glaciers on Mt. Ranier than anyplace else in the United States, including Canada."

Windy Weekend Weather Blows Fire In Yellowstone National Park To 1,100 Acres

Sep 6th - 18:33pm | RambleFeet

I was just about to start researching things like fires and road closings tonight for an upcoming hiking ramble and stumbled on the tweet that led me to this excellent article. I really appreciate the detail and clarity of your writing - it's very helpful - thanks!

Many National Parks Get The Indian Story Wrong

Sep 6th - 16:48pm | Debbie

For a great history of the Havasupai people of the Grand Canyon, I recommend "I am the Grand Canyon" by Stephen Hirst. A white man who lived among the Havasupai relates the story of a people through interviews and recollections of the native Americans and then gives them the copyright to the book. It is riveting and a sad commentary on our treatment of these people, but a testimony to their p

Sep 5th - 17:12pm | Meg

I ran across a fair amount of this sort of bias when I was researching my novel Repeating History, set in Yellowstone and partly based on the tourists kidnapped by the Nez Perce in 1877. It's a historical fantasy, and I have worked with several other historical incidents in it as well, but I was very strongly aware of how I portrayed the Nez Perce as they appeared in my novel. It

Sep 5th - 11:04am | Peterson

Many stories tend to blurred over time or not enough evidence to conclude that each is valid or not.

Sep 4th - 21:26pm | Anonymous

We believe critical to this conversation about misinformation provided to the visiting publics is realizing it is not restricted to Native American Stories. Sadly, there are managers promoted to supervisory interpretive positions who clearly do not value a factual story; their apathy toward telling a factual,

Sep 4th - 21:06pm | Tay

Thanks for the info in this article. It's good to see these changes occurring.

Sep 4th - 11:28am | Lee Dalton

Is it perhaps a feeling of lingering shame that prevents Anglos from opening interpretation of some of our less magnificent moments? Or could it be a lingering feeling of something else? Something even more disturbing than shame?

Sep 4th - 09:00am | Anonymous

At Crater Lake NP, the common story still told is that the Native Peoples of the Klamath Tribes were fearful of "The Mountain with a Hole in the Top" and therefore, did not visit Deep Blue Lake. Actually, Crater Lake was very Sacred Ground and visited during Vision Quests with stories of the

Sep 4th - 06:58am | Barky

Good article. Thanks, Bob.

Sep 4th - 03:57am | Randy Thomas

As usual the blackman or woman gets all the attention when they think they had it rough but they dont think what our native-americans had to go through when us white people took their land & their ways of living away from them cause if it wasnt for them this nation wouldnt be like it is!!!

Sky Diving at Denali National Park? A Florida-Based Company Thinks It's a Great Idea

Sep 6th - 15:27pm | Sunny T.

Cheers to you Jim Horak!

Too Many Deer in the Nation's Capital? Rock Creek Park Holds a Public Meeting on Wednesday

Sep 6th - 14:33pm | Anonymous

I spend more time in the woods then anyone I know. I'm a hunter/ naturalist. I understand more then anyone the balance of nature. Wolves? You guys really don't know what you are talking about. Wolves would be just a succeptable to vehicle collisions as the deer them selves. If they lived long enough to breed, long enough to maintain a steady population (Not!). It would only take a

Updated: Investigation Continues Into Yellowstone National Park Bear Mauling

Sep 6th - 13:07pm | Rick B.

My eyes tend to glaze over and I stop reading or listening when someone arbitrarily throws in "fascist" as an adjective in a discussion like this. It means that the author has given up on the facts of his or her case being sufficient to convey the point.

Sep 6th - 12:03pm | Debbie Jones

When a bear attacks/kills a human that is not carrying bear spray, not in a group and the specifics are basically unknown, the bear should get the benefit of the doubt since the park is their habitat, not humans. I agree with the comment that this may be a political move. Humans must be held accountable when they visit our parks, not the animals.

Sep 4th - 11:33am | Lee Dalton

That's quite a charge, Anonymous. Are you saying we should hold a national election to select park superintendents? It would be very interesting to learn more about your background and qualifications to write such a thing.

Sep 4th - 03:52am | Anonymous

The NPS needs to protect rare wildlife in their several small refuges and place warning signs at trailheads so visitors enter at their own risk. This fascist NPS ranger command & control against predators in the national parks needs to stop; afterall, it is being funded by scarce taxpayer dollars. Hey, The US Justice System treats serial human murderers better than the NPS does predators.

Sep 3rd - 10:21am | Dave Smith

Is the NPS hunting a man-eating grizzly bear ? Did a grizzly prey on Michigan hiker John Wallace? It's customary for the NPS and other agencies to kill a bear that preys on people, or even a grizzly that scavenges on the body of a human it didn't kill. The NPS hasn't said a grizzly fed on Wallace's body, so what's the explanation for the massive bear hunt?

Sep 3rd - 09:19am | Kurt Repanshek

RDunn, Good catch. You're right, of course, that the article should have specified that it was the second fatal attack this year, and we'll correct it to that.

Sep 3rd - 08:10am | RDunn

The article indicates this as only the second fatal attack in park history. This is the second fatal attack this year. Prior to this year, I know there was at least one other fatal attack in 1986. I agree with the previous comment. When we were there in July, we saw a sow with cubs on multiple days in the general vicinity of this trail.

Sep 3rd - 07:38am | Bob Janiskee

I wonder how park officials can be so sure that Yellowstone's most recent death-by-grizzly incident was not the result of a sow defending her cubs.

Greening the Parks: A Former Brownfield is Converted to a Lakefront Gem at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Sep 6th - 10:58am | Jill

Just this past weekend, my partner and I made a trek to the Dunes area for some much needed rest and relaxation. We had NO idea how amazing the beach and the Riverwalk would be in Portage and quite honestly, we just happened to stumble upon the area that is tucked away in what seems to be an industrial area. What an amazing experience and I am so impressed with the beachfront and the water wa

At Long Last, Glacier National Park's Inside North Fork Road is Open to Travel. Kind of.

Sep 5th - 23:49pm | GUYBOB

Absolutely wonderful news. I've been traveling "glacier 7" the inside northfork road since 1972. Glad to see it open for our vacation mid September....

Limited Access, Activities At Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras National Seashores

Sep 5th - 20:50pm | The Young Family

We are so sad about the damage done the full length of Hwy 12 communities in the OBX. We four from California were there in May (stayed in Kill Devil Hills) and couldn't have been happier with the accommodations, the weather, the friendly staff where ever we went sightseeing and the beauty of the dunes, light houses and all. We hope for a speedy recovery.

Canadian Charged With Spray Painting Names Over Famous Rock Outcrop In Grand Canyon National Park

Sep 5th - 15:12pm | Kilroy Washere

Okay, it is "bigoted" to call a French-Canadian a "frog", not "racist".

Sep 4th - 10:30am | Anonymous

Just vandalism and refuse disposal charges? The attorney generalʻs office isnʻt trying hard enough. Terrorism is a possibility.

Sep 3rd - 09:59am | Anonymous

You must be about 6 years old to have the "it's no big deal" attitude. This moron defaced a part of our AMERICAN heritage. But then, "Oh boy, I'm going to go down in history for this. Pat me on the back KIDS" .papHe's one sick puppy!!!

Sep 3rd - 07:38am | Anonymous

Comments about the utter obsurdity and criminal nature of the act are neither racist or anti canadian. Just comments about a thoughtless and selfish individual who could have hailed from most any place on the planet. We need to keep up our outrage against such ignorant and/or stupid folk. It is OUR world. Borders are just lines on a map. and, what is a frog, anyway??

Sep 2nd - 23:18pm | CayugaLake

If you looked up the word STUPID in the dictionary, this idiot's picture would be there.

Sep 2nd - 22:34pm | Connie Hopkins

Kim YOU are a class act!

Sep 2nd - 21:52pm | Scott In Canada

First off, on behalf of other Canucks, apologies. This is most definately not a Canadian thing to do. The punishment, as has been stated, is far too lenient if it is nothing more than a simple fine. Also, referring to this person as a frog is unfair to other people of frog decent like myself.

Sep 2nd - 21:43pm | Keeper

Hey Kim, we both have our jerks and that's not anything to do with nationalities. Piss poor behavior is what it is. Until we both recognize it for what it is we're all screwed (in the broader sense)! Half my relatives are in BC so I am aware:)!

Sep 2nd - 20:30pm | gizmo

Your "piece of limestone" is a national treasure not the paving on your driveway.

Reader Participation Day: How Many National Parks Do You Want To Visit In Your Lifetime?

Sep 5th - 01:06am | Danny

I was hoping to visit all of them in the southeast in my remaining lifetime. But since the southeast includes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, I'm not so sure I will make it. But I'm trying. Danny

Crater Lake, On Average, Is Deepest Lake in North America

Sep 4th - 21:50pm | Anonymous

There is not much anyone can do to encourage respect for learning factual information if that quality attribute is missing in your young background. Statistical descriptions have many applications in learning and comparing Earth's global freshwater lakes. Averages are useful in comparing many variables as is

Sep 4th - 19:20pm | Anonymous

I guess you can make up stastics about anything. I have had a great wall paper on my computer for years now showing the deepest lake in N america Slave lake. Does anyone know why its called that? Does anyony Really care about average depth. deep is deep

River Corridor, Facilities Closing At Delaware Water Gap NRA In Advance of Hurricane Irene

Sep 4th - 18:24pm | Anonymous

McDade trail still closed one week after Hurricane Irene hit (sunday-sunday)

Possible Wolf Spotted in Rocky Mountain National Park

Sep 4th - 15:40pm | Rusty Givens

I have photos of what I think is a wolf in Rocky Mt National Park ? Who could I send them to, too verify this? Rusty Givens

National Park Service Issues 5-Year "Call To Action" Plan For Moving Toward Its Second Century

Sep 4th - 11:40am | Lee Dalton

Anonymous, it certainly sounds as if you have some kind of agenda you're trying to grind. How about some transparency to help the rest of us understand who you are and why you're saying these things? Perhaps there is some validity to your comments, but without some background information to explain them, they seem otherwise to be nothing more than a pile of sour grapes.

Big Cypress National Preserve Officials Crafting Hunting Management Plan For Addition Lands

Sep 4th - 00:48am | Frank Denninger

I do not recollect saying that although, I don't doubt it has been happening since the eyes and ears of conservation minded hunters have been banned for over 20 years.

Yosemite National Park Officials Planning To Restore Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias

Sep 3rd - 00:40am | hikertom

I hiked all through this grove in early June and was impressed by how healthy the trees are. Prescribed fire has resulted in many sequoia seedlings. In the 1960's you could drive through the grove. Now you either walk or ride a tram. A six mile hike will take you through the upper and lower part of the grove.

Grandfather Accused Of Endangering Health And Welfare of Grandsons During Inner Gorge Hike In Grand Canyon National Park

Sep 2nd - 23:09pm | CayugaLake

I cannot post what I think of this despicable excuse of a human being is, and what should happen to him. Absolutely sick individual, and agree that he should not be allowed around children at all. Where were the parents?

Permanent Vacation: Twenty Writers on Work and Life in Our National Parks

Sep 2nd - 22:25pm | Patrice

Like Nathan I, too, worked summers at Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park.

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