| Page 1194 | National Parks Traveler

I've visited the area of Grand Staircase-Escalante over a period of 30 years, and it's worth the effort. Its magnificent back country of canyons is being discovered by more visitors each year. A nonprofit group based in Kanab, the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, is building local support for the monument and its scientific, interpretive and educational programs.

Sep 19th - 18:31pm | Kurt Repanshek

Gary, are you thinking of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah? That basically took coal reserves out of play; I don't think there were any oil reserves.

Sep 19th - 17:01pm | Gary

We also musn't forget that former President Bill Clinton in his last days in office added millions of acres of western land to the Park Service (as I recall) that could have been tapped for oil. Therefore making the resources unavailable for use. Yosemite, my wife's and my favorite, Yellowstone, Zion, and many national lands deserve preservation for their beauty.

Sep 18th - 19:55pm | Anonymous

Why can't CONSERVE-atives and CONSERVE-ationists get along? The common interest is clear!

Traveler's Checklist: Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Sep 20th - 16:27pm | Wendell Rowell

Great article. Another couple along with my wife and I made this hike this past spring. The stream crossing numbered over 20 in total. Only a couple of bridges on the whole hike so be prepared to either get wet or be a really good jumper. We carried a lunch and ate in the cabin. Over five hours on the trail. Not for the inexperience day hiker.

Sep 20th - 12:37pm | RidinWind

Good write up. I have not seen that place- but usually I am on a Motorcycle when out on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Won't be long and the leaves will start touring - Great time to ride there!

Sep 20th - 08:50am | Brad

My wife and I were there last April for the first time and fell in love with it! We will definitely make the trip back to Doughton.

Another Record Month of Visitation At Yellowstone National Park

Sep 20th - 13:43pm | toothdoctor

Kurt, A couple of points: First off, I did not mean to imply that you asserted that last year was the "high-water mark for visitation". I only meant to use last year as comparison because it was not the the "high-water mark", and the raw data showed that, overall, this year's visitation is lagging behind. I apologize for the confusion.

Sep 20th - 09:22am | Kurt Repanshek

Toothdoctor, I think when NPS visitation is the topic, hyperbole isn't necessarily uncalled for. The Park Service long has been questioned about the accuracy of its head counts, many of which are no more than guesstimates, and loose ones at that.

Sep 19th - 23:34pm | toothdoctor

Kurt,

Odds and Ends From Visitor Surveys at National Parks: You'd Be Surprised At Some of the Answers

Sep 20th - 12:07pm | Edward Frank

Perhaps teh problem with the surveys is that they do not consider that the trails are facilities. Whe I think of facilities I think of buildings and perhaps parking lots first. I appreciate the trails and talks, but they do not fit immediately into the category of facilities.

Sep 19th - 19:06pm | pkrnger

D-2, you are correct. For well traveled tourists, the image of a country is highly influenced by the cleanliness of its public restrooms, more so than anything else. That having been said, I can only remember park restrooms, especially those in or near park visitor centers, being of very high quality.

Sep 19th - 18:59pm | Meg

The trick to dealing with the parking issues at Klondike in Seattle is to use the express bus from Tacoma [g]. Or any one of the other busses that run to Pioneer Square. It's much easier than trying to take a car down there. Even if you're from out of town, park at a park n ride and take the bus in. Really.

Sep 19th - 16:59pm | Anonymous

@ Rick B I had no trouble finding parking during my visit to Klondike. The main problem I had was the walking tour led by ranger Tim, he didn't seem to want to be there. He complained about his feet hurting from a long hike the day before. His tour was bad and irrelevant to the Klondike story.

Sep 19th - 16:03pm | d-2

There is no trivializing the visiting public's appreciation for clean and available restrooms. If it seems silly or ignoble. Taking all tourism into consideration, not only National Parks, the restroom is often the major issue. Clean and well-designed restrooms can have a decisive effect on the public's assessment of the professionalism of any site for visitors.

Sep 19th - 14:16pm | pkrnger

Kurt,

Sep 19th - 13:18pm | Rick B.

It isn't just Klondike visitors who have problems parking. EVERYone in downtown Seattle have problems parking.

Sep 19th - 12:58pm | Kurt Repanshek

Perhaps you're right, Lynn. My initial thought was that there are so many ranger-led programs that one could fill their entire Acadia visit bopping from one to another. Here's a glimpse at what they offered in August alone:

Sep 19th - 12:29pm | Lynn

Wow, I think it's pretty amazing that very close to 1 out of 5 visitors to Acadia National Park attend a ranger-led program. They certainly warrant that level of participation because they are very interesting. I've attended "Stars Over Sand Beach" and "Birds of Prey". I've met people on trails who stop and chat about what they've learned from ranger-led hikes.

Sep 19th - 10:10am | Gaelyn

Although it's rather sad, I've always said visitors will remember a dirty restroom before they'll remember a good Ranger talk. Why do they come anyway?

Caribbean Pirates Invade San Juan National Historic Site

Sep 20th - 06:41am | Joe Rivera

Baby, El Morro is going to come out in the next "Pirates of the Carribean picture in May 2011!!!

Updated: Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park Temporarily Blocks Trail Ridge Road

Sep 19th - 20:34pm | Anonymous

Scary! So many dead trees from that pine bark beetle. We're heading to Grand Lake in about 10 days. Our very favorite town in Colorado.

Flamingo Master Plan For Everglades National Park Proposes New Lodge, Cottages, Upgraded Marina

Sep 19th - 13:40pm | John

It's been too long! When's the finish date?

All Was Not Lost When Loggerhead Turtle Determined to Nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Was Run Over

Sep 18th - 17:13pm | dapster

SS1, With all due respect, Sir, it is painfully obvious that you are categorically against all ORV use on any beach, for any reason, and while I will defend your right to your opinion, I simply cannot agree with it.

Sep 17th - 13:46pm | SS1

Dap your pictures illustrate better the problems with ORVs on the park beach than I could explain. The ones of vehicles lined up with just enough room to open the door and the rest of the beach an ORV route is an excellent example of one user group (ORV) having a bigger footprint of very finite resource (ocean beach) than another.

By the Numbers: Point Reyes National Seashore

Sep 18th - 16:22pm | Bob Janiskee

You're right about the elephant seals, Mike. Between December and April, a breeding colony of elephant seals can be viewed from the Elephant Seal Overlook on the Elephant Seal Overlook Trail near the Chimney Rock parking lot.

Sep 18th - 15:47pm | Mike Painter

I don't have the numbers, but elephant seals have recolonized the Peninsula in the last 20 years, and there is now a breeding colony, with pups being born in the Winter.

Sep 17th - 14:33pm | George

@Joyce: I would not drive on any beach. When I visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore, I saw that beach vehicles dominate the beaches. The National Park Service is writing a new off-road vehicle management plan, which I hope will be an improvement. A consent decree in 2008 adopted temporary restrictions on beach driving to reduce conflicts with birds and sea turtles.

Sep 17th - 09:52am | Joyce

@George: What do you mean..How far out of step Cape Hatteras is? Do you drive on the beaches at Cape Hatteras?

Fatal Fall from Angels Landing in Zion National Park

Sep 18th - 14:01pm | Lovetohike

I have hiked Angel's Landing many times. If you obey the signs that tell you not to go beyond a certain point that you should be just fine. Many people fall because they decide to go beyond the signs. What happened to this woman was a freak accident and my heart goes out to her family. When you go on the hike, bring lots of water, comfortable shoes, and obey all the signs.

In Case You Were Wondering, Yes, the National Park Service Is Having Technical Difficulties

Sep 18th - 11:50am | RDick

I agree - the websites were made standard a number of years ago. I personally think they are to standard or boring. Plus a number of the sites are not kept current - hours given for last year. Granted there is a lot of information provided but how creatively.

Sep 18th - 06:54am | Gaelyn

Gee, I thought they uniformed web sites years ago.

Doggone! Car with Canine Aboard Goes Over the Edge at Crater Lake National Park

Sep 18th - 11:48am | Anonymous

It's past time to close most of Rim Drive to autos. There's at least one other car in the lake, plus a helicopter. Fuel from the boats has spilled into the lake. There needs to be a campaign similar to Tahoe: "Keep Crater Lake Blue!"

Sep 17th - 09:05am | anonymous

Thankfully, no lives were lost and other than the potential pollution and lost personal items, Lucky-the-Dog made the story Memorable. Now, it is time for CRLA NPS to examine all Historic Rim Road edges/berms to identify places where vehicles may leave the roadway. Both well-placed rustic log sections and boulders will minimize the future risk. Also, there

Sep 17th - 07:57am | Connie Hopkins

WOW! And they say CATS have 9 lives!!

Reader Participation Day: Where Was Your Worst Dining Experience in the National Parks?

Sep 18th - 09:46am | Anonymous

With 30 + years of experience eating in the parks, in general my expectations are pretty low when I dine inside the parks. My most troubling experience was 3 years ago in yellowstone where the manager continuously berated his staff in front of guests. The wait & kitchen staff (all of whom appeard quite young and from other contires) looked scared to death and miserable.

Sep 17th - 10:32am | RangerLady

Since I live and work in the parks, I've had quite a few experiences with the resturaunts, since that's really the only place I have to eat out. I have to say that the worst was with Xanterra in Death Valley. I went out to a faily expensive dinner at their steakhouse and, while the food was excellent, had a terrible server.

Should Canyon de Chelly Be Given to the Navajo Nation?

Sep 18th - 09:42am | Don Morris

Just to answer an earlier question about Hubbell Trading Post NM - the present unit is comprised of Lorenzo Hubbell's original homestead - a possibility back then. The trading post was the only private land holding for many miles around and is thus not under tribal jurisdiction then or now. I am not sure about Navajo NM.

Traveler's Checklist: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Sep 18th - 09:17am | Anonymous

We're heading to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in early October. Can anyone tell me a great place to view sunset?

Flamingo Lodge is No More

Sep 17th - 14:19pm | Jon Merryman

There's more than grass, skeeters, and gators down in Flamingo. If you know where to look, there are crocodiles! Manatees too, but never found any of the elusive womanatees. Added over a hundred bird species to my lifetime list in my six months living in the park. RIP Flaming-O Lodge...

Sep 17th - 10:04am | Old Flamingo worker

I was just on the maps reminissing about my season working at Flamingo, many more years ago than I want to admit, this truely is a sad loss.

Mesa Verde’s Tribal Park Neighbor: So Near, So Far, So Different

Sep 17th - 14:12pm | mcghiever

I specifically asked my guide, a young man named Scotty, about who else he shared tour-leading duties with. Veronica must have moved on to other things because the only other guide currently is another male.

Sep 17th - 09:21am | Bob Janiskee

@ mcghiever: Glad to hear that you had a memorable visit at the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park -- not that I had any doubt that you would. By any chance, did Veronica guide your trip to the canyon? As for the Balcony House tour in adjacent Mesa Verde National Park, well, just thinking about the exposure on that ladder makes me break into a cold sweat.

Sign Up For Traveler's Weekly Newsletter To Stay Abreast of Park News, Learn of Special Offers

Sep 17th - 12:35pm | wil

Thanks for doing this!!!

Road Construction Didn't Get in the Way of Glacier National Park Visitors in August!

Sep 17th - 12:08pm | Gene Douglas Er...

Not to mention Fall in Glacier gives you a lot of bear sightings, as they are in their rush to gain weight before hibernating.

B-29 Superfortress That Lies at the Bottom of Lake Mead Continues to Draw Attention

Sep 17th - 10:03am | Bob Janiskee

Bill, I suspect that you may be thinking of the twin-engine B-25C Mitchell that was recovered from Lake Greenwood in 1983. It had crash-landed in the water on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) after a pilot on a training flight skimmed the surface of the lake so low that the props ended up churning water instead of air.

Sep 17th - 09:46am | Bill from Dacusville

A B 17 was pulled up from Lake Murray SC a few years back.

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