You are here

All Recent Comments

Reopening Of Death Valley National Park Will Take Time

Sep 5th - 19:51pm | Abby Wines (Dea...

It's too early to know. The Caltrans contractor is working from Death Valley Junction towards Towne Pass. Meanwhile, another contractor is working from US-395 to Towne Pass. Caltrans is targeting having CA-190 fully open by December 1, but are likely to open segments earlier than that. So, a solid "maybe" that the '49er Encampment can happen in early November.

Sep 5th - 19:48pm | Abby Wines (par...

I don't know when Caltrans will be able ot reopen CA-190 to the junction with Dantes View, but NPS crews are currently working on Dantes View Road. It was one of the few with only light damage. It will open when the adjoining part of 190 opens. Thanks for your patience!

Sep 5th - 12:47pm | y_p_w

John Welch: Does the closure also include the un-paved areas Such as Titus Canyon?

Sep 5th - 00:24am | John Welch

Does the closure also include the un-paved areas Such as Titus Canyon? 

Sep 4th - 22:02pm | Jason

I'm out of a job. Been in Death Valley for a year and a half. 

Sep 4th - 18:51pm | COD

We have plane tickets and a campervan booked for a Thanksgiving week to visit Death Valley and Joshua Tree. At the moment I'm working on the assumption visiting during Thanksgiving week, if even possible, will be a bad idea. Would you agree with that assessment?

Sep 4th - 12:42pm | Joanne Serpa

We come to the 49er Encampment at Furnace Creek every year the first week of November. After reading this article I'm guessing the Encampment will be canceled this year. So sad. 

Sep 3rd - 19:58pm | y_p_w

Cornelia Gyura: I am a huge Death Valley Fan - visiting every year since 2013. I hope State Road 190 will be fixed as far as Dante's Peak till middle of Nov 2023. That's when I booked my next visit.

Sep 3rd - 17:54pm | Cornelia Gyura

I am a huge Death Valley Fan - visiting every year since 2013. I hope State Road 190 will be fixed as far as Dante's Peak till middle of Nov 2023. That's when I booked my next visit.

Essay: The Proposed Ambler Mine And Road And Its Implications

Sep 3rd - 02:04am | Steve Carwile

George - The individual native allotments are obtained via the language of the 1906 Alaska Native Alottment Act, as amended, not from ANILCA, so most existed prior to 1980.

Aug 29th - 11:04am | Loui

Watch the video. The realistic conclusion is that this is a question of when, not if.

Aug 28th - 11:05am | Snochasr

I've talked to the Red Dog miners, and it is one of the cleanest mines anywhere.  Fish now live in the nearby streams that previously did not.  The owners, operators and workers are Inuit who have an unquestionable love of the land and will not sacrifice it for economic gain when it is NOT necessary to do so.  And if we've learned anything from the Dalton Highway, it is that the Caribou love it

Aug 28th - 09:21am | john928gt

Interesting read. Enjoyed the video. Thanks

Op-Ed | Tribes Shouldn't Be Given Control Over Yellowstone Bison

Aug 27th - 14:40pm | Dawson Alex

The author could have easily made his arguments for not allowing any special interest groups to control management of our public lands. Instead, he led, right out the gate, with a derogatory racist and inflammatory sentence. And kept going.  Any credibility he might have had and any merits his discourse had on this subject were immediately lost. 

Blue Ridge Parkway Campground Closing Early Due To Staffing Shortage

Aug 24th - 07:46am | T Burt

And ...... Staffing? What staffing?  You NEVER see an employee here (or almost anywhere for that matter).  You can't find a single person to even drop by once a day to spot clean thge restroom?  Also ...... The "friends" association who only want to put on concerts and build playgrounds for comminities out side the park.

Aug 17th - 19:47pm | Charles Jamison

Not only are the two fore mentioned comments spot on, some of the higher paid positioned employees need to get off there you know what and start helping to close some of those gap.

Aug 17th - 09:30am | Loui

The NPS, like many low-pay employers, is learning that in the modern age you can no longer treat employees poorly with long hiring processes, short notice, inadequate housing, and various other empty promises (like we can cut your season at any time for any reason), and expect to attract and/or retain quality people.  

Aug 17th - 08:49am | CS

In some ways I am unsurprised. I've been in the area for 2 1/2 years and have ardently tried to volunteer in that specific area of the Blue Ridge Parkway to no avail but one cleanup at Peaks of Otter. There's some outreach coordinator that replies back excited, but never any follow-up of opportunities.

Op-Ed | Time For Mount Rainier To Institute A Timed-Entry System?

Aug 23rd - 23:48pm | Rick B.

I have to agree with the stiff fines.

Aug 22nd - 12:39pm | Visitor

I will likely never visit again until there are reservations.  The first come first serve congestion at the campgrounds was a nightmare.  We literally were not allowed to make a reservation 6 months ago when we planned trip.  Only half our group was able to stay, the other half flew back home.  Park visitors being packed everywhere made the trip miserable.

Aug 21st - 14:00pm | Kirby7

Timed entry might help, but it will not correct people's ignorance and entitlement.  Stiff fines are what is needed.  If you hit someone in the pocket they finally toe the line.  

Aug 19th - 09:43am | Amarillobymorning

You put your finger on the real problem when you addressed the (mis)behavior of so many park visitors. Timed entry can spread out the crowds, but can't fix the "Tourons" who think it's fine to tramp wherever they like, leave trash, harass wildlife and generally act like fools. I don't know if a media blitz on park etiquette would be productive; are such people even capable of learning? 

Traveler's View | Factoring The Ecological Value Of The National Park System

Aug 23rd - 20:55pm | Jess

Yes. we have forgotten WE depend on nature, not the other way around. 

Aug 23rd - 15:57pm | y_p_w

It may be more complicated because visitation creates impacts.  Obviously people driving cars that emit CO2 and other pollutants.  However, last time I visited Redwood National Park, a park ranger noted that they had EV charging at a park administration center that was free and open to the public.  It wasn't convenient, but was something where they tried to provide a benefit to the visitor.

UPDATE | Hundreds Stuck Inside Death Valley By Hilary

Aug 22nd - 13:40pm | A. Johnson

Wow.     It's amazing what 2" of rain will do in a desert.

National Parks Quiz And Trivia #34: July Notables

Aug 22nd - 13:39pm | Lisa Ann Highlands

This was fun and very interesting.

Hilary Closes Death Valley National Park, Visitors Urged To "Turn Around, Don't Drown"

Aug 21st - 08:32am | Loui

So now we've got imbedded video which is cool.  The scroll down is a bit clunky as I could not maximize the window FYI.

What Ken Burns Left Out

Aug 20th - 13:26pm | Virginia Dixon

Very instructive and interesting information presented here, but... Perhaps you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I see missing two essential words to this story of America's land history and  ownership:  NATIVE AMERICANS  

4-Year-old Dies in Fall off South Rim of Grand Canyon

Aug 20th - 00:17am | Amie

When I visited the Grand Canyon with two children, 8 and 5 years old we were very cautious. out of an over abundance of caution I put my 5 year old on a backpack leash and my spouse held my older sons hand. We had so many people, including other families, making fun of us having a backpack leash for our younger son.

USFWS Agrees To Conduct Status Review On Pinyon Jay

Aug 17th - 11:40am | Mike Painter

Good news!

Rush To The Outdoors Has Challenged Recreation.Gov

Aug 15th - 17:11pm | Robert Bernardini

The frustration with the Rec.gov is real and until improvements in system fairness happens, the NPS will continue to bear the perception of incompetence.   The NPS' stated mission is to make the parks available to the citizens of the US and visitors.  Of course there's a balance to be maintained: to make the parks available while providing the natural experience visitors expect. 

Traveler's View: E-Bikes And Safety Concerns

Aug 15th - 16:43pm | Sally House

E bikes allow seniors and others accessibiltiy.  Education and rules regarding acceptable trail use will solve alot.  Our parks are for the use of all.

Aug 15th - 14:41pm | Jessica

The agency's decision to dismiss and exclude impacts to Wilderness from analysis in the proposed PEA reflects the agency's legal obligations and poor and/or limited understanding of how and where its resources and visitors are actually affected by its policies.

Aug 14th - 17:28pm | Mick

I have ridden (on a human powered bike) the bike paths at Zion, Grand Canyon, Golden Gate NRA, Acadia, and extensively at Yosemite. The biggest thing that I notice when riding my bike and interacting with people on e-bikes is the large number of the e-bike users that ignore basic biking etiquette.

Aug 14th - 15:04pm | ccg

I just read your article and all the negative things you pointed out about E bikes can be done on many conventional and mountain bikes. So if you're using that as a reason to restrict E bikes and/or ban you bikes, I don't understand why all bikes would not be banned. The national parks belong to everyone and shouldn't make every effort possible to include all users recreational desires.

Aug 14th - 08:49am | Jim Kenney

E-bikes are a blessing for seniors and allows them to enjoy longer and more difficule rides than they could on a typical bike.  But Class 1 e-bikes should be the only class allowed in parks.  It is the best comprise, it allows for e-bike usage but limits to e-bikes with a top speed of 20 miles per hour with an electric motor that works only when the rider is pedaling - no throttle.  

Utah Appeals District Court's Ruling On National Monument Boundaries

Aug 15th - 15:26pm | Nick

Good point Kyle. this Supreme Court doesnt give a toss for precedent. However,John Roberts is clearly on his own in regards to narrowing the scope of the Antiquities Act. Thats because none of the other 8 joined him in his griping about the Northeastern Canyons and Seamounts marine monument.

Aug 15th - 14:34pm | Kyle

Not so fast on the precedent argument. This current Supreme Court doesn't care or regard what is precedent (ie Roe v Wade, Affirmative Action, etc). But they may be unwilling to overturn this case because it is based on congressional legislation rather than an executive order or judicial decision.

Aug 15th - 13:08pm | Nick

They can appeal all they like, but there's no chance that they will get this decision overturned. Why? Simple. Binding Supreme Court precedent. Large monuments were settled as valid under the Antiquities Act in 1920.

National Park Service Mulling Three Options For Managing Yellowstone Bison

Aug 13th - 09:35am | Loui

I don't think there's any data to support the idea that 7K bison instead of 5K bison would materially affect visitation.

Judge Chastises Fish And Wildlife Service For Ignoring Wolf Recovery Plan

Aug 11th - 17:48pm | Mike Painter

Great news!

Three Days In Redwood National And State Parks

Aug 9th - 19:24pm | y_p_w

I finally made a visit to Redwood National and State Parks, which has always been on my bucket list.  I have lived in Califonria nearly all my life and have gone to the big national parks, but have never been on the California coast north of Sonoma County until recently.  We stayed in Arcata, although Eureka is reasonable too.

Higher Camping, Permit Fees Proposed At Zion National Park

Aug 8th - 00:03am | Sam Ray

We stayed at watchman campground in the winters of 2020/21 & 2021/22. About half of the RV campsites & almost all of the tent campsites were empty. Raising fees when the park is busy may raise revenue, but raising fees in the off-season will decrease both visitors and revenue. Perhaps you need a busy season rate & an off-season rate?

Tracking Sooty Terns On Their Comings And Goings From Dry Tortugas National Park

Aug 7th - 21:24pm | Kim Woolfenden

I was part of the banding "crew" in the 70's Lead by my dad, Glen E. Woolfenden and William (Bill) Robertson. Wonderful memories! When is the last time this was done? 2014?   [email protected]

National Park Service Sued Over Termination of Indian Trader at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

Aug 4th - 16:33pm | Sina Brush

Bill Malone was the real treasure at Hubbell. He knew Navajo arts and crafts like no one else, I did business with him over the years and always enjoyed his classic self. The ham-handed misrepresentation of him was nothing more than the NPS suspecting him of what they themselves would do. I was there a few days after this fiasco, completely unaware of what happened.

Groups Call On Interior Secretary To Officially Restrict e-Bikes' Access In National Parks

Aug 4th - 10:45am | Jessica

Will DOI make the submitted comments available for public viewing?

National Park Service Sued Over Cumberland Island National Seashore's Feral Horses

Aug 3rd - 12:28pm | Lyn Riley

What about relocating them to Payne's Prairie in Florida,  a marshy land with wild horses in Florida south of Gainesville?    

Protecting Biodiversity Through National Park System Expansion

Aug 1st - 15:21pm | d-2

Reading this, implying the need to protect additonal resources for the system of National Parks, and reading another article on this site, about the large "Legacy" funding through what Trump renamed as the Great American fund, it really blows me away that all those who offered opinions that there should be no more new parklands protected because funding was tight, really need to acknowledge how

Interior Officials Urged To Support NPS Rule On Hunting And Trapping In Alaskan Preserves

Aug 1st - 15:00pm | d-2

This rule does not apply to Native subsistence users.  This rule is about SPORT HUNTERS, and only fixes a screw-up from the State of Alaska. 

National Park System Expansion Key To Biodiversity Protection

Aug 1st - 09:00am | Michael Kellett

Hi Still, National Parks and Wilderness are not mutually exclusive by any means. In fact, most designated Wilderness is in National Parks.

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.