You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Park History: Badlands National Park

Nov 10th - 12:42pm | Linda O'Neal

We travel to Wymong as often as we can. Each time, we visit the Badlands and twice have camped there. In addition to running water and toilets, there are showers, a General Store and even a play area for the kids. The first time, we camped in a tent; subsequently, we "camped" in their Camping Cabins which can comfortably accomodate four adults.

Nov 10th - 09:50am | MRC

It might be worth mentioning, that some of the most impressive scenes of the 1990 movie "Dances with Wolves" were filmed in the park. Particularly the early scene of a stagecoach driving through the prairie and the indian village at the river bend.

Nov 10th - 06:36am | Mary Beth Allen

I had the experience of visiting this vast land filled with, what ilooked like giant sand castles. It was truly unbelievable. If one can think of the history that has past though this unforgiving land, it is remarkable. From the dinosaurs to the early homesteaders, to our native Indians, to present day vacationers. I was awe struck.

Park History: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Nov 10th - 06:31am | Merryland

Only been here once but it's still one of my favorite parks. Was moving the family from west coast to east and had the moving truck towing a trailer with the family vehicle on the back. I parked in the Cottonwood campground, pulled my bike off the top of our car, and spent the next day riding my bike throughout the park.

Volcanics Pushing Yellowstone National Park Higher

Nov 9th - 22:10pm | Merryland

The Canyon Village Education Center has a nice exhibit on those ash volumes to help kids (big kids too) comprehend the size of such an explosion and the aftermath of the ashfall. I remember my geology professor in back in the fall of 1980 gave us each a small vial of MtStH ash to keep. I can't imagine having a whole yard full of it several feet deep...

Nov 9th - 12:38pm | jsmacdonald

One thing I heard Bob Smith say when I just happened to be in Canyon (on my hiker/biker trip) when the new educational center opened was that it's not possible to discern when the next eruption, if there is one, will be. One thing people seem to say is that because the last two eruptions had a consistent interval that this will have a consistent interval.

Nov 9th - 10:11am | Lone Hiker

Even more amazing are the people who purchase the properties. I admit to a certain wonderment (and lack of good judgement) about folks who desire "homes on stilts", precariously perched on mountainsides, just for the view! I've witnessed the results of mudslides carrying half-million dollar homes (25 years ago) into canyons in the Huntington Beach area.

Nov 9th - 09:35am | Anonymous

Lone Hiker, in the Mammoth Lakes area (not far from Mt. Whitney) of California, the continuous seismic activity around this part of the country, where past volcanic activity was once quite prevalent, doesn't seem to bother the local residents...million dollar ski chalets, expensive townhouses and condo's.

Nov 9th - 08:19am | Lone Hiker

gargantuan eruptions there 2 million, 1.3 million and 642,000 years ago. These eruptions were 2,500, 280 and 1,000 times bigger, respectively, than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

House Resources Considers Legislation To Increase National Park Properties

Nov 9th - 21:00pm | Merryland

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Nov 9th - 17:07pm | Bart

Frank: Maybe Ranger Butt-Crack was merely trying to present an appropriate option for the placement of a pen? We've all heard the old cliche. Government workers are lazy, worthless, shiftless. Good thing they have brooms to lean on, or else they'd all be horizontal.

Nov 9th - 13:56pm | parkaholic

Since you brought up the uniform thingy, I have a way to improve image and work accomplishment. It's also an appropriate response in light of the Veteran's holiday.

Nov 9th - 10:14am | Lone Hiker

I didn't know that there were plumbers doubling as rangers. That explains alot. Too much information Frank!

Nov 8th - 20:46pm | Bart

Goodness me, I can't believe Beamis or Frank haven't chimed in on this one yet! But...on to the next Simple Proposal:

Plague Suspected In Death Of Grand Canyon National Park Employee

Nov 9th - 20:40pm | Lone Hiker

I saw this on an episode of the old Jack Klugman series, "Quincy, M.E.", except the infection was initiated by a nest of decaying squirrels in a Native American burial ground, and it was mostly the local Native construction workers building a hotel / casino that were affected. Who says TV doesn't imitate real life?

Mountain Bikers Encouraged to Seek Access to Rocky Mountain National Parks

Nov 9th - 17:19pm | Bart

Frank:

Nov 8th - 20:21pm | Bart

Frank: I'll bet we don't disagree that much, except maybe in certain details. Re closures of facilities/trails/areas, I'll resist citing specifics since I believe I'll risk losing my anonymity, which I find I'm thoroughly enjoying!

Nov 8th - 11:39am | haunted hiker

Frank and I have disagreed on this before.

Nov 8th - 10:21am | MPB

I was not aware that any for-profit, trail building businesses existed. The fact that they exist says it all. This issue is nothing more than mountain bike creep.

Nov 7th - 22:20pm | zack

While I can definitely see the arguments made against biking, in the Big Bend's case in particular I think that a well-planned, environmentally friendly, sustainable single track trail is feasible. As it is not slated for the Basin, and as it is not slated for an area that sees a lot of foot traffic, I don't have a problem with it if done properly.

Nov 7th - 20:03pm | Lone Hiker

We all sure can think of plenty of ways to spend monies the NPS doesn't have now, can't we? Blasting a convenience cruise crater in Lake Powell, planning mile after mile of new bike and hike paths, hundreds of millions for a museum to house the "colorized" version of the NPS.

Nov 7th - 18:25pm | repanshek

Haunted Hiker, no need to convert, I love biking. Spent my vacation this summer doing it, as a matter of fact, and just returned from a 24-mile ride.

Nov 7th - 18:07pm | haunted hiker

Certainly not every park or every suggested route is appropriate for bicycle use, but "mountain biking in national parks" should not be demonized. Park managers/planners should be open to consider it as an appropriate use for dirt roads that are closed to motor vehicle traffic, an be open to the idea of allowing a small percentage of trails to be suggested mountain bike trails.

Nov 7th - 17:56pm | Michelle

Why not regulate each trail according to its appropriateness for biking? Seems to work on the carriage trails in Acadia and the mosquito-infested old roads of the Everglades, but it sure as heck doesn't make sense on the steep, narrow trails in places like Yosemite or Bryce. Ya?

Nov 7th - 17:51pm | Bart

How many people do you know who can recite the NPS Mission? I certainly can't. "...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means..." An English teacher would have a field day editing the seemingly endless run-on sentence that describes the NPS Mission.

Nov 7th - 15:54pm | repanshek

Mark, you sound as if you know this topic quite well. Are you officially aligned with the mountain bike community?

Nov 7th - 15:48pm | Mark E

The photo of mountain bikers descending on a wide dirt road doesn't sound any alarms for me. It looks they're having fun, are riding in a safe situation, and are enjoying their visit. Aren't those things appropriate for a national park visit?

Ghost at Blevins Farmstead; Excerpt From 'Haunted Hikes'

Nov 9th - 10:58am | haunted hiker

jr ranger, my people are from that area. And I agree with you, Big South Fork is a gorgeous sleeper of a park that deserves much more than 15 minutes of fame. But then that leaves more room for us while visiting, doesn't it? I spoke with Howard during my research, and I want to hear more BSF stories. I'll be in touch!

Nov 9th - 07:40am | jr_ranger

Bravo for shining the spotlight on the Big South Fork! There are many interesting tales to be told from up on the Plateau - just take a look at the different names of rivers...No Business Creek, Troublesome Creek, Parched Corn Creek, Bandy Creek (shortened from "abandoned")....the list goes on.

Park History: How Volcanics Sculpted Parts of the National Park System

Nov 8th - 19:40pm | Anonymous

Don't forget Pinnacles National Monument, south of the San Francisco CA area. From the park's web page:

Nov 7th - 21:26pm | Merryland

The bigger they are, the harder they claw...

Nov 7th - 19:55pm | Lone Hiker

I see you're up to date on the Native American lore Jon. Yup, hunting bears can be a dangerous undertaking. FYI- the would-be hunter lived to tell the tale.

Nov 7th - 13:48pm | Merryland

I heard that Devils Tower was created by a giant bear trying to claw its way up the side of the mountain... now who do I believe? Hmmm...

Nov 7th - 12:21pm | Bob Janiskee

Jeez, you guys are sharp. Nick is absolutely right that Devil’s Tower consists of phonolite porphyry, not basalt. That’s a good catch, since the distinction is quite important. Differing chemical composition aside, the two rocks aren’t formed the same way and don’t look alike.

Nov 7th - 07:56am | Nick de X

There's a great arch of pillow basalt on the way to the Pt. Bonita Lighthouse in GGNRA, Sausalito, Ca. And Olympic N.P., west of Seattle, has some near Hurricane Ridge. The ranger program 'Above the River's Roar' featured lava dams to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon; the tallest was 2,388 feet tall and 84 miles long.

Nov 6th - 19:08pm | Merryland

Here's one I wasn't aware of -- from a William and Mary (flat hat) news article today. I assumed anywhere there's continental drift there's a chance for magma and the like, but didn't know these details... <><><><><>

Nov 6th - 16:10pm | Glenn Scofield ...

Actually, I was just refreshed that this was a topic I could talk about without being called names... Really, my love for many of the great parks and my love of geology go hand in hand and I was just enjoying the continuation of the list! Meant no disrespect... I just got excited!

Trekking to Dick Proenneke's Cabin in Lake Clark National Park

Nov 8th - 12:58pm | Jen

I spent this past summer in Alaska. Although I never made it to Proenneke's cabin, I read his books and was SO inspired!

Glen Canyon NRA Officials Thinking Of Digging For Water

Nov 8th - 12:45pm | Lone Hiker

science and research are also institutions which have a history of being "antiquated, fundamentally flawed, and needs constant revision Are you just attempting to throw off my blood sugar Haunted Hiker?

Nov 8th - 11:53am | haunted hiker

I say, parks are for enjoyment not preservation. I say, conservation is exactly the right word. I say, "wilderness" is wilderness; a park should be just that "a park." I say, science and research are also institutions which have a history of being "antiquated, fundamentally flawed, and needs constant revision."

Nov 7th - 18:17pm | haunted hiker

The NPS "preservation slant" is only how some interpret the Organic Act. I could argue that the NPS should have a "provide for the enjoyment slant." In fact, I can't find the word preservation in the Organic Act. Though I do find words such as "conserve" and "promote the use of."

Nov 7th - 10:39am | Merryland

Not to mention how the presence of that much water in the middle of the desert has drastically changed the ecosystem. I agree this shouldn't be the Park Service's problem. Reservoir management and sport hunting management should be the responsibility of some organization other than NPS.

Nov 7th - 09:22am | MRC

Wouldn't that be true for all National Recreation Areas? Are they really fit to be units of the National Park Service? shouldn't they be swapped with the BLM against their National Monuments?

Nov 7th - 08:34am | repanshek

Beamis, Good points all. Frankly, I think the region with its fantastic canyon country and ancient history would better qualify as an NPS unit if the lake didn't exist. I wonder if the NPS could swap Glen Canyon NRA for the BLM's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which really should be an NPS unit.

Watching Wolves in Yellowstone National Park

Nov 8th - 11:32am | Jen

Merryland - you don't know how close you are to nailing the situation on the head! You can stop at any pullout, overlook or visitor center (my experience is in Rocky Mountain NP, Yellowstone NP, and Denali NP) and just stare off into space, and inevitably SOMEONE will ask what you see. I guess it's good that people are interested.

Rockefeller Family Turns Over More than 1,100 Acres to Grand Teton National Park

Nov 7th - 20:36pm | jsmacdonald

It's about freaking time. After using a front company in the 1920s and 1930s to swindle local landowners out of land in order to give Jackson Hole to the NPS, the Rockefellers then kept this land privately for themselves. But, don't get me started on this subject --

Nov 7th - 14:49pm | Anonymous

Thanks Rockefellers!

Olympic National Park Ready for Wolves?

Nov 7th - 10:35am | Alpha_Wolf_I♥Wolves

i am all for wolves...i think that hunting wolves should be illegal everywhere......healthy wolves have never attacked humans before.....i love them....my friend told me about them....before i met her...i knew nothing.....she taught me everything i know....and now both me and my friend have tried so hard to make it illegal in michigan to hunt them.....i hope it stays illegal.........forever

Park Service Now Interested in Adding Christmas Mountains to Big Bend National Park

Nov 7th - 04:18am | Merryland

Looks like we're heading towards a new designation in yet another NPS park: Big Bend National Park (and Preserve). :-b From the El Paso Times: AUSTIN -- The Texas School Land Board decided Tuesday to give the National Park Service 90 days to submit an offer to buy the Christmas Mountains Ranch.

How Will National Park Service React To Museum Proposal At Harpers Ferry?

Nov 6th - 19:29pm | Bart

The latest obsession with the NPS has been "outreach." This means going outside the boundaries of the parks to reach audiences that were previously considered unreachable.

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.