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Visitor Survey: Bryce Canyon National Park

Oct 16th - 13:16pm | Susan L.

Bryce Canyon isn't a popular park for some reason, but to me, it's the most beautiful place on the face of the earth! The orangey-red hoodoos look even more beautiful in contrast to the most brilliant blue skies overhead. The blue sky is only rivaled by the sapphire blue of Crater Lake. Hiking there is usually not crowded, though I haven't been in a few years.

Oct 16th - 11:14am | Simone Cannon d...

This park was a lovely surprise. My husband and I planned on visiting a cluster of parks in this area, but didn't include Bryce on our route. However, so many people suggested that we visit, that we detoured and arrived right after a light snowfall. The red colored rocks were iced in shining snow and, as it was out of season, we had the park almost to ourselves.

Shenandoah National Park Ranger Roy Sullivan Set the World Record for Being Hit by Lightning

Oct 16th - 09:28am | Anonymous

According to the 1992 Farmer’s Almanac Roy is buried at the Mount Horeb Cemetery, Mecklenburg County, Virginia

The Role of Partnerships in the National Park System

Oct 15th - 23:35pm | Anne Olsen

Thank you for sharing this information. The cooperating associations indeed make a very positive and significant impact on the national parks and visitors they serve.

Here's a Yellowstone Bear Story: Grizzly Sow Has Quads!

Oct 15th - 20:09pm | Connie Hopkins

Gerry and Pat, here's the link to that story on the Bison kill. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/10/the-day-and-a-half-st...

Oct 15th - 16:40pm | Gerry and Pat

My wife Pat and I traveled to Yellowstone Park Oct. 6 and 7. We specifically traveled south of Mammoth through the Swan Lake area but did not see grizzlies there. We saw two grizzlies ona bison that had been killed by wolves just west of the Lamar/Tower junction and also saw a sow and two grizzly cubs in the Hayden Valley.

Reader Participation Day: What Parks Lure You In Winter?

Oct 15th - 19:28pm | Elizabeth | The...

I'm originally from north Florida, and every few years I try to tack on a visit to go canoeing in the Everglades and snorkeling in John Pennekamp. Magical places both, and I always appreciate the warmth.

Oct 14th - 15:14pm | y_p_w

Yosemite NP. I don't ski, but they have ranger guided snowshoe walks every day at Badger Pass. I was afraid that they might cancel because it was snowing heavily, but apparently only a blizzard would cancel.

Oct 14th - 14:37pm | Connie Hopkins

Jon Merryman's input on Valley Forge sounds terrific! Throughout High School, our youngest daughter joined a "Venturing Crew" (Co-ed Boy Scouts) that were Civil War Re-enactors. She earned the rank of Corporal and ran her own cannon crew. As a family, we have wonderful memories of going to these "battles" and supporting our daughter. The Valley Forge experience would be right up my alley!

Oct 14th - 11:22am | WAB

Everglades NP. I'll always remember camping there one particularly chilly January weekend when I encountered only one mosquito during the entire stay! It's also a great time of year for bird watching.

Oct 14th - 05:59am | Jon Merryman

Valley Forge has a great scout encampment every Presidents' Day weekend (February). If you live in the Philly area, you owe it to yourself to get out there and enjoy the demonstrations and support the scouts durng the time of year that epitomizes everything that happened at Valley Forge. Great event.

Oct 13th - 18:16pm | tomp

Cabrillo NM, specifically the tide pools. They're stuck inside the gate of a military installation; the gate closes at 4pm and everyone has to leave by 5pm. Most of the year the lowest low tides are before you can enter at 9am or after you have to leave, but in winter some of the low low tides are while the park is open.

Oct 13th - 15:03pm | pkrnger

Among our most memorable park visits in the dead of winter was a recemt trip to Carlsbad Caverns, NM in early January of 2008. Once we entered the Caverns via the Natural Entrance self-guiding trail, we just about had that immense dimly-lit underground gallery of calsified art to ourselves.

Oct 13th - 14:27pm | Janine Smith

Rocky Mountain National Park for me too! Same snowshoeing event as Aaron. Can't wait!

Oct 13th - 12:30pm | Connie Hopkins

My only experience is Yellowstone in Winter. Last year we spent Christmas in Yellowstone and it was magical! Giantess Geyser erupted in the Upper Geyser Basin starting on Christmas Eve and erupted throughout Christmas Day!! I'd like to add Grand Teton NP to those experiences!

Oct 13th - 11:19am | justinh

Backpacking through Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Can't wait!

Oct 13th - 09:51am | Aaron

Rocky Mountain National Park of course. We'll be there in February for a big snowshoeing get-together. We do this every year. We'll be building igloos and some of us will stay in them out in the backcountry. I'll have my kiddos with me so I won't be in the igloos overnight.

Oct 13th - 09:51am | Gaelyn

I'm thinking Hohokam Ima NM, Casa Grande Ruins NM, Saguaro NP, Fort Bowie NHS, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe Mts NP, Big Bend NP, Rio Grande WSR, Amistad NRA and Padre Island NS. Can you tell I'm taking a journey to Texas?

Judge Orders Cross Removed from Mojave National Preserve

Oct 15th - 18:15pm | anonymous

If people want to look at a cross in the desert they can go buy some one acre paradise on their own and erect one. Funny the same person who rants about the lack of a minority right to not be offended, majority rules, etc. become apoplectic when a majority wants something that he does not.

Oct 15th - 07:36am | Chaliapin

Read the First Amendment to the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Behind the Scenes With Yosemite Nature Notes

Oct 15th - 14:44pm | George

Thanks for this great video. As a young seasonal naturalist, I participated in the 1961 glacier survey trip to Mount Lyell, and it has been an inspiration to me ever since. That grand wilderness landscape is my fondest memory of Yosemite National Park.

Gee Interprets a Settler in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Oct 15th - 12:30pm | Sharon McCarthy

Thank you for this in-depth look at this GSMNP volunteer. I particularly appreciate her dignified answer to the thoughtless question about "real hillbillies." She is a very humble and classy lady.

Oct 15th - 08:35am | Lee Dalton

Neat story! Neat lady! Y'know, some of the greatest resources in our parks are our volunteers. What did we ever do without them?

Dark Skies in National Parks Make It Easy to Spot the Space Station: Here's How to Look for It

Oct 15th - 08:51am | pkrnger

Larry, tell us more about the NPS night sky program at Badlands. 9000 participants for the summer season sounds like your program is very successful. How do you manage larger crowds for single nights?

Oct 14th - 16:49pm | LArry Smith

Thanks for the info. As coordinator of the Night Sky Program @ The Badlands NP, we use Heavens-Above.com to alert us for the ISS but also some amazing Irridium Flares...over 9,000 guests attended our programs and used our state-of-the-art telescopes to view the mysteries of our galaxy as well as other far-away galaxies...come see us next season!

Moving From Fall Towards Winter In the National Parks

Oct 14th - 20:01pm | Danny Bernstein

The colors in the Smokies are now at their peak. If not at their peak, certainly outstanding. Winter doesn't close the Smokies, just certain roads. Danny Bernstein http://www.hikertohiker.com

Isle Royale National Park's Wolf Population Loses Two Packs, Moose Population Steady

Oct 14th - 18:27pm | David Rolfes

I was up there this past August and Dr. Peterson mentioned that no packs had pups. There is a website for the study on Ilse Royale that should get you the information that you are looking for. http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/wolfhome/home.html

Ansel Adams In The National Parks

Oct 14th - 14:32pm | Connie Hopkins

Maybe I should have been more clear with my comment on manipulation. Swapping out an item and replacing it with another isn't authentic to me.

Oct 14th - 11:30am | Pittsburgh in t...

Actually, the comment about Photoshop and Lightroom is not accurate. Ansel Adams believed that half of a photo was made in the camera and half of it in the darkroom. Photoshop and Lightroom are today's darkrooms. Most people familiar with Adams believe he would have used those tools, too.

Oct 14th - 07:21am | Connie Hopkins

Long before Lightroom or Photo Shop, Ansel Adams projected images with authenticity. My husband is an amateur Photographer and too many times we see that so many images are manipulated and have become a commodity. The images might be beautiful but lack "soul". Mr. Adams' photographs have depth and soul to them.

DNA Tests Indicate Yellowstone National Park Elk, Not Bison, Most Likely To Spread Brucellosis

Oct 13th - 19:43pm | Glenn Hockett

Kurt:

Oct 12th - 21:36pm | Anonymous

Agree!

Visiting the Parks: National Park of American Samoa Isn't Easy to Get To, But the Trek is Definitely Worth It

Oct 13th - 18:31pm | Jill

Great article, I learned so much in a few paragraphs about a place I know little about. Thank you for sharing.

Oct 13th - 12:02pm | Rick B.

The trails are very well maintained. The trail crew is well led, has strong morale and is very cohesive as a unit. While we were there this summer they got rugby shoes to help them on the steep hillsides. Also, not necessarily a job requirement, but when a good-bye ceremony was held for departing NPSers, it turns out the trail crew can really sing!

Oct 13th - 02:06am | John

Nice job. The MOST amazing facet of the hike from Mount Alava to the village of Vatia is that the trail transits four regimes of the rain forest; cloud, ridge, littoral and strand. In each regime, very apparent to the educated eye, species of plants dominate according to moisture, soil, climate, altitude and proximity to salt spray.

Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Promoted to Yosemite National Park

Oct 13th - 15:48pm | y_p_w

The oyster farm debate is going to the public. It will include an open house style meeting at three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of these meetings are going to be in Marin County, and the other will be in Berkeley. http://www.nps.gov/pore/parkmgmt/planning_dboc_sup.htm

More Calls For "National Park" Designations Across The National Park System

Oct 13th - 14:01pm | Bob Janiskee

Good catch, Anon. We've made the correction. BTW, the Red Book lists the area of Pinnacles National Monument at 24,513.64 acres (including 10.8 acres of nonfederal land). Federally designated wilderness in Pinnacles totals 16,048 acres.

Oct 13th - 13:30pm | Anonymous

For what it's worth, the acreage of Pinnacles National Monument is more like 26,000 acres, not the 14,500 you report. Major additions were made in 2000.

Oct 13th - 05:05am | Anonymous

Dinosaur National Monument - yes. Dinosaur is spectacular, with the dinosaur dig area, the rivers, and incredible geologic diversity. Colorado National Monument - no. Too small, and while it is very beautiful it pales in comparison to nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

Life On the Fire Lines in Rocky Mountain National Park

Oct 13th - 12:43pm | mike lee, emerg...

great article. well written. nice to be right there and then right. so many times we are answering questions based on "virtual" information and i'm always praying that we've formed the right picture in our minds.

National Park Mystery Spot 17: Isn't That a Clue?

Oct 13th - 12:20pm | Bob Janiskee

National Mystery Spot 17 is indeed Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. Kudos to all of you who solved the puzzle, and especially to Eric, who was the first to supply the correct answer. Check back with Traveler tomorrow for an explanation of the clues.

Oct 13th - 11:37am | toothdoctor

How about Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial?

Oct 13th - 11:32am | Ed123

Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial

Oct 13th - 08:36am | Matt W

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Oct 13th - 06:22am | Eric

The Memorial Column at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Reader Participation Day: Which Issue Resonates More: Yellowstone Snowmobiles or Cape Hatteras ORVs?

Oct 13th - 10:27am | fair access

Regarding snowmobile use in Yellowstone - since only Best Available Technology (BAT) snow machines are allowed to enter the park, that means they are fitted with clean and quiet 4-stroke engines from cars and motorbikes that enter the park pretty much unrestricted in the summer. So my point is, if the sleds are so bad for the park, then why not ban the cars and bikes as well?

Interior Secretary Signs Cape Wind Project Lease, Stresses Need for U.S. to Be Energy Independent

Oct 13th - 10:25am | Barbara Durkin

Secretary Salazar has no credibility. http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2010/10/06/5244767-secretary-salazar-ca...

Oct 12th - 22:54pm | Jonathan Foxrun

Clean energy is a solution only when it sustains the natural environment. When its construction decimates natural areas, it is counterproductive. We are a nation smart enough to be true environmental leaders, but Secretary Salazar would reduce us to knee-jerk competitors when it comes to energy solutions.

Visitor Survey: Acadia National Park

Oct 12th - 22:14pm | Anonymous

This sounds like a well done survey, but I wonder what wildlife "other than birds" survey repsonders want to learn about. In my visits to Glacier NP in the last two years, people went gaga over the megafauna. In Acadia, the biggest terrestrial animal may be a beaver (although I thought I saw a bobcat). Ranger Anne told us that there aren't even any moose or bears there.

Reader Participation Day: Should Rangers Cite, or Merely Warn, Visitors For Their Wrongs?

Oct 12th - 20:25pm | CharlieR

I think park regulations should be strictly and uniformly enforced by citation, with the amount depending on the severity of the infraction. When people are pretty certain that their ignoring of park rules will result in a fine, they will exhibit much better behavior.

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