National Parks Traveler

The Inn at the Presidio is the newest of the nearly 100 lodges associated with our national parks.

Throughout human history, total lunar eclipses have inspired a range of emotions, and seeing such events are an amazing experience. Four total eclipses are coming up in the next 17 months, and while you can view those displays from many kinds of sites, enjoying the phenomenon in a dramatic natural setting like a National Park Service site would be a bonus for many of us.

Groups and organizations looking for insights in how to build canoe and kayak access points to rivers and lakes can turn to a new guide from the National Park Service.

Irresponsible visitors who couldn't resist carving their initials into the soft sandstone at Arches National Park have prompted the closure of an area near one of the park's iconic arches.

At Isle Royale National Park, where the island's wolf population has been in slow decay for years, park officials have announced plans to take a thorough look at options for preserving wolves on the landscape.

Who recalls what "tramping" is? Does anyone do it these days? Stephen Graham reminds of that pleasurable activity in his book, The Gentle Art of Tramping.

Across our country and around the world, national parks come in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes. They may be large or small, urban or remote, natural areas or historical sites, but few bear any similarity to one that was proposed last week. This potential national park would cover 579 square miles, include 170 museums, and be home to 1,500 species of flowering plants, 300 species of birds...and eight million people. It's certainly not another Yellowstone.

Yosemite National Park crews have a huge task ahead of them: clearing a boulder field that slid across about 400 feet of the trail to Rancheria Falls near the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

On a windless morning, under the kind of flawless blue sky that always appears in ads for Florida vacations, our paddles send quiet ripples across the otherwise glassy surface of Chokoloskee Bay. As our two canoes glide past a signpost marking the Indian Key Pass water channel, two ospreys lift off from their nest atop the post and flap lazily over the water.

Rivers run fast and tumbling throughout the National Park System, there are streams with lazy meanders, and placid lakes perfect for dipping a paddle. This diversity poses a delightful dilemma when you have the urge to float and paddle. What follows is just a sampling of the experiences that await you, whether you have hundreds of watery miles under your paddle, or are looking for calm waters to take your youngsters.