National Parks Traveler

The spring and early summer blooming season is well underway in much of the country, and for many people that brings to mind some specific varieties of wildflowers or blooming trees or shrubs that they associate with a particular National Park Service area. Do you have any favorite "park flowers"?

First-timers to the Grand Canyon can quickly be overwhelmed, and not just by the depth and breadth of this world famous canyon. Where do you begin to explore this wondrous landscape? While the National Park Service provides a good foundation of interpretive materials, it lacks the staff and resources to develop the robust array of materials that the Grand Canyon Association does.

A 59-year-old German mountaineer suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at the 13,500-foot level of Mt. McKinley this past Sunday night, Denali National Park officials reported Tuesday.

It's that time of year. Yep, the warblers are descending on national lakeshores for nesting.

Summer is a perfect time to explore Cape Lookout National Seashore. A visit to the Cape Lookout Village Historic District rewards you with fascinating structures from a bygone era. Located only two miles from the cape's lighthouse, village visitors are almost guaranteed solitude.

The season for hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park officially begins Friday when cables leading to the summit will be put in place...as long as the weather cooperates.

A shuffling of money has enabled Wind Cave National Park officials to reopen the Elk Mountain Campground for the summer.

Native American artists, specialists in beadwork, flint knapping, music and other traditional and contemporary art forms, will be appearing at Grand Teton National Park through this summer.

You can add Fire Island National Seashore to the growing list of National Park System units with an online reservation system for backcountry camping. While the seashore won't charge you per night in the backcountry, there is a $20 reservation fee.

While some of the beaches at Cape Cod National Seashore were hit particularly hard by Hurricane Sandy last fall and winter storms, park officials say repairs will be made in time for the high summer season.