National Parks Traveler

There is likely no more cherished national park experience on the planet than the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb Mount Fuji. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Japanese do it—and pilgrims from all over the world are joining them. I was one of them not long ago.

Even today, more than seven decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the number of sailors interred in the USS Arizona continues to grow as veterans of the battle have asked in their final wishes to be returned to the ship to spend eternity with their shipmates.

Along its thousands of miles of shoreline, across its wide waters, and inside its secluded backwaters, the Chesapeake Bay watershed offers a rich and diverse playground, one that should become easier to navigate thanks to a campaign launched in conjunction with the National Park Service's release of its Chesapeake Bay Watershed Access Plan.

Denali National Park officials are considering the possibility of plowing the park road an additional nine miles in winter, to the Mountain Vista Rest Area, to give visitors a bit more access.

Despite a sour economy and expensive gasoline, nearly 283 visitors traveled to the National Park System in 2012, an increase of nearly 4 million from 2011 and the highest level of visitation since 2009.

Some caves continue to grow, either through natural geologic forces, or simply through greater exploration. In the case of the cave protected by Mammoth Cave National Park, human exploration has pushed its length by 10 miles, to 400 miles total.

A recent report on the aquatic environment at Lake Mead National Recreation Area has mostly positive news for boaters, fishermen, environmentalists and the millions of residents who depend on the huge lake in the desert for their day to day water needs.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore's campgrounds will begin to open for the season on April 5 when the Oregon Inlet, Frisco, and Ocracoke campgrounds open for business.

Visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park could be able to drive up to Clingmans Dome as soon as today if conditions allow, though bad weather could force park officials to close the access road at any time.