National Parks Traveler

Dry Tortugas may be the most remote national park in the east. Once you get there, there's so much to do that you may want to stay overnight.

The twenty-seven national parks of the Bahamas—more than a million acres—are waiting to make any visit to this 900-island nation a premier opportunity to see another country’s national parks. That applies whether you step off an airplane, a cruise ship—or even a private yacht. The Bahamas is a major magnet for sailors.

As the National Park Service approaches its centennial in 2016, is it working to improve the park system, or is it business as usual?

From our snowy perch on Mather Point on the South Rim, the majestic formations of the Grand Canyon rise from the shadowy abyss below us. The morning sun washing through the canyon breaks the winter chill and saturates the reds, yellows, and oranges of the crests, buttes, and sinuous ridges. Gleaming in the morning’s warm light, the formations morph from distant cardboard cutouts into cosmic monuments and temples.

You'll be able to turn the calendar back 253 years at Ninety Six National Historic Site next month when the park marks the anniversary of the first Cherokee attack on Fort Ninety Six.

A New York City advertising agency has been retained by the National Park Foundation to promote the National Park Service's upcoming centennial.

Three previously unknown species of trapdoor spiders have been discovered in Joshua Tree National Park, and scientists have named one after Bono of the rock band U2 in honor or their Joshua Tree album.

Poverty Point National Monument, a historic site in Louisiana that was a major trade center 3,000 years ago, has been nominated for designation as a World Heritage Site by the Interior Department.

Parks are great spots to enjoy observing wildlife, but one of the challenges for many visitors is the question: "What bird (or animal) is that?" Now there's a source of help in wildlife identification for both experts and amateurs: The "world’s largest natural sound archive" has gone digital, and it's available on-line ... and free of charge.

The new superintendent for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail comes from Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, where she has been superintendent for the past four years.