Hikers in two widely separated NPS areas were injured in falls during the past week. The incidents led to challenging rescues, but they could have been a lot worse. In both cases, the men escaped what would likely have been a catastrophic plunge by the narrowest of margins.
Fire towers usually are off-limits to the general public, particularly historic ones. But if the weather allows, the Beech Mountain Fire Tower at Acadia National Park will be open Saturday, October 17, for you to climb to the top for a view of the jewel of the Atlantic in all its fall splendor.
Where do you go to digitally capture fall colors in the National Park System? The National Park Foundation released a list of the Top 10 parks for fall color the other day, and there are some old stalwarts, and some upstarts as well!
This quiz will find out how much you know about bad people, bad happenings, bad decisions, and other bad stuff in the national parks. Answers are at the end. Peeking may produce bad results.
Have you ever marveled at the impressive amount of information about a park that's dispensed by tour guides and similar people in the travel industry? Acquiring all that knowledge is a big job, but Acadia National Park has made it easier by compiling a wealth of information on a single website. You're welcome to use it, too.
Quick, pick an ocean setting for next summer's national park vacation. Are you heading to the Northeast, the Northwest, or looking South or somewhere else for your destination?
Summer's crowds, heat, and bugs have passed, making Acadia National Park a particularly attractive fall destination. The park's hardwood forests are beginning to show their true colors, while the hiking trails are carrying fewer feet, the Carriage Roads fewer cyclists. And those mouth-watering, jam-carrying popovers are still be served at the Jordan Pond House.
The September-October 2009 issue of Audubon magazine has a Kenn Kaufman article that provides helpful information about birding in twelve national parks.
Despite precautions that ranged from staging search-and-rescue equipment and personnel along the storm-beaten coastline to erecting barriers to keep visitors away from the angry Atlantic Ocean, Acadia National Park officials were trumped by nature when a monstrous wave swept a 7-year-old New York City girl to her death and injured her parents.
A 7-year-old swept into the Atlantic Ocean at Acadia National Park on Sunday by Hurricane Bill's waves was pronounced dead after being pulled from the cold waters, while 13 others also hit by the massive wave were injured with a variety of broken bones and bruises.
Each spring, certain areas in Acadia National Park in Maine are closed to visitors as peregrine falcons return to their ancestral nesting sites on seaside cliffs. With great anticipation, park visitors gather below the cliffs with binoculars, spotting scopes, and zoom lenses to watch the peregrines — — a species that in the mid-1960s was on the brink of extinction.
Whether you're a serious birder or just have a casual interest in watching birds of prey, the annual HawkWatch at Acadia National Park offers a prime opportunity. The event begins on August 19 and runs through mid-October.
Peregrine falcons at Acadia National Park have successfully raised six fledglings this spring, and now that the young birds have begun flying from the nest, a park trail that was closed to protect the nest and chicks has reopened.
True, when you consider that the maintenance backlog across the National Park System is some $8 billion or so, the $750 million-$920 million being spent in the parks courtesy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act isn't that significant. Still, some good work is being done with the money.
In honor of the International Year of Astronomy, Acadia National Park will host two special series of night sky programs during the remainder of the summer. They're part of an impressive lineup of interpretive activities at Acadia this year.
Shuttle bus systems are growing in popularity as one way to reduce the impacts of private vehicles on parks—and on the experience of visitors. Here's a look at some of those systems at NPS sites around the country.
Units of the National Park System are really closer than you think. Some are quite literally in your backyard. Today we're pointing out those that are within an hour's drive of an airport with commercial service.
Peregrine Falcons, once teetering on extinction, are regulars at Acadia National Park. Bald Eagles, also once feared to be ready to blink out, have rebounded incredibly and are highly visible in many national parks. During a week-long canoe trip in Yellowstone National Park last fall I was blown away by the birdlife. But how is the overall "state of birds" in America these days? Unfortunately, things aren't entirely as they appear.
It's not often you can watch a seastar, aka starfish, move. Most of the times I've spied them they've been stuck in place. But this short video shows one on the move at Acadia National Park.
You could call it a postage stamp-sized history of the National Park System, but the history of park scenes on U.S. postage is really quite colorful and carries a few stories with it.
It's that time of year again -- the peregrine falcons are the Precipice Cliff in Acadia National Park. And while that means you can't head up the Precipice Trail, you can get a good look at these raptors that once were thought on the way to extinction.
This week’s quiz is all about glaciers and glaciation in the national parks. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you write on the whiteboard 100 times: “Eskers, depositional landforms composed of stratified gravel and sand, characteristically exist as long, narrow, sinuous ridges with steep sides.”
St. Patrick’s Day is less than a week away, so this week’s quiz will see if you’re ready to start thinking green. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you write on the whiteboard 100 times: “The shamrock of Irish legend is a three-leaf clover symbolizing the Holy Trinity.”
Take this week’s quiz and find out if you’re up to snuff on national park names. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you say Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau over and over until you can pronounce it correctly.
Sure, the calendar says January, there's a lot of snow out there across the country, and you haven't even thought about filing your income taxes. But it's still not too early to begin planning your national park vacation for this summer.
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