Big Bend National Park

More than a decade after it was closed in the wake of the September 1, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Port of Boquillas border crossing at Big Bend National Park is back in business.

Thoughts of spring wildflowers usually bring visions of lush hills and meadows with picturesque streams. But not the desert. Certainly not arid West Texas. Yet by April, especially in years following a wet autumn, wildflowers and cacti turn the rugged landscape of Big Bend National Park into a palette of rainbow hues. And migrating birds add their colorful magic to the trees and thorn-covered vegetation.

A remote section of Big Bend National Park remained closed Monday in the wake of a mountain lion attack that left a visitor with minor injuries.

In its annual list of species considered to be candidates for Endangered Species Act protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has cited at least 12 species that either can be found, or were found, in the National Park System.

The classic picture of an owl is typically one associated with Halloween: large, nocturnal creatures with wide eyes and a wise mind. With Halloween here, it’s the perfect time to take a look into a lesser-known owl species that can be found in some national parks: the Burrowing Owl.

With the Obama administration nearing the end of its first term, it has a track record for its stance on public lands in general and national parks specifically, and it's not as rosy as many conservationists had hoped for when the president came into office.

Throughout the summer we've been celebrating the work of national park friends groups. While the summer is coming to an end, their good work continues throughout the year. And with that in mind, they could use your support to fund that work. Here's a look back at some of the park system's "essential friends" and how you can support them.

August is on the run, but that doesn't mean the time to get the most out of your favorite national park in the western part of the country has passed by. Take the following tips from friends groups in Big Bend, Glacier, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone national parks to heart and you'll create years of memories.

Big Bend National Park is a big place. To help you get the most out of your visit, consider these tips from Friends of Big Bend National Park.

The foremost mission of the National Park Service is to preserve the units of the park system, but providing for public enjoyment and education through interpretation is never overlooked. Helping drive both those missions at Big Bend is Friends of Big Bend National Park, a group that one day could be sponsoring a road or trail run and the next day spending the proceeds from that race on maintaining trails in the park.

A package of bills that would toss aside environmental laws and regulations protecting a wide number of national parks passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, though its prospects in the Senate were unclear.

Spring migration is winding down across much of North America, and it’s time for birders to relax and reflect. I’ve been contemplating happy thoughts such as where I would go if given an all-expenses paid birding trip to any U.S. National Park in the next 12 months. No one has offered this to me yet, but I made up a list in my head.

A package of legislation that sponsors call the Conservation and Economic Growth Act and which critics maintain would severely cripple the nation's environmental laws and pose a threat to the National Park System is expected to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives this week.

As lovers of national parks look forward to the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service—guardian of ”America’s Best Idea”—there has never been a better time to profile the rise and role of what may be our “Second Best Idea”—the friends groups, trusts, and foundations that support those parks.

Here are the best national park campgrounds, according to the Traveler's lodging experts, David and Kay Scott, who actually spend more time in a tent than you might imagine!

In a guest column, Mark Eller, the communications director for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, explains why the mountain biking community would be a "strong partner" for the National Park Service.

Efforts to cut a multiple-use trail for hikers and mountain bikers at Big Bend National Park have generated ongoing debates over whether creating such trails for mountain bikers in national parks is a good thing. Roger Siglin, who long has followed the Big Bend matter, wonders if the National Park Service hasn't painted itself into a corner over this issue.

With hopes of raising money to further its efforts to gain access for biking trails, the International Mountain Bicycling Association is targeting the Traveler as the evil villian.

There has been considerable debate about the wisdom of allowing mountain biking in the National Parks in general and Big Bend National Park in particular; that park becoming the poster child and cause celebre of mountain biking.

You can add the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees to the groups that are concerned about efforts by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop to dismantle many of the nation's environmental laws in the name of border security.

Questions are being raised over whether the National Park Service's approach to the multiple-use trail in Big Bend National Park was preordained to satisfy the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

A funny thing happened on the way to National Park Service officials approving a multiple-use trail at Big Bend National Park: They inadvertently failed to notify the public.

Natural Bridges National Monument was the very first unit of the National Park System to garner recognition for its dark night skies, but it's not the only unit to be appreciated for nighttime clarity. Big Bend National Park is the latest park to be honored by the International Dark Sky Association.

Rangers continued Wednesday to look for a mountain lion that attacked a young boy in Big Bend National Park and which is thought to have aggressively approached a family out hiking the same day.

Several areas of Big Bend National Park have been closed to the public in the wake of a mountain lion attack on a young boy, who received non-fatal injuries to his face.