Dinosaur National Monument

A mountain lion that decided to cache its mule deer in the Split Mountain Campground at Dinosaur National Monument has led park officials to close the campground to the public for the time being.

Utah's collection of national parks, monuments, and historic sites helped generate $6.5 billion in tourism spending for the state in 2010, an increase of nearly 5 percent, according to state calculations.

Dinosaur fans and the staff at Dinosaur National Monument are celebrating the long-awaited opening of two key facilities in the park within a six day span beginning September 28: a new visitor center and the Quarry Exhibit Hall.

It's always gratifying to see youngsters who are interested in national parks and science, and that was definitely the case for Nathan McDermott. The seven-year-old cancer survivor's wish was to spent time with paleontologists at Dinosaur National Monument.

Five years after the original visitor center at Dinosaur National Monument was closed due to structural problems, a new facility will open on the day that it marks the monument's 96th birthday.

Spend time playing in the water during your national park excursions? If you paddle in the parks or slither through slot canyons that might offer water hazards, the Hummingbird Gear Cargo Carrier is a pack you might want to consider.

Heavy snow years translate into great paddling in the white-water frothing the West's iconic rivers. But in Dinosaur National Park officials are warning floaters to be particularly cautious on the Yampa River this spring due to high flows.

Some of the most magnificent national parks of the Southwest owe their rugged beauty to the Colorado River and its tributaries. Unfortunately, dams that have sprung up along the river have changed the water flows in a way detrimental to these national parks, according to a report from the National Parks Conservation Association.

Climate change is leading to a sizeable decrease in stream flows in the major river basins of the Southwest, declines that could impact recreation and wildlife in national parks such as Arches, Canyonlands, and Big Bend, according to an Interior Department report.

Across its sprawling system, the National Park Service is noticeably short of adequate museum display space and curatorial facilities. But the agency has a plan to address that.

Great paddling adventures are ready to be had in the National Park System, whether you intend to spend just a few hours or a week or more on the water. Here's a look at some great choices for where to dip a paddle.

Crews are scrambling in Dinosaur National Monument to see that the Harper's Corner Road is open to the public by mid-April.

As it continues to improve its web presence, the National Park Service has made it easier for you to find information on the parks in your state...as well as on other Park Service-related entities, such as properties on the national register, or wild and scenic rivers, or historic trails.

If you ever wanted to wake up with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or even chai along the Green River as the sun glints off the cliffs of Dinosaur National Monument, or enjoy dinner along the Colorado River as it roars through Canyonlands National Park, you can do it this summer at a discount if you act soon.

Birding is one of the many popular activities in the National Park System, and by carrying your binoculars and perhaps a field guide to help you identify what you see, you quickly can expand your "life list" during a park visit. If you're a birder, where in the system do you go, and what are you looking for?

It's cold in Utah, but that hasn't slowed work on the new Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument, as the accompanying images show.

Here at the Traveler we'd like to warmly welcome two new organizations, and one old friend, back to our list of sponsors: Holiday River Expeditions, the North Cascades Institute, and the Yellowstone Association Institute.

While the original visitor center at Dinosaur National Monument suffered from stability issues, the new facility going up has deep roots -- upwards of six stories' deep into bedrock -- that should provide substantial stability.

Fresh off their Election Day tidal wave, and energized by it, Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee are planning big changes for public lands in the West, changes that could greatly impact national parks.

What's in a name? Apparently a lot when the name includes "national park."

Former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Parks Conservation Association, a somewhat curious, and likely controversial, move in light of his oversight of the national parks.

If all goes as planned, in about a year you'll be able to walk into the new visitor center at Dinosaur National Monument and once again inspect a cliffside studded with fossils.

Irony can't be overlooked when one considers the move by Wyoming officials to hold up the federal government for millions of dollars for two square miles of land surrounded by Grand Teton National Park.

Construction is progressing smoothly on a new visitor center at Dinosaur National Monument, where the old one was torn down due to structural concerns. You can keep tabs on the new center's progress by checking out a website run by the monument's paleontologist.

Who says those automated phone answering systems, the ones that incessantly ask you to push this number for that information or that information for this tidbit, can't be helpful? A new one operating at Dinosaur National Monument helps you relatively quickly learn when you might be able to land a permit to float the Green or Yampa rivers in the park.

Summer is here and warmer weather has arrived in most parts of the country. For many park visitors that prompts the desire to go for a swim, but taking a dip isn't always a good idea. A recent "not so excellent adventure" at Dinosaur National Monument led to two rescue attempts, and the first effort nearly ended in disaster.