Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Long a bone of contention between state, local and federal authorities when it comes to public lands access is a nearly 150-year-old law initially passed to help advance westward expansion. Now Interior Secretary Ken Salazar hopes a pilot program in Utah can generate a solution to R.S. 2477 controversies.

Nevada Barr, author of the Anna Pigeon murder mystery novels set in national parks, will present an evening program at the Wahweap Campground Amphitheater in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 11.

A 23-year-old Arizona man was killed when he fell about 70 feet while hiking in a canyon at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

A series of accidents this week at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area points to the need for visitors to the National Park System to be safer in what they do.

The showy tamarisk tree, aka "Saltcedar," long has been reviled as a thirsty scourge of Western national park riparian areas. But new research shows it's not any thirstier than some native species. However, tamarisk isn't valued as highly as cottonwoods and willows by some bird species, the studies say.

Debate over the country's energy needs, environmental conditions, and the resulting quality of life is not new. It's unending, ongoing, and downright rancorous at times. But does it need to be? With hazy views across spectacular parks in the Southwest, how can we turn that debate into solutions?

Back in January 2008 the Traveler warned about a movement in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to allow tar sands development in Utah. Well, it seems that project could soon be sprouting near Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument.

Whether it finally had decided wintering in the arctic was just too much, or simply got blown off course, a Red-necked grebe found its way recently to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where attentive birders spotted it during the NRA's annual Christmas bird count.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is calling for more high-flow releases of the Colorado River down through Grand Canyon National Park and believes they can be done to benefit the national park's resources while also meeting energy and water needs.

Russian-olive can be an interesting addition to your landscape, with its dense coat of silvery leaves, bright yellow flowers, and relatively compact stature. But it also is a non-native tree that can overwhelm native vegetation, hog water, and disrupt nutrient cycles. In Utah, the National Park Foundation is helping combat this invasive by providing funding to a coalition trying to eradicate Russian-olive from public lands in the southern part of the state.

A Nevada man paid $2,500 for mussels at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but they weren't served up at some ritzy restaurant. No, the boater was fined $2,500 for failing to have his craft inspected for quagga and zebra mussels before launching on Lake Powell.

"Jurassic" isn't just a name from a movie, it's also a term for geologic formations known to contain evidence of dinosaurs. The discovery of a new site with dinosaur tracks at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is being described by scientists as "remarkable," and "an important discovery."

An effort to siphon gasoline between two containers led to an explosion that injured six -- including two with burns severe enough that they were flown to a Las Vegas burn treatment center -- and destroyed a houseboat at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

If you've spent anytime around cliffs, you probably can appreciate that climbing up is a lot easier than climbing back down. Well, for three teens and their mother at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, getting down required quick assistance from park rangers who were able to rappel down and safely get the four back on firm ground.

A review of how the U.S. Bureau of Land Management handled energy leases near national parks in Utah shows some areas where the system broke down and carries recommendations for, at a minimum, review of previous leasing decisions. Some tracts, the report said, should be removed from leasing.

Whether you can thank the hoopla around National Parks: America's Best Idea, or attribute it to the weak economy, there are a number of lodging deals available to be had around the National Park System.

Contrasting views on how public lands should be managed and enjoyed collided in a congressional committee hearing Thursday as distinct lines were drawn over whether more than 9 million acres of red-rock landscape in Utah's outback should be protected as official wilderness or left open for off-road vehicles, mountain bikes, and energy development.

Legislation scheduled to be taken up Thursday by a U.S. House subcommittee wouldn't create any national parks if passed, but it would go a long way toward providing some serious buffer zones around four national park units in Utah through the creation of officially designated wilderness.

Bushwhacking across landscapes can be dangerous, particularly if the footing is steep and covered with talus -- areas of loose rock. At Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a Missouri man died when he slipped while crossing a talus slope and fell 70 feet into a shallow arm of Lake Powell.

A mother and son were injured in a parasailing accident at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The incident occurred on Lake Power, near the mouth of the San Juan River, and resulted in severe head injuries to the woman.

How often do you cook a turkey dinner on a houseboat? The opportunity arrives this Thanksgiving, when a houseboat rental at Glen Canyon, Lake Mead, or Lake Amistad national recreation areas will also get you a turkey for the big day. Plus, the rental comes at 40 percent off.

A split ruling this week by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concerning off-road vehicle access to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and other public lands in southern Utah could also affect ORV issues on national park lands throughout the region.

A longstanding problem for fisheries in the Upper Colorado River Basin is the competing demands for water. It's needed for irrigation, it's needed to generate power, and it's needed, not surprisingly, to sustain fisheries. With drought a frequent visitor to the states of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, how that huge watershed is cooperatively managed is critical for all these demands.

The high surf resulting from Hurricane Bill's travels off the east coast last weekend got plenty of press, but an unrelated storm that hit Glen Canyon National Recreation Area with little warning offered a reminder that coastal areas aren't the only ones affected by high winds and waves.

Canyonlands National Park is one of the most rugged national parks, with a harsh summer sun that bakes the dry, canyon-riddled landscape. But those deep canyons’ steep rocky slopes, which offer ample grasses and shrubs, and an openness that puts predators at a disadvantage, are an optimal environment for bighorn sheep. In fact, Canyonlands’ bighorn population has been so stable that Utah’s wildlife biologists long relied on it for stock to re-establish herds elsewhere in the state.

It may sound like just another fad, but a recent near-tragedy for two youngsters at Grand Teton National Park offered a grim reminder about the dangers of "teak surfing." Some people are still unaware of the risks, so here's why you shouldn't let your friends or family try this deadly "sport."

There's still at least a month of great summer weather to be enjoyed before any thoughts of fall or winter will sneak into your mind. And if you're looking for a national park getaway, here are some deals and packages being offered around the National Park System. Some expire right around Labor Day, some run later into the year.

A 4-year-old who was briefly left unsupervised at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has drowned in Lake Powell, according to park officials.

On June 25, 2009, a boater at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was preparing to head out for a day on the lake. What happened next proves that knowledge is a wonderful thing... if you decide to apply it.