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Grand Canyon National Park

How Might the National Park System Appear if Not for the Use of the Antiquities Act of 1906?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 17, 2010 - 1:10am
If the Antiquities Act, which allows presidents to set aside national monuments, had never been created, how might that have affected the National Park System as we see it today?

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Want To Keep Mule Rides in the Canyon

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 16, 2010 - 3:27pm
Grand Canyon National Park officials, who have been mulling the continued use of mule trips in the canyon, are supporting a plan that would allow 10,000 mules rides a year on the South Rim and as many as 8,000 on the North Rim.

Reader Participation Day: Where Are the Best Waterfalls In the National Park System?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 3, 2010 - 4:30am
Two of the most incredible waterfalls in the National Park System can be found in Yellowstone National Park. But it certainly doesn't have a monopoly on waterworks. Olympic National Park boasts the beautifully secluded Marymere Falls, Glacier National Park the towering Bird Woman Falls, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park the comparatively small but gorgeous-just-the-same Abrams Falls. What other waterfalls in the park system deserve to be singled out for their beauty?

Stranded Rafters In Grand Canyon National Park Get Unexpected Helicopter Lift

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 26, 2010 - 2:53pm
A group of rafters heading down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park received an unexpected helicopter lift when their boat became stranded on a rock garden in the river near Crystal Rapid. This was no quick and easy rescue, though, as it took 14 rangers, with air support, more than a day to get the rafters heading back downstream.

The Grand Canyon: A Quick Peek

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 22, 2010 - 5:00am
This short video gives you a quick overall of that hole in the ground known as the Grand Canyon.

Environmental Groups Ask Feds to Require Reduced Pollution from Four Corners Power Plant

Submitted by Jim Burnett on February 19, 2010 - 8:39am
The effects of coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners area on national parks and residents of the region have been a point of contention between environmental groups and power companies for years. A coalition of groups has now asked federal agencies to require measures to reduce pollution from the Four Corners Power Plant.

Much-Needed Changes at Grand Canyon's Mather Point Start Next Month

Submitted by Jim Burnett on February 14, 2010 - 3:20am
Those traffic snarls and endless searches for a parking place at Mather Point at Grand Canyon National Park should soon be a distant memory. Work will get underway next month on the second and final phase of improvements planned for the spot where most visitors get their first look at the Grand Canyon.

USGS Says High Colorado River Flows Benefit the Grand Canyon

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 3, 2010 - 3:27am
High flows of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park that mimic natural ebbs and flows are beneficial for the river corridor, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. However, the report notes that many of the benefits are erased within six months due to energy demands that dictate releases through the Glen Canyon Dam.

U.S. Highway 89, The Scenic Route to Seven Western National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 2, 2010 - 3:38am
U.S. Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven National Parks
U.S. 89 is a relatively narrow thread of pavement that wends its way 1,600 miles from Glacier National Park in northern Montana to Tumacacori National Historical Park in southern Arizona. Along the way, it passes through five states, past seven units of the National Park System, and through thousands of years of human experience. Ann Torrence captures this sliver of history in words and photographs in a story that is decided off the racetrack known as the interstate highway system.

Grand Canyon National Park Now Accepting Applications for 2011 Non-Commercial Raft Trips

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 1, 2010 - 8:57am
Here's your opportunity, paddlers! Grand Canyon National Park is now accepting applications for 2011 non-commercial float trips down the Colorado River.

Looking To Gain A Little Structured Education On Your National Park Trip?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 24, 2010 - 4:08am
Can you tell by looking at a wildflower in Yellowstone National Park what the underlying geology is? Or, while hiking through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, can you identify a bird simply by its song? Do you want to get relatively up close to the elephant seals at Point Reyes National Seashore? Here's how you can do all those things and more.

What's Going On at the Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon National Park?

Submitted by Jim Burnett on January 15, 2010 - 3:20am
Visitors to the eastern edge of Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim can't help but notice the Desert View Watchtower, a landmark in the area for over seventy-five years. If you visit the area this year, you'll see considerable work taking place on the historic structure. What's going on?

Repairing Paradise: The Restoration Of Nature in America's National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 8, 2010 - 3:16am
Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America
"Repairing Paradise." That's a somewhat inauspicious title for a book that examines how to restore natural settings in the national parks. But in light of many scenarios that are playing out across the National Park System -- from parks being overrun by elk, deer, and even people to ecosystem subterfuge -- repairs are exactly what need to be made.

2009 in Review: National Park Brain Teasers

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on January 1, 2010 - 3:45am
During 2009, Traveler posted 67 national park-themed quizzes, mystery photos, mystery spots, and mystery plants. They’re all listed here, complete with links.

National Park Mystery Photo 17 Revealed: The Ceiling of Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 31, 2009 - 3:42am
It'd take a sharp eye, and a head bent backwards, to admire this view of the ceiling of the Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon National Park.

Dropping Temperatures, Wet Roads Cause Accidents Involving Roughly 40 Cars at Grand Canyon National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 30, 2009 - 8:22am
A trip to a national park normally lets you leave stress and worry behind, but when falling temperatures combined with light snow at Grand Canyon National Park the conditions produced slick roads that led to a number of accidents involving roughly 40 vehicles, including one that came close to sliding off into the abyss.

"1,000 Places to See Before You Die" Lists Quite a Few National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 27, 2009 - 4:07am
When "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" was published in 2003, it quickly rose up the New York Times bestseller list. If you've managed to visit a good number of national parks since 2003, more than likely you've made some pretty good inroads on Patricia Schultz' checklist.

Tiny Grand Canyon Pseudoscorpion Among Candidate Species Listing Under Endangered Species Act

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 26, 2009 - 3:29am
A tiny scorpion-like invertebrate found only in Grand Canyon National Park is among 67 plant, animal, and insect species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says might be eligible for listing as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

Photography Exhibit of Grand Canyon National Park Highlights The Skills of Middle Schoolers

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 21, 2009 - 3:16am
Want to catch a glimpse of, perhaps, the next great landscape photographer? Then head to Williams, Arizona, to tour an exhibit of photos snapped in Grand Canyon National Park by ten middle school students.

Ice Blamed for Partially Derailing Grand Canyon Railway Locomotive, No One Hurt

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 15, 2009 - 3:32am
A buildup of ice on the tracks was blamed for partially derailing a locomotive pulling a passenger train to Grand Canyon National Park. No one was hurt in the incident, and buses were summoned to take the 70 passengers the rest of the way to the park's station.

National Park Movies: Some More We Like for 1950-1979

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on December 14, 2009 - 3:45am
Our Traveler’s Top Ten national park movies post was well-received, but we only scratched the surface. We’re digging deeper now. Here are some more we like for 1950 to 1979.

Some Out of the Ordinary National Park Trips To Consider

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 13, 2009 - 3:24am
For most, a national park vacation entails booking a room in a lodge or reserving a spot in a campground, arriving at the park and checking in, and then spending a number of days hiking, paddling, or traveling the park to view various sites, whether they focus on waterfalls, geysers, deep forests, museums, or cultural focal points. Here are some alternatives to that approach, some pricey, some not so.

Just In Time For Your Backpack Trip Into the Grand Canyon: Three New Trails Illustrated Maps!

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 12, 2009 - 4:04am
There's a brand new series of Trails Illustrated maps for Grand Canyon National Park, and this trio provides more detail to help you navigate the canyon.

Interior Secretary Calls For More High Colorado River Flows Through Grand Canyon National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 10, 2009 - 1:18pm
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.

National Park Quiz 75: Potpourri IV

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on December 9, 2009 - 3:35am
Here’s another grab bag to work through. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll remind you that cheaters never prosper.

Dark, Starry Skies Above National Parks Celebrated by Posters, Forthcoming Book

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 8, 2009 - 3:26am
Some of the best star gazing can be had in national parks. Proof of that can be found at Natural Bridges National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Big Bend National Park, even Acadia National Park. Those and other park settings are celebrated in a series of night sky posters issued in conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy.

National Park Service Hires Software Company to Help Track Emergency Medical Data

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 5, 2009 - 3:26am
It's good to know that the National Park Service has hired a software company to track data related to search-and-rescue incidents. Let's just hope their work is a little more accurate than their press release.

Man Dies in Fall From South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 29, 2009 - 9:02am
Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park are trying to determine how a man fell 200 feet to his death from the South Rim near Mather Point.

Parking and Traffic Changes Will Ease Congestion at Grand Canyon National Park

Submitted by Jim Burnett on November 27, 2009 - 3:41am
Big changes in roads, parking and other facilities are nearing completion on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The result should be a much-improved visitor experience, beginning this month. The real payoff will come with next summer's crowds.

Road Access To North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park To Close Monday, November 30

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 25, 2009 - 3:20am
Years ago there was a lodge on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon just outside the national park's boundaries. It would operate through the winter as a cross-country ski resort. Sadly, it's no longer in operation, and its snowcat rides to the North Rim are a thing of the past as well. Which means that after Monday, if you want to gaze into the canyon before next spring you'll have to walk or ski there, as road access is closing down.
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