North Cascades National Park

A backcountry hiker in North Cascades National Park has been credited with photographing a grizzly in the park, the first confirmed sighting of the species there since 1996.

With Olympic National Park in their rearview mirror, David and Kay Scott have moved on to North Cascades National Park to check out the lodging possibilities there for their book, The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges.

Connecting youth with North Cascades National Park is the goal of a fund-raising campaign on Thursday that lets you donate to the North Cascades Institute and watch your donation grow through matching funds.

Coinciding with the first day of summer is another entrance-fee-free-day in the National Park System.

From time to time we get asked by readers what can they do to help the National Park Service out? Well, today you can sign a petition being circulated by the National Parks Conservation Association urging Congress to safeguard national park funding.

A four-year search for wolverines in Yellowstone National Park and the ecosystem neighboring the eastern half of the park detected surprisingly few of the carnivores, but concluded that the park has increasingly valuable habitat that could help the species avoid extinction in the contiguous United States.

Across the National Park System there are successes to note in pulling species back from the brink of extinction. But there also are stories to lament.

At least 29 units of the National Park System offer "artist-in-residence" programs. Those accepted range from visual artists and photographer to sculptors, composers, and even writers. Here's a list of those parks and the application deadlines.

To help encourage folks to get out and enjoy National Great Outdoors Month in June, a wide array of campgrounds across the country, many close to national parks, are offering a 20 percent discount on camping fees.

Is April really the best month to celebrate National Park Week? After all, some northern tier parks such as Glacier, Yellowstone, and North Cascades have limited access, and many kids are in school and can't get away to the parks.

Yellowstone National Park wolves, which have brought balance to the park's ecosystem and tens of millions of dollars to its surrounding communities, could find themselves targeted by hunters if an amendment attached to the latest Continuing Resolution remains intact.

How will you spend your summer vacation? If you're thinking about some R&R in the National Park System, we've got some suggestions and advice to offer. All week-long the Traveler will be offering stories about places to go and things to do in the parks.

Summer easily is the best time of year to get out and get sweaty in the National Park System, if only because the warmer weather makes more opportunities available. In time to help you plan your summer vacation, here's a potpourri of outdoor adventures in the parks.

Ever get the urge to run a business on a backcountry lake surrounded by a national park? Your opportunity awaits at the North Cascades National Park Complex.

Bad weather, lack of a presidential inauguration, and safety concerns along the Southwestern border with Mexico apparently were the major drivers behind a slight dip in 2010 visitation to the National Park System from 2009 levels.

Work on what is described as the "most notable improvement to the Stehekin Ferry Landing in almost 40 years" in North Cascades National Park Complex begins Monday.

Along with offering incredible landscapes to explore, the National Park System offers researchers incredible "laboratories" to learn more about the world around us, as this short video explains.

Another photo exhibit is scheduled to benefit national parks, this one in Seattle with the proceeds to go towards programs at Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades national parks.

Wondering what to do with your kids this coming summer? At the North Cascades Institute, there are a few great programs that will not only keep them busy, but teach them something about the great outdoors in and around North Cascades National Park.

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.

Too many species, too little staff. That's the roadblock preventing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from immediately adding the wolverine to the list of species with protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Mountain goats have been described as "supreme mountaineers," can appear somewhat professorial in appearance with their goatees, and have uncanny agility. Now, in the tragic wake of a hiker being fatally gored in the Olympic National Park backcountry, some might also describe them as killers.

For a full century the Buckner family has been growing apples in the scenic Stehekin Valley in Washington's North Cascades. The orchard is now managed as part of North Cascades National Park Complex, with some vital help from the Stehekin Community and the Buckner Homestead Heritage Foundation.

Weary no doubt of floods that time and again have impeded access to the Stehekin area of North Cascades National Park, officials are fine-tuning a draft environmental impact statement that examines possible changes to the Stehekin River corridor.

The illegal killing of two black bears in late August in North Cascades National Park has promoted the posting of a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The reward is being offered by The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.

The body of a Seattle attorney who planned to climb Storm King Mountain in North Cascades National Park by himself has been found on a steep slope of the mountain, according to park officials.

A small handful of bills that would impact the National Park System have been sent to the full Senate for consideration. Among them is legislation that would shift Valles Caldera National Preserve out from under a trust and into the park system.

It was quite a battle last week when we asked whether you would rather visit Utah's national parks or those in California. Well, here's another head-scratcher: Would you first head to Wyoming and Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, or Washington State with Olympic, North Cascades, and Mount Rainier national parks?

Thanks to a series of fundraisers held by Washington's National Park Fund, nearly $300,000 is being funneled to Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades national parks for projects in the parks.