Yosemite National Park

A Minnesota man who had been enjoying day hikes in Yosemite National Park died in a fall along the Mist Trail in the park's iconic valley.

Yosemite Valley can feel like a bustling town at times, with traffic jams, wailing emergency sirens, and tour buses and tractor-trailer trucks snaking along the roads. While Yosemite National Park planners are trying to better manage some of that crowding, the American Recreation Coalition fears they're going too far and threatening the visitor experience.

As shoulder seasons in Yosemite National Park continue to grow, does the National Park Service have a good plan for preserving the Merced River as it flows through the park's iconic valley?

Over a century ago, John Muir's vision for Yosemite National Park included areas that were not included in the present park. Now there's bipartisan support for efforts to add about 1,500 acres adjoining the western side of Yosemite to protect the area from development.

A congressman from California is furious over Yosemite National Park's proposed Merced River Plan, saying it calls for changes that would "limit public access and enjoyment of Yosemite."

Despite taking in what the Green, Yampa, and other tributaries large and small contribute, the Colorado River is in a death spiral, over-allocated and a victim of growing climate change, left in a state of constant thirst that has made the river the most-endangered in the country, according to American Rivers.

Acadia, Yellowstone, and Yosemite are some of the most adored units of the National Park System, but they don't show up in the top 10 list of most-visited parks during 2012. They're quite a ways from the top 10, actually.

What do The Soul Of Yosemite, The Case of the Indian Trader, and Worth Fighting For all have in common? You won't likely find any of these books in a national park bookstore or gift shop.

A week after a campaign was mounted to encourage the National Park Service to phase bottled water out of the parks, the bottled water industry pushed back a bit, saying to do so would encourage visitors to turn to unhealthy alternatives to quench their thirsts.

A two-wheeled initiative is being added to the annual "Muir's March" that aims to generate support for draining and restoring the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.

It's been more than a year since bottled water and corporate America collided at Grand Canyon National Park, and the push continues to get more national parks to phase out packaged water in favor of fresh tap water and refillable bottles.

With their latest management plan for the Merced River now out for public review, Yosemite National Park officials now face the task of defending it. Will it protect the river, and can it withstand a court challenge?

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias has been attracting visitors to what is now Yosemite National Park for 150 years. Much has changed since Abraham Lincoln signed a bill setting aside the Grove as a protected site, and the National Park Service is accepting public comments on plans to restore the area.

Yosemite National Park is a big, and possibly daunting, park. And yet, it harbors many enticing settings and experiences. And if you've only got a day or two to spend in the park, you might consider seeking some help in finding those settings and experiences.

Webcams provide us with windows on the world. They allow armchair travelers to follow activity outside a Dublin pub, monitor traffic on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, and check on what’s happening at the International Space Station. Webcams also provide windows on nature, some of the best of which comes by way of cameras stationed in our national parks.

Failure by Congress to avert a sweeping budget cut across all government agencies stands to will cut your views of the Grand Canyon, limit your access to Cape Cod National Seashore's beaches, and delay the opening of Yellowstone National Park this spring.

During the full moons in April, May and June, nighttime visitors to Yosemite National Park, photographers in particular, get an extra special treat when the moonlight refracts and reflects off of the spray of water in Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls - it is called a moonbow, or spray bow, as John Muir liked to call it.

Columnist PJ Ryan wonders how hard can it be to come up with a management plan for the Yosemite Valley that honors the valley and all its natural beauty and wonders.

The Lyell Glacier, the largest glacier in Yosemite National Park, has stagnated, or ceased its downhill movement, according to a recent study conducted by scientists from the National Park Service and the University of Colorado.

Will expanded wireless service for cellphones and the Internet enhance your national park experience, or will it clutter it with a technological Disneyification of the parks, one that will detract from, not add to, the national park experience?

One of the most spectacular rides in the High Sierra is along the Tioga Road that runs across the high country of Yosemite National Park, from Oak Flat to the Lee Vining just beyond the park's east entrance. That ride will become a little safer, and a little smoother, at the end of a multi-year repaving project.

Thirty filmmakers gathered in Yosemite National Park on June 26, 2012, and spread out across the magnificent landscape to capture its essence. This collaborative effort resulted in the following video built on one day in Yosemite.

As Yosemite National Park officials work to draw up a defensible plan for managing visitors in the Yosemite Valley, they are striving to delicately balance preservation of resources against recreation.

Summer backpack trips and hikes are months away, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be making up gear lists in January or February. And if you're heading to a national park frequented by grizzly or black bears, you'd be wise to look into bear sprays.

A reading frenzy was kicked off Tuesday when a massive draft plan for managing the wild and scenic Merced River through Yosemite National Park was released, a plan park officials hope will end years of litigation over visitor impacts on both the river and the Yosemite Valley.

Making the day-long trek to the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park will be a bit trickier beginning this summer, as park officials have decided to limit to 300 the number of hikers allowed to reach the dome top each day.

A look at some newsworthy tidbits from around the National Park System.

While many national park lodges are on the National Register of Historic Places, not all lodges reflect the preservation and well-maintained appearance you might expect for such properties. In this, the second of our two-part series, the Traveler looks at why some properties are not as well-maintained as you might expect.

While many national park lodges are on the National Register of Historic Places, not all lodges reflect the preservation and well-maintained appearance you might expect for such properties. In a two-part series, the Traveler looks at the highs and lows of upkeep in the National Park System.

If you could ask Santa for the chance to spend part of the upcoming holiday season in any national park service area, where would you go—and what would you do?