Yosemite National Park

Woven tufts of gold knit the meadows together, thick pine forests give way to observation towers of granite and sky-scraping peaks, and a river runs through it. That's the setting the John Muir Trail wanders through in the High Sierra of Yosemite National Park.

Imagine Yosemite National Park without Yosemite Fall. Or Glacier National Park without glaciers. Or Old Faithful becoming less faithful. Across the National Park System, the effects of climate change could be quite dramatic.

There arguably is no national park that better showcases geology than Yosemite National Park. Sure, Arches National Park offers more arches in one place than anywhere else on the planet, and Grand Canyon National Park has that incredible gouge. But stand before Half Dome or El Capitan and you can't help but marvel.

Two rock falls from the face of Glacier Point -- one described as perhaps the largest ever seen -- have closed the lodgings in Curry Village on the floor of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park. While there were some injuries reported, fortunately no one was killed.

A year-long search for missing billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett was finally brought to a close with an accidental discovery by a man and his dog hiking in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. Yosemite staff played a key role in helping to locate and investigate the crash site.

Older than Yellowstone National Park in terms of being set aside for the public's enjoyment, Yosemite National Park could fairly be called the elder statesman of the National Park System. And, no doubt, there are those who would say Yosemite's scenery is second to none in the system.

To encourage eco-friendly operations, the National Park Service presents Environmental Achievement Awards each year to parks and concession companies that have excelled in incorporating high environmental standards into their operations. The 2007 awards were presented to Blue Ridge Parkway, Yosemite National Park, Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, and Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

Is the National Park System primed for decline? One of the world’s most respected international periodicals thinks so. The Economist blames shifting public interests and anti-development environmentalists for falling attendance and warns that public support for national parks may quickly erode.

MSNBC has compiled a Top 10 National Park Lodges list for the purpose of helping us choose where to “sleep in style on a summer escape to our nation's national parks.” They might want to re-state that. Two of the lodges aren’t in the United States and another is said to be in a park that, technically speaking, doesn’t exist yet.

We definitely are in the dog days of summer. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park the temperature's been well into the 90s, and with the high humidity, well, you really do need to find a place to cool off. With that understood, here are Traveler's Top Picks for where to get wet in the National Park System.*

Firefighters are continuing to struggle with the so-called Telegraph Fire that's burning to the west of Yosemite National Park. While on Monday the fire was estimated to be burning 25-30 miles west of the park, it now is reported to be about 15 miles from the park's western boundary.

A wildfire burning west of Yosemite National Park has forced operations in the Yosemite Valley to run off of generators, and smoke is cutting visibility in some areas of the park. However, everything remains open in the park and all roads leading to it remain open.

The National Park Service has launched a website for visitors with disabilities or other special needs. It’s a great new way to find information about accessible trails, vistas, programs, activities, and educational opportunities at the national parks.

Two fiercely competitive speed-climbers have regained the Nose Route record the Huber brothers wrested from them on El Capitan last October. The new record for the Nose, a big-wall climb that normally takes three or more days to complete, is two hours, 43 minutes, and 33 seconds. While admirers rave, critics grumble.

National Geographic might be considered a gold standard authority on national parks. Why, then, is a hilariously flawed “10 Best National Parks” list included in a recently published National Geographic book? Is NG testing us to see if we’re paying attention?

On October 8, 2007, the Huber brothers set a new speed-climbing record of two hours, 45 minutes, and 45 seconds for El Capitan’s Nose route, one of the world’s most difficult big wall climbs. The event was captured on film, and you won’t believe your eyes.

How's that saying go, the more things change, the more they stay the same? That certainly seems to be the truth in the case of national parks jammed with automobiles.

Thanks to this past winter's hefty snowpack, the now-melting snow is accelerating the intensity of Yosemite National Park's waterfalls. If you're fortunate enough to have the time to visit the park, a trip to the Yosemite Valley in the coming weeks should reward you with an incredible display of the park's waterworks.

The American Marten is a rare North Woods animal that you'll probably never see, save for paw prints in the snow. This brown, bushy-tailed little critter, which looks something like a cross between a mink and a house-cat, was prized for its luxurious fur and darn near trapped to extinction in the United States during the 19th century. Today, despite habitat losses and related problems, the American Marten still inhabits much of its historical range.

Further proof that spring has arrived in the West is word that the Tioga Road across the high country of Yosemite National Park is now open. And, the cables that run to the summit of Half Dome also are in place for intrepid hikers.

Do you skimp on backcountry preparations, figuring you've got your trusty personal locator beacon or cell phone to summon help at a moment's notice? It's tempting, no? Why prepare yourself equipment-wise and possibly skill-wise when help is just a push button away?

A two-week search for a missing hiker in Yosemite National Park. A search for a missing snowshoer on Mount Rainier. Recovery of bodies from climbing accidents in Grand Teton National Park. A week-long, and unsuccessful, search for a missing 8-year-old at Crater Lake National Park. Each year, thousands of search-and-rescue missions cost the National Park Service millions of dollars. And each year the agency eats the costs.

Critics of the National Park Service's mandate to conserve natural resources often say the national parks were not intended to be kept inside bell jars. And that's certainly not happening. Proof can be seen in how the loss of cougars is thought to be adversely affecting Yosemite National Park and the recent rush to find uranium near Grand Canyon National Park.