Sweeping panoramas, fluted slot canyons and fossilized sand dunes are among the subjects that Jon Ortner brings into focus with Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest, an expansive coffee table book.

It was just about a year ago that I wrote about the invasion of "GPS Rangers" into the national parks. Back then I wasn't so keen on this hand-held electronic tour gizmo, but there does seem to be a hidden blessing in it.

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.*

A 23-year old canyoneer is badly hurt after a botched rappel sent her tumbling 100 feet into Zion National Park’s Pine Creek Canyon.

Our national parks are places of incredible beauty and rich history. But they also are under siege. Across the National Park System, the landscape is being invaded by non-native species that are not just out of place, when you consider what should be growing, but in some cases are actually driving out the natives.

Zion National Park has become a magnet for canyoneering enthusiasts. With more than four dozen remote and technical slot canyons feeding into Zion Canyon, the park is just about as good as it gets for practitioners of this rapidly growing extreme sport.

Dry conditions in the Southwest have prompted Zion National Park officials to institute fire restrictions, including a ban on campfires and smoking on trails.

On a clear day, you often can see for miles and miles. But as a report from the National Parks Conservation Association points out, clear days are harder and harder to find in our national parks under the Bush administration's relatively laissez-faire approach to coal-fired power plants.

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.

Spring can't be far off, as the shuttle buses at Zion National Park will soon resume hauling visitors into and out of Zion Canyon.

It won't be quite so crowded in Zion Narrows under the new backcountry management plan adopted by Zion National Park.

Sandstone monoliths and a tight slot canyon are what most stands out about Zion National Park, and rightfully so. When you enter Zion Canyon your eyes can't help but be drawn to the Sentinel, the Three Patriarchs, and the Mountain of the Sun.

Students are back in school, the weather is turning, the leaves have mostly fallen. Also falling are the costs of booking a room in national park lodges for the next few months.