Missing Hiker Found Deceased on Flanks of Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park

A 73-year-old hiker missing on Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park since earlier this week was found dead Saturday, park officials said.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Gets a Construction Permit at Long, Long Last

Much has transpired in the 13 long years since Congress authorized the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial for our nation’s capital. Now, nearly three years since the groundbreaking, a construction permit has finally been issued. Completion is slated for 2011.

More Than A Few Ghost Stories Swirl About Crater Lake National Park

Have you ever heard a man describe a woman as being “so beautiful it hurts”? Well, it’s a phrase that suits Crater Lake National Park perfectly. Just under 2,000 feet deep, Crater Lake is the clearest, cleanest, and deepest body of water in the United States. To the Klamath Indians, it was a sight too sacred for human eyes. To their way of thinking, to gaze upon the azure waters was to risk “death and lasting sorrow.”

Each Generation Seems To Stamp Its Imprint on the National Parks

For those who see the national parks as being preserved time immemorial under gigantic bell jars, there is evidence that each succeeding generation makes an imprint or two on the parks. It wasn't too terribly long ago, for instance, that you climbed into the bleachers to watch the bear buffets in Yellowstone National Park, or that the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon National Park had separate dining areas for men and women.

Visiting Zion National Park in November? Here’s the Fall Schedule for the Free Park Shuttle

Fall can be a wonderful time to see Zion National Park, and the free shuttle service in Zion Canyon allows you to concentrate on the scenery instead of a search for a parking place. The shuttle will continue to run during November, but on a reduced schedule. Here's what you need to know for a visit.

Server Maintenance Could Briefly Knock The Traveler Off-Line Saturday Morning

Due to the need for maintenance on our server, the Traveler might be off-line for two hours Saturday morning. The service is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. East Coast (8 a.m. Central, 7 a.m. Mountain, and 6 a.m. Pacific) and last up to two hours.

How Interstate 40's Closure Is Affecting Travel To Great Smoky Mountains National Park

It could take three months or longer to clean up a rock slide and reopen a section of Interstate 40 on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That means getting to the park from some areas will be a bit tricky. It also means don't rely on your GPS units to find a shortcut, as that could spell trouble.

Search Expands for Missing Hiker On Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park

Searchers planned to expand their efforts Friday to find a 73-year-old hiker who set out on a day hike to the summit of Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park.

You'll Need to Win the Lottery to Attend This Year’s National Christmas Tree Lighting

People who want to attend this year’s National Christmas Tree lighting on December 3 (invited VIPs excepted, of course) will need to score tickets distributed to the general public by lottery. You can enter the lottery online or by phone during November 4-6. Here are the details.

Anniversary Celebration of California Desert Protection Act at Mojave National Preserve

October 31 isn't just about pumpkins and goblins anymore. The date also marks the anniversary of the California Desert Protection Act, a major milestone for Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve. The day will be celebrated at a special event on Saturday at the Mojave National Preserve.

Winter Lodging Deals at Mammoth Cave, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley National Parks

Comparatively few people think of visiting national parks during the winter months, and that's unfortunate for a variety of reasons. Not only does this season present an entirely different view of the parks than the one you normally experience during spring and summer, but lodging typically is less expensive, as the following offers demonstrate.

Fall's Arrival Means Fewer Open Roads and Campgrounds To Use at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Some roads and campgrounds soon will be gated closed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as crews ready the park for winter.

Mammoth Cave National Park Harbors More Than A Few Ghost Stories

With more than 150 documented paranormal events, many of them experienced by credible witnesses such as rangers and scientists, Mammoth Cave National Park easily qualifies for the title “most haunted natural wonder in the world.” Park rangers Colleen O’Connor Olson and Charles Hanion have recorded many of the park’s creepiest tales in their book Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave, a must read for anybody intrigued by the park’s supernatural history.

Congress Boosts National Park Service Budget by $130 Million to $2.7 Billion

Congress on Thursday gave the National Park Service a 9 percent budget bump, one that translates into a $130 million boost above the appropriation sought by President Obama. If signed by the president, which is expected to prevent the government from grinding to a halt this weekend, the Park Service's Fiscal 2010 budget will stand at $2.7 billion.

Search Under Way for Missing Hiker on Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park

Ground and air teams were searching Thursday for a missing 73-year-old hiker who failed to return from a day hike to the summit of Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park.

Yellowstone National Park's Interior Roads Close For Winter on Monday

If you're planning to visit Yellowstone National Park in the coming days, you better hurry. On Monday all roads through the park's interior will be closed to wheeled vehicles.

Yosemite Fund Provides Nearly $6 Million For Yosemite National Park Improvements

It's well-known that the National Park Service doesn't have all the funding it needs to protect the national parks. That's why contributions, such as the $5.8 million check the Yosemite Fund handed over to Yosemite National Park officials the other day, are so important.

Bison Will Soon Roam Again at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Thirteen bison fresh from Wind Cave National Park will soon be released in Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Destined to become one of the preserve's main attractions, the charismatic animals restore an important element of biodiversity and historical character to a national park that was established to protect one of America’s last remaining large tracts of tallgrass prairie.

The Ghosts Of Yellowstone National Park

There is perhaps no more ethereal place than the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. There, when the night skies are thick with scudding clouds, ghostly phantoms promenade on the geysers' drifting zephyrs.

It's Official - Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is the Newest NPS Unit

It's a long way from the big city with the same name, and the park's history may not be familiar to many Americans, but Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial has a compelling story, and it's now the newest addition to the National Park System.

Glacier National Park Officials Working on Wildlife Viewing Plan for Many Glacier Area

Bears jams are pretty cool. The first time you're stuck in one. They get old kinda quickly. Which is one reason why the folks at Glacier National Park are developing a wildlife viewing plan for the Many Glacier area.

Coast Guard Wants To Install Search-And-Rescue Communication Towers At Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking National Park Service approval to install one or two search-and-rescue communication towers in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

Road Work to Close Section of Road At Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve Superintendent Pedro Ramos says that as of noon on November 2 the portion of Loop Road south of the Gator Hook Strand site and west of the Loop Road Education Center will be closed to vehicle traffic.

After Plenty of Debate, General Management Plan for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is Completed

It's taken nearly two years and created more than a little controversy, but the final General Management Plan for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis (which includes the "Gateway Arch") has been completed and released for public review. What happens next?

National Park System Quiz 72: Forts

Let’s find out if you know your national park forts. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you man the ramparts.

Is The Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument Haunted?

Ghost stories and old buildings just seem to go together, and the national parks have their share of old buildings -- and ghosts! If you spend a night at The Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument, you just might agree.

Flight 93 National Memorial Groundbreaking is Finally Scheduled

On November 7 some heavy hitters will join the Flight 93 families to help celebrate the long-awaited groundbreaking for the Flight 93 National Memorial. Can you hear the clock tick-tick-ticking toward that 10th anniversary dedication deadline?

Reader Participation Day: Is Your Guidebook Actually Bound, Or Do You Prefer Pixels?

How do you navigate your national park visits? Are you someone who needs to actually experience the tactility of a printed and bound guidebook, one with pages that can be dog-eared, notated, cluttered with Post-its, and tossed into the backseat when you're done with it? Or are you right at home with a digital guidebook, whether the material is displayed on an iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, or some similar digital media device?

House Passes Legislation That Could Lead the National Park Service to Rebuild Road at North Cascades National Park

In a sign of bipartisan meddling when it comes to how the national parks should be managed, the House of Representatives has passed legislation that could force the National Park Service to tweak wilderness boundaries and rebuild a road in North Cascades National Park. The chamber's majority was evidently unmoved by a Park Service analysis that best interests of taxpayers and the park would be served by not rebuilding the Upper Stehekin Road.

What Would Longfellow Say About Ghosts and Halloween?

Not only was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow an incredible poet, but he also believed in the supernatural. That second part is of particular interest this week, as the folks at the Longfellow National Historic Site are offering special Halloween tours to explore what they call "19th century America's fascination with death and mourning."
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