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What Were YOUR Favorite National Park Stories of 2008?

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By Kurt Repanshek - December 30th, 2008

One moment it was there, the next it was gone. The collapse of Wall Arch in Arches National Park was the most-read Traveler story in 2008. NPS photos.

Back on December 21 we told you what we thought were the top national park stories of 2008. Now, here's a look at which stories YOU thought were the most intriguing, as indicated by the number of "reads" a post receives.

Caveat: You need to keep in mind that the longer a post is up on the Traveler, the more reads it's likely to garner. Still, there are some posts that run contrary to that reality. For instance, the post about the marina fire at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area quickly climbed past 2,000 reads. At last glance, it had surpassed 2,700 reads. That's not good enough to vault it into the top 15 posts in terms of reads, but give it some time.

Far and away the most-read Traveler story of 2008 popped up on August 8 when word spread that one of Arches National Park's iconic arches -- Wall Arch -- had collapsed. Through December 29, nearly 26,000 folks had taken the time to click on that story. If we had more of those, Traveler readership would no doubt be approaching 250,000 a month, rather than 42,000.

So, what other stories stand in the top 15? Take a look:

2. Bush Administration Plan to Remove Wolf Protection Draws Criticism. Posted February 21. 9,440 reads.
3. Exploring the "Other Half" of Our National Parks: Stargazing Under Protected Dark Skies. Posted June 14. 6,957 reads.
4. Another Snake Story from Everglades National Park. Posted January 25. 6,648 reds.
5. Traveler's View: Concealed Weapons Have No Place in NPS. Posted May 26. 5,796 reads.
6. Flying Squirrels, Scenic Vistas, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Posted April 22. 5,519 reads.
7. Super Volcano, the Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park. Posted January 18. 4,852 reads.
8. U.S. Senator To Make Bid to Allow National Park Visitors to Carry Guns. Posted February 2. 3,733 reads.
9. Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West. Posted March 31. 3,693 reads.
10. Violent Deaths in the National Parks. Posted March 4. 3,639 reads.
11. NPS Retirees Oppose Carrying Guns in National Parks. Posted January 11. 3,619 reads.
12. Dinosaur National Monument Cutting Paleontology Staff. Posted February 12. 3,601 reads.
13. Studies Show Bear Spray More Effective than Guns Against Grizzlies. Posted March 18. 3,549 reads.
14. Valley Forge: Once Again a Battleground, This Time Pitting History Against Development. Posted March 23. 3,500 reads.
15. Interior Officials Want to Allow Concealed Carry in the National Parks. Posted April 29. 3,371 reads.

Thanks to Dr. Bob Janiskee for crunching the numbers for this post.

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