You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Aug 24th - 08:18am | pc

When I was 8 years old in 1962 we went up Angel's Landing on Christmas Day. There was snow and ice at the top. When we went up the last bit my father slipped on the ice and the chain and pipe came out of the rock, leaving him dangling for a few seconds until my mother grabbed him. It left a lasting impression.

Aug 23rd - 07:32am | tom

This is too creepy: yesterday I was looking at all these Angel's Landing pix because we're going to be near Zion in mid-September. My wife says "You're NOT going up there" after seeing some video some people took. Suddenly the Narrows Trail looks much more attractive.

Mr. Pearce's Blinders

Aug 22nd - 09:28am | Ranger Bob

This is a disturbing trend. Our elected ones seem not to want our parks conserved and those who we, the public, let do business in our national parks are of the same mind set, we are seeing the beginning of yet another assault on the sanctity of the National Park Service.

Should Kalaloch Lodge at Olympic Be Moved?

Aug 21st - 09:57am | Laurise Creed

no the lodge should not be moved. this is a historical site. the clay banks of the coast and river there should be worked on to prevent further erotion and to protect the lodge,cabins and campground.

Java Juice Delivers Fresh Brew in the Backcountry

Aug 19th - 17:58pm | a. Karno

Ok, you really GET it! We loved your review sir. I have one XL Java Juice T shirt left from the OR show- I would love to send it to you as a thanks- 100% organic cotton "squeeze the bean" slogan and new logo. If you like, the media kit on our home page has newer logo which you may want to use on your review. Also remind your peeps - save energy Don't Over Brew it-

Top Trails: Yellowstone & Grand Teton

Aug 18th - 17:53pm | Alan Gregory

I've not yet seen this book. But it's a got to be a great guide if it's anything like the state fly-fishing guides this publisher has produced.

Who'll Succeed Fran?

Aug 18th - 17:16pm | fran

comenta la no meu vibe kiss

Aug 12th - 17:37pm | Alan Gregory

Positions such as this one ought to be filled by candidates selected on a merit basis, not for they voted for last time at the polls or which candidate they last gave money to. I can't help but feel that's how Fran entered the picture in the first place.

Human-Powered Recreation Has Economic Clout

Aug 14th - 19:45pm | Bruce Burbank

Sure wish this info would be passed on to the USFS! I was told by the USFS 20 years ago that hikers, campers and the like were "a thorn in their side, and they wished they'd all go away!" Their attitude has only got worse, the USFS has done a "good job" of "making them all go away!"!!

Aug 13th - 19:33pm | Parkaholic

Some impressive numbers indeed but as with all statistical data I wonder how the quesstions were asked? Are the dollar figures utilizing a multiple such as each dollar spent rolls over seven times to compute economic impact? I know I kicked in more than my fair share this year. Nevertheless it does show that a large number of Americans are connected to outdoor activities.

How Much Cell Phone Coverage Does Yellowstone Need?

Aug 12th - 10:34am | parkaholic

I sit and wonder if there was such public outrage when radio communications were first introduced into the park system. Certainly there was a percieved need for safety and security. Is the general public aware that the Parks have recently spent millions of dollars to upgrade radio communications with narrow band digital systems resulting in reduced coverage?

Aug 12th - 10:34am | parkaholic

I sit and wonder if there was such public outrage when radio communications were first introduced into the park system. Certainly there was a percieved need for safety and security. Is the general public aware that the Parks have recently spent millions of dollars to upgrade radio communications with narrow band digital systems resulting in reduced coverage?

Aug 9th - 19:43pm | Mookie Doug

My wife and I did a 6-week tour of Natinonal Parks earlier this summer. I felt the need for my cell phone exactly once, when I wanted to call my father on Father's Day. However I found myself craving wi-fi access about twice a week. I was sort of surprised that none of the lodges at Yellowstone didn't have wi-fi, while Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton had it in the lobby.

Aug 9th - 16:46pm | Sabattis

I think that Wi-Fi access in buildings is a great idea, and can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with it if it is privately funded. If you don't want to check your e-mail while staying in a National Park lodge, you don't have to.

Aug 9th - 13:42pm | Alan Gregory

Preservation of the resource (which includes the "viewshed") is part and parcel of the National Park Service's mission. That should mean that foreign objects, like cell phone towers, have no place within a given park's boundaries. What's next, a new name for Yellowstone? Perhaps Verizon Geyser National Park?

Aug 9th - 08:03am | calmom

Future jury trial: Backpacker gets into trouble in the area of Yellowstone without cell phone coverage. He is eventually rescued but the delay in rescue means that he suffers more serious injuries than he would have with better communications. Backpacker sues. The case goes to a jury. Jury hears that Yellowstone rejected better cell phone coverage even though it could have been installed.

Aug 9th - 07:21am | no_bytes

I'm a well connected computer programmer with cell phone, data plan, broadband internet, laptop etc. I enjoy the outdoors and camp almost half the summer, and everytime I camp I leave my cell phone in the truck and don't touch it until I'm coming home.

Aug 9th - 00:53am | jersu

I wonder if its possible to add cell technology to the existing infrastructure of the park. I doubt anyone wants to see cell towers pop-up all over the Yellowstone landscape, but there is already a significant human footprint that should be considered. I am sure that current park communication involves use of "walkie-talkie" type radio technology which relies on radio towers and repeaters.

Aug 8th - 21:15pm | JLongstreet

In reponse to Bill Rush's comments, this isn't a matter of more or less government regulation. It's a question of how accomodating the NPS needs to be. NPS has the power to keep cell towers out of parks but only if it does proactive planning of sensitive areas and other sites in the park where placement of towers would violate park values in some ways.

Aug 8th - 20:32pm | parkaholic

For those who don't want cellular distractions use the on/off switch. Place your phone in the bottom of your pack and when an emergency arises be thankful to have such a communication tool. We don't need more government regulation telling us how to live our lives.

Aug 8th - 15:56pm | Bill Rush

I'm not sure this can be kept out. I agree that cell service should be restricted in National Parks, even though some will protest they need them for an emergency. I am afraid this battle should have been won back when the vendors brought in their stinking mules, helicopters and airplanes. There are too many people who only care about having a Disney World visit to the wilderness.

Valley Forge, Brought to You By Lipton Tea!

Aug 6th - 21:00pm | Bruce Burbank

Your statements in paragraph 6 are "right on", but take a look at USFS (National Forests) it's already happening, commercial interests in the form of concessonaires are taking over and pricing citizens out, not honoring Golden Age passes or Golden access passes at recreation sites, such as campgrounds, these passes were supposed to be "lifetime passes"!

There is One NPS Unit Flush With Funding

Aug 4th - 19:31pm | JLongstreet

Hopefully this story will get more exposure. Too often the NPS itself (or worse yet, the employee valiantly trying to turn sows ears into silk purses) gets blamed for these boondoggles, and we all suffer for it. --JLongstreet, national park superintendent

Aug 4th - 17:00pm | Sabbatis

Another interesting aspect of First Ladies NHS is that it is run by a partnership, the staff on the property are not federal government National Park Service employees. It is also one of the only National Parks I have ever visited where I was not permitted to take any pictures whatsoever. Thanks for explaining at least a little bit of the oddity behind First Ladies NHS. ~Sabattis

Private Interests to the Rescue?

Aug 4th - 19:24pm | JLongstreet

Indeed, that's the right question to ask. Trouble is that Congress should have asked it prior to it being incorporated into Gateway. Now NPS is stuck with it and presumably some of it qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, which makes it historically significant and therefore within the NPS mandate for preservation.

Aug 4th - 16:56pm | Sabbatis

An unwelcome question, but perhaps one worth asking - does Ft. Hancock really meet the criteria for inclusion in the National Park System?

Aug 2nd - 19:40pm | JLongstreet

Kurt, No doubt your consecutive postings about the proposed private development at the Sandy Hook unit of Gateway and the GMP at Apostle Islands was deliberate. Good job. I am struck by a quote from the newspaper link in the Gateway story:

Arches NP Spared View of Drilling Rigs

Aug 4th - 16:47pm | Sabbatis

Sounds like we need a proposal to add the area behind Delicate Arch to within the boundaries of Arches National Park....

Fran's Stepping Down

Aug 4th - 16:46pm | Sabbatis

You are again too hard on Fran Mainella, in excoriating her for not asking Congress for more funding. Ms. Mainella is a Presidential appointee, and serves at the pleasure of the President. I am not aware of *any* Presidential appointee, in any federal agency, going to Congress and publicly.

Jul 27th - 18:23pm | Bruce Burbank

She should apply at Ocala National Forest or USFS in Tallahassee, they ONLY hire incompetents!

Jul 27th - 18:05pm | Florida Reader

Fran Mainella used to be the director of the Division of Recreation and Parks for the State of Florida before Jeb's older brother "stole" her away (proof that Jeb is the smarter of the two).

Jul 27th - 11:32am | Bruce Burbank

I don't know a lot about Nat'l Parks, but this sounds like the USFS, which I do know about. BOTH claim they have no $, and they never will have unless someone stops them from spending what they have on their own personal creature comforts, fancy vehicles, offices & visitor centers of grandeur, and more! Incompetence should be rewarded with NO PENSION!

Xanterra Offers Customized Yellowstone Tours

Aug 4th - 16:42pm | Sabbatis

I agree with SpecOps, bravo for Xanterra. Certainly there is nothing about this arrangement the prevents any of us from enjoy Yellowstone, from the geyser basins to the backcountry, on our own. For those people for whom the guided tour provides a benefit even greater than the price, then this is a boon for them.

Jul 27th - 06:00am | Dan Wulfman

Our company, Tracks & Trails, arranges self-guided National Park camping trips for active families from around the world. In the early days we, too, felt that these sorts of tours were for braindead city folks who didn't get the wilderness ethic, and we seldom recommended them. Since then, we've come to realize that, for those with the money, a competent guide is worth his weight in gold.

Jul 23rd - 19:47pm | SpecOps

Hey Alan...different strokes for different folks...not everyone is fit enough (read: handicapped, elderly) to visit "your wilderness." So stop being so intolerant and elitist.... Bravo, Xanterra!! BTW, I am a NPS ranger...I feel the concessioners, for the most part, do a great job!

Jul 23rd - 07:47am | Alan Gregory

Another example of the creeping commercialization overtaking many of the parks. I dare say that some of Gettysburg borough's gift shop owners would just love to be able to trash up the park entrance in used car lot style. I sensed this stuff coming when I first visited Yellowstone as a young teenager.

Yosemite Valley Plan: Back to Square One?

Aug 4th - 16:39pm | Sabbatis

A very interesting article. One question that will be interesting to answer over the next couple years will be how the NPS chooses to limit access to Yosemite Valley. In almost any case where access to something is artificially limited, a secondary market developes. Just look at things like concert tickets or sports tickets, and the practice of paying line-waiters or scalping.

Are Hiking Trails Part of a Park's "Core Operations"?

Aug 4th - 16:35pm | Sabbatis

You mention that Glacier has 700 miles of hiking trails. Are all of these trails really cost-effective? For example, it would be interesting to know how many person-hours of enjoyment a given hiking trail provides each year vs. the number of person-houds needed to maintain that trail.

Jul 24th - 18:34pm | SpecOps

What we need are less scientists (who make big $$...~40-80K/yr) and more maintenance and rangers...until NPCA and others start addressing this issue, the parks will continue to deteriorate...but I guess it is easier for them to just blame Bush!

Jul 24th - 13:51pm | Sam

I would say some trail would need to be. My family has a cabin south of Glacier in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we've taken many pack trips in the back country and have occassionally been the first to clear trails when we go early in the season.

NPS Horses on Half-Rations

Aug 4th - 16:17pm | Sabbatis

Sadly, this snafu won't help Park advocates convince Congress that the NPS is a well-managed organization that is well-deserving of and much in need of additional funding.

Let's Sell the Parks!

Aug 3rd - 18:27pm | JLongstreet

I would challenge Mr. Burbank to come look at almost any national park administrative facility in the field, perhaps other than those few "park barrel" ones funded by local Congressmen through earmarks, and see if we're living as high on the hog as he thinks. He may be right about some of the central offices, regrettably.

Aug 3rd - 03:32am | Bruce Burbank

It seems to me that the NPS,USFS,COE, & BLM are in "cahoots" together. They're spending an awful lot of money on their own creature comforts ie: headquarters,offices,ranger stations, fancy vehicles, and more!

Cutting Trees in Gettysburg

Aug 2nd - 14:20pm | Alan Gregory

The last time I looked, Adams County, PA, where Gettysburg sits, had few trees to give up and still have some woodlots (forget about honest to gawd forests) around. Hey, if we follow this logic, we ought to finish what drought started and drain Lake Powell, restoring Glen Canyon to the way it looked when Major Powell and others passed that way.

Woman Falls to Her Death in Yellowstone

Jul 30th - 22:37pm | Cat Brown

I just returned home from Yellowstone.. I had heard of this prior to going.. I took video of people doing the same thing, same area -- what really shocked me was that not only did they do it they were dragging their young children out to the ledge for "a better look"!!!

Not Everyone Complimentary of Fran

Jul 27th - 18:30pm | Bruce Burbank

She should apply at Ocala National Forest or USFS in Tallahassee, they ONLY hire incompetents!

Jul 27th - 18:08pm | Alan Gregory

Bill Wade is on target with his assessment of the NPS under Ms. Fran's "leadership." No one has done more over the last 50 years to drag the Service and, thus, the parks down than the recreation-oriented Mainella. Too often it appeared that she was simply a shallow "be happy" smiley face, ready to say anything that would keep the public from seeing the real picture of her disastrous tenure.

Jul 27th - 17:56pm | Florida Reader

Fran Mainella used to be the director of the Division of Recreation and Parks for the State of Florida before Jeb's older brother "stole" her away (proof that Jeb is the smarter of the two).

Jul 27th - 11:45am | Bruce Burbank

don't know a lot about Nat'l Parks, but this sounds like the USFS, which I do know about. BOTH claim they have no $, and they never will have unless someone stops them from spending what they have on their own personal creature comforts, fancy vehicles, offices & visitor centers of grandeur, and more! Incompetence should be rewarded with NO PENSION!

GTLC Responds To Garbage Problem

Jul 21st - 11:33am | Alan Gregory

This kind of thing always blows me away. Because of human stupidity, a wild creature becomes habituated and has to be put down - as just one more "problem" bear.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.