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Reader Participation Day: How Are The Parks Doing?

Jan 28th - 11:44am | A. Johnson

"vulture capitalists in Three Rivers howled!" I've been through Three Rivers,CA many times.  And yes, it is centered and focused on tourism--tourism confined to 3-4-5 months of the year.  So yes, prices are inflated in those months so as to carry the owners over until the next tourist season--that's not "vulture capitalism", it's common sense economics.

Jan 28th - 11:33am | John Watkins

We visit national parks every year and visited Death Valley, Lassen,Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountans. The rangers are always polite and helpful.

Jan 27th - 08:08am | Sequoian

A trying year in 2023 for Sequoia NP, lots of damaged roads from the winter of record for the past 125+ years in the Southern Sierra, the Generals Highway didn't open until July (oh how the AirBnB vulture capitalists in Three Rivers howled!) and everything floral was delayed about 6 weeks, and when the FTD bouquet was revealed, perhaps the best wildflower year ever, oh so bountiful, along with

Jan 27th - 08:07am | Sequoian

A trying year in 2023 for Sequoia NP, lots of damaged roads from the winter of record for the past 125+ years in the Southern Sierra, the Generals Highway didn't open until July (oh how the AirBnB vulture capitalists in Three Rivers howled!) and everything floral was delayed about 6 weeks, and when the FTD bouquet was revealed, perhaps the best wildflower year ever, oh so bountiful, along with

Jan 26th - 06:13am | Gila Monster

I visited quite a number of parks in 2023. I found - as often - the lesser-known parks to be more rewarding. For example I had a great time at Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS, Knife River Indian Villages NHS and FDR Home NHS. I mostly stayed away from the bigger parks, although I enjoyed my first visit to Theodore Roosevelt NP.

Jan 25th - 16:35pm | Ben of Virginia

I visited Wolf Trap, Shenandoah, and Great Smoky Mountains, and they were all great.  The NPS were visible and doing great work.  I was not able to go camping this year unfortunately.  I did see a bear in Cades Cove and that made my year.

Jan 25th - 11:20am | Anonymous

I'm a low consuming, low impact visitor to nat'l parks and nat'l forests. so I have no basis to evaluate most of the amenities.  I do use campgrounds and did so in 2023.

Jan 25th - 10:38am | Kyle Liechty

In 2023, I visited over 48 NPS sites. I went to Mammoth Cave, Shenandoah, Indiana Dunes, Isle Royale and Cuyahoga Valley NP's in 2023. Overall most of these parks were not crowded with the exception of Mammoth Cave on Labor Day weekend. One of the most impressive things I've consistently encountered about the NPS is the rangers.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 258 | National Park Reservation Systems

Jan 24th - 19:38pm | Jim Medlock

Unfortunately it sounded like Ms. Jones had never had the privilege of attempting to enter a National Park using a permit issued by recreation.gov. Ms. Jones sounded like a promoter of daily permits and not representing an organization that works to make National Parks better.  

Microplastics Turning Up In Galápagos Penguins

Jan 24th - 15:51pm | Angie Rayborn

Thank you for a great article on an important subject!  I am not sure how we can over come the world wide use of plastics and contain it as it breaks down. Glad there is this research happening in a critical habitat . Great pictures!

Legal Battle Over Caneel Bay Resort Drags On

Jan 24th - 11:34am | chris...

If only the Park Service had such zeal in fighting the takeover of its visitation facilities by recreation gov.  How may NPS workers have been lost who used to book backcountry permits, campgrounds, and other such amenities the NPS used to run? I guess it depends on who is giving who political money in terms of what corporation can do what in today s "public" lands

Jan 24th - 10:13am | James Kevin Roche

Thanks to National Parks Traveler for continuing to follow the fate of Caneel Bay. What seems to be at stake here are the wishes of those donating property to the Department of Interior and the National Parks System.

Gone Missing In The National Parks

Jan 24th - 04:19am | Howard Desmond

86 SAR at Bryce Canyon!? It's only a small place

The Frenzied Completion Of The Transcontinental Railroad In Utah

Jan 23rd - 13:34pm | A. Johnson

I must correct my comment:  there are photos of the Golden Spike ceremony with Chinese workers in attendance.  The Stanford Historical Photograph Collection at Stanford University has several GS photos with Chinese workers in attendance. Posts to the contrary are inaccurate.    

Jan 22nd - 10:56am | A. Johnson

While the Chinese did contribute a great deal to the TC railroad, let's not exaggerate their contributions--it was not "most of the work."  While the Chinese were recognized at the golden spike ceremony, it is important to note their absence from the "official" photo. Citing NPR is always a risky proposition.    

Jan 21st - 10:50am | Steve Weiss

This account is missing that Chinese laborers completed most of the work on the railroad and were excluded from the completion ceremony.

Two Hikers Rescued From Mauna Loa At Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park And Cited

Jan 21st - 11:40am | chris...

Letting people die because they violated a permit? Holy christ my fellow Americans have become hateful people.   Try working in the parks- you would need to build jails to house all the people in violation of the "law" People make mistakes.  Shouldnt we be thankful the hikers were not injured and the foray ended without furhter incident?

Jan 19th - 09:09am | Loui

Lives were risked.  Equipment was risked.  Fuel was expended.  $250 hardly seems like the price of "accountability" for 2 emergency callouts in a closed area above 10,000' in bad weather. It would not seem unreasonable to decline to risk lives and property to coddle individuals who are breaking the law, and seem pretty pathetically out of their league doing it.

Remains Of Man Who Went Missing At Mesa Verde National Park Found

Jan 20th - 10:49am | Jessica

Things like this happen all the time at national parks, there's books and Series about people going missing in the parks. 

Jan 13th - 22:29pm | SF Suzi

4.5 miles is only a few hours walk from where last seen. It's not clear that area was searched; 4.5 miles is 2800 acres of "remote" and rough terrain... added to the 2.5 mile Petroglyph trail area, nearby Spruce tree trail that runs almost parallel.

Support Growing To Rename Clingmans Dome At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Jan 18th - 16:37pm | Earlmuck

Actually, it was Denali for many years prior to being called McKinley. So, in effect, the act of naming it Mt. McKinley was "re-writing" history.

Jan 16th - 15:02pm | Dworley

How's it a new name when that was the original name long before settlers arrived? It's restoring history if anything. 

Jan 16th - 00:45am | Mike B.

I notice that the Cherokee Nation and both local counties are in favor of a change.  If a name is just a name, why not change it if that's what people want?  Names change all the time for a variety of reasons.  Do you think the original inhabitants of this region referred to it as Clingman's Dome?

Jan 15th - 15:44pm | Daniel

I agree, these woke people want to change in a little time what took many years of deliberation to do.  I think we should leave the names as is and, revert all the names and moved statues back to original state.

Jan 14th - 21:31pm | J B

My understanding is Clingman surveyed most of the peaks in this area. No mention of that in this article. 

Jan 14th - 08:54am | RFM

Thank you!! I don't think any of the previous commenters actually read the article. 

Jan 12th - 10:56am | 1984

He who control the past control the future. He who controls the future controls the past. 

Jan 12th - 10:02am | Zane

If you had bothered to read, you'd see that the name is being changed back to what it was called historically. If anything, the people who changed the name in 1859 were erasing history and now we are restoring it. 

Jan 11th - 17:30pm | Ichthus

we Are supposed to learn from the past; but erasing the past is a good way to repeat things in the past.  

Jan 11th - 12:49pm | A. Johnson

Enough of this division.  Enough. There was never "a" name for Clingman's Dome, so "Mulberry Place" is as inaccurate as any other possible name out there.

Jan 11th - 10:41am | Loui

Why not change the entire park name to some Cherokee name instead of dealing with actual issues to improve the lives of people?   Why not change the name of the state for that matter?

Jan 11th - 09:36am | chris...

erasing history.  Again.  As far as I am concerned this is an abomination of the NPS procedures.  The tribal members can make a public comment about such proposals just like any other American citizen.  The idea that they get to come up with new names for historical landmarks in America is a joke.  This is yet another insider decision by Chuck Sams and Deb Haaland.  They have made a mockery of

Traveler's View | Musings About The Parks And Related Topics

Jan 17th - 13:42pm | Sequoian

Interestingly enough, those same National Parks & National Monuments that have gone cashless, are still hectoring me to make a cash donation inside the visitor centers, odd that!

Jan 17th - 12:06pm | john928gt

Will the National Park Service act on suggestions that it charge international visitors more to enter the National Park System than U.S. citizens?

Jan 16th - 11:19am | A. Johnson

Overall, a good list of questions that likely will not be answered by the NPS.

Jan 15th - 09:48am | chris...

The biggest question is will 2024 be the year that manned kiosks at entrances are removed in favor of electronic scanngers that will check your reservation via apple, or google app to be allowed entry.   Cashless parks are already a thing.  How long before digital entry is required?

The Past, Present, And Future Of The Endangered Species Act

Jan 17th - 01:17am | Mike B.

AJ said:  "For eons, specie (sic) after specie has been changing the environment and themselves (via evolution), leading to the extinction of 95%+ of species prior to "modern man".  And "modern man" is just the latest NATURAL specie/phenomena to change the environment. Man is as natural as a meteorite or a volcano.  The cause of extinction(s) continues to be 100% natural."

Jan 16th - 11:47am | A. Johnson

Grey wolves introduced into Yellowstone:  c.l. occidentalis  native Yellowstone wolves:   c.l. irremotus   scientifically accepted proof We all know that one scientist's "proof" is another's ideological or political agenda.  Science is not subject to acceptance or rejection, or a vote.  I look to science, not scientists or "accepted proof".  

Jan 16th - 11:30am | A. Johnson

 What is different now is the cause(s) and the rate.    Not really.  This is only true if one considers humans to be "unnatural".   For eons, specie after specie has been changing the environment and themselves (via evolution), leading to the extinction of 95%+ of species prior to "modern man".  

Jan 16th - 11:28am | Kurt Repanshek

Do you have scientifically accepted proof that gray wolves are not native to the park?

Jan 16th - 11:22am | A. Johnson

the gray wolf has been returned to Yellowstone National Park,   The gray wolf is not native to Yellowstone NP, so I'm not sure that one could claim it was "returned".   I'm not opposed to wolves in Yellowstone, but it's important to be scientifically accurate.

Jan 16th - 00:34am | Mike B.

Yes, species have been coming and going as long as there has been life on earth.  What is different now is the cause(s) and the rate.  The extinctions that occurred before humans radically altered the biosphere were generally at a slower or background rate, except for the effects of the occasional supervolcano and meteor impact, and other species rose to replace them by natural selection.  But

Jan 14th - 12:21pm | ecbuck

Rosa describes "land-use change, climate change, pollution, species exploitation and invasive species as the five direct drivers of global biodiversity loss."  Perhaps she can explain how 99% of all species that have ever existed went extinct before any of those factors came into play.  

Lawsuit Filed To Block Data Center Next To Manassas National Battlefield

Jan 16th - 13:55pm | Steve

Follow the money!  Obviously a bad move. From the information you presented the county, from taxes, seem to be the only one profiting, except PW Digital Gateway. Please keep us informed and what to do to help with the fight. Follow the money?

Dog Falls 60 Feet At Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Rescued In Good Condition

Jan 16th - 12:07pm | A. Johnson

If the dog slipped her leash, why is her collar still on?  Uh, I call bs on the dog slipping her leash.  

Traveler's View | Should International National Park Visitors Be Charged More?

Jan 13th - 09:06am | j. alb

As someone who has worked in fees for the National Park Service in multiple parks, this would be nearly impossible to implement. The demand for National Park entry is so high, and processing and admitting folks is already difficult and time consuming. People balk when I ask for their ID with their annual pass (standard procedure and even printed on the back: Valid only with Photo ID).

Jan 12th - 13:17pm | J. Bowman

Agree that fees to visit national parks should be higher across the spectrum, and especially higher for non-citizens.  Bussloades seem to have a disparate impact on the parks - those tourists will pay the money, as they already have a significant investment in the trip!

Jan 11th - 09:44am | A. Johnson

Yes, we should charge non-residents and non-citizens more money to visit our parks.  Gobs of foreign visitors exiting their mammoth tour busses in Yellowstone should be enough to convince any conservationist that they need to pay more if for no other reason than their disparate impact on our parks.

CCC Exhibit On Display At Scotts Bluff National Monument

Jan 11th - 09:37am | A. Johnson

While Scotts Bluff NM is not a "destination" park, it is worth a 1-2 hour visit if one is ever in western Nebraska.  There's also a local museum right next door for more information on the area and the Oregon Trail that ran through the Monument.

House Committee To Explore National Park System Maintenance Backlog, Park Service Not Invited

Jan 10th - 13:56pm | Phil Selleck

One of the factors I would explore is that when a program is funded at a higher level, and more projects are expected, it is also expected to be done with the people and resources at hand. Once you reach capacity, and there is still money to be spent, you might need more people.

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