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In Case You Were Wondering, Yes, the National Park Service Is Having Technical Difficulties

Sep 18th - 06:54am | Gaelyn

Gee, I thought they uniformed web sites years ago.

By the Numbers: Point Reyes National Seashore

Sep 17th - 14:33pm | George

@Joyce: I would not drive on any beach. When I visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore, I saw that beach vehicles dominate the beaches. The National Park Service is writing a new off-road vehicle management plan, which I hope will be an improvement. A consent decree in 2008 adopted temporary restrictions on beach driving to reduce conflicts with birds and sea turtles.

Sep 17th - 09:52am | Joyce

@George: What do you mean..How far out of step Cape Hatteras is? Do you drive on the beaches at Cape Hatteras?

Sep 17th - 07:39am | Bob Janiskee

MRC is right, George.

Sep 17th - 07:17am | MRC

@George: Certainly not. No driving on any NPS administered beach on the whole west coast.

Sep 17th - 06:40am | George

Are any vehicles allowed to drive on the beaches? I'd like to get a sense of how far out of step Cape Hatteras is, compared to other national seashores.

Flamingo Lodge is No More

Sep 17th - 14:19pm | Jon Merryman

There's more than grass, skeeters, and gators down in Flamingo. If you know where to look, there are crocodiles! Manatees too, but never found any of the elusive womanatees. Added over a hundred bird species to my lifetime list in my six months living in the park. RIP Flaming-O Lodge...

Sep 17th - 10:04am | Old Flamingo worker

I was just on the maps reminissing about my season working at Flamingo, many more years ago than I want to admit, this truely is a sad loss.

Mesa Verde’s Tribal Park Neighbor: So Near, So Far, So Different

Sep 17th - 14:12pm | mcghiever

I specifically asked my guide, a young man named Scotty, about who else he shared tour-leading duties with. Veronica must have moved on to other things because the only other guide currently is another male.

Sep 17th - 09:21am | Bob Janiskee

@ mcghiever: Glad to hear that you had a memorable visit at the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park -- not that I had any doubt that you would. By any chance, did Veronica guide your trip to the canyon? As for the Balcony House tour in adjacent Mesa Verde National Park, well, just thinking about the exposure on that ladder makes me break into a cold sweat.

Sep 15th - 16:17pm | mcghiever

When I read this article over a year ago, Mesa Verde and Ute Mountain Tribal Park shot to the top of my must-see list. I'm glad to say I finally made it to both last week (plus Hovenweep NM, the BLM's Canyons of the Ancients NM, and even Yucca House NM) and had a fantastic time.

All Was Not Lost When Loggerhead Turtle Determined to Nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Was Run Over

Sep 17th - 13:46pm | SS1

Dap your pictures illustrate better the problems with ORVs on the park beach than I could explain. The ones of vehicles lined up with just enough room to open the door and the rest of the beach an ORV route is an excellent example of one user group (ORV) having a bigger footprint of very finite resource (ocean beach) than another.

Sep 16th - 11:37am | dapster

Kurt, Great article a usual! Thanks for pointing out one of the very few positives that have come out of this tragic event. It's somehow comforting to know that some her offspring successfully hatched. Dave,

Sep 16th - 05:59am | SS1

If you have not been to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you would be amazed at the controversy and diverse management difficulties that encompass this NP. For instance National Park LEO patrolling the ocean beach at CHNS [NPS four-code CAHA] routinely responds to calls of visitors caught in rip tides.

Sign Up For Traveler's Weekly Newsletter To Stay Abreast of Park News, Learn of Special Offers

Sep 17th - 12:35pm | wil

Thanks for doing this!!!

Road Construction Didn't Get in the Way of Glacier National Park Visitors in August!

Sep 17th - 12:08pm | Gene Douglas Er...

Not to mention Fall in Glacier gives you a lot of bear sightings, as they are in their rush to gain weight before hibernating.

Reader Participation Day: Where Was Your Worst Dining Experience in the National Parks?

Sep 17th - 10:32am | RangerLady

Since I live and work in the parks, I've had quite a few experiences with the resturaunts, since that's really the only place I have to eat out. I have to say that the worst was with Xanterra in Death Valley. I went out to a faily expensive dinner at their steakhouse and, while the food was excellent, had a terrible server.

Sep 16th - 14:40pm | Kat

I've worked in a number of parks, and have been to more lodge restaurants, but the Ahwahnee in Yosemite was most disappointing. I've eaten there about a dozen times, including for Bracebridge, and have never felt that the food and service lived up to their setting or reputation. Two experiences were especially memorable.

Sep 16th - 06:07am | Jon Merryman

I've found that if you know a little Russian or another eastern European language, the service improves dramatically! ;-)

Sep 15th - 20:33pm | Anonymous

The Crystal Lake Coffee Shop at Mammoth Cave was our worst in park dining. The only word to describe them is SLOW. We waited (next in line) to be seated for over 35 minutes. There were plenty of open tables yet none of them clean. The wait staff didn't seem to know how to take orders and clean up in between time. Let's just say multitasking was not part of their vocabulary.

Sep 15th - 19:45pm | jane schneider

Thought I'd add another to the plus column. My son and I ate at El Tovar on the South Rim at the Grand Canyon this July. The lodge's dining room is a lovely space, of course. But also worth noting is the food: generous, tasty portions, well-prepared, and not overly priced. Kudos too, to our waitstaff, who were prompt and courteous.

Sep 15th - 16:42pm | Kurt Repanshek

Vegasjerry, have to agree with you about the Meta Room in Mesa Verde: /2009/07/dining-parks-mesa-verde-national-parks-chef-ensures-southwest-flows-through-his-dishes

Sep 15th - 16:19pm | vegasjerry

The worst experience was at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The menu said fresh garden peas along with my "homemade meatloaf". The peas came straight from a can. Plus the "manager" said we do not serve canned peas. I said sonny I've been eating canned peas long before you were born. He just walked away.

B-29 Superfortress That Lies at the Bottom of Lake Mead Continues to Draw Attention

Sep 17th - 10:03am | Bob Janiskee

Bill, I suspect that you may be thinking of the twin-engine B-25C Mitchell that was recovered from Lake Greenwood in 1983. It had crash-landed in the water on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) after a pilot on a training flight skimmed the surface of the lake so low that the props ended up churning water instead of air.

Sep 17th - 09:46am | Bill from Dacusville

A B 17 was pulled up from Lake Murray SC a few years back.

Sep 17th - 06:51am | Chrisw

I believe the suntracker equipment was an early variant of the unit that eventually went into the nose of the sidewinder missile. The experiment might have been to determine whether a 'heat seeking' device would work in the air.

Sep 16th - 13:28pm | 12vMan

Thanks for the article. I heard about the plane years ago and wonder about it's exact location often when I'm heading up the Overton Arm.

Sep 16th - 09:44am | Danny P.

Have never heard of this! Very interesting.

Sep 16th - 06:19am | Barky

Wow, what a fascinating story! Thanks for that, Jim.

Doggone! Car with Canine Aboard Goes Over the Edge at Crater Lake National Park

Sep 17th - 09:05am | anonymous

Thankfully, no lives were lost and other than the potential pollution and lost personal items, Lucky-the-Dog made the story Memorable. Now, it is time for CRLA NPS to examine all Historic Rim Road edges/berms to identify places where vehicles may leave the roadway. Both well-placed rustic log sections and boulders will minimize the future risk. Also, there

Sep 17th - 07:57am | Connie Hopkins

WOW! And they say CATS have 9 lives!!

Grizzly Bear Shot and Killed By Hikers In Denali National Park and Preserve

Sep 17th - 03:02am | Anonymous

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 17, 2010 - 5:03pm. Some parks do have areas that are off-limits year-round to humans to protect bears. Yellowstone is one. Denali is two. Sable Pass closure. Only a couple clicks from the site of this incident.

Sep 16th - 20:33pm | ravenguard

Hmmm. So you don't need to carry a firearm in bear country because waving your arms has worked so far. Okay, hitting the brakes on my car has worked so far, so I guess I can forget about wearing my seatbelts. Right. Got it. (Lots of folks seem to be escaping from Mister Roger's Neighborhood lately...)

Picking Apples in the National Parks, Some History

Sep 16th - 16:05pm | anonymous

We're glad you have highlighted the value of historic orchards within the NPS System. Sadly, some historic orchards have been removed based on the mis-guided argument that these orchards are "exotics" and without any prior homework to research the correct pome identity. These losses actually occurred at some locations within Redwood NP

National Park Mystery Photo 27 Revealed: Street At Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

Sep 16th - 14:47pm | Connie Hopkins

I actually googled Trimble Block and saw that they were located in SE Ohio which was why I was guessing the 2 Ohio NPS Historic Sites that I did. I figured it would be process of elimination and I would eventually get it right! Ha Ha!

Sep 16th - 10:39am | Anonymous

Actually, the bricks have been in place for years. Williams Street was rebricked in conjunction with the development of the park in the 1990s. No recent road project changed anything.

What Do GOP Politicians Have Against Protecting National Park Landscapes?

Sep 16th - 11:36am | John Maass

What a silly statement by "Barky." It is almost not worth the time to refute. These kind of generalizations don't hold water, and are easily disproved. For ex., John Warner has been a friend to preservation groups and the NPS. Lest we think that the Democrat Party has a monopoly on environmental issues, I remind you about an issue from 2001 involving the Homestake Mining Co., in SD.

Sep 15th - 22:17pm | Zebulon

Random Walker, I disagree with your assessment. If all oil produced in the US goes on the world market, it would create additional exports, which would help our trade deficit, and de facto would reduce would reduce dependence on foreign oil. Figured that I'd point this out.

Sep 15th - 21:48pm | Random Walker

The price one pays for oil is determined by a global supply and global demand, not by how much oil is drilled under a National Park or Venezuela. Oil drilled in America does not stay in America. It goes right to the world market. There is no such thing as “our oil supply” The problem is oil. Not how and where we get it.

Sep 15th - 19:55pm | Bob

We *already* drill directionally for oil beneath [Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO)], from privately owned or leased lands around the park. As I understand it, these wells could suck THRO oil from a field even if they went straight down, so the NPS decided to allow more-efficient directional (diagonal) drilling and collect the royalties.

Sep 15th - 17:15pm | Zebulon

I'm all for conservation, but the one thing that nobody really talks about is what is the best alternative to our energy needs? I don't pretend to have answers, but I understand that renewables forms of energy will not be enough in the near term (say 20-30 years) to make a significant in our energy needs. Since nobody wants to build nuclear plants, what options do we have?

Still No Sign of Missing Plane In Katmai National Park After Four Days of Searching

Sep 16th - 10:38am | Anonymous

Mr. Bugno I am a friend of the Spradilins. Wanted to see if you had been able to obtain current information on a daily basis. If you need assistance I can feed you information as it becomes available. Let me know if you need help.

Glacier National Park Officials Proposing To Improve Wildlife Viewing In Many Glacier Area

Sep 16th - 10:05am | jane schneider

I hiked up onto a big horn sheep there last summer. He was grazing about 20 yards from me, gave me the once over, then continued lunch until another hiker came along and spooked him. Also saw mountain goats, but, alas, no bear.

Sep 16th - 08:25am | Anne Moss

I'm looking forward to our visit of Glacier NP next summer. Going to be there in late July and we have three nights booked at the Many Glacier area. Hoping to see lots of wildlife there!

National Park Mystery Photo 27: Hard to Figure

Sep 16th - 01:39am | Stephen Trimble

I don't know where it is--but I sure do want to know!!

Sep 15th - 19:30pm | Kurt Repanshek

Uhhhhhhh......no.

Sep 15th - 18:51pm | Barky

Richmond NBP is my guess, the pavers near the Tredegar Iron Works. It was the first thing to pop into my mind when I saw the photo ...

Sep 15th - 16:48pm | Kurt Repanshek

No, not William Howard Taft. Check back tomorrow for the answer...

Sep 15th - 16:36pm | Arthur

William Howard Taft NHS

Wolverine Photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park

Sep 15th - 21:07pm | Mike Studt

My wife and I were hiking up to Boulder Field for an overnight trip to climb Longs Peak. When we were coming up to Granite Pass I remembered telling my wife that someone's dog was taking a shit at the top. I notice the somewhat hunched back with a flopping tail.

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