All Parks News

Jerry Disterhaft thinks historians have shortchanged the 1673 exploration by Father Marquette and Louis Joliet of the Fox River Valley on their way across Wisconsin. The 60-year-old Princeton-area man, whose grandfather was a fur trapper years ago on the Upper Fox River where he lives, hopes that soon will change

A hike through the wilds of Rocky Mountain National Park or the Comanche Peak Wilderness yields the sound of rustling leaves or the calming white noise of a swift stream — sounds the National Park Service views as natural resources to be protected.

There is an old saying popular with park rangers and campers –“take only pictures and leave only footprints” when you are enjoying thegreat outdoors. While many subscribe to this philosophy, it isn’t alwaysobvious how to make the right low-impact choices when you’re far from roadsand established campgrounds. The National Park Service’s (NPS) Leave NoTrace video is a great place for campers to learn where to pitch a tent and

The ripest recipe for trouble in a national park? Young men hiking on a weekend who make a bad decision or two and end up hurt, exhausted or lost. On average, 11 search-and-rescue operations are launched in national parks every day. While expenses average around $900, the price can easily jump into the thousands of dollars, according to a new analysis of search-and-rescue operations over 15 years.

In 1976, when Jon Jarvis was just out of college, he took a temporary job with the National Park Service handing out maps about America's bicentennial celebration to tourists at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.In the 33 years since, he's been a park ranger and superintendent across the West. He's led hikes, held campfire talks, battled forest fires, made arrests, even rappelled down cliffs.

The Bill Clinton First Home Museum will soon be a part of the National Park system, a designation that will give the modest structure on a busy street more visibility as a tourist destination. The two-story, wood frame house on Hervey Street in Hope, Ark., was where Clinton lived from his birth in 1946 at Julia Chester Hospital until age 4. The home was occupied until it was acquired by the Clinton Birthplace Foundation during Clinton's presidency.

On July 23, 1931, Pennsylvania Gov. Gifford Pinchot swung a pick to break ground for Route 177 in Warrington Township. It would be the first of 20,000 miles of rural roads across the state, many in York County, to be paved under Pinchot's plan to "get the farmer out of the mud."He was 66, serving his second term as governor.He had already ghost-written much of the progressive agenda Theodore Roosevelt championed to weaken the robber barons of the Gilded Age. Before the decade was out, he would reach across the aisle to advise Franklin Roosevelt.

Even though I’m a full-fledged adult (chronologically), Halloween still ranks number one on my list of top holidays. Its appeal remains strong for the same reasons that it did when I was a kid; when else do you get to go out after dark on a school night, dress up however you want and be rewarded for your creativity with treats? 

Put all of those pumpkin-carving leftovers to good use! Roast the seeds from your gutted jack-o-lantern for a tasty, healthy treat. Pumpkin seeds make an easy seasonal treat can be either sweet or savory. Follow the roasting instructions below, and choose the seasoning you like best—we’ve included some of our favorites! ROASTING INSTRUCTIONS

Map out your next autumn road trip or get a jump-start on your summer vacation planning using the newly-launched Go Camping America website.  

Just in time for Halloween, learn about creepy, crawly creatures in Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-feeding Creatures by zoologist Bll Schutt. Recently released in paperback, the book is fascinating, but is not for the faint of heart! 

With the crisp autumn air, pumpkin patches and warm apple cider comes another indisputable sign of fall—the crinkling of fallen leaves underfoot. While this can be a charming aspect of the season, it also signals a day of leaf collection for those of us with yards to rake. Each year approximately 31 million tons of raked leaves and other yard waste end up in our nation’s landfills, clogging them with material that could be put to better use. You can help reduce the amount of this organic matter by following our green leaf cleanup tips, outlined below. 

Some fly while others slither, but all of these creepy critters are certain to raise the hair on the back of your neck. Most are no threat to humans, however just the sight is enough to keep you awake at night! If you’re looking for a scare this Halloween, then take a look at what we think are this Halloween’s Top 10 Creepy Critters. 1. Star-nosed mole

Aramark Parks and Destinations, a leading concessioner for the National Park Service, is offering special deals to coincide with Ken Burns’s latest television series, “National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” which premiered on PBS last Sunday. Deals are being offered at parks across the country, including Denali and Mesa Verde.Read more...

Park ranger Matt Holly stands atop the bald, rounded top of Cadillac Mountain as a small knot of tourists huddles around him. At just over 1,500 feet, Cadillac is the highest point along the US Atlantic coastline. On this late summer day, the vista is spectacular: Lush green forests and azure ocean spread from the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay to the east to the Cranberry Islands in the south and Seal Cove to the west on the Gulf of Maine.