All Parks News

Security at the nation's national parks and historic icons varies at each site with no national coordination in place to ensure visitor safety, according to a new report critical of the National Park Service. Though officials are unaware of any specific threats, there are concerns that some sites could be targeted by terrorists due to their symbolic nature. Threats could also change in February when visitors are first allowed to carry firearms into national parks, according to the report.

On Sunday, the first episode of Ken Burns’s 12-hour history, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” aired on public television. Last week, the independent National Parks Second Century Commission, led by former senators Howard H. Baker, Jr. and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., released an extensive report on the state of the parks and a vision for the next century.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised the Senate’s confirmation of Jonathan Jarvis to be director of the National Park Service. “This is a great day for the National Park Service and for the American public,” Secretary Salazar said. “Jon Jarvis is a career professional who has consistently stood up for protection of national parks. He brings great wisdom and three decades of experience to the job.”

The blog "World Hum" has posted images of WPA travel posters about the National Parks that ranger Doug Leen has helped rescue from oblivion. Check out the posters here.

Ken Burns's "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" was six years in the making and it is 12 hours long, camped out every night this week on PBS, beginning Sunday. It is beautiful and erudite and contains all the underlined importance and swelling emotion that a major Ken Burns moment requires of its viewers, but at least four cumulative hours of it are goshawfully boring. Just like camping with people who love it more than you do.

An independent commission recommended Thursday the federal government increase funding for national parks to preserve them for future generations. “At some of the most difficult times in American history, presidents and Congress have had the courage and foresight to protect our national heritage and expand the ability of national parks to benefit all Americans,” said Howard Baker, a former Republican senator from Tennessee, who served as co-chairman of the panel. “This is another of those moments,” Baker said.

Nightfall came after the rain had stopped, and in the wet woods columns of fog twisted around dripping trees. It was 10 p.m. on a summer Friday, the forest moonless and still at the trailhead to the Devil’s Path.An opening in the woods off the parking lot looked like a dark door. Beyond, a small trail edged into the night, its route unseen. The Devil’s Path, an east-to-west voyage along the spine of the Catskills, is often cited as the toughest hiking trail in the East. In 25 miles it ascends six major peaks, plunging into deep valleys between climbs.

On National Public Lands Day, help make America’s Best Idea--the national parks--even better! On September 26, the national parks will waive entrance fees as they host visitors and volunteers for a special day of service and celebration.

The national park system is headed for a record-breaking number of visitors this year if travel trends hold up. Nearly 232 million people have already visited national park sites this year, with recreational visits in 2009 up almost 5 percent compared to the first nine months of 2008. If visitation stays strong through year's end, the parks could see more than 288 million visitors for 2009, topping the previous records of more than 287 million visitors in 1987 and 1999, according to National Park Service spokesman Jeffrey G. Olson.

``Watch this!'' 10-year-old Ethan Weil said to his new friend Taylor Bell, 8, just before jumping from a water-soaked log to a boulder and back again, his bare feet curling around the dusty red rock. Taylor, his chest bare and slicked with sweat, looked impressed, but only for a moment. ``Oh, yeah?'' he said. ``Watch this.'' He scrambled to the top of the largest boulder nearby, turned around and beat his chest with his fists. ``I am the king of Zion!'' he said.

The classic Southwestern Grand Circle tour loops through seven national parks and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It took us 14 days to visit the parks, which included 2 ½ days on Lake Powell at Glen Canyon. We drove 1,803 miles. All of these parks hit temperatures in the 90s and above in the summer -- sunscreen and water in abundance, and a hat or other head covering are musts.

Living in Ames, it is easy to forget about the towering mountains, scorching deserts and rolling waters of the United States. This is not to say the Great Plains are without their own beauty, but I have found venturing from the grasslands into the great wilderness areas of this country offers a refreshing outlook on life and the greatness of this country.With this love of the American outdoors has come a passion for the United States National Park System. Though not without its flaws, it is perhaps the best protection offered for our country's greatest assets.

Those of us who spend time in our glorious national parks, the places the writer Wallace Stegner once said were "the best idea we've ever had," quickly realize what a bargain they are. For the first time in human history, beautiful land was set aside, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. It was a purely democratic idea.

We love these great nature prints with National Park themes. From the Atlantic Barrier Islands to Glacier Bay in Alaska, the prints illustrate some of the most-loved wildlife of our parks.For the latest from the Harper Art Studio, check out the Charley Harper blog.

The second annual World Parks Day will take place this coming Saturday, September 19th. World Parks Day is an opportunity to celebrate parks and green spaces worldwide. Parks of all kinds – from great national parks to small urban parks – are encouraged to join in the event. The event  has been organized by Parks for Life, an international initiative of the International Parks and Green Space Alliance (IUPGSA), which the following objectives: