Apr 26th, 2013 at 8:00AM: In March of last year, Nature Valley launched their Trail View website, giving deskbound outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to take a virtual hike through three of the most popular national parks in the U.S. The website employed technology similar to Google's Street View to give us the opportunity to explore more than 300 miles of trails in the Grand Canyon, Great Smokey Mountains and ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
nationalparks posts
Nature Valley Trail View Adds Sequoia National Park To Virtual Hikes
Apr 26th, 2013 at 8:00AM: In March of last year, Nature Valley launched their Trail View website, giving deskbound outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to take a virtual hike through three of the most popular national parks in the U.S. The website employed technology similar to Google's Street View to give us the opportunity to explore more than 300 miles of trails in the Grand Canyon, Great Smokey Mountains and ...National Park Week Begins Tomorrow!
Apr 19th, 2013 at 8:00AM: The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation will kick off their annual spring celebration of the parks tomorrow, as National Park Week officially gets under way. The event will run from April 20-28 and will feature a number of special activities throughout the parks, including free entry Monday through Friday of next week.
The national parks have long been favorite destinations ...Photo Of The Day: Milford Sound, New Zealand
Apr 12th, 2013 at 6:00PM:
New Zealand seems to be infinitely photogenic and these unbelievable fjords in Milford Sound are an astounding testament to that notion. Taken by Andrea Schaffer, this image gets me incredibly excited about different ideas for traveling the North and South Islands. I'm now filled with daydreams of jetting off to below the equator and living in a campervan.
You too can have your photography ...National Park Service Releases 2012 Attendance Numbers
Apr 4th, 2013 at 8:00AM: Yesterday the National Park Service released the official attendance numbers for each of the parks in 2012. The list gives us some insights into the most popular destinations with travelers in the U.S. park system with some very well known and iconic parks earning the top spots. The numbers also indicate that travelers don't seem to be growing tired of the parks either, as more than 282 million ...Statue Of Liberty To Reopen By July 4
Mar 22nd, 2013 at 8:00AM: Earlier this week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Statue of Liberty will reopen to visitors this summer just in time to celebrate America's birthday. The iconic statue, and the island it sits on, suffered damage during Hurricane Sandy in October but is now on track to return to service by July 4, 2013.
During the mega-storm that engulfed the East Coast last year, ...5 Spring Break Trips That Don't Require Boozing In Mexico
Mar 14th, 2013 at 1:00PM:
Neon colored fruity cocktails consumed poolside with college students and bad house music in the background not really your thing? Spring break can be a lot of things, and it doesn't have to fit the classic stereotype of sunburned jocks taking tequila shots in Cabo.
Spring is that perfect time of year when it's not quite summer but the weather's nicer so you can take full advantage of the ...VIDEO: Prehistoric Art Of Panther Cave Reproduced In 3D
Mar 10th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
Panther Cave in Seminole Canyon, Texas, has some of the country's best-preserved prehistoric cave paintings. A colorful frieze of leaping panthers, feathered shamans and strange abstract shapes have puzzled researchers for decades. It appears to be telling a story of some sort, but what does that story say?
Now this new 3D video allows you to study it for yourself. Color enhancement brings ...
Mammoth Cave Surpasses 400 Miles In Length
Feb 24th, 2013 at 8:00AM: The National Park Service has announced that the official length of Mammoth Cave now surpasses 400 miles as ten miles of newly mapped chambers and passageways were recently added to the cave complex. Park officials say that these additional miles were the result of a series of smaller, more incremental finds, and were not the result of a single major discovery. Exploration and mapping of these new ...Sequestration Will Have Deep Impact On National Parks
Feb 21st, 2013 at 8:00AM: A few weeks ago we shared leaked documents that gave us a glimpse of how the looming budget sequestration could impact America's national parks. Those documents indicated that the National Park Service would implement a hiring freeze, push back the hiring of seasonal help and possibly cut hours and services in order to deal with the potential lack of funds. At the time, we speculated that those ...The National Parks Conservation Association Wants Your Photos!
Feb 13th, 2013 at 8:00AM: The National Parks Conservation Association is looking to send a message to the folks in Washington, D.C., and they'd like our help in doing it.
The non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting and preserving America's national parks for future generations, but with potential budget cuts looming the fear is that members of Congress may have forgotten just how special those places truly ...Yosemite's Largest Glacier Has Stopped Advancing
Feb 12th, 2013 at 8:00AM: For years we've heard environmental scientists and researchers tell us how climate change is having a profound effect on glaciers across the globe. In many parts of the planet, increased temperatures have caused the giant sheets of ice to dramatically recede or disappear altogether. That process has now begun to take place in one of America's most iconic landscapes - Yosemite National Park.
...New National Park In The Congo Will Protect Lowland Gorillas
Feb 6th, 2013 at 8:00AM: The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is hailing the creation of a new national park in the Republic of Congo as a major step towards protecting western lowland gorillas. The park, which was officially created on December 28 of last year, is believed to be the home of more than 15,000 of the creatures, which have been on the "critically endangered" list for many years.
Located in the northern ...Leaked Documents Show Looming Budget Crisis For National Parks
Feb 5th, 2013 at 8:00AM: Leaked documents from National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis give us a glimpse at the looming budget crisis that threatens to alter the operating landscape for America's national parks. The documents paint a dire picture for the NPS and could have a major impact on the overall experience for visitors to the parks in 2013 and beyond.
In a letter from Jarvis dated January 25 of this year, ...Video: One Day In Yosemite National Park
Feb 3rd, 2013 at 8:00AM: On June 26 of last year, 30 filmmakers descended on Yosemite National Park to take part in a very interesting project. They spread out across the park's 761,000 acres in an effort to capture the essence of a single day in that iconic place. They shot footage of the landscapes, wildlife, visitors and staff. They managed to record images from that day that were both sprawling in scope as well as ...
Google Maps Now Lets You Explore The Grand Canyon
Feb 1st, 2013 at 8:00AM: Have you always dreamed of hiking the Grand Canyon but just can't get past all of the walking that would entail? Then you'll be pleased to learn that the latest update to Google Maps brings Street View technology to the national park, allowing us to take a virtual tour of its trails without ever leaving home.
Back in October we told you how Google planned to capture images from the trail by ...Great Smoky Mountains National Park To Charge Fees For Camping
Jan 25th, 2013 at 8:00AM: Earlier this week the National Park Service announced that it would begin implementing a reservation system and charging fees for the use of backcountry camping sites inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The move was announced last March, but it has taken until now for the system to be put into place. The NPS says the new fees will be used to improve customer service in trip planning, ...Why I Visited Mesa Verde National Park Instead Of The Warren Jeffs Polygamy Compound
Jan 19th, 2013 at 11:00AM: On my last morning in southwest Colorado, I went to the public library in Mancos to decide if I should spend my last hours in the state trying to track down polygamists at the Warren Jeffs compound just outside town or if should visit Mesa Verde National Park.
"The Jeffs people really keep to themselves," said a friendly, bearded librarian named Lee.
"And I don't imagine they're very keen on ...Happy 100th: 15 Places To Celebrate Centennials In 2013
Jan 18th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
A new year isn't just the time to look ahead, it's also the time to look back and commemorate. 2013 marks plenty of centennials, from the birth of civil rights activists to metro lines. Here is your chance to not only explore new destinations, but also learn a little bit about the past with a list of places that all have something worth celebrating this year.
If you're looking to help ...Hiking Arches National Park In Winter With A Pair Of Worn Out Sneakers
Jan 18th, 2013 at 10:00AM: How did I end up on the ass end of the famous Delicate Arch rock formation at Arches National Park in Utah? That's the question I asked myself one afternoon last week as I was standing on the slippery base of the arch in completely inappropriate sneakers, looking down at the steep drop into the canyon below. (see video below)
At Arches, you can't miss the Delicate Arch, a huge rock formation ...MLK Day Is Free In America's National Parks
Jan 18th, 2013 at 8:00AM: If you're one of the lucky few who gets Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off work and you're not sure what you're going to do with that extra time, perhaps you should plan a visit to your favorite national park. After all, MLK Day is the first fee-free day of the year and we wouldn't want to squander any opportunity for a free visit to the parks.
Considering the day is dedicated to Dr. King, it ...
