You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Musings From Yellowstone National Park

Sep 22nd - 09:03am | Ginger L

"Distressingly White", excuse me but what is your problem. We have been going to Yellowstone every year for the last fifteen years and if you spent your time noticing how "distressingly white" the backcountry video and rangers were then I feel sorry for you.

Sep 22nd - 07:56am | Betty H

All of our beloved National Parks have more than their share of problems, as does all of America. That said, Yellowstone is a very majestic and magical place ! In my opinion, they are doing a much better job (ranger & concessioner wise) than several other large parks. Now if we can just work things out so the wildlife can migrate in late winter to find food and survive !

"Hidden Fire" Continues To Burn In Sequoia National Park

Sep 21st - 18:54pm | Anonymous

Yes, the west side of the fire is on the edge of the Skagway grove and is less than a mile from the Muir grove and the Park Ridge grove. The fire is being actively suppressed on the east side which is heading towards the road.

Sep 20th - 12:48pm | Seiwu

Hmmm? I think Paul was commenting on how fire is good for Sequoias, which it is. They are sensitive mostly to the outside influence of human interference. To truly protect their future survival, allowing a fire to run through them would be very useful. They thrive in burned areas. Anybody here know if the fire is in a grove area or at what elevation it is?

Sep 19th - 15:09pm | John

I agree with paul. The trees are very sensitive to outside interference and fires are a big hazard. We need to protect these national treasures.

Sep 18th - 18:37pm | Barky

Anyone who's been to Sequoia knows that fire plays an intricate part in the health and survival of the great trees.

Report Shows Visiting National Parks Could be Hazardous to Your Health

Sep 21st - 16:16pm | Powers

You are not the majority, you just think you’re important and therefore think you must be the majority. If you were the majority the park service wouldn’t be around anymore!

Japanese Artist Creates Peace Sculpture for Tribal Connections Interpretive Site at Devils Tower National Monument

Sep 21st - 13:33pm | Barky

It's a nice idea, and a fine acknowledgement of the spiritual nature of Devil's Tower. I'm not sure this natural park is the proper place for a modern sculpture, however. Sounds like it's out of place. But maybe it works. ========================================

At New River Gorge National River, an Iconic Bridge Attracts Suicide Jumpers

Sep 21st - 09:33am | Bob Janiskee

Thank you for your comments, Anon. They lend valuable perspective to this story, and I couldn't have said it better.

Sep 21st - 09:20am | Anonymous

Mr. Martinez... Remember this man jumped from the bridge in the middle of the night, so the beauty and majesty which may have stopped him in the daylight eluded him. One day he is a living, vibrant person, the next an anonymous "offender" of the beauty there. I have been to the bridge. It is one of the most spectacular places on Earth, and I agree the beauty of the area defies description.

Sep 19th - 19:37pm | charlesmartinez151

Once on top of that bridge and seeing the beauty that God created how could someone take his own life in vain? That is selfish. No wonder it's a sin in God's eyes.

Trigger-happy Man Shoots Another Rustling in the Brush

Sep 20th - 17:36pm | charlesmartinez151

your so right. i bet this fool doesn't even know what a hunter safety course is,or where to take one. now all of us hunters and sportsmen have to defend ourselves to the left-wing lobby about why we shouldn't have our hunter -sportsmen rights infringed on, because of one stupid drunk,from the big city.

Sep 20th - 17:27pm | charlesmartinez151

let me clarify my statement. what i meant was the media only lets you see what they want. it's not about us law abiding citizens that carry guns in the parks and mine is always put in view, never concealed. its the irresponsible people who choose to use drugs or alchohol ,who seem to have these types of problems. we should never punish the law -abiding ,for the actions of the few.

Sep 19th - 19:26pm | charles martinez

seems they only feed you the info they want you to hear, so you can make up your mind without seeing all sides huh.

Sep 19th - 15:55pm | Jimi Whitten

It is not about needing a gun, it is about what one wants and if one wants to carry a gun into a national park, that should be OK. Just because ONE idiot shot something he couldn't see , the rest of us should not be punished for that. Put the idiot away and let the rest of us go on. If, in fact, this is his fifth alcohol related offense then why is he free anyway?

Sep 19th - 12:41pm | Anonymous

Ric - which 'you' are you referring to?

Sep 19th - 08:21am | Ric Barnett

You won't win any friends or influence any people with this one. What you did do is distroy any credibility that you might have had. If your argument held water then ban driving in the parks, (hummm.... not such a bad idea) because drunk drivers kill thousands of people a year.

Sep 19th - 06:09am | Anonymous

I think you hit the nail right on the head with your comment, not the gun but the person.

Sep 19th - 01:07am | Dave O

Obviously this nut job has not taken any hunter safety course, which I took at age 12. You don't shoot at a sound. You identify your target, check your background, look for the proper spot to place your shot and aim for that point. Sounds like some big city psycho that should stay in the big city.

Sep 18th - 21:34pm | Merryland

I can see that most of you haven't camped at the various National Recreation Areas. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are staples there. The "issues" at Chickasaw are legendary.

Sep 18th - 20:20pm | Jim Burnett

This sad incident is an example of the kind of problem that I predict will become more common if the existing regulations concerning firearms in national parks are relaxed. Why?

Sep 18th - 20:12pm | Anonymous

Look at it this way. A rowdy drunk man can do more damage with a gun than a rowdy drunk man throwing beer cans at a bush.

Sep 18th - 17:28pm | Kirby Adams

I have, however, seen the villainous types that you describe

Sep 18th - 14:59pm | dapster

Kirby,

Sep 18th - 14:10pm | Anonymous

This has more to do with irresponsible drinking than with guns.

Sep 18th - 12:47pm | Kirby Adams

Not all campgrounds are created equal. I've stayed at a lot of campgrounds and I've found the vast majority of those inside the parks to be pretty quiet and civilized. On the other hand, I can only describe a significant percentage of grounds outside the parks as wretched hives of scum and villainy. -Kirby.....Lansing, MI

Sep 18th - 12:47pm | Ted Clayton

No doubt, there are individuals & organization who will try to use incidents like this to argue against firearms, period. As noted, it's not directly germane to whether the firearms are being packed within the National Parks (though of course that won't stop some from trying to connect them).

Sep 18th - 12:39pm | Kirby Adams

Kurt, you're going to take a lot of heat here for this one! I really don't see this being very apropos to the guns-in-parks debate, but I'll let the masses decide that.

The Wild Side of Yellowstone National Park

Sep 20th - 17:12pm | On Da Road

Great story. I spent a summer in Yellowstone and it was amazing the difference when you just got 100 yards away from the road and left the crowds behind. Most tourist don't bother to go beyond the pullouts .. yet they feel they have seen Yellowstone. Really that is just scratching the surface of this beautiful place.

Sep 19th - 15:07pm | Debra

I recently travelled to Southern California and visited the largest tree in the world at Sequoia national park. It was a blast. I got inspiration from your blog on national parks. Keep it up.

How To Buy National Park-Related Gifts Without Leaving Home

Sep 20th - 16:40pm | Alan Esovski

I just got through speaking to the owner of Inner Peace Designs. They are an American company which is contracted by another company that handles all the merchandising for the National Parks. Death Valley and Zion National Park ornaments will be available by the end of this coming week. Check out their website and keep looking for these ornaments.

The 9/11 Anniversary Draws Attention to the Flight 93 National Memorial, an Extraordinary Work in Progress

Sep 20th - 10:51am | d-2

Bob, thanks for the links, as well. But reading through the links of Park Service support for the memorial design, I must say it is a shame when an NPS superintendent is reduced to having to make such a personal presentation of who she is and what she believes.

Sep 19th - 10:15am | Anonymous

Yes, the creation of the park immediately was the right thing to do, despite all the good and important NORMAL reasons to wait for a decision by a future generation before dedicating a new national park. But, there was NO need to leap right in and build a big memorial structure, or sculpture, to accompany the creation of the park.

A Section of the Appalachian Trail Designed for Wheelchair Access Opens in Vermont

Sep 20th - 10:50am | Merryland

My point is that there are plenty of other places where you can build a boardwalk in the woods for people to enjoy. A bridge over or a tunnel under a major highway so hikers don't get run over -- sure... but heaven forbid if someone had to walk in some water in the floodplain. So we're going out of our way to build IN the floodplain now... Ya know, sometimes less is more.

Sep 19th - 17:32pm | Marylander

I LOVE the wheel chair accessible parts of the AT. Totally awesome that they made another section, I can't wait to take my parents there. My parents are getting up there in age and my Dad is now offically handicapped. During his younger years, both of my parents hiked every inch of the AT over the course of 3 summers. They loved it an have only happy stories to tell about it.

Sep 19th - 05:26am | Bob Janiskee

Merryland, remember that the newly constructed AT segment (boardwalk and path) replaced an AT segment that consisted of road surface (Thundering Brook Road). This new trail segment is a step toward nature, not away from it. Further, the segment was built across a floodplain, which made a boardwalk a logical choice and wheelchair access a sensible provision.

Sep 18th - 21:37pm | Merryland

So much for getting away from it all. Next they'll install people-movers so you don't really need to hike the trail. Walk left, stand right folks.

Sep 18th - 18:39pm | Barky

Hmm, very interesting. Kudos to the builders. Of course, I'm sure the pork-project folks will come along to poo-poo this project, but I think it's a nice idea. I wonder if the real AT hikers appreciate having an even boardwalk for a portion of the trip? ==================================

Pruning the Parks: Shoshone Cavern National Monument (1909-1954) Would Have Cost Too Much to Develop

Sep 19th - 13:45pm | MRC

The so called Poverty Point National Monument is another prime candidate. While Congress made the declaration in 1988 to take this amazing prehistoric site in federal hands, the state of Louisiana believes their Poverty Point State Park is perfectly fine and does not even think about handing it over.

Sep 19th - 11:24am | SaltSage236

How about Yucca House National Monument in Colorado? Unexcavated, uninterpreted, virtually unvisited and unstaffed and managed by nearby Mesa Verde National Park, it seems Yucca House ought to be included as part of Mesa Verde, or developed such that there would be some sort of interpretation at the site to illustrate for the public the significance of an unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan site.

Sep 19th - 06:11am | Bob Janiskee

Here is what you learn when you go to the home page of Hohokam Pima National Monument, which was authorized in 1972 to protect an ancient Hohokam village (Snaketown):

Sep 18th - 21:15pm | Sabattis

I'm wondering if Hohokam Pima National Monument would be on your list for "delisting". Like Shoshone Cavern, it has never been opened to the public. On the other hand, there is also no question that "Snaketown", which Hohokam Pima National Monument protects, is a nationall-significant resource. To me, this raises something of a conundrum.

Sep 18th - 11:43am | Bob Janiskee

Some existing national parks probably should be delisted. I'll be writing more about this later.

Pilgrim Places: Civil War Battlefields, Historic Preservation, and America’s First National Military Parks, 1863-1900, Part VII

Sep 19th - 13:18pm | dapster

Richard, Quite enjoyable, and very informative body of work. I found it interesting how the different battlefields were saved in different time periods, especially in regard to Gettysburg.

Federal Judge Blocks Recreational Snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park

Sep 18th - 21:42pm | Merryland

They do make perfectly quiet snow transportation with zero pollution. It's called cross country skiing.

Sep 18th - 17:12pm | Ted Clayton

MRC,

Sep 18th - 12:33pm | MRC

Please get your facts straight: The United States didn't enter World War I before 1917.

Pruning the Parks: Six National Parks Acquired via Transfer in 1933 Were Subsequently Abolished

Sep 18th - 21:31pm | Sabattis

Beamis - Platte National Park did indeed get incorporated into a National Recreation Area - the Chickasaw NRA, which is still part of the National Park System to this day.

Attendance Shortfalls at Steamtown National Historic Site Prompt Calls for Privatization

Sep 18th - 15:00pm | Anonymous

More correctly, I should have said all revenue bills originate in the House of Representatives.

How Did The National Park Service Err So Badly On the Yellowstone Winter-Use Plan?

Sep 18th - 12:02pm | Ted Clayton

Anonymous, I will certainly grant you, that corporations & industries spare no effort or expense to drum-up & excite consumer interest in their wares, and that often enough this situation does seem to fly in the face of our better interests.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.