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Segways in the National Parks: Do We Really Need Them?

May 4th - 01:33am | Anonymous

Well this "lardass" also happens to be diagnosed with ms.... So does my "lardass" status discount my disabled status????? Rude and tactless people like yourself make going out in public with obvious disabilities that much harder... You look and see a "lardass" and not a person who has been fighting ms and fatigue that continues to add to weight problems...

May 1st - 23:56pm | Bob

"It seems that you'd have to watch the trail constantly rather than lifting your head and eyes to view the sights around you on a bike trail. No?" No. Why don't you try it before forming an opinion? Do you constantly watch the ground when riding a bike? "What's the point of it?"

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Settlement Won't Ban ORV Use, But Will Restrict Travel

May 4th - 00:13am | FriscoFran

My parents live in the Outer Banks and have forever – at least as long as I can remember. Despite assertions to the contrary – the new rules and regulations will SIGNIFICANTLY and ADVERSELY impact fishermen (and fisherwomen).

May 2nd - 09:44am | Anonymous

I guess, it means a little bit of oil leak on the beaches but not a whole lot...with less ORV's. Regardless how you look at this issue, wildlife still gets the short end of the stick. Wish we could resolve this issue the way Aldo Leopold would...with better "land ethics"!

May 2nd - 08:56am | Anonymous

Duh! Why not click on the links? Anyone following this issue knows exactly where CNHS is. Hint. It's in North Carolina.

May 2nd - 07:00am | Anonymous

Lets see, and Cape Hatteras is where? I believe it’s in Maine but I’m not sure. Neither does the writer of this article, as he doesn’t seem to want to tell us. Very poor, vague article, not very informative. Sorry.

It's Time to Book Your Summer National Park Vacation

May 3rd - 22:13pm | st. george isla...

I also like spontaneous trips, sometimes I don't even book in advance, but I do have a pretty good idea how many parks are within an hour's driving distance.

Nevada Barr’s Next Park Novel: An Unauthorized Preview

May 3rd - 17:07pm | Julie

I am so glad to hear about her next book coming out! It has been too long since the last one...and with gas prices, that is probably the only way I can get to a national park this year!

May 2nd - 12:19pm | Rick Smith

Bob-- What I like about Anna and her ranger colleagues is that they talk like real rangers. The dialog rings true to my ear. Rick Smith

May 2nd - 11:06am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks for the info, Doug. Being with husband Paul implies that Anna will be at Natchez Trace Parkway in the next novel. Bingo! :o) The park visits answer is very interesting. Ms. Barr lives with her husband in New Orleans, so scheduling a visit to a park in that vicinity should be pretty convenient for her.

May 2nd - 10:33am | Doug Cook

I heard Nevada speak at a book signing of Winter Study in Washington, DC on April 7. While she graciously signed my book, I asked her two questions: 1. Was Anna going to be with her husband, Paul, in the next novel? She said Yes as Anna was getting tired of celibacy.

May 2nd - 08:48am | Bob Janiskee

Thanks for the feedback, Debbie. I agree that the Anna Pigeon books can be read in any order without undue confusion, though it's best to read them in chronological order if you can manage it. There's a classic rule of thumb that applies to reading materials that are published in series and contain dated or "perishable" content.

May 2nd - 08:13am | Debbie

I didn't have the benefit of reading her books first to last. I found her books by accident and have picked one up every time I run across it. I have skipped around, but still thoroughly enjoyed them. I think that Ms. Barr does a good of providing enough background and insight into Anna Pigeon's character in each book to allow you to enjoy them independently.

May 1st - 10:07am | Bob Janiskee

Since you're an experienced Nevada Barr reader, Debbie, maybe you could provide some advice for newcomers. Would you recommend that a newbie read the 14 books featuring ranger Anna Pigeon in chronological order, from first to last, or would it be OK for her/him to start with the most recent one (Winter Study) or perhaps any book in the series?

May 1st - 09:10am | Debbie

Thank you for this article. Love the Nevada Barr novels I have read and look forward to finding others. We listen to books on CD driving into the night to get to our vacation destination (usually a NP). No better company than Anna Pigeon when driving into the night! We really enjoy the insight she gives into the inner workings of the park system that the average tourist never sees.

Report Shows Visiting National Parks Could be Hazardous to Your Health

May 3rd - 13:38pm | Fred Miller

This is truly sad. I hope someone is going to come up with a sincere, effective plan to address these issues. I don't think another overpaid bureaucrat is the answer.

Critics: Changing Gun Laws in National Parks Would Open a "Pandora's Box" of Problems

May 3rd - 13:10pm | Anonymous

I live in Colorado and every time I cross NPS ground i do not unload my weapons because the criminals and drug addicts that frequent the road I travel and the the trails and canyons where they grow there crops do not unload theres. I love to sport hunt but i do understand that government land is off limits to any sort of hunting so any one shooting on government land is still prohibited.

May 2nd - 10:48am | mike n

If a person wants to carry in a park for protection it should be legal. If i shoot an animal illegaly I should be punished. If I shoot an animal or criminal(one in the same) then justice is served I will always have the right to defend myself and loved ones no matter what the poloticians think.

Groups Sue To Overturn Removal of Greater Yellowstone Wolves from Endangered Species List

May 3rd - 10:40am | Anonymous

Hey Anonymous, you may call Mr Saunders a skilled hunter but he had a cheap shot. Another words, unethical kill! If you peacock ranchers allow wildlife to have it's natural space to roam and breed and just maybe there can be some natural balance between predator and prey ratio.

May 2nd - 23:53pm | Anonymous

Those wolves are vicious...kill 'em before they get your pets or kids. Our ancestors killed 'em all off for good reason!

May 2nd - 23:50pm | Anonymous

That there Tony Saunders in that picture is a killin' mochine! I know Tony...he is quite the skilled hunter. He's a good man!

May 2nd - 21:20pm | Justin Forte

I hope and pray that the removal of the wolves from The Endangered Species List is overturned.

May 2nd - 13:57pm | Lone Hiker

Nobody is suggesting the solution is simple, or even black and white. One side states that the lands were given to us by the governing body for this expressed purpose. The other side states that you knew better when you undertook you're money-making endeavor.

May 2nd - 12:51pm | Justin Forte

SAVE THE WOLVES, BOYCOTT BEEF!

May 2nd - 09:31am | Anonymous

Anonymous, your snide comments doesn't merit much sense. I have met a few like you, it's all about guns, bullets and booze with the slogan "a huge gut pile is a happy hunter". In Yosemite we have the decline of the mountain loin which enhances the deer population to explode...another words, the predator-prey ratio is all screwed up.

May 1st - 22:36pm | Anonymous

It is perfectly legal to kill wolves that leave the park and threaten livestock. After all, all you environuts were warned that this would happen, and now you're cryin...and you're probably eatin' a fat juicy steak while you're cryin.

Apr 30th - 15:20pm | Betty H

Bob, you seem to be an ethical hunter and I am so glad there are a few of you left out there ! Wish I could share a beer with you ! Hopefully before we kill most of the great predators AGAIN, mankind will wake up and appreciate what makes our great wilderness and wildlife so very special and precious.

Senators Pushing To Allow Concealed Weapons in National Parks

May 2nd - 20:40pm | Handyman

As a veteran in a wheelchair I always carry my concealed weapon because you just never know who wants to do you harm. This includes are national parks. I have very few options if me or my family were in danger. I wish I lived in Lone Hikers world but I dont I live in reality.

Congressman Calls for Full EIS of Proposal to Allow Concealed Carry in America's National Parks

May 2nd - 20:36pm | Anonymous

The entire 2nd amendment reads as follows: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." If you're going to quote it, quote all of it not just the parts you like.

May 2nd - 14:21pm | RangerTyler

"soceity that functions for the common good" Hmm. But the Bill of Rights was established not for the so-called "common good", but to protect individual rights from infringement by the federal government. "It one reads our Constitution carefully, without objectivity, you will discover that the intent and structure was based around a vision of socialistic government."

May 2nd - 10:26am | Lone Hiker

What people seem to very conveniently dismiss is that both the"rights" of the individual and of the group cease when they infringe in a dangerous, malicious and potentially harmful manner on the existence of society as a whole.

May 1st - 18:04pm | JoeSF

Mr. Grijalava is a proud former member of La MEChA and an open borders advocate. Given the dangers that exist along the Arizona Border including this congressman’s 7th district I feel it is safe to assert that law abiding citizens would be crazy not to be armed in the back country there. While I respect Mr.

May 1st - 16:40pm | RangerTyler

"geared toward pacification of special interests" I don't see defending civil rights and the Bill of Rights as a "special interest". Do the members of this site refer to the outcry at the NPS's proposed ban on assembly on the National Mall a "special interest"? Is the First Amendment--and its guarantees of freedom of the press and assembly--a special interest?

May 1st - 16:25pm | Fred Miller

Good point. Places like you mention are no places for guns. None needed. They all have metal detectors and security guards. The backcounrty I'm talking about does NOT. My point is that if you aren't taking EVERYONE'S gun, don't try to take MINE.

May 1st - 16:01pm | Rangertoo

Pro-gun advocates commenting on this issue seem to forget what national parks are. They are not all Yosemite. They include Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ellis Island, the home of Frederick Douglas, the Washington Monument, Lincoln's home, and similar sites. Do you really want people carrying guns into Ellis Island or Independence Hall?

May 1st - 15:48pm | Fred Miller

I'm not sure I would use the term "backbone". A recent survey showed that 73% of the American people think the right to bear arms is an INDIVIDUAL right. To deny me my God-given right to defend myself is not "showing backbone" It is criminal and immoral.

May 1st - 15:42pm | Fred Miller

"Election-year pandering"? When is the Congressman up for re-election? Sounds like he's trying to get his name in the news if you ask me.

May 1st - 15:42pm | jsmacdonald

Got to speak out for my gang back in DC. Please stop confusing the politicians with the people of the city; they already don't have any representation from those bozos (whatever way the saw cuts).

May 1st - 15:10pm | Anonymous

Thank God someone in DC has some sort of backbone.

May 1st - 14:47pm | Fred Miller

Well said Kurt. I'm composing a slightly more intelligent response now. I'll post it later.

May 1st - 14:28pm | Lone Hiker

I don't believe my eyes. A member the ruling elite openingly identifying this pitiful maneuver of legistlative pandering as nothing short of electioneering geared toward pacification of special interests? From a Western state no less. And a LIBERAL to boot! What's this world coming to.......his term must not be up anytime soon!

May 1st - 14:25pm | Kurt Repanshek

That saw cuts at least two ways, Fred;-)

Another Park Study Approved

May 2nd - 14:19pm | William H Braunlich

Dear Editor Repenshek and National Parks Traveller Bloggers:

Traveler's Top 10 Picks For Movies Involving National Parks

May 2nd - 11:07am | Tad Lyford

I suppose including TV shows opens another can of worms, but I'll go for it: "Nash Bridges", with Don Johnson and Cheech Marin had a couple of seasons filming at San Francisco Maritime NHP. I was a ranger there for those years, and it was rather odd to see the likes of Willie Nelson, Tommy Chong, and Tracy Lords wandering around on Hyde Street Pier. Charsimatic megafauna? Hmm.

National Parks Traveler Launches User Forums

May 1st - 13:21pm | Rick Smith

Joe-- I was impressed by the many Australian rangers whom I met at the International Ranger Federation's World Ranger Congress held in Wilsons Promontory NP in Victoria, Austrailia. They seemed to have their heads screwed on right. It was an impressive group. You made a good choice.

May 1st - 12:21pm | Joesf

Rick

Interior Officials Want to Allow Concealed Carry in the National Parks

May 1st - 09:42am | NoGunsInParks

For those who argue that people who hold a permit for concealed carry are "well-trained in the use of a gun," check this article out: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20031009/ai_n10028946 I'd hate to meet any of those folks carrying a gun in the Everglades!

Apr 30th - 17:32pm | Random Walker

RonC I love ONP also. I see bear (up close even) about every backpack. Try the east side tree line meadows late summer during blueberry time. Could be early fall this year (?) I'll be out there for sure! IMHO carrying a weapon for fear of bear and other critters, into Our National Parks in the lower 48 is just silly. HYOH!

Apr 30th - 14:58pm | Fred Miller

The point has been made that a gun probably won't protect me from a bear. I don't carry because of the bears. I carry for the same reason John Steadham carries: to protect myself and my loved ones. My primary concern is to encounter a snake, either the kind that slither, or the kind on two legs.

Apr 30th - 14:54pm | RonC

A bit more reading... http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20031009/ai_n10028946

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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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.