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Guns in the Parks: A Bad Idea

Nov 17th - 21:50pm | Fred Miller

In a PERFECT world, the most dangerous thing being carried in a National Park would be a pair of binoculars. Sadly, we do NOT live in a perfect world. There are already a number of people carrying firearms in National Parks. "THAT CAN'T BE!!", you say. "It's illegal to carry firearms in National Parks!!" Yes, it is. That's the whole point here. The law-BREAKING bad guy has his gun WITH HIM!!

Nov 17th - 15:23pm | Steve Sergeant

I'd love to read Ranger Gord's take on this one.

Death Valley Showdown

Nov 17th - 20:12pm | Richard M. Carter

You failed to mention that the "off-roaders" that filed the lawsuit are landowners in Panamint City that have been denied legal easement to their land.

Nov 17th - 17:14pm | James

Complete no-brainer. There are already plenty of areas for off-roaders and 4wd enthusiasts to pursue their passion. Surprise Cyn. should be off limits to motorized traffic.

Nov 17th - 12:46pm | Daniel R. Patterson

There is no road in Surprise Cyn. You could not even attempt it even with a tough 4x4. The only vehicles that could try it, and do huge damage to the stream, are super modified jeeps, etc. Even more than half of them flip and can't make it. Keeping vehicles out of Surprise Cyn. is a no brainer to anyone who's ever been there.

Nov 17th - 10:41am | D Hyatt

What you forget to mention is critical data such as: There are several canyons that Congress protected, but Congress specifically refused to protect this within the national park. Congress specifically recognized the road when making Death Valley national park. This is this is so far from "the public" the only public who ever see it are on 4wd vehicles.

Big Bend Chatters

Nov 17th - 11:42am | David Locke

thanks for the write up, kurt!

Nov 17th - 07:54am | Mark Burris

In addition to the chat page, you can also view more than 750 of the Bend and area as posted by Big Bend Photos MSN group members. Membership is free with your hotmail or net passport account, and the general public is invited to join. For more information go to: http://groups.msn.com/bigbendphotos Thanks! --Mark, Group Manager

Nov 17th - 07:41am | Shane Allen

Thanks for the promo.

National Park Chat Pages: Where Information Lurks

Nov 15th - 10:42am | Shane Allen

If you like the West Texas Trans Pecos Big Bend region, be sure and check out www.bigbendchat.com and www.virtualbigbend.com. See some Big Bend wares that are for sale at http://www.cafepress.com/virtualbigbend Also, if you are not a member of

Nov 14th - 04:58am | David Locke

But there is another chat page you may have missed with much more information about the beloved Big Bend National Park.

Election Aftermath: Will Dems Help the Parks?

Nov 14th - 23:38pm | Carol Digby

like snowbird said, now that pombo is gone, many fewer bad things will stop happening. i went to visit his office the other day and expressed my sentiments that his disregard for our national parks directly influenced my vote for jerry mcnerney.

Nov 10th - 18:47pm | Snowbird

With the Democrats back in charge of goverment, it will be a slow blood transfusion to get our National Parks back in good fiscal shape.In time,with good rational and prudent management the Parks will recover...thank god, with less Bush and Pombo as the huge demeanor removed.

Olympic's Storm Bill: $3 Million...So Far

Nov 13th - 21:24pm | Colin

The North Shore Road on Quinault Lake is open as of this afternoon (11-13). Crews from several different agencies were out today chopping up the trees which had blocked the road. There were short delays for the machinery, but they certainly got it taken care of pretty quickly all things considered. There is now a sign up at the beginning of the Hoh Road but it does not indicate why it's closed.

Manatee Mutilated at Biscayne NP

Nov 13th - 11:05am | Alan Gregory

When a population gets this low -- 2,000 or so -- the loss of even one individual must surely have severe ramifications. But there's something odd, on the other hand, about society's fascination with one eagle hurt in a highway collision or the nesting in New York City of one red-tailed hawk pair.

Time to Book Next Summer's Vacation?

Nov 13th - 09:11am | kath

Stop telling the world about the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge! However, having stayed there several times over the years, while the accomodations remain the same (what can you do with canvas tents and metal cots), the quality of the food at the 'mess tent' has declined.

Nov 13th - 07:38am | Steve Sergeant

If your taste in vacations tends toward backcountry activities, you might still want to plan ahead significantly. Many of the National Parks, and the most popular National Forest wilderness areas accept wilderness permit reservations as far as 24 weeks in advance. A few, like Mount Whitney, have a lottery system for their permits that starts in February for the following summer.

Pombo Sent Back to the Ranch

Nov 9th - 14:23pm | Snowbird

I never felt such joy when this fake cowboy got booted out of office. Good riddance! Now, let's get some work done on global warming and enhance the health of our National Parks with proper funding to do it's job right.

Dirk Caught Off-Guard By MPs

Nov 9th - 06:26am | John

Here's how we "manage" ATVs in Minnesota. You'd never guess that we have 2 ATV makers in the state. http://crowwingcountymn.org http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/dnrdocuments/HayCreek.html

Budget Cuts Affect Air Monitoring in the Parks

Nov 8th - 14:38pm | Claire Walter

NPR recently had an item about a cleaner coal-fired power plant in West Virginia, upwind from Great Smoky that is reportedly improving air quality there. I don't remember the details, but I was left w/ the impression that the air is getting better in that park.

Woman Dies in Fall From Angel's Landing

Nov 7th - 20:47pm | Triumphant at Last!

Lulu, I had to LOL at your story when I read "Quitters Corner". I had not heard that term -- sooooo appropriate!! A year ago my husband and I tried to finish the climb, and know very well the "wrestle" you had with not finishing the hike, and know even better the delimna associated with "Quitters Corner."

Oct 24th - 12:40pm | Lulu

I just spent a phenomenal week in southern Utah. I attempted Angel's Landing on Saturday morning. I got beyond the first set of chains and at that point became terrified and wrestled through the decision to accept I simply did not have the mental fortitude to complete the hike. Today I saw photos of how much more exposed the hike becomes as one nears the top.

Oct 20th - 10:58am | Norm

Yes , I agree with Jeffrey that people are responsible for their own actions. If you are climbing Angel's Landing and using the chains and one of the pipes that anchor them to the rock pulls out and you fall to your death do you think the Forest Service is going to take responsibility for your accident? I doubt it. The park's policy is "use at your own risk".

Oct 19th - 15:06pm | Jeffrey

People are responsible for their own actions. If you're not, don't go. End of story.

Storm Floods Part of Glacier

Nov 7th - 15:58pm | cinge

cool blog, good info. Thanks.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Nov 5th - 18:24pm | Alan

Aye, aye, Ranger Gord. Quite obviously some speechwriter handed her some "talking points" before she hit the stage. But then Laura probably really does know more about fish and wildlife than her hubby does.

Nov 4th - 15:54pm | repanshek

You gotta point there, Ranger Gord, you gotta point.

Nov 4th - 15:33pm | Ranger Gord

You have to look at it from Laura Bush's perspective. Richard Pombo could be considered "an enthusiastic steward of our country's natural resources" compared to Laura's husband.

What's Your Favorite Park?

Nov 2nd - 19:58pm | Mookie

You might not have wanted to put so many of the most popular parks in 1 poll. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain & Glacier would be in many peoples top 10. (Not mine...Canyonlands will always be #1 for me).

Nov 2nd - 09:42am | Snowbird

Sequoia National Park and Mineral King...more space and far less poeple...the better!

'Searching' for Park Funding

Nov 2nd - 09:01am | Scott Silver

Perhaps not. Do you know how much goes to the charities vs. how much goes to the company that put this service together? The company that created this site is servicing thousands of charities. Even if their cut is small compared to the percent they pass to the charities, this hosting company may profit handsomely. Not that that's such a big a problem.

Giving the Parks Over to Bioprospectors

Nov 1st - 09:00am | Rick Smith

Kurt--

Nov 1st - 08:47am | kath

Gathering the thermophilic bacteria from Yellowstone did no damage to Yellowstone's thermal features. But it allowed the advancement of DNA replication technology that aids in putting criminals in prison and getting the innocent out. The only question on permitting this should be: Does the gathering of the microbes, etc. damage the park?

Yellowstone Soundscapes Report: It's Noisy Out There

Oct 23rd - 13:21pm | kath

I noticed that YNP was also monitoring noise levels year round. Is there a published report? Can you link up to that? I'd be in favor of banning any noisy motor vehicle from the parks whether it's snowmobiles, motorcycles, diesel motorcoaches or cars with bad mufflers.

CQ Researcher Provides Overview of NPS Woes

Oct 23rd - 08:25am | kath

My libertarian streak says that those who use the parks should bear more responsibility in paying for them.

Oct 22nd - 18:37pm | JLongstreet

I do it all the time -- much to the chagrin of my significant other, who is convinced I'll either be fired or blacklisted for doing so. Unfortunately, some people just don't get the not-so-subtle hint.

Oct 21st - 09:32am | Alan Gregory

I recall hearing a Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist talk about her job, etc., a few years ago. Toward the end of her talk, before she played a heart-rending video of some of the more well-known endangered species, she told her audience that she couldn't just come right and tell them to write their elected representatives.

Time For A Change: Send Mr. Pombo Packing

Oct 21st - 19:18pm | Hazk Howard

I find the two comments about Richard Pombo to be nothing more than yellow dog politics. How do any of you know if he is s faux cowboy? Are you thinking he is a California Cowboy? Remember "Good guys wear white hats"!

Fran's New Job

Oct 21st - 17:49pm | Alan Gregory

The university's public relations professionals must have hired an outside consultant to come up with that turd. I'll bet Clemson is privatizing its PR office!

Railroad Wants To Bomb Glacier

Oct 21st - 00:10am | Avalanche Blog

Here are some thoughts about this bill from an avalanche engineering and science perspective, as well as the political one, http://www.avalanche-blog.com/item/9/

Shhhhhhh! The Park Service Is Listening

Oct 19th - 14:08pm | kath

As I understand it, park rangers now have to be trained as law enforcement officers. It's a sad situation but necessary. A ticket or putting the boot on their cars or RVs might make the noisemakers go elsewhere to camp out. As for the motorcycles, they should be turned away at the entrance stations.

Oct 19th - 12:01pm | Snowbird

Get real Kath, this 2006 not the 1950's! Abnoxious drunken souls at the Parks, have no qualms in how loud they are after 10:00PM, it's the same situation with the Hell's Angel type that come roaring into the Park with looks to kill...if not to intimidate. Why can't we utilize are park rangers as naturalist (as most were trained as professionals) instead of crowd control cops with a hand gun.

Oct 19th - 09:22am | kath

All national park campgrounds have 'quiet hours' usually from 10pm. to 6am. or thereabouts. They didn't need to do any sound studies before making that rule. They just made a rule to keep things quiet at night. Why do you need a sound study to prohibit the playing of loud music in the parks?

Oct 19th - 08:43am | Snowbird

Good luck with the noise abatement in the National Parks. I thought we taught are kids that "silence is golden" when we visit the Parks. Now, it's who can be the biggest noise spectacle in the park.It's the loudest, meanest and most obnoxious noise maker in the Park that usually wins.

Oct 18th - 23:44pm | Bob

I recently retired from the NPS Natural Sounds Program. Although the program is relatively new, sound has been an issue for quite some time ... witness the length of time FAA and NPS have been struggling over the noise of flightseeing at Grand Canyon.

Oct 18th - 12:29pm | Jeff

Interesting. I just came from a Wisconsin State Park over the weekend. We left on Thursday and the kids missed school on Friday. It was the first time ever that I went camping in a state park with the kids during off-peak times. And the noise is exactly what I noticed, or the lack there of.

Oct 18th - 10:08am | kath

My family and I like canoeing on the Current River in Missouri. It's part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. You have to get started very early in the morning to be able to paddle in peace. By mid-morning, groups of canoeists fueled by beer are blasting their boomboxes. Those boomboxes compete with the boomboxes of the campers on the sandbars and picnic spots along the way.

Oct 17th - 22:01pm | Steve Sergeant

As someone who frequently records nature sounds and interviews in National Park and National Forest wilderness areas, it's amazing to me how hard it is to get a pristine recording.

Where to Visit This Winter?

Oct 17th - 17:33pm | repanshek

James, Perfect addition. Not sure how it slipped past me, actually. Of course, winter in Death Valley is also the high season, so rooms will be pricier and more difficult to come by than during those long hot dog days of August. Still, Death Valley does offer a very atypical park experience, one that's very cool if you like the other-worldly nature of the park.

Oct 17th - 15:30pm | James

All good choices, but I think one of the best has been left out: Death Valley. Many say that one should wait for spring and a potential Wildflower explosion, but that can be very iffy. Going during the winter is best for exploring on foot (during the summer it tends to be too hot for serious hiking) and the weather conditions tend to make for less haze and much better landscape pictures!

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.