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Xanterra Offers Customized Yellowstone Tours

Aug 4th - 16:42pm | Sabbatis

I agree with SpecOps, bravo for Xanterra. Certainly there is nothing about this arrangement the prevents any of us from enjoy Yellowstone, from the geyser basins to the backcountry, on our own. For those people for whom the guided tour provides a benefit even greater than the price, then this is a boon for them.

Jul 27th - 06:00am | Dan Wulfman

Our company, Tracks & Trails, arranges self-guided National Park camping trips for active families from around the world. In the early days we, too, felt that these sorts of tours were for braindead city folks who didn't get the wilderness ethic, and we seldom recommended them. Since then, we've come to realize that, for those with the money, a competent guide is worth his weight in gold.

Jul 23rd - 19:47pm | SpecOps

Hey Alan...different strokes for different folks...not everyone is fit enough (read: handicapped, elderly) to visit "your wilderness." So stop being so intolerant and elitist.... Bravo, Xanterra!! BTW, I am a NPS ranger...I feel the concessioners, for the most part, do a great job!

Jul 23rd - 07:47am | Alan Gregory

Another example of the creeping commercialization overtaking many of the parks. I dare say that some of Gettysburg borough's gift shop owners would just love to be able to trash up the park entrance in used car lot style. I sensed this stuff coming when I first visited Yellowstone as a young teenager.

Yosemite Valley Plan: Back to Square One?

Aug 4th - 16:39pm | Sabbatis

A very interesting article. One question that will be interesting to answer over the next couple years will be how the NPS chooses to limit access to Yosemite Valley. In almost any case where access to something is artificially limited, a secondary market developes. Just look at things like concert tickets or sports tickets, and the practice of paying line-waiters or scalping.

Are Hiking Trails Part of a Park's "Core Operations"?

Aug 4th - 16:35pm | Sabbatis

You mention that Glacier has 700 miles of hiking trails. Are all of these trails really cost-effective? For example, it would be interesting to know how many person-hours of enjoyment a given hiking trail provides each year vs. the number of person-houds needed to maintain that trail.

Jul 24th - 18:34pm | SpecOps

What we need are less scientists (who make big $$...~40-80K/yr) and more maintenance and rangers...until NPCA and others start addressing this issue, the parks will continue to deteriorate...but I guess it is easier for them to just blame Bush!

Jul 24th - 13:51pm | Sam

I would say some trail would need to be. My family has a cabin south of Glacier in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we've taken many pack trips in the back country and have occassionally been the first to clear trails when we go early in the season.

NPS Horses on Half-Rations

Aug 4th - 16:17pm | Sabbatis

Sadly, this snafu won't help Park advocates convince Congress that the NPS is a well-managed organization that is well-deserving of and much in need of additional funding.

Let's Sell the Parks!

Aug 3rd - 18:27pm | JLongstreet

I would challenge Mr. Burbank to come look at almost any national park administrative facility in the field, perhaps other than those few "park barrel" ones funded by local Congressmen through earmarks, and see if we're living as high on the hog as he thinks. He may be right about some of the central offices, regrettably.

Aug 3rd - 03:32am | Bruce Burbank

It seems to me that the NPS,USFS,COE, & BLM are in "cahoots" together. They're spending an awful lot of money on their own creature comforts ie: headquarters,offices,ranger stations, fancy vehicles, and more!

Private Interests to the Rescue?

Aug 2nd - 19:40pm | JLongstreet

Kurt, No doubt your consecutive postings about the proposed private development at the Sandy Hook unit of Gateway and the GMP at Apostle Islands was deliberate. Good job. I am struck by a quote from the newspaper link in the Gateway story:

Cutting Trees in Gettysburg

Aug 2nd - 14:20pm | Alan Gregory

The last time I looked, Adams County, PA, where Gettysburg sits, had few trees to give up and still have some woodlots (forget about honest to gawd forests) around. Hey, if we follow this logic, we ought to finish what drought started and drain Lake Powell, restoring Glen Canyon to the way it looked when Major Powell and others passed that way.

Woman Falls to Her Death in Yellowstone

Jul 30th - 22:37pm | Cat Brown

I just returned home from Yellowstone.. I had heard of this prior to going.. I took video of people doing the same thing, same area -- what really shocked me was that not only did they do it they were dragging their young children out to the ledge for "a better look"!!!

Jul 1st - 14:04pm | rick

it is amazing to see how many dumbasses there are out there, i do agree unecessary risks for a simple pic is very sad. next time maybe people should read the warnings posted all over the place saying don't cross.

Jun 27th - 09:10am | KEN

We were in just coming into the Park Saturday June 16 over the Beartooth Pass and heard the news of this death later the day. We heard people talking about the incident while we were at the lower falls, Friday June 23. It is simply another example of someone taking unnecessary risks for a picture. We saw all kinds of people walking right up to Buffalo and elk to talk pictures.

Not Everyone Complimentary of Fran

Jul 27th - 18:30pm | Bruce Burbank

She should apply at Ocala National Forest or USFS in Tallahassee, they ONLY hire incompetents!

Jul 27th - 18:08pm | Alan Gregory

Bill Wade is on target with his assessment of the NPS under Ms. Fran's "leadership." No one has done more over the last 50 years to drag the Service and, thus, the parks down than the recreation-oriented Mainella. Too often it appeared that she was simply a shallow "be happy" smiley face, ready to say anything that would keep the public from seeing the real picture of her disastrous tenure.

Jul 27th - 17:56pm | Florida Reader

Fran Mainella used to be the director of the Division of Recreation and Parks for the State of Florida before Jeb's older brother "stole" her away (proof that Jeb is the smarter of the two).

Jul 27th - 11:45am | Bruce Burbank

don't know a lot about Nat'l Parks, but this sounds like the USFS, which I do know about. BOTH claim they have no $, and they never will have unless someone stops them from spending what they have on their own personal creature comforts, fancy vehicles, offices & visitor centers of grandeur, and more! Incompetence should be rewarded with NO PENSION!

Fran's Stepping Down

Jul 27th - 18:23pm | Bruce Burbank

She should apply at Ocala National Forest or USFS in Tallahassee, they ONLY hire incompetents!

Jul 27th - 18:05pm | Florida Reader

Fran Mainella used to be the director of the Division of Recreation and Parks for the State of Florida before Jeb's older brother "stole" her away (proof that Jeb is the smarter of the two).

Jul 27th - 11:32am | Bruce Burbank

I don't know a lot about Nat'l Parks, but this sounds like the USFS, which I do know about. BOTH claim they have no $, and they never will have unless someone stops them from spending what they have on their own personal creature comforts, fancy vehicles, offices & visitor centers of grandeur, and more! Incompetence should be rewarded with NO PENSION!

GTLC Responds To Garbage Problem

Jul 21st - 11:33am | Alan Gregory

This kind of thing always blows me away. Because of human stupidity, a wild creature becomes habituated and has to be put down - as just one more "problem" bear.

Of Bugs, Buzz Off, And Repellents

Jul 20th - 11:39am | repanshek

That's a damn good solution, but I'm not quite ready to resort to it...

Jul 20th - 11:21am | badwater bobby

we don't got no bugs when it's 125 degrees...

19-Year-Old Lost in Grand Canyon

Jul 20th - 10:44am | Angela

Something sounds suspicious about this 40 year old companion she had. I hope they find her.

"Human-Powered" Recreationalists Applaud Dirk and Fran

Jul 19th - 14:09pm | marty

Well said. Yes, there are and should be public lands where Jet Skiis and snowmobiles and so forth can be enjoyed. And there should be trails where horses can be ridden, without mountain bikes scaring them. And bike trails. And hikers-only trails. And wild places that don't ever have any trails at all.

Jul 18th - 17:39pm | repanshek

Mike, Glad to have your two cents. Obviously, when it comes to national parks we disagree on what is and isn't appropriate. And that's fine. My whole intention is to spur debate. There are a couple things you need to understand so you'll see where I'm coming from.

Jul 18th - 16:12pm | Michael Kurtz

How selfish can a person get? Doesn't the canoes and kayaks "intrude on a sunset?" Doesn't hikers and people on horseback "gouge ruts into the forests and across the meadows?"

Paid Endorsements? Not Here.

Jul 19th - 07:22am | marty

Good for you. I found this site several weeks ago and visit often. I would buy a product you like, mostly BECAUSE you don't get paid to endorse.

Keen's Taos: A Shoe for Most Seasons

Jul 18th - 08:03am | Mary Jones

Are you paid to mention these shoes?

Jul 17th - 15:12pm | Alan Gregory

You convinced me. I've just logged onto REI and ordered a pair. Thanks. Now if the state of Pennsylvania would start protecting some land for purposes other than industrial (and that's driven by tax breaks for wealthy corporations, not real local need), there might be more places nearby at which to use good shoes like these.

Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival

Jul 12th - 08:21am | Tanya

I found your blog when looking for the Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival. Great Job. I enjoyed the reading. :)

Montana's Sen. Burns Trying to Make Snowmobiles a Yellowstone Fixture

Jul 8th - 13:16pm | helen allison

to bad jerks get elected to the house and senate snowmobils should be grossly limited in ANY natl park that has snow everybody wants to ruin all the beauty and tear it up then complain that it is no longer there maby he will not get re elected one can only hope

Chasing Ansel Adams

Jul 7th - 10:11am | jersu

I have an Ansel Adams print in my house of Bridal Veil Falls. It has been hanging on a wall for over two years. I look at it nearly everyday, and I am amazed that I still find new detail and artistry in the photo that I had not noticed before.

New Management Policies and Snowmobiles

Jul 5th - 19:06pm | JLongstreet

We have to remember that even the 2001 NPS Management Policies were insufficient to prevent political influence that has caused the agency to go through the decision-making process three times. Agency professionals are doing everything they can -- and have the facts and the public on their side. Regrettably, that doesn't seem to be enough.

Last Child in the Woods....

Jul 3rd - 12:07pm | Fred Goodwin

Dan, for those parents that program their kids time, but still want them to enjoy the health benefits of the outdoors, there's always Scouting. I wish Louv had mentioned Scouting in his book. Fred Goodwin A Scout volunteer San Antonio, TX

Find A Hike, Add A Hike

Jul 1st - 07:48am | Rao R.V.

It was wonderful sight on earth worth visiting in ones life time Thank you

It's Quick and It's Light

Jun 30th - 06:51am | Alan Gregory

I have two of these little wizards. I used one on a five-day backpack into the Bighorn Crags of the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho in summer 2004. It never failed me. I heartedly endorse this little gem.

Grand Canyon Visitor Dies In South Rim Fall

Jun 28th - 17:57pm | Brianna Dupree

We hate to hear these stories happen, especially when they can be prevented with common sense. We sell tours to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and we always remind our customers about the dangers. Brianna Dupress Grand Canyon Tours http://www.paradisefoundtours.com/

REI's Quarterdome Tent: Is It Really 2-Person?

Jun 27th - 08:02am | tom

Hey, that's my tent! You're right, it's palatial for one, but a major squeeze for two adults. You might look into Henry Shires' Tarp Tents ... a couple I hiked with over the weekend used one and they're still married, far as I can tell.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Jun 26th - 15:34pm | Cindy

You said it all. We just got back from visiting Yellowstone and received one of those very colorful flyers. I showed it to my kids and we stayed in our truck when animals were around. I did see alot of foolish people trying to get as close as they could. Some will never learn!!

Glacier National Park, Or "Goat" National Park?

Jun 26th - 11:04am | Bob Yaklin

Going to be in Glacier 9/8 thru 9/15-2006. Is there a guide available for a 1/2 Day hike or full day?

Snake River Accident Investigation Continues

Jun 21st - 21:44pm | nell clark

Linda Clark was one of the people who died in the accident and is a family member. Could you please give us any recent information about what the investigation has discovered...we have been unable to find out anything. Thank you for anything that you have heard.

NPS Response to Retirees: Thanks for Your Interest

Jun 16th - 14:15pm | Alan Gregory

What they should have said: "The president supports the parks, but only as long as there's political benefit to doing so. If Dick says 'no, fogetaboutem,' then that's that. Now the president is a longtime admirer of the parks, especially Disney's and that Six Flags thing. As we've said before [while watching for flag-burners], this administration is committed to a strong and viable Park Service.

FLASH: Parks Are Good For Your Health!

Jun 14th - 13:02pm | Alan Gregory

I've certainly found this to be the case in Vermont and a few other places where I've lived and/or peddled/hiked/fish/birded. Interesting that Fran did the announcing. She's very good at that: the positive-spin photo-op. Not so good, unfortunately, at running the Park Service, especially when it comes down to lobbying her boss for the kind of funding the Service rightfully should get.

Turning the National Parks Over to Volunteers

Jun 13th - 15:46pm | repanshek

Sabbatis, in all fairness, Ms. Mainella is supposed to be an advocate for the NPS and the entire national park system. It's a role I have yet to see her embrace. True, she has to play the budget she's dealt, but perhaps if she voiced some concern over the plight of the national park system I'd be more sympathetic to her.

"Deals Can Still Be Had"

Jun 13th - 15:39pm | repanshek

Sabbatis, that's great to hear the Mesa Verde special trips have been sold out. How many families bought tickets? Do you really think your "average" park visitor and her/his family of four is going to shell out $800 for a horseback ride? Perhaps if the Park Service was adequately funded these attractions could be opened up along with the Cliff Palace, Balcony House, etc.

Jun 13th - 04:30am | Sabbatis

In fairness, the two prices cited for Mesa Verde National Park are special tours that were offered this year, the 100th Anniversary year, for the first time ever. The tours also managed to sell out for the entire year in just a couple weeks.

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