National Parks

Emily Pennington wanted to see it all. But life on the road was fiercer than she ever imagined.

Officials issued tickets to ascend 3,284-foot Old Rag in 2022. The program was a success, so the park is continuing it in 2023.

The family of Esther Nakajjigo accused the National Park Service of negligence for not properly securing the metal gate that killed her

In her adventure memoir "Feral," Emily Pennington sets out in a van to visit all 63 of America's national parks. She faces a painful romantic breakup, a pandemic, wildfires, and a hurricane. And that's just for starters.

Eager to visit one of America’s national parks this year? Start planning now. Here’s all the information you need to book hard-to-get reservations.

Thousands of acres in California’s Sierra National Forest have been proposed as a national monument. Many argue that the protection is crucial for wildlife, the environment, and wilderness recreation. But it will face stiff opposition.

A raging rain and wind storm is hitting Northern California hard. The state has closed regional, state, and national parks, with partial closings of 37 others, while Yosemite braces for a blizzard.

In a park whose heart is a volcano, see ancient obsidian lava flows layered with red and orange cinder cones. Explore green gulches, bamboo forests, warm lagoons. Hike, run, bike, stargaze, soak up sunsets. Hey, you might even fly.

Buy your own slice of paradise at these surprisingly affordable locations—and drool over the listings far out of reach

As the sun transitions to “solar maximum” in the next three years, it is prime time to spot the aurora borealis—even in the lower 48 states. Here’s where, when, and how to catch the show in our national parks.

From tropical beaches to wildlife-watching outposts, we’ve rounded up the perfect campsites to escape the cold-weather blues

Officials in the Dutch province of Gelderland say the area’s wolves are getting too comfortable around humans

As frequent national-park visitors know, the Park Service offers coveted passport stamps, maps, and badges. Here’s how to get them.

The Sonoran desert toad is under threat from hunters who seek their toxic secretions

Get a front-row seat to epic views and adventure by staying at a national-park lodge. From Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel to Shenandoah’s Big Meadows Lodge, these are our favorites.

According to a new Unesco report, glaciers in Yosemite National Park and other World Heritage sites are very likely to melt away by 2050

A longtime resident of the Southwest shares her favorite ways to see this region’s geological wonders, surreal sunsets, and wide-open spaces

Sparkling alpine lakes, the highest point in the continental U.S., and 800-plus miles of breathtaking hiking trails: Sequoia and Kings Canyon in the Sierra Nevada are far more than home to the biggest trees on the planet.

Shenandoah National Park has unveiled Shencamp, a text message-based update to help campers locate vacant campsites

The latest story of a tourist behaving badly in a national park is a real head scratcher

From Acadia in Maine to the Everglades in Florida, this road trip hits seven national parks, covers 1,800 miles, and guides you away from the crowds 

With increasing decriminalization efforts underway, here’s what it would take to legalize weed on public lands

The Ute Indian Tribe says the White House did not meaningfully consult their government about Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, which is located within the tribe’s ancestral lands

A Wyoming court has punished a Utah man for holding illicit motorcycle races on grasslands inside the park for at least nine years

The newest national monument sits in the heart of Colorado’s ski country. Here’s what you need to know about Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument.

From temperate rainforests to miles of coastline; from waterfalls and lakes to hiking, backpacking, and camping; from boating to skiing to glacier travel and mountaineering—Olympic has astonishing variety.

When visiting West Virginia’s New River Gorge, you’ve got to go with the flow—and in the fall, during Gauley Season, that means Class V rapids

The landscape is home to prairie dogs, coyotes, badgers, bighorn sheep, and more

We asked the experts—and this is the one trail you can't miss in each of the 61 U.S. national parks

This year’s fire season is coming to a close, and thanks to mitigation techniques and some luck, it wasn’t as catastrophic as many predicted. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear.

On these expert-led trips, you’ll spot the National Park System’s wildest residents, from mysterious wolves to fat bears. Pro tip: the bioluminescent fireflies are pretty cool, too.

Some of the top gear makers sell national parks apparel and products. Here’s what’s on our list.

With the summer high season wrapping up, a variety of national parks are doing away with timed-entry and reservation rules for the next few months

These places get our vote as the most important to protect

Now is the time to wander among the world’s largest trees. Wildfires in central California for the past few years have decimated their numbers, so seeing these thousand-year-old natural wonders up close is, today more than ever, a privilege.

We prioritized natural beauty—and lack of crowds

Avoid traffic jams and see America's best idea by foot, bus, or bike

Our national parks have some hilarious and inspirational social media accounts. These are our favorites to follow.

Pirates, enslaved people, and Spanish explorers shaped these seven small islands west of the Florida Keys. For most visitors, deep-diving into the past and then swimming the azure waters makes for an unforgettable trip.

Zion National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and areas around Moab, Utah, were inundated by water after heavy rainfall pummeled the U.S. Southwest

Snorkel and paddle among quizzical lobsters, baby sharks, green turtles, and more at Biscayne, home to a massive coral-reef system off the coast of Miami

When retired art dealer Forrest Fenn hid a chest full of a million dollars’ worth gold, rubies, and diamonds in the Rocky Mountains, he sent thousands on a journey of desperation

But seriously: at this popular South Florida park, come for the large reptiles, but stay for the subtropical scenery, varied birdlife, and all-out airboat rides

You don’t have to know much about paddling to wend the dark waterways of Congaree, in South Carolina. But persistence and a good sense of humor will help you along.

Yellowstone and Death Valley. Now Joshua Tree. What the hell is going on in our national parks?

To control mass tourism, the National Park Service is working on solutions, like its reservation system. We tourists need to do our part, too. Here’s how.

The Wind Cave is the seventh-largest mapped cave in the world

Here’s how to make the most out of a visit to one of the wildest places in the U.S., from kayaking to birding to fishing and so much more

Western national parks like Yellowstone, Zion, and Joshua Tree are among our most iconic, but it’s the journeys road-tripping in between them that provide the greatest opportunities for adventure. From Montana to Southern California, here’s how to make the most of this itinerary and avoid the crowds.

Deep, dark, and hiding some dreadful bits of history, Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky, is a fascinating place for underground exploration

From the perfect cooler to the best bug-repelling candle, we’ve rounded up our favorite products that make picnicking a breeze

Too many rocks? Not enough people? Illustrator Amber Share says bring it on.

Plastic rangers exploring America’s best idea

Many visitors to the mid-Atlantic make a beeline to the Smokies. But our 63 Parks columnist argues that there’s plenty of wild adventuring to be had in Shenandoah—and Blue Ridge views for days.

Unique recreation opportunities and uncrowded wilderness abound in areas impacted by Yellowstone flood

Acadia, in Maine, woos visitors with hikes that overlook the Atlantic Ocean, bike rides along historic carriage roads, and some awesome lobster rolls

Award-winning poet Elizabeth Alexander explains how the expansion of the National Park Service Mellon Humanities Fellowship will allow scholars to deepen our understanding of the history within our public lands and share it with visitors

In the show's six episodes, host Baratunde Thurston takes viewers across the U.S. and has thoughtful, honest conversations with the people he meets about their relationships to the natural world

The world’s first national park will reopen this week after the devastating floods. Here’s what you can expect.

You can still find a slice of solitude in the country's most visited parks

Summer road trip, anyone?

We’re for an official mandate: make this the season of long weekends. To help you out, we found the most fun new summer adventures.

Rangers in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are asking hikers to be mindful of bears

It's been six months since the first NPS director in five years stepped into office facing $22 billion in deferred maintenance. This is what he's accomplished so far—and what's still coming.

An atmospheric river dumped 200 to 300 percent more moisture than usual onto the area over the weekend

A new order from interior secretary Deb Haaland reverses a Trump-era policy that prevented national parks from banning plastic bottles

If you haven’t snagged a reservation to the growing list of timed-entry parks, it might seem like a trip there this summer is out of the cards. But fret not—we found some legal ways to visit.

The 200-million-old fossil, which contained footprints from an alligatorlike reptile, is believed to have been stolen from the park roughly five years ago

The former president once said, “It was here that the romance of my life began”

Our national parks are overcrowded, especially in summer. One solution is to create more of them. Here are the regions that get our votes.

‘Our Great National Parks’ overly idealizes U.S. conservation efforts and gives a mealymouthed call to climate action

The best way to catch aurora borealis in all its lit-up beauty: go to the darkest places on earth, at just the right time, and hope for the best

You need more natural silence in your life. Find it in these parks.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio turned a canalway into a 90-mile trail perfect for hiking and biking, and our 63 Parks columnist highly recommends a ride

Indiana Dunes National Park is an adventure gem for urban midwesterners all year long, but particularly in summer, when Lake Michigan almost appears tropical

Across the country, hard-to-nab spots are sitting vacant. How do we make sure these coveted spaces aren’t going to waste?