Latest National parks News
Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw 14.1M visits in '21
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw 14.1 million visits in 2021, topping the record from 2019 by 1.5 million. Officials say the park also set eight monthly visitation records during winter and spring months last year. Acting...
Bullock an initial board member for public lands foundation
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze are two of the first four board members of a new nonprofit foundation created to help leverage public and private funds to conserve, protect and restore land managed by the Bureau of...
Tourism has record-breaking year in South Dakota
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota had a record number of visitors in 2021, making it the first state to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels, according the tourism officials. The state Department of Tourism says visitors spent more than $4.4 billion last year, generating $160...
San Diego man found dead in Joshua Tree National Park
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A San Diego man was found dead in Joshua Tree National Park, authorities said Wednesday. The body was found Monday morning at the base of Sentinel Wall, a short distance from the Hidden Valley Nature Trail, the National Park Service said. ...
Yellowstone bison species decision questioned by US judge
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revisit part of its decision not to protect Yellowstone National Park’s bison as an endangered species. The Buffalo Field Campaign and Western Watersheds Project groups have...
Remote artist residencies return to Isle Royale, Porcupines
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Artist residency programs in two of Michigan’s most remote parks are once again giving creators the chance to find inspiration through deep solitude and connection with unspoiled nature. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, located in the western...
National monument proposed for Nevada site sacred to tribes
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada congresswoman and several elected and tribal officials announced support Friday for national monument designation over a broad area south of Las Vegas they say is biologically diverse and rich with Native American cultural significance. The site would be...
Big South Fork offering one free camping night on Monday
ONEIDA, Tenn. (AP) — Visitors to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area can enjoy a free night of camping to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on Monday. The park says it is authorizing one night of free camping at Alum Ford Campground. The...
Bridge proposed along section of slumping Alaska park road
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal agency is proposing a large steel bridge along a section of the only road that runs through a premier national park in Alaska — a stretch that officials say has been rapidly slumping amid changes in the climate. About half the mostly gravel road...
Wyoming tries again to remove Yellowstone grizzly protection
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming has asked the federal government to remove grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park from protection under the Endangered Species Act, a request which if approved could allow the animals to be hunted. The bears' recovery from as few as 136...
