101 TRAVEL BITS

Getting garbage out of the Grand Canyon is a major task - but a task that can save the park's wildlife.

When most people think of national parks, they think of natural wonders, from the geysers of Yellowstone to the mountains of Glacier to...

At the end of the main road through Everglades National Park sits the small community of Flamingo. For those who visit Flamingo (and the...

From the Thorofare Mountain Overlook along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, it is only 75 miles to the Washington Monument. For years, rumors persisted that, on a clear day, you could see the Washington Monument from the overlook. For many years, the National Park Service dismissed those rumors as just that - rumors. It turns out, some rumors are true. In November 2016, a father and son were at the Thorofare Mountain Overlook on a clear day, and in the distance, the

Today, Acadia National Park is home to 150 miles of official trails. However, in 1915, the area that would soon be protected was home to over 200 miles of trails. So what happened to all those extra trails? In turns out, many of these trails still exist. Now known as "ghost trails" or "phantom trails," these old trails may no longer appear on official park maps, but they still exist within the park for those who seek them out. During the 1980s, people known as "trail bandits"

Maine is home to the southernmost colonies of Atlantic puffins in the world. In the past, puffins were hunted for food and their feathers; by 1900, they had almost entirely disappeared from the Maine waters they had once called home. Thankfully, protections were put in place, and the puffin population in Maine rebounded. Today, over 4,000 puffins arrive in Maine every spring to breed and raise their chicks. Once their chicks fledge, they leave the waters of Maine for the open

Almost everyone who visits Yosemite National Park does so in the warmer months of spring, summer, and fall. However, for those who don't mind the cold, a winter visit to Yosemite National Park is an amazing opportunity to explore the park without the crowds. Here are five fun winter activities you can do inside the park over the winter months. Snowshoe Among the Giant Sequoias. Snow on the ground at Yosemite National Park is a good excuse to see the park's famous Mariposa Gro

For many years, Yosemite National Park was home to a unique nightly event during the summer months: a bonfire set at the top of Glacier Point would be pushed over the edge of the cliff, creating a "firefall" in the evening hours when the park's famed waterfalls were shrouded in darkness. This event became known as the Yosemite Firefall. By the early 1900s, the Yosemite Firefall was a beloved tradition in the park; it was such a popular event that it featured in both the book

Almost everyone who visits Rocky Mountain National Park does so in the warmer months of spring, summer, and fall. However, for those who don't mind the cold, a winter visit to Rocky Mountain National Park is an amazing opportunity to explore the park without the crowds. Here are five winter activities you can do inside the park over the winter months. Participate in a Ranger-Led Snowshoe Walk. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean park rangers stay inside! Strap on a pa

Almost everyone who visits Yellowstone National Park does so in the warm summer months. However, for those who don't mind the cold, a winter visit to Yellowstone is an amazing opportunity to explore the park without the crowds. Here are five winter activities you can do inside the park over the winter months. Snowshoe the Upper Geyser Basin. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean the famed Yellowstone geysers go dormant! Strap on a pair of snowshoes and explore the Obse