July 2021 was the most-visited month in the history of Yellowstone National Park, a 13% increase from July 2020 and 15% increase from July 2019. Additionally, this past July was also the first month on record with more than a million recreational visits to Yellowstone.
The White House announced the intent to nominate Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III, a Native American, as the 19th director of the National Park Service. The nomination will now go to the U.S. Senate for consideration. If confirmed, he’d be the first Native American to serve as the head of the NPS.
In response to the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, the National Park Service has now implemented a national mask mandate in the national parks for the second time. This applies to all park buildings, public transportation services, as well as crowded overlooks and busy trails.
After over 300,000 visitors hiked Angels Landing in 2019 and continued rapid growth throughout 2021, Zion National Park is now proposing the implementation of an Angels Landing day-use lottery system in 2022. This new system would prevent congestion on the trail, while also providing a better hiking experience and enhanced safety.
Home to a variety of habitats, from lakes and forests to alpine meadows, Glacier National Park is a haven for wild animals. Find out where you can see the park’s iconic mountain goats, which trails offer the best grizzly viewing opportunities, and how to find a moose in Glacier in this blog post. Plus, some essential wildlife safety tips!
“It’s exciting to see the local partnerships in action that ensure future generations get to experience the wonder of the Redwoods, as we do today. This is the kind of collaboration that we are hoping to support across the country to conserve, connect and restore our lands and waters,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said while visiting Redwood National Park.
Strong winds and low humidity keep fueling extreme fire behavior in Northern California, which caused the Dixie Fire to explode in size on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, August 4-5. Now California’s largest wildfire of 2021, it has reached Lassen Volcanic National Park, prompting an immediate and full closure of the park.
Yellowstone National Park engages associated Native American Tribes to expand tribal presence in the national park, after almost 150 years of underrepresentation. Read how the park and Tribes collaborate, from wildlife management to college studies and tribal stories, in this blog post.
Wednesday, August 4, 2021, designated as “Great American Outdoors Day,” marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). In celebration of that historic day, all public lands and national parks are free to visit on August 4.
Melanin Base Camp aims to increase the representation of minorities in the media, in advertising and in the stories minorities tell themselves about the great outdoors. Learn more about this organization and see how you can support them.
There are dozens of named frontcountry and roadside waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park, and literally hundreds of unnamed and probably even undiscovered waterfalls. When driving the park’s Grand Loop Road, these waterfalls are wonderful stopping points. Don’t miss them!
The most abundant bear species in the world, black bears are found all across North America, from Alaska and Canada to the contiguous United States and northern Mexico. Your chances of seeing black bears in the wild are excellent in these national parks.
Effective Saturday, July 24, Yellowstone National Park’s rivers and streams will close to fishing in the afternoon and evening due to high water temperatures and low stream flows. This closure will protect the park’s native and wild trout fisheries.
One of America’s most extraordinary natural environments, Craters of the Moon National Monument protects a vast area of lava flows and caves, cinder cones and sagebrush plains. You can explore this otherworldly landscape in Idaho’s Snake River Plain on several short hiking trails.