The National Park Service (NPS) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced the designation of Mesa Verde National Park as the world’s 100th International Dark Sky Park. This important certification is the result of the park’s efforts to implement responsible lighting policies, which enhance the already-exceptional quality of its night sky.

This month’s featured outdoor diversity organization is based in San Antonio, Texas. Camp Founder Girls is a week-long summer camp program from Black Outside, Inc. Their mission is to connect Black girls to nature through culturally relevant programs, ensuring safe and equitable outdoor spaces. Read more and support!

A major city in southern Arizona, Phoenix is a gateway to the national parks of the Southwest. On a road trip from the Arizona capital, you can visit several of America’s most famous parks, including Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and Saguaro.

“We are excited for this opportunity to bring these iconic birds back to California habitat that has not been occupied for decades. These birds are important to the biodiversity of the landscape and we are pleased with the collaboration amongst state and federal agencies, the Yurok Tribe, and private companies to conserve this species.”

In the summer of 2021, private vehicles can access the first 30 miles of the Denali Park Road, twice as far as in normal years. The road will be open to private vehicles up to the Teklanika Rest Stop. A permit is required and can be booked via an online reservation system.

Home to giant glaciers, countless cascades, stunning lakes, jagged peaks and lots of wildlife, the North Cascades are a camper’s, hiker’s, backpacker’s and kayaker’s dream destination. These are the best things to do in this magnificent mountain wilderness in northern Washington State.

After a full-year closure, Glacier National Park announced that it will reopen access to its East Side on Thursday, March 18. The entrances at Cut Bank, St. Mary and Two Medicine will be open for foot traffic, snowshoes and skis. The decision was made after consultation between health officials from the NPS, Blackfeet Tribe, Glacier County and other authorities.

It’s impossible to exaggerate the magnificence and sheer vastness of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Situated in the heart of the Colorado Plateau and bisected by both the Colorado and Green Rivers, this wild park protects literally hundreds of canyons, and countless spires, mesas, buttes and arches.

Yellowstone National Park is unofficially awakening, albeit slowly, after a long and cold winter. This moment is typically marked by the first grizzly bear sighting of year, which, according to the National Park Service, occurred on March 13, 2021. The bear was seen interacting with wolves at a carcass in the northern area of the park.

When hiking in Saguaro National Park, you get to see iconic saguaro cacti, the “sentinels of the desert”, from up close. You’ll walk among them, underneath them and past them, on the way admiring multi-armed saguaros, baby saguaros hiding in the shade of a nurse tree, and other regional desert flora.

How many national parks are there right now? The answer to that question tends to change each year, as U.S. Presidents create national monuments and Congress designates new National Park Service units and “proper” national parks. This post tells you exactly how many national parks and other NPS units there currently are.

After a multi-year cleanup process, the National Park Service and Ford have succeeded in cleaning up the former Krejci Dump site. The NPS announced that the project is complete and the site fully restored. It’s now in a stable natural state, ensuring its long-term success as a natural wetland and wildlife habitat.

Our monthly outdoor diversity feature, Love Is King views access to the outdoors as a human right, knowing that all people deserve to benefit from what nature has to offer. Their mission is to create a humanitarian movement, through love, empathy and respect, where all children, families and communities of color can have equitable and safe access to the outdoors.

One of America’s most diverse regions, the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is home to massive volcanoes, pristine temperate rain forests, high desert plains, sea stack-lined coasts and spectacular mountain ranges. In this post, I talk about the many must-visit Pacific Northwest national parks and offer a couple of suggested road trip itineraries.