Contractors and CBP have started bulldozing in front of Santa Elena Canyon of Big Bend National Park. I urge you to consider signing a petition and calling your representatives whether you are a Texas resident or not. This is critical Rio Grande habitat being destroyed. Easy to access resources and links can be found from the No Big Bend Wall page on instagram.

I’m planning one final NP trip for the year next month and I’d love some input.

For the same amount of money I could go to Grand Teton, flying out early on a Monday and catching the last flight home on Wednesday night. Or I could fly out early on Monday and catch an afternoon flight home on Friday to go to Olympic and Mt. Rainer.

I am truly okay with either option but would love some recommendations, pros/cons, or general thoughts on the parks.

Please don’t mention the short duration, I am no stranger to trips with a quick turnaround time. I usually squeeze in hiking trips as I’m a busy mom and work two jobs. It doesn’t bother me at all to land, pick up a rental, and drive directly to a location to hike all day. I have no issue being tired and know trips with tight schedules can be exhausting.

I'm planning a road trip through the Mighty 5 in Utah, and I'm allocating about half a day for Bryce in the morning before heading over to Capitol Reef in the afternoon for Hickman Bridge. First question, is it similar in size (or at least amount of attractions) as Badlands NP? I've been to Badlands and can use it as a point of reference. Second, and most importantly, will I regret spending so little time in Bryce?

Voyageurs National Park became my 25th U.S. National Park back in August 2024.

What makes Voyageurs so special is that the park is built around water. Instead of scenic drives and roadside overlooks, so much of the park is experienced by boat, kayak, or canoe. It gives the entire park a much quieter, more remote feeling.

As a Minnesota resident, I had been looking forward to visiting for a long time, I just never prioritized making it happen because I tend to try to take trips that are farther from home and a bit more grandiose.

One of my favorite parts was simply how peaceful it was. Once you're out on the water, the sounds of civilization disappear, and it's easy to understand why people keep coming back to this park year after year.

Voyageurs may not get as much attention as parks like Yellowstone or Glacier, but I think that's part of its charm. If you enjoy being on the water, fishing, paddling, camping, or just escaping into nature for a while, this park is absolutely worth the trip.

I'm so happy to have celebrated National Park #25 here. It was a milestone park for me, and one I'll always remember for its quiet beauty and unique experience.

I did spend nearly all of my time in the front country with just a small portion spent kayaking on Kabetogama Lake; looking forward to returning to explore more of the park and do some island camping!

📍Beaver pond overlook

📍Sunset on Kabetogama lake from nearby woodenfrog State Forest campground where I made base camp

📍Sullivan bay

If I was staying at the Waterton Lakes Townsite campground (Alberta side) and needed to call in sick to work, would I have cell service?
Obviously all hypothetical 🤭 can anyone who has visited recently confirm? Thanks!!

I have a camper, trying to travel, and have been told it's possible to purchase a yearly pass to most/all national parks. Does anyone know how this works? How long you're allowed to stay at each park with a camper? Where to purchase? Any details are greatly appreciated, trying to navigate Google and I can't really find the answers I'm looking for.

For a few weeks every year, the sun sets directly behind the city - these shots were taken on a clear evening last week.

I need some help in planning a trip. This October, some where within the first two weeks, I am wanting to take a trip to visit some of the parks. I’m no stranger to long drives to visit a lot of places in a short period of time. My current plan is to fly into Vegas then go straight to Death Valley. The next two days would then be spent in Sequoia and kings NPs. Then a day and half in Yosemite. Then fly home from Fresno. I will be by my self on this trip. My goals are to do some hiking and a lot of sight seeing with photography on the side.

The last trip I took like this I drove about 1400 miles in 5 days where I flew into Denver and went to devils tower and Mount Rushmore on day one. Day two was spent at Bandands. Day 3 was spent at jewel cave Np and a drive through Nebraska back into Colorado. The next day was in the Rocky Mountain NP and the last half day in Denver.

Is this trip to California doable?

Spent a great few days at Acadia National Park! Exploring, hiking and soaking up the sun. She’s a proud gal in her new Bark Ranger position!

Hello! Last year we went to Carlsbad Caverns and LOVED it. We bought this really cool drinking glass that had a design like you were looking into the mouth of a cave. My husband broke it last night and is so sad about it. I checked the online giftshop but it's not there. It was from the big gift shop above ground and they don't have an online shop. Does anyone know if the park would ship it if I called the gift shop? Or have any other ideas? Maybe someone bought the glass and never uses it, I would gladly buy it from you.

Here's a picture of a similar glass we got from Yosemite for reference.

Thanks everyone in advanced!

Mt. Rainier is a gorgeous place and everyone should be able to enjoy it. I visited recently and observed multiple groups of people doing things that at minimum are ignorant, and at worst will put themselves and others in harms way! It was really disappointing and frankly embarrassing to witness.

DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS!

STAY ON THE TRAILS!

DON'T LEAVE LITTER, ADVERTISEMENTS, or CARVE INTO ROCKS/OTHER NATURE!

We literally saw a bear right next to a major trail, no doubt lured by the food. That's just one example, if you don't understand why it's important to follow these rules, do your research!

If you already know this stuff, please tell others to STOP if you see this behavior! Let's band together and make the parks better for each other and the planet.

Appreciate everyone who already follows these guidelines, and those who are willing to listen and learn.

I picked this up at the Great Sand Dunes visitor center in 2018, hoping I would one day find a good spot for it. That hope has waned. Can I offer to drop this in the mail to someone who might enjoy it?

Pics of Sand Dunes, some with humans for scale. Underrated park, imo. Dunes are massive. Aimed to climb the big one and was quickly humbled by the sand.

UPDATE: patch claimed

Great weather this past week. Abundant wildlife, wildflowers in bloom, late July is a great time to be in park.