Tagged: national-parks

Reservations for Top Tourist Attractions Are Now Essential—and Here to Stay

Are you the sort of traveler who plans everything ahead of your trip or flies by the seat of your pants? When it comes to seeing many of the world's top tourist attractions, momentum…

Best Vacations for Seniors: Ideas for Travelers of Retirement Age and Older

Travel tops the to-do lists of most people of retirement age and older, according to the AARP—a group that ought to know. “Research after research has shown that it’s the number-one…

Days in 2023 When All U.S. National Parks Are Free to Enter

Sometimes you need a little motivation to plan that trip you always wanted to take. Fortunately, every year the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) sprinkles some incentive across the…

Spend Less for Outdoor Vacations at These Family-Friendly Canadian Resorts

It’s no secret that in Canada the great outdoors is especially, well, great. Families from the U.S. who head north for vacations in Canadian nature-focused resorts benefit as well from…

Yellowstone Is Partly Closed: Here's How Getting in Works Now

Update, July 1: Yellowstone National Park will reopen significant sections of the North Loop Road on July 2. Check the park's official site (linked below) for the latest changes in…

Canadians Can Get Prescriptions for a Free National Parks Pass

In Canada, doctors can now prescribe a national parks pass to patients in need of a healthy dose of nature. Developed in partnership with Parks Canada, the PaRx program makes Canada's…

The Best U.S. National Parks to Visit in Spring

Spring can be a tricky time to go to the U.S. national parks. Some aren't fully open until the end of the season, while others batter visitors with wet, muddy conditions. But these…

Summer Vacation in the National Parks? You Need Reservations for Some of Them Now

In case you haven't heard, the U.S. national park system had record visitation numbers in 2021, with the crown jewel parks stretched to the breaking point. Arches National Park had to…

Arches National Park Adopts Timed Ticketing: Rules & Loopholes

One of the many changes the pandemic brought to society was the widespread introduction of reservations for admission at nearly every kind of tourism spot, from museums to national…

Veterans and Gold Star Families Now Get Free Entry to U.S. National Parks

Sometimes Democrats and Republicans can agree. In November 2020, the Trump administration announced that entry to the U.S. national parks would be free for veterans and Gold Star…

Here Are the Dates When U.S. National Parks Are Free in 2022

On December 28, 2021, the National Park Service announced the days in 2022 when entry to national park units will be free. Although we love any day when the general public can waltz…

The Best U.S. National Parks to Visit in Winter

Winter doesn't have to mean hibernation for nature lovers. In fact, at certain U.S. national parks, winter is the season when a visit is most rewarding, either because crowds diminish…

After 50 Years, England Reopens Train to Dartmoor, Delighting Campers

There's a reason most tourists to England stick to the country's cities and don't visit some of its most spectacular scenery: It's not easy to get to rural places anymore. Until the…

Safety Tips for Hiking and Camping in Bear Country

There's never a good time for an up-close encounter with a bear, but the beasts might be at their hangriest in autumn, when they're racing to bulk up in order to get through winter…

Delightful Book Pairs National Park Illustrations with Real One-Star Reviews

Sure, beauty is subjective. But you'd think the aesthetic appeal of certain marvels—a vibrant sunset, the Grand Canyon, Chris Hemsworth—would be beyond dispute. Think again. If the…

Mountain Region in Southern Spain Now the Country's Newest National Park

A 57,000-acre stretch of southern Spain that encompasses forested mountains, crumbling fortresses, and unique wildlife has just become the country's 16th national park. Located in the…

These Stunning Milky Way Photos Will Make You Want to Take a Stargazing Trip ASAP

About 100 billion stars make up the Milky Way Galaxy, according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. But out here in our suburban solar system—located 25,000 light years or so from…

Acadia National Park to Require Reservations for Popular Drive

Planning a national park vacation in the U.S.A. this summer? Be sure to actually plan! As we told you a few weeks ago, popular Western parks Yosemite, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain all…

Make Your Summer Vacation Reservations Now—Or You Could Overpay or Get Shut Out

With millions of Americans being vaccinated each day, we finally have a clearer vision of the road map to the future. We know that as long as virus variants are around, travel will…

Yosemite, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks to Require Reservations This Summer

Even in the great outdoors, social distancing can be a challenge—especially in peak vacation season. To keep national park visitors safer, rangers at Yosemite National Park (pictured)…

Five Big Challenges Confronting Travelers During the Pandemic Recovery

Some of the ways Covid-19 has changed travel are obvious. When we plan almost any adventure now, first we take into account safety protocols like social distancing and masks. The…

The New Official National Parks Trip-Planning App Gets a Rave from Us

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has released a new official app—and it's exciting. After years of forcing users to track down current information at each individual unit's website…

Where to See Alaska Glaciers Without Taking a Cruise

If seeing a glacier up close is on your bucket list, Alaska is the place to do it. The state is filled with glaciers, but many tourists mistakenly believe they can only spot them from…

12 of America’s Most Overlooked National Parks

Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite are well-known for their striking landscapes and their reputations attract millions of visitors every year. But sometimes it’s hard to truly…

Beyond Old Faithful: A Geyser-Gazing Guide to Yellowstone National Park

The abundant geothermal activity at Yellowstone National Park expresses itself in a variety of ways: erupting geysers, steaming springs, hissing fumaroles, burbling mud pots, and the…