Most Visited U.S. National Parks and Monuments in 2017
Posted on 03/05/2018, 10:45 PM
The National Park Service (NPS) has released its visitor numbers for 2017. A total of 330,882,751 people spent time at American national parks, monuments, and other sites deemed worthy of federal protection. As the NPS points out, that figure is only a smidge lower than the record-setting 330,971,689 visits the agency logged in 2016—the year of its highly touted 100th birthday. The Blue Ridge ...
How Not to Do Yosemite in Winter
Posted on 02/20/2018, 9:00 AM
I sometimes think my real job as a travel writer is to be an idiot. It's my job to make mistakes and then report on them so that my readers can have fun, safe, and error-free vacations. This week, I really succeeded: I almost died twice. I just left Yosemite National Park in California. I had thought this column would be about the wonders of Yosemite in winter. And while it is wondrous, the famo...
Arthur Frommer: My Choices for the 10 Most Memorable Destinations
Posted on 02/05/2018, 3:30 PM
As a professional travel writer, I was required to travel to far more destinations than the average American does. In my youthful years, I literally lived on an airplane, in constant motion, often traveling to several countries each week. And I loved every bit of that life—especially these 10 particular destinations. Here, based on that experience, are my choices of the world’s 10 most mem...
The Travel Services That Close in a U.S. Government Shutdown
Posted on 01/19/2018, 11:00 AM
As the wheels of Washington threaten to grind to a halt yet again, another United States federal government shutdown is a concern. Travel, by and large, is considered a "non-essential" function—and non-essential functions either dim or go dark. Generally speaking, here's what is not available during a federal government shutdown: Passport services Visa processing National parks and...
Now Flying: A Zip Line Over the Grand Canyon
Posted on 01/18/2018, 9:00 AM
A brand-new zip line has opened on a spur of the Grand Canyon, sending harnessed thrill seekers flying 1,000 feet over the earth. The Zip Line at Grand Canyon West near Peach Springs, Arizona, actually comprises two zip lines—one that's 1,100 feet long, another that's 2,100 feet long—to churn up adrenaline as passengers hurtle up to 45 miles an hour past Quartermaster Canyon. It's the perfect add...
U.S. Civil Rights Trail Links Dozens of Historic Sites in 14 States
Posted on 01/16/2018, 11:00 PM
Fourteen states, covering a chunk of the U.S. from Delaware to Kansas, are joining together to promote tourism to more than 100 landmarks crucial to the struggle for civil rights. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a first-of-its-kind effort by tourism officials to expand smaller state programs, such as the Mississippi Freedom Trail, to cover a multi-state region predominantly in the South, the setti...
Days When You Can Visit U.S. National Parks for Free in 2018
Posted on 01/04/2018, 9:00 AM
Each year, the National Park system throws open its gates for a few days and spreads the good word by admitting everyone without charging entry fees. It's a great way for low-income families, students, and seniors to experience the parks, and hundreds of thousands of Americans take advantage of the invitation annually. The Department of the Interior has announced the free days for 2018—and they'v...
A Cherished National Monument Was Just Reduced by 85%—Is a National Park Next?
Posted on 01/02/2018, 12:00 AM
On a recent trip to Utah, on which he was accompanied by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, President Donald Trump reduced the acreage of the Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and reduced the size of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by half. For some idea of the scale of that reduction, the elimination of land from Bears Ears is equivalent to the size of the Grand Teton National Park. ...
Arthur Frommer's Travel Resolutions for the New Year
Posted on 12/28/2017, 12:00 AM
Because they often seek to regulate all of human activity, I find most New Year’s Resolutions to be rather unsatisfying. Here’s an attempt to limit these rules to the world of travel, which—to me—is badly in need of a little moralizing at this moment in our history. So here goes. In the year ahead: I shall fight, as a citizen and as a voter, to preserve the right of every American...
Paid Reservations Now Required to Visit California's Muir Woods
Posted on 11/30/2017, 12:00 AM
From Dubrovnik to Machu Picchu, popular tourist destinations around the world are devising new sign-up strategies to combat overcrowding caused by hordes of temporary visitors. The latest spot to add to the list, as Frommer's reported would happen back in 2015: Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California, north of San Francisco. Starting on January 16, 2018, each visitor who arrives...
Free National Park Entry on Nov. 11 & 12, But for Which Parks?
Posted on 11/06/2017, 5:15 PM
This weekend, Nov. 11 and 12, entry to many (but not all) national parks will be free in honor of Veterans Day. The National Park Service has posted a state-by-state list of the free parks at this link. If you love these free days as much as we do, buckle up. The U.S. Government is floating a plan to vastly increase their entry costs. Despite the fact your income taxes go to support these pristin...
National Park Fees May Triple, Become Unaffordable
Posted on 10/26/2017, 11:00 AM
Entrance fees at many of the country's most popular national parks could soon go way up. To address a backlog of maintenance needs and infrastructure improvements, the National Park Service has proposed increasing admission charges to $70 per vehicle at 16 sites, up from the current fee of $25 to $30 depending on the park. That would mean more than doubling—or, in the case of the $25 fee, almos...
2018 Inca Trail Permits Will Sell Out Early Because of New Rules
Posted on 09/19/2017, 9:30 PM
If you were thinking of making 2018 the year you finally realize your dream trip of hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you'll need to start planning right now. Normally, Peru's limited allotment of permits for the trail goes on sale early in the calendar year—and they usually sell out quickly—but for 2018 trips, they will go on sale October 1, 2017. That means you'll need to start planning fo...
One U.S. Virgin Islands Resort Stands a Good Chance of Reopening First
Posted on 09/15/2017, 5:15 PM
Back in July, it was announced that a new management company had taken over the unique tented community known as Cinnamon Bay on the gorgeous island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The news was greeted with enthusiasm by the tens of thousands of unpretentious, cost-conscious tourists who, over the years, have used large tents as their beachfront accommodations in St. John. The new...
