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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>National Parks | smithsonianmag.com</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/national-parks/</link><description>RSS feed for National Parks</description><atom:link href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/national-parks/" rel="self"/><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:33:21 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>Yellowstone Is Among the World's Best Places to See Wild Wolves. Here's the Story of the Animal Called Both 'Public Enemy' and Cultural Icon</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/yellowstone-is-among-the-worlds-best-places-to-see-wild-wolves-heres-the-story-of-the-animal-simultaneously-dubbed-public-enemy-and-cultural-icon-180989194/</link><description>A century ago, resident wolves were eliminated from the park. In 1995, biologists brought them back, marking a historic reintroduction of a top carnivore</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:33:21 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/yellowstone-is-among-the-worlds-best-places-to-see-wild-wolves-heres-the-story-of-the-animal-simultaneously-dubbed-public-enemy-and-cultural-icon-180989194/</guid><enclosure length="4208270" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/lD1DZjbcjLftY-U4aVFpOl7wrBQ=/420x240/filters:focal(1421x1306:1422x1307)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b2/b4/b2b4bc3f-eb65-4aef-b58e-3f6e9ecb4258/16700079786_2a6be19034_o.jpg"/></item><item><title>Heading to a National Park? Watch Out for Elk. They Attack People Way More Often Than Bears Do, According to a New Study</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heading-to-a-national-park-watch-out-for-elk-they-attack-people-way-more-often-than-bears-do-according-to-a-new-study-180989191/</link><description>While many people worry about grizzlies, an analysis of almost 3,000 encounters with aggressive wildlife in Canadian national parks and historical sites found that the huge ungulates were responsible for more than half of them</description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:08:46 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heading-to-a-national-park-watch-out-for-elk-they-attack-people-way-more-often-than-bears-do-according-to-a-new-study-180989191/</guid><enclosure length="19382357" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/1HUZY8sZXeeEkueYsltARui3vQ8=/420x240/filters:focal(3000x1914:3001x1915)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/7c/43/7c433fd4-081a-4f89-9189-60761a816000/elk.jpg"/></item><item><title>See Stunning Photos of New National Park Land That Soon Will Be Accessible From America's Longest National Trail</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-photos-of-new-national-park-land-that-soon-will-be-accessible-from-americas-longest-national-trail-180988943/</link><description>The 213 acres of land in far northern Wisconsin, along the southern shore of Lake Superior, include a waterfall</description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 21:04:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-photos-of-new-national-park-land-that-soon-will-be-accessible-from-americas-longest-national-trail-180988943/</guid><enclosure length="21242710" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/RetrGvv7TPBNzAE7OCiWWQeUJn8=/420x240/filters:focal(3000x2000:3001x2001)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/30/4b/304b6aad-d391-445d-a6c4-75c1f29f8965/wi_superiorfalls_09182025_099.jpg"/></item><item><title>How Do You Honor a Fallen Tree? In England, a Sound Sculpture Will Broadcast the 'Voice' of a Beloved Sycamore Felled Near Hadrian’s Wall</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-you-honor-a-fallen-tree-in-england-a-sound-sculpture-will-broadcast-the-voice-of-a-beloved-sycamore-felled-near-hadrians-wall-180988832/</link><description>"The People’s Tree" will also incorporate the tree's wood and archive recordings from the public in a series of community artworks</description><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 20:51:42 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-you-honor-a-fallen-tree-in-england-a-sound-sculpture-will-broadcast-the-voice-of-a-beloved-sycamore-felled-near-hadrians-wall-180988832/</guid><enclosure length="3281199" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/-9cWgUdpxg4MnQkTEjnbD5Jkz8Y=/420x240/filters:focal(2131x1461:2132x1462)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e6/55/e655452d-b48c-4104-ba77-1f589e73ddf4/view_towards_the_sycamore_gap_tree_on_hadrians_wall_in_northumberland_before_it_was_illegally.jpg"/></item><item><title>These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Yosemite National Park Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation to the Great Outdoors</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-15-breathtaking-photos-yosemite-national-park-have-you-planning-next-vacation-180988747/</link><description>The park’s picturesque peaks, wonderful waterfalls and towering trees aren’t just photo opportunities; they’re visual poetry. And they’re just some of the reasons to love Yosemite</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 11:23:43 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-15-breathtaking-photos-yosemite-national-park-have-you-planning-next-vacation-180988747/</guid><enclosure length="1348495" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/OALLJ6Y6kyNKm913LWy-y-oBPNw=/420x240/filters:focal(1000x752:1001x753)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/cc/0a/cc0a3374-b532-4773-b329-70b4eea79114/4-54131f210085087eb59b38daeecad7e3401ed9b7.jpg"/></item><item><title>Wolves Are Thriving at Michigan's Isle Royale National Park, Reaching Their Highest Numbers in Almost 50 Years, New Data Suggests</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wolves-are-thriving-at-michigans-isle-royale-national-park-reaching-their-highest-numbers-in-almost-50-years-new-data-suggests-180988727/</link><description>Scientists estimate that 37 of the animals now roam the rugged archipelago, which has contributed to the dwindling moose population. But the predator-prey ratio might be stabilizing</description><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wolves-are-thriving-at-michigans-isle-royale-national-park-reaching-their-highest-numbers-in-almost-50-years-new-data-suggests-180988727/</guid><enclosure length="190018" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/YnGj5XaMm_qNgRE1xHI6aYxGTmI=/420x240/filters:focal(600x269:601x270)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/23/6e/236e1b18-e870-4f5d-b0be-64b22e986618/wolves-on-beach-credit-rolf-peterson-banner1200.jpg"/></item><item><title>Scientists Still Don't Know How or When the Grand Canyon Formed. New Research May Hint at Its Ancient Origins</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-still-dont-know-how-or-when-the-grand-canyon-formed-new-research-may-hint-at-its-ancient-origins-180988570/</link><description>Researchers say the ancestral Colorado River formed an ancient lake in northern Arizona roughly 6.6 million years ago, which spilled out westward onto the landscape that would eventually become the Grand Canyon</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:11:08 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-still-dont-know-how-or-when-the-grand-canyon-formed-new-research-may-hint-at-its-ancient-origins-180988570/</guid><enclosure length="2787127" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/wH2TdauR8zGJyuqx_yH0GEl7Jxg=/420x240/filters:focal(1500x1279:1501x1280)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b9/ba/b9ba262b-52e7-4aa7-ac9b-a7dd749d5a9a/47006412314_a98ecd3fa3_o.jpg"/></item><item><title>One of the American West's Most Iconic Birds Is Attempting to Mate Near a Dangerous Airport. Could Robo-Birds Help Save Them?</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-american-wests-most-iconic-birds-is-attempting-to-mate-near-a-dangerous-airport-could-robo-birds-help-save-them-180988542/</link><description>Conservationists are deploying dancing animatronic birds to lure male greater sage grouse away from the Jackson Hole Airport, where dozens of the creatures have been struck and killed by planes</description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-american-wests-most-iconic-birds-is-attempting-to-mate-near-a-dangerous-airport-could-robo-birds-help-save-them-180988542/</guid><enclosure length="8792280" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/xbNCOxCRi0-PQ8rzGBFTXx9AoP8=/420x240/filters:focal(1741x1194:1742x1195)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/38/d8/38d8acec-02ab-4f4c-8318-2d4d45f96e58/male_greater_sage-grouse_31458629067.jpg"/></item><item><title>Cascade Red Foxes Are Notoriously Reclusive. 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