National Parks

A Wolverine atop a tree log.

Wolverine Captured on Yellowstone Trail Cameras for the First Time

The species’ numbers in the United States were diminished by predator control efforts and trapping

Smithsonian Associates Streaming presents "Mr. President: An Evening with Martin Sheen" on January 19.

An Evening With Martin Sheen and 24 Other Smithsonian Programs Streaming in January

Kick off the New Year with Smithsonian Associates' virtual multi-part courses, studio arts classes and study tours

The otherworldly terrain dazzled early explorers. In 1827, trapper Daniel Potts noted that geysers erupted with a roar like “that of thunder.”

The Lost History of Yellowstone

Debunking the myth that the great national park was a wilderness untouched by humans

Denali's dogsled teams mush for weeks at a time to the far-flung corners of a park that stretches over 6 million acres.

How Denali National Park's Sled Dogs Prepare for Winter

For nearly a century, park rangers have relied on dogsledding to patrol the public land and collect data for scientists

A new study finds beaver-eating wolves alter the landscape in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota by changing the number and distribution of beaver ponds.

Minnesota Wolves Are Eating Beavers and Reshaping Wetlands

A new study finds that when a wolf kills a beaver its abandoned dam falls apart and goes unoccupied for more than a year

A hydrothermal area called Porcelain Basin in Yellowstone National Park's broader Norris Geyser Basin.

Boiling Chickens in Yellowstone's Hot Springs Is Illegal

Three men are now banned from visiting the national park after pleading guilty to several charges

Tongass National Forest is home to stands of old growth trees that are between 300 and 1,000 years old.

Tongass National Forest Loses Restrictions on Logging and Road Development

Located in Alaska, the United States’ largest National Forest provides temperate rainforest habitat for bald eagles, wolves and bears

Old Faithful erupts before a crowd of onlookers in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park in 1966.

Climate Change Could Make Yellowstone's Famous Geyser Less Faithful

Old Faithful stopped erupting for decades following severe drought 800 years ago and global warming could put it back on hiatus

May the heftiest chonk win!

A Jumbo Jet Among Bears, 747 Soars to Top Spot in Fat Bear Week

Bracket, bracket, on the 'net, which chubby cub is the most heavyset?

Adult Joshua trees—which can live for 150 years on average—sprouted when temperatures were about 1 degree Celsius cooler than today.

In 'a Huge Victory,' California’s Joshua Tree Becomes the First Plant Protected Due to Climate Change

Experts say that climate change will decimate the population of Joshua trees, but California is taking action

A visitor at Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C.

How the National Park Foundation Is Highlighting Women's History

The organization will allocate $460,000 toward projects at 23 parks across the country

Wolverines make dens in snowpack to raise kits

First Wolverine Family Makes a Home in Mount Rainier National Park in 100 Years

A trio of wolverines—a mom and two kits—were spotted on camera traps in the park

An Indigenous couple marries on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park, jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Maryland Park Service.

How Native Americans Bring Depth of Understanding to the Nation’s National Parks

On National Parks Founders Day, the museum looks at the changing relationship between Native Americans and the National Park Service

Dead Horse Bay gets its unsavory-sounding name from the numerous horse-rendering plants that operated along its marshy shoreline from the 1850s until the 1930s.

New York’s ‘Glass Bottle Beach’ Closed After Survey Finds Radioactive Waste

The Dead Horse Bay shoreline was a magnet for beachcombers and sightseers who came to peruse the eroding contents of 1950s landfill

Theodore Roosevelt stands with naturalist John Muir on Glacier Point, above Yosemite Valley, California, USA.

Sierra Club Grapples With Founder John Muir’s Racism

The organization calls out Muir’s racist statements and pledges to diversify leadership and deepen environmental justice initiatives

All grizzly bears in the United States are considered "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act and cannot be hunted, a federal appeals court ruled this month.

Protections for Grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Area Upheld in Court

For over a decade, the protected status of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act has been under fire

Yosemite Valley seen from the Tunnel View lookout point in the Yosemite National Park, California on July 08, 2020. The park's sewage has now tested positive for the presence of the novel coronavirus, suggesting that some of its visitors over the Fourth of July weekend were infected.

Yosemite Sewage Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Test results suggest there were dozens of visitors carrying the novel coronavirus in the park over the Fourth of July weekend

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Seven Places to Get Outside This Summer—and the Environmental Heroes to Thank for Them

From Alaska to Florida, these spots offer fresh air and ample space for social distancing

Researchers are concerned about what the presence of microplastics in protected landscapes will mean for local ecosystems.

The Forecast in National Parks Is Cloudy With a Chance of Plastic Rain

New research finds America’s western national parks and wilderness areas receive more than 1,000 tons of plastic rain every year

Visitors gather on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park after its reopening.

The 'New Normal' of Visiting America's National Parks

Across the country, these treasured places—and the lodges and businesses that support them—navigate a complicated reopening

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