Tag: national parks

The most popular attractions at Yellowstone National Park

Have you visited these spots?

Are Yellowstone National Park’s geysers, valleys, and waterfalls calling to you? Before you plan a visit, learn more about all of the incredible sights this natural wonder has to offer. For 150 years, visitors have enjoyed the iconic landscapes that make Yellowstone famous. While the park offers tons of hidden gems for guests who take the time to explore, certain landmarks stand out from the others. If you’re looking for a classic Yellowstone experience, these enduring sights are essential stops. As you schedule your trip, make sure to pencil in visits to six of the most popular attractions at Yellowstone National Park.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes warns visitors about this common pitfall

Plan ahead to avoid needing a rescue mission.

Do you have a spare $3,000 burning a hole in your pocket? No? Then make sure to plan ahead before taking a trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Over a million people visit the area annually to hike across the gorgeous dunes and swim in the sparkling waters. While these sights entice visitors, they can also overshadow the landscape’s potential dangers for unprepared guests. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe and avoid shelling out the money for a rescue mission.

“The dune plateau is a vast area with rolling hills that have all been formed from the glaciers,” a park ranger explains in a video on the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park Service website. “Probably the number one reason that so many folks need help here in the dune plateau is they basically underestimate how difficult or strenuous the hiking can be in the dunes.”

A white sign with red and black text warning guests about the terrain of sand and water behind the sign.
© Danielle Walquist Lynch

Heat exhaustion, dehydration, and more await unprepared guests. Thankfully, thinking ahead can save you from trouble and make your visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes more enjoyable. One area that often gives visitors trouble is the Dune Climb. The site features dunes that rise to 284 feet tall. While charming lakeside views reward hikers who reach the top of the Dune Climb, the challenging journey isn’t one to take lightly. 

In 2014, Sleeping Bear Dunes recorded 47 search and rescue operations. As Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) program volunteer Kerry Kelly told Bridge Michigan, “Sleeping Bear Dunes had one of the highest call frequencies of any of the National Parks back in those days.”

Sandy dunes and sparse greenery in front of a blue lake.
© Danielle Walquist Lynch

Today, the PSAR program cuts down on rescue missions by dispatching volunteers to advise guests before they begin their dune journey. Some of the supplies recommended for visitors include water, sunscreen, snacks, and good shoes. Don’t let the sandy ground fool you; on a hot day, shoeless guests can expect extreme discomfort.

If you’re planning a trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes, check this list of additional safety guidelines before visiting. With a little preparation, you can enjoy the sandy shores without worry.

Tourists spot two of Denali National Park’s rarest critters

Denali National Park and Preserve on Saturday shared images of animals so elusive that even staff and frequent visitors rarely see them.

Denali National Park and Preserve on Saturday shared images of critters so elusive that even staff and frequent visitors almost never see them.

“A rare appearance by two wolverines quickly became the talk of the park this week,” Denali announced on Facebook. “These critters spent part of their day peeking at visitors from a culvert along Denali Park Road.”

The post continued: “Since these animals are so rarely seen, some park staff had to brush up on their wolverine knowledge!”

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The park explained that wolverines are related to weasels, mink, martens, and otters; that they’re super scavengers “that will eat just about any type of meat they can find.”

Wolverines roam expansive territories, often in rugged terrain, and are solitary except for a short mating period during the summer. So the sight of two wolverines was extraordinary for Denali visitors who observed them.

Pregnant females, according to the park, build snow dens for birthing and nursing.

Because of their solitary, wide-ranging nature, wolverines are extremely difficult to study.

The population in Alaska is stable, but numbers have declined in the western contiguous United States and Canada.

In January 2021, Yellowstone National Park shared its first-ever trail-cam footage of a wolverine, and the footage went viral.

Last March at Yellowstone, a father and daughter on their first trip to the park spotted a wolverine walking across a snowy road. MacNeil Lyons, their tour operator, told FTW Outdoors:

“For the rest of the tour, the 9-year-old daughter couldn’t stop saying, ‘Wow… we saw a wolverine today! She told me it was the most amazing day ever in her life.”

Last April, a trail-cam operator in Canada’s Yukon Territory shared a video compilation featuring amusing wolverine footage captured during a six-month period on multiple trails.

To be sure, trail cameras are the most effective means of capturing footage of wolverines in the wild.

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Watch: Yellowstone wolves chase nosy bear up a tree

A tour company that operates in Yellowstone National Park has shared footage showing two male wolves chasing a black bear up a tree.

A tour company that operates in Yellowstone National Park has shared footage showing two wolves chasing a bear up a tree.

“Black bear wanders into the wrong neighborhood,” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker wrote this week on Instagram.

The footage, captured by a Wolf Tracker guide, shows the bear leaping onto the tree and scrambling several feet up to escape the older male wolves. (If footage doesn’t appear below, click here.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg5Nqqgvdfg/

If viewers swipe to the the second clip they’ll see one of the wolves baring its teeth.

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A commenter asked if the bear or wolves were hurt during the confrontation and Wolf Tracker responded: “All okay! Just some friendly disagreements.”

The disagreement began when the bear approached the wolves’ freshly killed bison. “They chased and harassed this bear up the same tree for close to half an hour!” Wolf Tracker wrote.

The wolves belong to the Junction Butte Pack, which roams the park’s northern range.

–Black bear image is generic, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Death Valley National Park closes after rare flooding event

Extreme weather has left the valley reeling.

No one expects flash flooding in a hot desert environment. However, as extreme weather events become more common and severe worldwide, people may need to start expecting the unexpected. Recently, Death Valley National Park was the site of one such weather anomaly. As one of the driest and hottest areas in the United States, Death Valley was hit hard by heavy rainfall and flooding on Monday, Aug. 1, and Friday, Aug. 5. The park plans to remain closed into next week.

“The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event,” Daniel Berc, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas, said in a National Park Service news release. “A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”

A park sign on the ground, covered with sand, near two rocky hills.
© NPS/N.Ramirez

The record-breaking rainfall delivered almost a year’s worth of rain to Death Valley in just three hours. Preliminary data recorded 1.46 inches of rain at the park’s Furnace Creek area. The park’s all-time record for rainfall occurred on April 15, 1988, after 1.47 inches of rain.

While no injuries were reported, the flooding temporarily trapped hundreds of visitors to the area. Debris swept up by the flood also covered 60 vehicles, according to NPR. As for Death Valley National Park’s infrastructure, “severe asphalt damage” has affected hundreds of miles of roads. Repairs will take time, and park superintendent Mike Reynolds says future extreme weather damage may be in the future.

Several cars partially covered in mud.
© NPS

“Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes,” Reynolds said. “It is the hottest place in the world, and the driest place in North America. This week’s 1,000 year flood is another example of this extreme environment. With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action!”

Yellowstone: ‘Trust us, you don’t want to hit something that big’

Yellowstone National Park on Thursday revealed that about 75 large animals are killed by vehicle strikes in the park annually, and encouraged motorists to follow posted speed limits.

Yellowstone National Park on Thursday revealed that about 75 large animals are killed by vehicle strikes annually, and encouraged motorists to follow posted speed limits.

“Help us protect the wildlife by following the speed limit and staying alert for animals crossing the road,” the park cautioned on Facebook. “You never know what will be around the next bend!”

Last July, a park spokeswoman told FTW Outdoors that motorists were involved in 241 known collisions with large animals during a five-year period.

That same month, an image captured by Dianna Borgmier, showed a large SUV with its front end badly damaged during a nighttime collision with a bison. The bison did not survive.

ALSO: Watch bear cub’s ‘brilliant recovery’ after waterfall tumble at Brooks Falls

The image, however, might help persuade motorists to be extra cautious at night, when bison and other large animals are more difficult to spot. (Image posted below.)

Photo: Dianna Borgmier

The maximum speed limit in Yellowstone is 45 mph, “not only for human safety, but to protect wildlife,” the park stated Thursday.

Yellowstone is home to more than 5,000 bison, which can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. “Trust us… you really don’t want to hit something that big,” the park cautioned.

10 new national parks are coming to Norway, here’s what to expect

These natural wonders deserve protection.

Mountains, fjords, and glaciers define Norway’s landscape. In a bid to protect these natural wonders against human development and the climate crisis, the country will designate 10 new national parks. Six recognized conservation areas will be reclassified as national parks, and four entirely new areas will also receive national park status. Additionally, Norway will expand eight existing parks. Norwegian officials hope these designations will help protect the country’s biodiversity.

As Norway’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Sveinung Rotevatn explained in a press release translated by Norway Today, “development is taking an increasing toll on nature. Therefore, the government now wants to start more protection processes where both the local municipalities and the Norwegian Environment Agency recommend that a national park is built.”

A mountainous lakeside landscape.
© Crowbared.

The six newly designated national parks include Ålfotbreen, Lyngsalpan, Sylan, Trollheimen, Oksøy-Ryvingen, and Flekkefjord-Listastrendene. Moving westward, the four new national parks will include Hornelen, Masfjordfjella, Øystesefjella, and the Sunnmøre Alps. Meanwhile, the existing national parks to be expanded include Rohkunborri, Blåfjella-Skjækerfjella, Skarvan-Roltdalen, Femundsmarka, Dovre, Jostedalsbreen, Jotunheimen, and Raet.

“We’re trying to improve the ecological system as a whole by increasing the percentage of the protected areas in the country, but there’s a sociocultural dimension that involves getting acceptance from the people living in these areas before we can start the process,” Kjell Kvingedal, an environmental director with the Norway government, told Afar.

Currently, 17% of Norway’s land falls under government protection. By 2030, the country hopes to raise that number to 30%. Both Kvingedal and Rotevatn recognize the importance of community support in this process.

“There will always be different views on new protected areas. Some may be unsure of what it may mean for their interests, so we must ensure there are good processes so everyone will have input,” Rotevatn said.

Lead image via Stian Engen

Step into the unknown by visiting these lesser-known national parks

Go on an adventure by visiting these hidden gems.

While millions of people know and love Yosemite and Yellowstone, many less-visited national parks are waiting to become your new favorite destination. Want to trek through a sandy desert? There’s a park for that. Curious to see caribou swimming through a river? There’s a park for that, too. Stretching from Alaska to American Samoa, these underrated natural wonders welcome guests for the adventure of a lifetime. Check out these hidden gems to inspire your next trip.

10 Natchez Trace Parkway photos that will make you want to plan a road trip

See what makes this historic parkway special.

Cruise through 444 miles of parkway as you travel the Natchez Trace. Winding through three states (Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee), Natchez Trace Parkway loosely follows a trail created by Native Americans and used by many travelers throughout history. Described by the National Park Service (NPS) as “a drive through 10,000 years of history,” the Trace features everything from ruins to waterfalls.

Campgrounds, picnic tables, and hiking trails along the way encourage visitors to get out and fully explore the area. Need more convincing before you decide to plan a trip along Natchez Trace Parkway? Check out these 10 stunning Natchez Trace Parkway photos that will have you itching to travel.

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Another Yellowstone tourist gored by bison, hospitalized

A 34-year-old man was gored by a bison Monday near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. It was the second such incident in the past month.

A 34-year-old man was gored by a bison Monday near Giant Geyser at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

The unidentified man, who was visiting from Colorado, was walking with his family on a boardwalk when the bison charged the group, according to a park news release issued Tuesday.

“Family members did not leave the area, and the bull bison continued to charge and gored the male,” the park stated, adding that the man was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for an arm injury.

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The incident remains under investigation and the park offered no further details.

On May 30, a 25-year-old woman was gored and tossed into the air by a bison, after walking to within 10 feet of the animal.

Park regulations require tourists to stay at least 25 yards from bison, which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The animals often appear docile, but are powerful and unpredictable.

–Generic bison image courtesy of Yellowstone National Park