National Parks

Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the park. But what gives it its vivid rainbow colors?

The Science Behind Yellowstone's Rainbow Hot Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring might seem photoshopped, but there's very real science beneath its vibrant colors

The iconic brochure format was designed by the man responsible for New York subway signage.

Want to Browse Some National Park Maps? There’s a Site For That

Can you guess the most popular map?

Scarface is dead—long live Scarface.

Yellowstone’s Most Famous Bear Is Dead

Who shot “Scarface”?

Ginseng roots

The Fight Against Ginseng Poaching in the Great Smoky Mountains

A profitable black market for the native shrub pits the National Park Service against poor residents of Appalachia

Here's Where You Can Hike a Glacier (Before They're Gone)

Read on for five of the world's most stunning icecap experiences

Six miles to Racetrack, a million miles from civilization—except for the tea.

Death Valley Has a Secret Shrine to…Tea

Take a kettle, leave a kettle at this remote junction

The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2016

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, our top picks this year are all towns close to America’s natural splendors

The newly named Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument was ground zero for women's rights during the 20th century.

The U.S. Finally Has a National Monument That Honors Women’s History

144 Constitution Avenue is now one of the women’s movement’s most significant sites

Hoh Rainforest moss

Is This the Quietest Square Inch in the U.S.?

An acoustic ecologist reveals his findings

Arches National Park

Marathoner Sets Out to Run All of America's National Parks

Autumn Ray's goal: 59 national parks before she turns 40 in four years

A crackmeter in action, measuring the gaps between a rock sheet and a rock wall

Why Rockfalls Happen on Beautiful Days in Yosemite

Temperatures drive rocks to expand and contract—until one lovely day when slabs may suddenly fall

When Dinosaurs Roamed the (Not Yet) Petrified Forest

Recent surprise discoveries at the national park have prompted a complete rethinking about the creatures of the Jurassic Era

Here's Why Some of Yosemite’s Iconic Landmarks Are Being Temporarily Renamed

The U.S. government is battling a private company for the rights to historic names

Desert Gold wildflowers carpet Death Valley during the 2016 "super bloom."

Death Valley Bursts to Life With Rare “Super Bloom”

A rare spectacle covers Death Valley in wildflowers

This man needs a makeover.

The Lincoln Memorial Is Getting a Makeover

The four-year restoration will cost a pretty penny

The sun rises over Joshua Tree National Park. The newlydesignated Castle Mountains, Mojave Trails and Sand to Snow national monuments will connect Joshua Tree to other federally protected lands in a massive 1.8-million-acre preservation bid.

Obama Just Added Three More National Monuments

This time, the California desert was the president's preservation focus

12 Secrets of New York's Central Park

Learn some little-known facts about this NYC landmark

Brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai

Why Robert Redford Loves America's National Parks

The famed actor and director celebrates the great outdoors of the United States in a new documentary

A gibbous moon shines over a large petrified log embedded in the sandstone at Blue Mesa in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.

Protecting Arizona's Petrified Forest Can Be as Easy as Taking a Hike

After dispelling myths about vandals and thieves, rangers are working to make this national park more open and engaging

The trailhead to Supai Village, part of the vast Grand Canyon area. Supai is the only the human settlement within the Grand Canyon.

Visit the Only Village Inside the Grand Canyon

Supai is so remote, mail is delivered by mule train

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