Admission to U.S. National Parks is free today, Nov. 11, in honor of Veteran's Day. It's one of just a handful of free parks days each year, and the last one of 2015. Please take some time out of your day to thank a military veteran for their service, and use the opportunity to reflect … Continue reading Celebrate Veteran’s Day at a National Park →

Remember when you were a kid and every cloud looked like a cat, or a bear, or your Uncle Louie? You can play a similar game at Bryce Canyon National Park, where the awe-inspiring Bryce Amphitheater is filled with towering "hoodoos" in a seemingly endless variety of shapes and sizes. The Paiute Indians believe the … Continue reading See Bryce Canyon with the Eyes of a Child →

Death Valley National Park is the biggest national park in the contiguous United States, but it also includes a tiny little satellite location in the neighboring Amargosa Valley that's well worth a visit.  Actually, let's amend that: the Devil's Hole unit of Death Valley National Park is kind of a dud, even if it is … Continue reading Ash Meadows: The Mojave’s Miracle Oasis on the Doorstep of Death Valley →

You know what's spooky? How quickly a community can go from thriving to desolate -- and we're not just talking about the fictional, zombie-plagued world of "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead" here. The U.S. is dotted with ghost towns, and while some of them were "never-was" places, others are disturbing reminders of … Continue reading National Park Ghost Towns: Halloween Haunts and History, Too! →

“Hmm! Adventure. Hmmpf! Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.” -- Yoda By the time Luke Skywalker meets Yoda on Dagobah in Star Wars: A New Hope, it's fair to say the little guy was a little burned out. (Eight hundred years of battling the Dark Side and training annoying twerps like "Little Anny" Skywalker … Continue reading Visit the Forests of Endor and the Sands of Tatooine in These National Parks →

With Halloween just around the corner, what better place to be the last week of October than exploring the ghost towns of Death Valley National Park? That's where we're heading as we put some final touches on our (spoiler alert!) forthcoming Chimani Death Valley app, which includes detailed descriptions on such now-deserted gold-rush boom towns … Continue reading Trails to Terror: Here Are Some of the Scariest Spots in the National Parks →

The bacchanal of Bourbon Street is what most people envision when they think about New Orleans, but there's much more to the French Quarter than booze and beads. Founded in 1718, New Orleans was born on this sliver of high ground along the Mississippi and has a rich history suffused with a melting pot of … Continue reading Two National Parks Bring the History and Culture of New Orleans to Life →

Death Canyon is one of the most popular destinations in Grand Teton National Park, despite it's rather intimidating name, and it's just one of dozens of great hikes you'll find in this diverse park connected to nearby Yellowstone by the equally scenic Rockefeller Parkway. Death Canyon falls on the strenuous side of your hiking options; … Continue reading From Jenny Lake to Death Canyon, Grand Teton Awaits →

The dog days of August are upon us, and the heat waves sweeping the country have Americans looking for relief wherever they can find it. Here are nine national parks where you can cool off while soaking in the sights and sounds of nature this summer... Glacier: The glaciers that give this Montana park its … Continue reading Chill Out This Summer at These Cool National Parks →