National Park News

At approximately 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, August 31, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center began receiving reports of a vehicle hitting a rock wall on the canyon rim between Thunderbird and Kachina Lodges in Grand Canyon National Park.

Superintendent Susan Boudreau announced today that the 13 knot vessel speed limit and mid-channel vessel course restriction in lower Whidbey Passage and waters south and east of the southern tip of Willoughby Island will be lifted beginning at 5 AM Wednesday August 31.

Celebrate the spectacle of raptor (bird of prey) migration in Hayden Valley! Join Yellowstone interpretive ranger and raptor enthusiast Katy Duffy to watch and learn about raptors, their ecology and their migration strategies.

Park Rangers launch search for Park Visitor

Ever wonder about the “good old days” in Rocky Mountain National Park and what it was like to be a young ranger making decisions during the early years of the National Park Service?

Hazard tree removal, fuels reduction, and material piling will begin along road corridors on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park and on the north side of Deer Mountain as early as September 6 and continue through fall of 2011 until completed.

Yosemite National Park announces the opening of public scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The scoping period will begin Wednesday, August 31, 2001 and extend through Saturday, October 15, 2011. Comments will be used to assist the park in a plan that will meet the purpose and need of the project.

Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will be conducting scientific grizzly bear research operations in Yellowstone National Park from August 31 to October 20.

Due to significant progress that has been made in extinguishing the Motor Fire west of Yosemite National Park in the Merced River Canyon, the Evacuation Order for residents of Rancheria, Incline Road, Cedar Lodge, and the Trailer Court, has been lifted as of 9:00 P.M. this evening. This applies to residents only. Additionally, Highway 140, one of the main entrances into Yosemite National Park, will be open for all traffic beginning tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m (eastbound traffic, into the park, will commence at 6:00 a.m., and the westbound traffic, toward Mariposa, will commence at 6:45 a.m.). The road will be open to all vehicular traffic, without restrictions.

Visitors will choose the destination for a wilderness hike on Sunday, September 4 in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The hike in the park’s North Unit will be the last one of the 2011 summer season.

Lassen Volcanic proposes moving reservations for stock corrals to recreation.gov.

Mid-morning on Sunday, August 28, a ranger at the Mather Campground on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park received a report of a hiker possibly in distress on the Tanner Trail.

JoshuaTreeNP: Two Joshua Tree 75th anniversary guitars will be raffled on 12/3. Tickets on sale til 11/30 are $20 ea or 3 for $50. http://ht.ly/6fUSu ~sk

BrooksCamp: ~17 individual bears have been seen feeding in the river during the past two days, with more yet to come. It’s a spawned-out salmon buffet.

Recent lightning activity within Voyageurs National Park has resulted in one wildland fire within the park.

A 59-year old man has been identified as the hiker found dead on a trail in Yellowstone National Park on Friday.

JoshuaTreeNP: Eight Hidden Valley campsites: 10-13, 30-31, 34-36 will be closed from 6am Mon 8/29 til 3pm Wed 8/31. ~sk

A small lightning caused fire was discovered Saturday afternoon in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. This brings to seven the number of small wildland fires currently burning since August 25 in the park’s backcountry.

Recent thunderstorms packed with lightning added a sixth small fire to the five currently being managed in Yellowstone National Park since August 25 as the Heart Complex.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of death of a hiker found along a trail in Yellowstone National Park.

Heritage Walk through the Gap will showcase the stories of the Wilderness Road. Participants in this journey through history will meet a cast of characters along the trail that will captivate with stories of the historic Wilderness Road.

National Park Service and US Forest Service fire managers on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have decided to manage the Lower Fire for multiple objectives within both Grand Canyon National Park and the Tusayan District of the Kaibab National Forest.

Yosemite National Park remains fully open and operational while a wildfire burns west of the park in Mariposa County. Although the Highway 140 entrance into the park is closed, Highways 120 and 41 remain open and all visitor services are available within the park. Additionally, the Tioga Road remains open for visitors entering the park via Highway 395.

Lassen Volcanic National Park welcomes submissions for the park’s 2012 Annual Pass Photo Contest

Death Valley National Park is seeking input about a proposed fee change at Scotty’s Castle.

Five new fires were discovered in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday, August 25. All five are small lightning caused fires burning in the backcountry. All park entrances, roads, and services are open.

With the lifting of Tropical Storm Watches, Biscayne National Park has reopened all park facilities.