If you thought your job was hard, try being a National Park Ranger. Andrea Lankford’s Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks throws a little wrench in your plans for that dream job. But…wait! Being a National Park Ranger isn’t all hiking and telling people about natural and national history all day long? Surely, you’re joking. I [...]

Ken Burns’ new film hits PBS on September 27, and it’s sure to be another amazing television event. Here, Burns sits down with Backpacker Magazine’s Tracy Ross to talk about the film and his ideas about why the National Parks are important, and who really influenced and created them.

As a huge fan of Acadia National Park in Maine, I try to keep updated on news from the park. The non-profit conservancy Friends of Acadia “preserves, protects, and promotes stewardship of the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and distinctive cultural resources of Acadia National Park and surrounding communities for the inspiration and enjoyment of current and future generations.” It’s [...]

This weekend, August 15-16 is the last one this summer to visit the U.S. National Parks for free! The National Park Service announced back in June that there would be several weekends this summer when entrance fees would be waived and people could enjoy all that the parks have to offer without ponying up much dough. Granted, some National Parks [...]