Parkography

Toward a Dark and Indefinite Shore

After the Civil War ended with the surrender at Appomattox, Abraham Lincoln waited two days to speak. He opened, "we meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart." Lincoln was looking ahead to the reconstruction of the nation, but it would take place without him.
This week, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C.

A Prescription for Fire

From a seed no bigger than one from a tomato, California's coast redwood may grow to a height of 367 feet and have a width of 22 feet at its base. Imagine a 35-story skyscraper and you have an inkling of the trees' ability to arouse humility. Fires are the lifeblood of a conifer forest, and human development creates the need for prescribed burns for the health and longevity of the forest. This is California's Redwood National Park.

The Legacy of 3 Million

If you've spent a decent amount of time in National or State parks in the U.S., you've probably been in a building built by a federal program that employed nearly 3 million people during the most difficult economic time in our country's history. Their work constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 state and national parks. They built wildlife refuges, fisheries, water storage basins and animal shelters. They built bridges and campground facilities, many of which are still in use today.
Today on America's National Parks, the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Sound of Geology

One of our most visited National Parks averages more than a half-million visitors per month in the summer, who flock to see massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. It's main feature, a glorious canyon carved by an unassuming yet powerful river.
Unlock the hidden geologic mysteries of Zion National Park on this latest episode of the episode. 

National Geographic's Jon Waterman

Adventurer Jon Waterman is the award-winning author of several books on the American landscape, including several on the wilds of Alaska and the conflicts surrounding the Colorado River. His newest book, commissioned by National Geographic, is called "Atlas of the National Parks," and contrary to the name, it's no road map.
Pre-order the Atlas to the National Parks here: https://amzn.to/2pphBZ0
 

News from the Parks | October 2019

Welcome to the October "News From the Parks Episode" of the America's National Parks Podcast, our new monthly series where we round up for you the latest info about happenings in America's Greatest treasures.

Spooky Yellowstone

National Parks play roles in all kinds of American legends, and Yellowstone, our first park, is no exception. It's October, time to dust off the ghost stories and feast on three short pieces of Yellowstone lore, as retold by S.E. Schlosser for her book "Spooky Yellowstone."

The Great Unknown

In the summer of 1869, an expedition embarked from The Green River Station in the Wyoming Territory and traveled downstream through parts of the present-day states of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona before reaching the convergence of the Colorado and Virgin rivers in present-day Nevada. Despite a series of hardships, including losses of boats and supplies, near-drownings, and the eventual departures of several crew members, the voyage produced the first detailed descriptions of much of the previously unexplored canyon country of the Colorado Plateau.
Today, American Naturalist John Wesley Powell, and the Grand Canyon National Park.