22
votes
Accepted
Is the Park Service continuing its case to re-rename Yosemite Park's historic landmarks?
The name change is going ahead, at least for now
The Ahwahnee Hotel and other Yosemite National Park landmarks soon will be renamed amid a legal dispute between the government and the facilities' ...
- 69.2k
19
votes
Can a van be used for sleeping in National Park campgrounds in the US?
The prohibition on sleeping in a car is to prevent people from parking in the parking lots or pull outs and sleeping there and in effect camping outside of designated camp sites.
If you park at a ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
Optimal timing/routing for a year visiting US national parks?
In general, you want to be in the south during winter. Another problem is that parks are more dispersed in the east.
One strategy might be to start in the northeast (which basically means Acadia) as ...
- 21.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Gunfire in US national parks
In your first example (a lost hiker firing shots into the air) at minimum a citation should be issued, firing into the air is a violation of basic gun safety; you don't know where that bullet is going ...
- 8,428
11
votes
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Why does North Cascades National Park get so few visitors?
After doing some more research, I found out that North Cascades National Park is a subset of the North Cascades National Park Complex. The Complex consists of three units:
North Cascades National ...
- 809
11
votes
Do any of the routes up Scafell Pike start easy to a good "halfway point" where people can stop and return?
This is a bit tentative, as I haven't done it myself. So think of it as a suggestion to be looked at on the map, and apply all the usual precautions for mountain hiking, not just for you but for the ...
- 26.1k
10
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between a National Park and a National Monument in the United States?
The difference is mostly one of administrative/bureaucratic elements. Both are protected areas, the difference is in who creates and manages them.
All National Parks are run by the National Park ...
- 10.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to feed swans in the United Kingdom?
The "swans can break your arm" concept is rather lacking in evidence, though one once caused a kayaker to drown. They are a nuisance on the water, especially if you get between adults and their ...
- 26.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Where are some accessible flat areas for handicapped birders in Acadia National Park in Maine, USA?
I am an avid birder in and around Acadia National Park.
Acadia National Park is one of the most accessible national parks in the system when it comes to major locations and their accessibility. ...
- 96
7
votes
Accepted
What's the policy and cost regarding picnic area in US regional parks?
I looked over the website you provided. It appears that these permits are for large events. It reads like the park might have large picnic pavilions. I would guess that the permit and fee would be to ...
- 1,172
7
votes
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Drinking water in Dartmoor
I live by Dartmoor and walk there regularly (in fact I was up there earlier today).
The moor carries a significant stock of sheep, cattle and ponies. I've heard of tests that found much of the water ...
- 11.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Camping 3000 miles from home: how best to get our gear to the campsite?
What makes the most sense in terms of effort, cost, etc?
(1) Assuming you don't have small children: It is no more effort -- actually, it is easier -- to pick up your luggage at the carousel than to ...
- 23.4k
6
votes
Why does North Cascades National Park get so few visitors?
I've been to all three, and am not surprised by your statistics. While the North Cascades are certainly pretty and have their own appeal, there just isn't anything well known and iconic there.
Mt ...
- 21.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there a benefit for animals who return to the area of a deadly forest fire after the fire is out?
According to United States Forest Service, fire has a number of benefits for the wildlife including more nutrients in the ground, more open spaces, there are some plants that need fire to spread and ...
- 69.2k
6
votes
What's the policy and cost regarding picnic area in US regional parks?
The vast majority of picnic sites are available on a first-come first-served basis. This is true across the many local, state, and federal agencies that provide picnic sites. These sites are for ...
- 21.4k
6
votes
Accepted
What are the easiest trekking routes in Sarek National Park in Sweden?
The easiest is to take the routes that many people take, because on those routes, social trails have formed and you may find help if you are in trouble.
5–7 days is too short. Although you can get ...
- 27.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Overnight hiking in Italian Alps in late autumn?
In the Alps there is a dense network of huts mostly maintained by the local alpine clubs. There are also some private huts mostly owned by mountain guide associations.
Most of the huts are closing ...
- 7,165
5
votes
Travelling to the Kruger National Park
Firstly, August is a good time to go to the Kruger park as it is winter and the day time temperature a bit more bearable than in mid summer (December). Also, winter is the dry season, so the ...
- 151
4
votes
What kind of mementos, if any, am I allowed to collect from State and National parks in small quantities?
In England and Wales, except where prohibited by other law, you have a common law right to collect the "Four Fs" for personal use: fruit, foliage, flowers and fungi. You don't have this right if you'...
- 141
4
votes
Optimal timing/routing for a year visiting US national parks?
This answer assumes a year spent on the road, visiting one national park after the other. With an average visit of one week per park, or four parks per month. The camper (RV) being a self-contained; ...
- 30.3k
4
votes
Why does North Cascades National Park get so few visitors?
The answers here are on the right track but there's an additional historic factor: North Cascades National Park used to receive quite a few visitors, but as the first graph in one of the responses ...
- 41
4
votes
Can a van be used for sleeping in National Park campgrounds in the US?
I know you asked about national parks, but I thought I would add my experiences which are at state and city/county parks as well.
Most of the time the rule against sleeping in your car is to protect ...
- 2,810
3
votes
3 days hut to hut hike Chamonix area mid september
The "Tour de Mont Blanc" is a famous trek around the whole Mont Blanc massive. My wife and me walked it some years ago, accommodation was partly in huts, partly in some "Gîtes d'étape" or cheap ...
- 321
3
votes
Where are some accessible flat areas for handicapped birders in Acadia National Park in Maine, USA?
You can also expand the list of accessible routes, and the distance traveled along them, by using a more capable wheelchair. Products such as the GRIT Freedom Chair while designed for outdoor ...
- 3,486
3
votes
Why does North Cascades National Park get so few visitors?
A few possible reasons are:
It is relatively hard to get to. It's not near a major
HWY/Interstate and HWY 20 can be closed for up to half the year.
There aren't a lot of attractions, like geysers in ...
- 2,770
3
votes
Why is there no Wilderness Area within Grand Canyon National Park?
This isn't a direct answer, but keep in mind that the protections in a National Park or National Monument are already fairly strong. A Wilderness designation doesn't add as much there as it would in ...
- 21.4k
3
votes
Camping 3000 miles from home: how best to get our gear to the campsite?
Christmas 2014, my wife and I spent camping on an otherwise uninhabited car-free island in the Pacific Ocean. On Christmas Day, we hiked all day in superb weather in a spectacular landscape, less ...
- 27.1k
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