This section covers national parks in the United States — visitation trends, conservation efforts, access and reservation policy and the funding and infrastructure decisions that shape the park experience. Reporting takes in both individual parks and the system as a whole.
Over 80 grizzly bears have died in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem this year, the third straight year of record mortalities.
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Should the federal government loosen Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears?
November 7, 2026
Interior Releases Refuge System Review With 29 RecommendationsThe Department of the Interior's Rooted in Purpose review of the National Wildlife Refuge System sets out recommendations across four areas.
November 7, 2026
Pacific Monument Could Open to FishingNOAA Fisheries has proposed rules to open about 408,000 square miles of Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing, with public comments due December 9, 2026.
November 6, 2026
Proposal Opens Most National Forest Trails to ATVsThe Trump administration proposes rolling back a Biden-era rule that restricts off-road vehicle use on national forests.
November 6, 2026
Roadless Rule Changes Could Expand Western Forest AccessProposed revisions would loosen road restrictions on millions of acres of federal forestland used for wildfire response, maintenance, and grazing.
November 6, 2026
Parks to Waive Entrance Fees on Veterans DayNational Park Service and Bureau of Land Management sites will be free to enter on Nov. 11, 2026.
November 5, 2026
Tallgrass Commits $105 Million to YellowstoneThe energy infrastructure company's donation includes a new visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin and a conservation fund for the national park.
November 4, 2026
Expedia Names 100 Best Places to Visit in U.S.Expedia's 2026 list picks two destinations per state, including Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Assateague State Park for Maryland.
November 4, 2026
Huffman Seeks Lead of House Natural ResourcesCalifornia Democrat Jared Huffman says he will seek to chair the House Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress.
November 4, 2026
Lake Superior Parks Get Battery-Powered Trail ToolsA $100,000 National Park Foundation grant will fund battery-powered trail maintenance equipment for five Lake Superior parks.
November 4, 2026
BLM Launches Map of Accessible Public LandsThe Bureau of Land Management's new interactive tool shows existing and proposed accessible recreation sites on public lands across the West and Alaska.
Visitation records and the management challenges they produce, reservation system changes and access debates, conservation efforts and their outcomes, infrastructure needs and funding, and new park designation proposals are the recurring subjects in this coverage. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix are among the metropolitan areas whose residents account for a significant share of national park visits, and coverage of access and transportation to parks draws on those populations as a reference point. Overcrowding and its effect on visitor experience and ecosystem health has become a persistent structural story in national park coverage, generating recurring reporting on how the system is managing demand that has grown faster than infrastructure. Federal budget decisions affecting park staffing and maintenance produce a separate coverage thread that runs alongside the visitor-facing and conservation stories and shapes the long-term capacity of the system.
