NATIONAL-PARKS-SERVICE

The National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch handles crime in the park system.

The Long Branch of the Law: Inside the National Park Service's Criminal Investigations Unit

When a serious crime occurs in a national park, rangers don't call local law enforcement or the FBI. They call the ISB, a little-known team of investigators responsible for 85 million acres of public land.

Cannons used in the Civil War are on display at Fort Sumter.

10 Facts About Fort Sumter

The 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter sparked the American Civil War. From the garrison's 19th-century beginnings to its current use as a National Historical Park, here are 10 fascinating facts about Fort Sumter.

10 Steamy Facts About Old Faithful

Old Faithful isn't as predictable as it used to be, but geologists in Yellowstone National Park can still time its eruptions pretty accurately.

Find Your Next Outdoor Adventure With This Scratch-Off National Parks Poster

With so many parks to choose from and millions of acres to explore, this poster will help you pick your next destination.

More Than 100 National Parks Are Waiving Fees on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On January 20, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 110 national parks that normally charge admission frees will be free for anyone to enter.

China Wants to Build Its Own Version of Yellowstone National Park on Tibetan Plateau

After studying American National Parks like Yellowstone, China will debut the first site in its new national park system on the Tibetan Plateau in 2020.

Mike Peel, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Wizard Rock, a One-Ton Boulder, Disappears From Prescott National Forest in Arizona

The thief—or thieves—stole the one-ton boulder from the side of the road in Prescott National Forest roughly two weeks ago.

Katmai National Park and Preserve via Flickr, Public Domain

Meet Holly: The Winner of Alaska's ‘Fat Bear Week’ Competition at Katmai National Park

At Alaska's Katmai National Park, it's that time of year when the air gets colder, the days get shorter, and the bears get much, much fatter.

Two bison grazing in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

12 Facts About Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Read on for things to do and see, plus what to know before you go camping, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park—the only national park named after a person.

Sunrise in the Smoky Mountains National Park

An 89-Year-Old Grandmother Is Visiting All 61 National Parks With Her Grandson

Joy Ryan had never seen mountains or the ocean before her grandson invited her on a camping trip. It would be the first of many.

London Becomes World's First National Park City

London is still a bustling urban center, but as the world's first National Park City, it will invest more effort into improving and expanding its natural features.

Antony-22, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Giant Copper Beech Tree Planted By Teddy Roosevelt Has Been Chopped Down

The giant copper beech tree that Theodore Roosevelt planted at Sagamore Hill, his Long Island home, has been removed from the National Park System property.

10 Fascinating Facts About the 10 Most Popular National Parks in America

From Acadia to Zion and the Rockies to the Smokies, there's a lot to see—and learn—from America's most frequented national parks.

Meet Gracie: The Resident 'Bark Ranger' at Montana's Glacier National Park

As the resident "Bark Ranger" at Glacier National Park in Montana, Gracie helps protect both humans and wildlife.

All National Parks Will Be Free to Visitors on April 20

Every national park in the U.S., from Acadia to Zion, will be free for guests to visit on Saturday, April 20.

Global Warming Could Soften 66 Tons of Human Poop at Alaska’s Denali National Park

Climbers face many risks while scaling Denali: avalanches, altitude sickness, bears, and now, melting piles of poop.

Medgar Evers’s Mississippi Home Is a National Monument

On June 12, 1963, activist and civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot in his own driveway by Klansman Byron De La Beckwith. A bullet hole can still be seen in a kitchen wall in the home, which was declared a National Monument in 2019.

Laser Scans Detect Hidden Buildings and Tunnels Beneath Alcatraz Prison

The inmates at Alcatraz Prison had lived above a network of potential escape routes leftover from the island's days as a military fortification.

Actor and singer Derek Hough kayaks through Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly National Lakeshore) in September 2017.

Indiana Just Got Its First National Park

Say hello to America's 61st national park: Indiana Dunes National Park (or National Lakeshore, as it was previously known).

J. Malcolm Greany, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

10 Facts About Ansel Adams

The celebrated photographer—who was born on this day in 1902—once mutilated his own negatives. On purpose.

Trail sign at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The Iconic National Parks Typeface Has Been Digitized—and It's Free to Download

Jeremy Shellhorn got the idea to turn the lettering into a font as the designer-in-residence for Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The Government Shutdown Is Forcing Couples to Change Their National Park Wedding Plans

Even summer 2019 weddings have been affected.

National Parks Are Piling Up With Poop and Trash Because of the Government Shutdown

Without federal employees watching, visitors are leaving garbage—and their feces—everywhere.

U.S. Forest Service, Flickr // Public Domain

Goats Removed from Washington Park After Developing Insatiable Thirst for Human Urine

Faced with a dearth of natural salt sources, mountain goats in Olympic National Park are now aggressively seeking out human pee.

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