National Park Travel

The National Parks Conservation Association offers information on its goals, activities, and becoming a member. The NPCA is politically active and often lobbies Congress on behalf of national parks and the environment.

The National Park Foundation is foremost among the charitable organizations working to preserve the nation's parkland. You can make a donation online or enter the ongoing photo contest.

The National Recreation and Park Association helps bring together likeminded park lovers, sponsoring community meetings, classes, and social events. The Web site is crammed with information and news concerning the latest goings-on in local and national parks. The people behind this site care as much about their local playground as they do about the state of national parks, and the NRPA page is a good way to get in touch with them.

The Wilderness Society works to preserve areas of wilderness, many of which are contained within or close to the national parks. In addition to membership information and news about the environment, there is an extensive online library with legal and historical documents useful for anyone researching America's wilderness and its significance in the modern world.

The Nature Conservancy provides information on how to join this world-renowned environmental organization. There's an outline of The Nature Conservancy's work, an e-mail newsletter, and stories and articles on the latest news regarding wildlife and the environment.

The National Audubon Society is known primarily for its efforts to protect bird species but is also involved in more general conservation work. The organization is divided into regional chapters, offering one way to meet neighbors who share a common interest. The Web site includes news, a guide to conservation, and advice on how to get involved.

The World Wildlife Fund thinks globally, presenting a homepage that invites visitors to focus on a particular country. Having chosen a nation, you'll find membership information, a list of activities, news, and stories about the group's history and goals.

Defenders of Wildlife works with the national parks as a "science-based, results-oriented" organization devoted to the conservation of wildlife The site has articles, updates, an e-mail newsletter, and ideas about what you can do to help.

The American Hiking Society is the largest organization of its kind in the United States, and the prime mover behind National Trails Day. As you'd expect, the society provides guides to trails all over the country along with news, information on events and activities, and links to many other local and national hiking groups.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy helps to preserve the Appalachian Trail, which runs in and out of parks along the entire east coast of the United States. The Appalachian Conservancy is not alone in working to maintain such a trail; similar organizations include the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Continental Divide Trail Alliance.

Leave No Trace is a maxim followed by ethical hikers and backpackers, and hence a suitable name for an organization promoting environmental responsibility for those pounding the nation's trails and parks. The group's philosophy has changed the habits of many hikers but the organization remains small. When you search for members in your area, the results produce not clubs or events but the names of individual advocates and enthusiasts.

Trout Unlimited knows that some of the best trout fishing is to be had in and around the national parks. These anglers care as much about clean water as they do the fish that can be caught in it, and so are committed to the preservation of the parkland environment. Here you'll find the latest news and discussion topics, an interactive map that works as a fishing guide, membership information, and contact details for the organization's regional chapters. 

The Coastal Conservation Association comprises chapters in 17 states along the U.S. coastlines. The concern is fishing as a sport, and the preservation of the water and fishing grounds that make it possible. It's a highly political organization, with members getting involved in almost every proposed regulation that affects marine fishing in American waters.

The Izaak Walton League of America adopts the name of one of history's most famous fishermen, a man who is to angling what John James Audubon is to bird watching. The league is one of the oldest and most respected conservation groups, and provides information on everything from keeping your boat clean to the work of the Senate Agriculture Committee. And with 40,000 members in nearly 300 chapters, it's easy to make friends.

The U.S. National Parks Photo Gallery was produced by the Kent State University Geology Department. It carries photographs of a number of national parks, all taken with an eye to posterity. 

The Ansel Adams Gallery sells prints and hosts photos online from the eponymous photographer, a man famous for his black and white shots of national park landscapes. 

Terra Galleria 's "US National Parks" grew out of a project that aimed to photograph all 58 of the national parks using a large format camera. The result is an astounding collection of large-scale and panoramic photos. If you're tired of the same stock photos of redwood trees and mountain goats, this site will give you a refreshing perspective on the nation's parklands.