National Park Travel

The National Park Service provides a comprehensive section on park histories, organized by park name, from A to Z. Each park has a list of links and pdf documents with specific historical details to aid in your research.

National Parks Traveler is a terrific example of just how good a homegrown Web site can be-it's written by two men with a love for national parks. An ongoing blog of current events and issues in the national parks, National Parks Traveler often features stories written from an historical perspective in addition to discussions of the latest controversy. 

The Magic of Yellowstone tells the history of Yellowstone National Park utilizing documents, photographs, and stories from every era of its existence. As Yellowstone was the first park of its kind, its history is in many ways the history of all the national parks.

My Hero is a nonprofit Web archive of hero stories from around the world. John Muir is named as an "Earthkeeper Hero," one who is recognized for keeping our planet clean. The entry on John Muir is a well-written biographical essay about the man who, more than anyone else, was responsible for making national parks a reality.

Love the Outdoors enthuses about camping on this unpretentious, no-frills site. Consult articles as well as guides to parks and campsites, which cover camping for the novice, cooking outdoors, living on the road, and related topics. Campgrounds are organized by type: national park, state park, or private campground.

Woodall 's found its niche with RV users. The e-mail newsletter and RV forum might not suit your needs, but you can search for campgrounds by name, location, or according to your particular interests, such as fishing or Internet access.

TheBackpacker.com offers hiking and trail suggestions arranged according to state on this attractive, readily navigable site. Focusing on camping and hiking, TheBackbacker.com gives advice for beginners, and reviews clothing and equipment. Links to other outward-bound sites and a message board are available.

Backpacker magazine is the committed backpacker's Bible. The Web site outlet for this print publication provides numerous trail recommendations, articles, stories, and a good introduction to backpacking for beginners. It also maintains an e-mail newsletter and forums divided by topic. Be advised: the content is mostly aimed at experienced hikers preferring three-day endurance tests, not walks in the park.

American Park Network presents a handy page with links to all the national parks that permit fishing. Rules, regulations, and license requirements vary from park to park.

Rockclimbing.com provides information on this increasingly popular pursuit. Be introduced to the sport via podcast (scroll down to the "Pod Climber Podcast" icon in the left-hand sidebar) or use the matching service to find a climbing partner. You'll find lots of advice on where to climb, as well as a search engine arranged according to state. Be sure to check the official Web site for the park you plan to climb in, because the rules as to when and where you can climb change between locations.

Trails.com focuses on outdoor pursuits: biking, hiking, climbing, paddling, skiing, and so on. It offers national park information, hiking guides, and excellent maps for mountain bikers. Cyclists of the outward-bound variety will find all the information necessary to get their bikes to the trail. You can register for a free 14-day trial offer, after which you'll need to subscribe to the site for $49.95 per year.

Canoe & Kayak magazine 's Web site has a beginner's guide to water sports, a free newsletter, equipment reviews, and a collection of articles. The "Destinations" link takes you to a list of U.S. and Canadian regions that you can browse for paddling suggestions and guides.

Recreation.gov provides the only way to reserve a place at a campsite in a U.S. national park. Not all the parks take reservations, and those that do offer only about a third of the spaces for booking in advance. 

Discover Our Town offers a nationwide selection of guides. It's not comprehensive but Discover Our Town provides a better service and is easier to use than almost any big name travel guide you can think of on the Internet. If the place you're looking for is on their map, you'll find an easy-to-read guide to that location with a menu providing links to lodging, dining, attractions, services, and so on. The lodging page has complete listings for local accommodations with contact information and links to individual Web sites. 

National Park Lodges is a personable guide to the grand lodges that can be found in many of the national parks. Staying in a lodge usually takes some planning as they're often booked solid for up to a year in advance. This site has a general introduction to the lodges and a list of lodges by state with photos of each lodge. To make a reservation you'll have to visit the National Park Service site; look for the "Lodging" page to find rates and reservation instructions.

St. George Lodging presents information on St. George, Utah, an area known as "Utah's Palm Springs," surrounded by several national parks. The city's Web site is easy to use, providing information about lodging and amenities, and offers a pretty accurate picture of St. George and what is found there.

Durango Area Tourism Office compares well to the best local sites in making its primary aim to provide information, rather than to take your money. You'll find plenty of information on lodging in the Durango area, including Mesa Verde National Park.

National Geographic 's "Parks of the World" illustrates its editorial with pictures of parks, animals, and plants from all over the world. As well as covering U.S. parks, National Geographic details the green resources of South America and Africa. The listings here are the most current and complete on the Internet. You can browse images, videos, and feature articles, or sign up for a monthly newsletter.

The World National Parks Page doesn't have the visual impact of National Geographic, but it's easier to navigate with links to parks around the world listed by continent and country. The information is up to date and, for some places, more comprehensive than is likely to be found elsewhere.

PAN Parks is a stylish and informative guide to national parks in Europe. The user-friendly menu links to parks, activities, tour group information, and a page of stories from other travelers.

The Living Africa site lays out the history of African national parks alongside a list of links to the parks organized by country. It's a nice-looking Web site but hasn't been updated since it was first published in 1998. Though it's possible that nothing much has changed since then, it would be a good idea to check elsewhere for the latest news before relying entirely on this site.

Asia-Planet.net is a helpful, but inconsistent travel guide for all of Asia. Use the drop-down menu or the text links to find your country of choice. Depending on the country, you'll find links for "Wildlife Sanctuaries/National Parks," "Nature," "World Heritage Sites," "Environment," or "Natural Assets;" in most cases, these links will provide a list of national parks with brief descriptions. 

Wild India boasts attractive magazine-style content, incorporating photos and links to individual parks. One interesting feature is a calendar that provides a month-by-month guide to watching the Indian wildlife.

Ecology Asia presents Taman Negara, Malaysia's first national park, comprising 4,000 square kilometers of the central Titiwangsa Mountain Range that forms the central spine of the Malaysian peninsula. This is a diary-style introduction to the park, and the text and pictures convey a vivid impression of the local plant and animal life.

Australian National Parks is a guide to one of the most extensive national park systems in the world. Australia's national parks encompass coastland, jungles, and the desert outback. There is a brief history of and general introduction to Australia's parks, with links to individual parks arranged by region on the right side of the page (not to be confused with the Google ads on the left).

Nature & Company presents an introduction to each of New Zealand's 13 national parks. New Zealand has become an increasingly popular destination for hikers and campers, especially since the beauty of its landscape was showcased by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.

Great Canadian Parks stands out among the several Canadian park guides on the Internet by virtue of its well-written introduction and user-friendly index. There are also some QuickTime videos and a feature that organizes parks according to region.

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.