public parks | Public Parks

Most of Yellowstone closed to traffic at the end of the month

October 25, 2024

October 31 is the last day for visitors traveling by vehicle to enter and drive through all of Yellowstone National Park. The United States National Park Service said it is closing the majority of Yellowstone […]

Arches National Park to make permanent its seasonal “timed entry” reservation system

October 25, 2024

The United States National Park Service is planning to make permanent a seasonal reservation system at one of America’s most popular national parks. NPS announced yesterday that it’s inviting the public to comment on a […]

New York celebrates expansion of state park

October 25, 2024

A popular recreation spot just north of New York City is now larger than ever. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation announced yesterday that it has completed its expansion of […]

US state parks systems still reeling from inflation years, cost spikes

October 18, 2024

Inflation pressure in the United States has eased, but its impact on outdoor recreation lingers. A number of state park authorities across the US have confirmed to Public Parks that cost overruns are forcing major […]

The view from the summit of Mt. Philo State Park (the first park in the Vermont State Park system).

Celebrating 100 years, Vermont’s state park system ponders the future

October 18, 2024

Vermont’s legislature is poised to debate the future of Vermont State Parks as the system celebrates its 100th anniversary. Increasingly popular, Vermont’s network of 55 state parks finds itself at so...

A palm plantation in the middle of Colombia's Catatumbo rainforest.

Biodiversity crisis underscores the need for protected areas

October 18, 2024

Earth’s biodiversity has been decimated since the 1970s, a new study has revealed. The only thing that will save what’s left is the strong protection of more lands and waterways under strict conservat...

NOAA diver Keo Lopes conducts research on a reef amidst a school of giant trevally / ulua aukea (Caranx ignobilis) at Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Marine protected areas barely protect 10% of coral reef fish—study

October 8, 2024

Conservation policies such as marine protected areas and enforced fishing restrictions barely cover 10% of global reef fish stocks worldwide, according to a new assessment. This is despite government ...

Gourdin Island near the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic Peninsula is “greening” at a faster clip

October 4, 2024

Global warming is seeing vegetation rapidly expanding on the Antarctic peninsula, scientists reported today. Their findings were published online this morning in the journal Nature Geoscience. Th...

Antarctic volcano analyzed in rare successful observation

September 30, 2024

A New Zealand scientist took a rare but successful recording of gases venting from a volcano in Antarctica, officials reported. Antarctica New Zealand, a base of scientific expeditions to the southern...

State parks brace for Hurricane Helene

September 26, 2024

State park systems in the Southeast United States are preparing for the landfall of Hurricane Helene, a large a violent storm predicted to cause enormous damage. The storm is projected to make landfal...

A live underwater broadcast from Channel Islands National Park is shown during a BioBlitz event in 2016.

Channel Islands to bring back underwater education

September 26, 2024

A popular National Park Service educational program that was shut down during the pandemic will be revived, an NPS official recently confirmed during a public lecture. The program, Channel Islands Liv...

Kilauea eruption continues but popular road reopened

September 19, 2024

A popular road at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was reopened as volcanic activity at the park eased enough to allow travelers to use it, the US National Park Service announced. However, the Kilauea v...