National Parks

Looking up at giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park at sunrise with sun's rays coming through trees

Public Lands in the United States, Part One: “Redeemed From Wilderness”

This is part one in a blog series examining the history of public lands in the United States and their shifting role in the American psyche.

May 31, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

View of desert mountains with yucca plant and cholla in foreground

New National Monument Proposed South of Joshua Tree

The 700,000 acre monument would protect threatened species and important historic and cultural sites.

October 31, 2022 - The Press-Enterprise

Parking area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Parking Fees Approved for Great Smokey Mountains National Park

Visitors to the nation’s busiest national park will soon have to pay to park under a plan announced today by park officials.

August 15, 2022 - ABC 13 News

Parking area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

America's Most Popular National Park Could Start Charging for Parking

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most visited and one of only a handful with no admission fee, could institute a parking fee to pay for much-needed maintenance.

April 7, 2022 - WBIR

Mountain Lion

L.A. Wildlife Crossing To Break Ground This Spring

The planned wildlife bridge spanning an eight-lane freeway will be the world's largest and most ambitious project of its kind.

January 18, 2022 - Curbed

National Parks

The 15 Most Popular National Parks

America is home to 63 wonderful national parks. Find out which ones had the most visitors in 2020.

November 16, 2021 - Travel And Leisure

National Parks

Exploring the Outdoors in a Socially and Environmentally Responsible Manner

To travel ethically, visitors to national parks need to be more mindful and better understand the history of the parks and their impacts on these spaces and surrounding communities.

September 22, 2021 - The Guardian

National Parks

How the National Park Service Uses GIS

A new book demonstrates how the National Park Service uses GIS technology to meet its mission and showcases a selection of maps used for effectively managing national parks.

July 13, 2021 - ESRI

Traffic on road at Midway Geyser Basin

Parks Overwhelmed by Record Numbers of Visitors

Already understaffed and underfunded, the agencies that manage state and national parks are struggling to keep up with the spike in demand for outdoor recreation over the past year.

July 4, 2021 - High Country News

National Park Campgrounds

Return of the National Parks

After more than a year of COVID-19-related restrictions and limited travel, rising attendance figures across national parks show Americans are eager to explore the great outdoors.

June 16, 2021 - CNN

Yosemite

Opinion: We're Loving Our National Parks to Death

A reservation system could help the struggling national parks system manage crowds and protect our public lands from overuse, according to this article.

June 8, 2021 - MinnPost

Yellowstone National Park

Avoiding Crowds at National Parks

With the pandemic and associated restrictions for a long year, people want to get outside more than ever. National parks are popular destinations and some are getting plenty of visitors, but there are ways to avoid the crowds.

March 21, 2021 - AARP

Women's History Month

History of Trailblazing Women Celebrated at National Parks

Learn about ten national parks that preserve and share the stories of women whose vision, tenacity, and resilience helped them to change history forever.

March 15, 2021 - NPF Blog

View of New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge is America's Newest National Park

The 72,000-acre West Virginia gem joins an illustrious list as the 63rd U.S. national park.

February 25, 2021 - The New York Times

Bridalveil Fall

Get Outdoors: 10,000 Miles of National Park Trails Restored

A three-year project to restore access to 10,000 miles of national park trails has been completed through a collaboration between the National Park Foundation and food company Nature Valley.

January 27, 2021 - Lonely Planet

West Virginia

Included in the Stimulus: A New National Park

The New River Gorge in West Virginia, one of the most popular recreation areas in the United States, will be the newest national park thanks to the stimulus package approved by the federal government in December 2020.

January 13, 2021 - Outside

Yellowstone

Veterans and Gold Star Families Can Now Visit National Parks for Free

A small token of gratitude to the veterans who fought to protect the freedoms of the United States, and the families who sacrificed everything.

November 11, 2020 - The Washington Post

Is it a COVID Car or Mask-Optional Car? Rail Commuters Decide

A midwestern commuter rail line found a unique, if controversial way to achieve 100 percent mask compliance on its trains: Set aside one car, though preferably not the bike car, for riders who opt to travel maskless.

September 28, 2020 - Streetsblog Chicago

Hiking Trail

The 'Great American Outdoors Act' Signed Into Law

By signing this new law into effect, President Trump seems ot have departed from his administration's previous actions on public lands.

August 5, 2020 - The Mercury News

National Parks

Cell Towers: Coming to the National Parks

With the Trump administration's support, private industry is busy building new broadband infrastructure on public lands. The effect is already obvious in many national parks.

March 17, 2020 - High Country News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.