The National Park Service will lose almost 40 percent of its annual funding and surrender an undetermined amount of federally-run parks to state control鈥攊f the White House鈥檚 plans for 2026 come to fruition.

On Friday, President Donald Trump released his t for 2026, a 44-page document submitted to U.S. Congress that outlines how the government will allocate federal dollars next year.

Included in the document are dramatic upheavals to the Park Service. Currently the NPS operates 63 National Parks and 433 NPS sites, which include national historic sites, national monuments, battlefields, memorials, parkways, rivers, and reserves. In total, the NPS oversees 85 million acres of federal land.

“The National Park Service responsibilities include a large number of sites that are not 鈥楴ational Parks,鈥� in the traditionally understood sense, many of which receive small numbers of mostly local visitors and are better categorized and managed as State-level parks,” the document states. “The Budget would continue supporting many national treasures, but there is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management to ensure the long-term health and sustainment of the National Park System.”

The document did not specify which sites would be transferred to state control.

The NPS cuts in the president’s budget total $1.2 billion, and include $900 million removed from the NPS operating budget, $77 million in National Recreation and Preservation grants, $73 million in construction costs. Also set to be cut is $158 million from the NPS Historic Preservation Fund.

“Many historic preservation projects have matching funds from State, local, and private sources, rendering the Historic Preservation Fund highly duplicative,” the document states.

For 2025, the NPS is receiving $3.1 billion in federal funding, a 6 percent decrease from 2024. Trimming $1.2 billion represents a 38 percent cut of the NPS budget and approximately five hundredths of a percent of the annual federal budget.

国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to the Interior Department for comment. 鈥淲e do not comment on personnel matters but please know the Department of the Interior is doing the work necessary to ensure that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks,” a department spokesperson said. “We hope that people plan their trips ahead and we look forward to a successful summer filled with memorable and meaningful experiences for all.鈥�

The news prompted spirited replies from nonprofit groups and foundations that work alongside the National Park Service.

鈥淭his is the most extreme, unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency鈥檚 109-year history,鈥� said Theresa Pierno, the National Park Conservation Association鈥檚 president and CEO, said in a release. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing less than an all-out assault on America鈥檚 national parks.鈥�

Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, called the plan “disastrous.”

“Many states don鈥檛 have the resources to maintain these parks and the federal government walking away from their responsibility would result in closed parks, safety risks, trails that are not maintained, and far fewer park rangers,” . “This will be disastrous for not just visitors and resources, but local economies who depend on park tourism as economic drivers. Congress should reject this proposal outright.鈥�

The budget request comes after the White House has already made major cuts to the NPS workforce. In February, the federal government terminated 1,000 full-time NPS employees, and in the weeks afterward offered buyouts to 750 others.

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Spring is normally quiet at national park conservancies, the nonprofit groups that raise money and recruit volunteers for the U.S. National Parks. In March and April, staffers at these charity organizations finalize fundraising campaigns in advance of the busy summer months.

But this spring has been exceptionally busy at the Shenandoah National Park Trust, which raises money for Virginia鈥檚 Shenandoah National Park. The office is abuzz with ringing phones and pinging email notifications, Jessica Cocciolone, the executive director, told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had more than 150 inquiries about volunteering in just the past two months,鈥� Cocciolone said. That鈥檚 more than triple the total number of inquiries the group received in 2024.

It鈥檚 a similar story with the Friends of Acadia, the nonprofit attached to Maine鈥檚 Acadia National Park. When I exchanged emails with Perrin Doniger, the group鈥檚 vice president of marketing, the group was making final preparations for its Earth Day Roadside Cleanup on April 26.

Friends of Acadia had already reached its capacity of 350 volunteers, Doniger told me. 鈥淲e’re seeing a tremendous amount of support for Acadia National Park from our members and volunteers right now,鈥� she said in an email.

This is , or the rest of America鈥檚 63 national parks and 433 National Park Service-managed sites. Starting in February, the Federal government fired 1,000 NPS workers and persuaded 750 to take buyouts. Since then, the听 government has issued a flurry of unprecedented orders that range from requiring parks to giving the power to 鈥渆ffectuate the consolidation, unification and optimization of administrative functions鈥� within the NPS.

As the NPS has been shaken up, the nonprofits associated with individual National Parks have seen a major uptick in volunteers and cash donations. 国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to some of the most prominent NPS nonprofits, and heard a similar story.

鈥淲e’re seeing a lot of interest among our supporters and our members in finding ways they can express their care for the park,鈥� said Elizabeth Silkes, chief executive officer for the Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC). The organization launched a new fundraising campaign on April 24 called Stand Together for Grand Canyon.

The includes information on how to connect with elected representatives to speak up for national parks, as well as links to sign up to volunteer and to donate money. Silkes said the GCC is still auditing their donations from the first quarter of 2025, but she anticipates an increase from 2024.

While the NPS is funded by the federal government, nonprofits like the Grand Canyon Conservancy pay for a wide array of programs, from trail maintenance, to educational classes for kids, to seasonal staff inside of the park. Each conservancy has its own strategy for investing funds and manpower.

At Grand Canyon National Park, the GCC operates six park stores next to visitor centers, and also completes annual building maintenance at two historic buildings: the Kolb Studio and Verkamp Residences.

The GCC also provides funding and volunteers for the Grand Canyon’s Preventative Search and Rescue teams, which educate visitors on how to stay safe on the trails.

Silkes said the funds garnered from the 2025 campaign campaign will go directly toward ensuring 鈥渢he stability of the park.鈥� She doesn鈥檛 have details about how the funds will be spent, but said that in times of financial uncertainty, NPS programs around scientific research, climate research, and conservation are put under threat. Partnership initiatives with the Grand Canyon鈥檚 eleven associated tribes are also jeopardized. “GCC funds are always applied to the priority areas identified by our park partners, and we are prepared to be responsive as their needs evolve,” said Silkes.

Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC), the nonprofit for Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, has a 鈥渉ealthy best-use fund,鈥� according to Kaci Yoh, Communications Manager, that鈥檚 designed to help its partner park pivot in times of, say, shifting priorities in the White House. But with so many changes happening so fast, the RMC hasn’t yet received guidance from Rocky Mountain National Park about how to spend those funds in 2025.

Like the GCC, Yoh has seen a surge of calls and emails from people looking to volunteer, particularly offering to help fill in where Rocky Mountain Park has lost staff.

Yoh said that volunteers cannot overcome the park’s need for full-time staff. 鈥淧ark staff are necessary to fulfill the roles that they have because they’re highly trained and vetted for their particular position,鈥� said Yoh.

Or as Cocciolone at Shenandoah put it, 鈥淭he challenge isn鈥檛 interest鈥攊t鈥檚 capacity. As park staff numbers go down, there鈥檚 less ability to train, manage, and support volunteers.鈥�

The Shenandoah Trust has, in the past, helped the park during government shutdowns, providing portable restrooms and volunteer support, Cocciolone said. During normal years, the Shenandoah Trust supplies campground hosts, volunteers to remove invasive species, and trail crews, among other positions.

“Historically, philanthropic support has not replaced federal funding or paid for permanent government roles,” Cocciolone said. “Our role is to provide additive support that enhances what the federal budget enables, not to supplant it.”

But the staff cuts within the NPS have forced some conservancy leaders to rethink this approach. Shenandoah National Park Trust is considering expanding its role to fund permanent park positions. 鈥淲e firmly believe it鈥檚 the federal government鈥檚 job to operate and steward these parks in line with the NPS mission,鈥� Cocciolone said. 鈥淏ut we also know these are unprecedented times, and we鈥檙e being asked to do more.鈥�

Cassius M. Cash, President and CEO of Yosemite Conservancy, echoed that sentiment .听鈥淚f park leadership needs new solutions to keep visitor services running, how can we be creative in our approach while remaining true to our own mission?鈥� Cash wrote.

Cash also stated that while the Yosemite Conservancy is a nonpartisan organization, the group would work closely with 鈥減artners and stakeholders who understand the importance of protecting national parks in times of transition.鈥�

Cocciolone concurred. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also leaning more into advocacy鈥攈elping educate donors, policymakers, and our community about what these cuts really mean on the ground,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about what gets funded, but what gets lost if we don鈥檛 act.鈥�

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On February 14, 2025, the National Park Service around 1,000 probationary employees in conjunction with a White House effort to reduce the federal workforce. Although a spate of eventually reversed many of the layoffs and reinstated probationary employees to their jobs, roughly five weeks elapsed between the initial firing and eventual rehiring mandate. Those intervening weeks were chaotic for many NPS employees, who wondered what they would do for their livelihoods.

At the same time, Ali Murphy, a former marketing executive and the founder of , a new travel platform focused on creating expert-guided custom itineraries for active travelers, was in the middle of preparing to launch her company. When she heard the news of the layoffs, she quickly recognized a chance to pair individuals with deep, location-specific expertise with travelers looking for guidance on their next adventure. On Facebook, Murphy offered former rangers the chance to put their skill set to use at her fledgling company.

On February 20, 2025, a week after the initial layoffs, Murphy put out a call to all those affected: 鈥淭his is devastating,鈥� she wrote in her post. 鈥淏ut your knowledge is still incredibly valuable鈥� If you want to keep sharing what you know, we鈥檇 love to have you.鈥�

Right now, you can book a call with an Outdoorable expert for $60, and Murphy told me the experts themselves take home $45 of that. That鈥檚 a pretty sizable cut. While there are other adventure and gear concierge services out there鈥攍ike 鈥檚 trip-planning service, or Backcountry鈥檚 popular 鈥擮utdoorable seems to fill a pretty distinct niche when it comes to trip planning and prep.

Here at 国产吃瓜黑料, we saw Murphy鈥檚 post and wondered: what happened next? Did NPS folks actually get in touch? We reached out to understand a little more about Outdoorable and its mission鈥攁nd what the response to her post has been like.

How Outdoorable Is Tapping Into Ranger Talent to Improve Outdoor Acesss

OUTSIDE: What happened when you put out that call to former NPS employees? What was the response like?

Murphy: I think I had 70 people apply to Outdoorable from that one post. I pretty much cried after every call. I was so jazzed because people were enthused, and it gave me the chance to tell them that what they know is valuable.

So, what exactly is Outdoorable? What makes it different from other travel sites or chatbots?

I think the travel industry largely ignores the people who are in need of the most guidance. We make false assumptions that people have networks or they know what to look for or they even know where to go. What if you could talk to a former national park ranger? Some people are going to AI for travel advice these days, but there are certain things AI cannot do. AI can’t look you in the eye and say, 鈥淗oney, you’re not crazy. You can do that hike.鈥� Or, 鈥淭alk to me about your knee. Are you better on uphill or downhill?鈥�

How does Outdoorable plan to address representation and access deficits that can make it harder for some folks to envision themselves in the outdoors?

At the start of this, I had an interesting conversation with James Edward Mills, who kind of wrote the book on inclusion spaces. I called him and told him that it’s really important to me that Outdoorable becomes a place where people of all backgrounds can go, and that they feel comfortable getting outside. That conversation was really illuminating because Mills said, 鈥淚t’s all about representation.鈥� For example, if you’re a queer traveler trying to do van life, you want to talk to a queer traveler if you can. And just seeing someone who looks like you or who has had a similar life path to you can help you envision yourself chasing that dream. We鈥檙e working on getting a diverse panel of experts on the platform so people can have that experience.

Okay, let鈥檚 say I鈥檓 a traveler. After I fill out the intake form and get paired with a guide on your website, what can I expect?

Your guide will read your form and know all about you before the call. They’re excited to talk to you. You can expect someone who has a wide range of knowledge to the extent that they can ask you questions you hadn’t thought of, almost like trip therapy. So you might be saying, 鈥淗ey, I’m doing a road trip around Utah’s national parks. I’m going to go to five parks in seven days.鈥� Your guide isn鈥檛 going to be afraid to push back if they need to. They鈥檒l say, 鈥淣o you鈥檙e not,鈥� or, 鈥淗ave you thought about this? Or looked at it this way? What are you actually trying to accomplish on this trip?鈥� Or, on the other hand, if you鈥檝e shared about a trip you鈥檙e uncertain about, they might reassure you that that trip is well within your ability. You can expect a real thought partner.

Sounds like Outdoorable is for everyone鈥攂ut who do you see using the platform most often?

I鈥檇 say the biggest use case we’ve seen so far has been for casual recreationists. They want to get out, they’re outdoorsy, they’d love to do a hike, but they’re not in the Reddit forums. They don’t own all the Osprey packs. The outdoor travel industry forgets about this segment of people, which is most people.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

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It turns out that the U.S. national parks are more popular than ever.

The National Park Service (NPS) this week revealed that a record-breaking number of visitors toured its sites in 2024. According to the agency’s , the 404 out of the 433 NPS sites that that report data鈥攊ncluding all 63 national parks鈥攕aw 331,863,858 individual visits last year.

That’s 6.36 million more visits than in 2023 and approximately one million more than the previous record, which was set in 2016 when the park service recorded 330,971,689 visits.

The report went up on the NPS website on Wednesday, March 5; however, the data was not distributed to media in a press release as in previous years. On Thursday, March 6, The听 that the NPS asked staff in an internal memo not to push the information via a release or social media to the public.

国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to the NPS for comment but did not hear back by the time this story was published.

Buried within the report are a handful of compelling takeaways: NPS sites experienced major visitation upticks in March and June compared to the five-year average, while visitation during the remaining months was consistent with that of previous years.

NPS sites also saw an increase in overnight stays鈥攖his includes camping and nights spent at concession-operated lodges and hotels鈥攋umping 2.6 percent from 2023. Overnight stays at lodges increased 11.7 percent from 2023 numbers.

According to the data, 28 of the 404 parks set records for visitation鈥攂ut some of the most popular U.S. National Parks did not. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which historically sees more visits than any national park, saw a slight downturn in visits: 12.1 million in 2024 compared to 13.2 million in 2023. The Grand Canyon attracted 4.9 million visits鈥攗p from 2023 numbers鈥攂ut far short of its 2018 record of 6.3 million. Yellowstone National Park recorded its second busiest year, with 4.7 million visits, and Yosemite National Park its fifth busiest听with 4.1 million visits.

Instead, a handful of the NPS-managed National Recreation Areas and National Historic Sites experienced surges in visitation. Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California recorded 17.1 million visits, topping the previous record of 15.6 million in 2022. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. also experienced a record year, with 8.4 million visits. Gateway Arch National Recreation Area in Missouri also broke records with 8.4 million visitors.

The news comes as the NPS is weathering a staffing crisis after losing approximately ten percent of its workforce since the start of the year. On February 14, the NPS fired 1,000 employees with probationary status鈥攁 designation given to all workers in their first 12 months of employment. An additional 700 NPS workers reportedly took early retirement buyouts, further weakening the agency’s staff size.

The cuts are part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to shrink federal spending.

鈥淭he National Park Service just reported the highest visitation in its history, as the administration conducts massive firings and threatens to close visitor centers and public safety facilities,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Park Conservation Association (NPCA) in a press release.

On Thursday, March 6 the NPCA, a nonpartisan group that advocates for the parks, operated by the NPS. The collection includes visitor centers, rescue facilities, and offices of law enforcement.

Brengel said the information was released by the House Natural Resources Committee on Friday, February 28.

Included in the list of canceled leases are nine visitor centers and contact stations:

• Morris Thompson visitor center in Fairbanks Alaska
• Little River Canyon center in Center, Alabama
• New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park center in Louisiana
• Mississippi National River center in St. Paul, Minnesota
• Niobrara National Scenic River center in Valentine, Nebraska
• Salinas Pueblo Mission center in Mountainair, New Mexico
• Missouri National Recreation River center in Yankton, South Dakota
• Klondike Gold Rush center in Seattle, Washington.

鈥淎s peak travel season arrives, park visitors will have to contend with closed visitor centers and campgrounds, canceled ranger programs, and less search and rescue staff,” Brengel said in a release. “If building leases are cancelled, it will make these problems worse.”

The post America鈥檚 National Parks Set a Visitation Record in 2024 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Alex Wild, 35, has been a park ranger for 15 years, working seasonal National Park Service positions for five of the last six years. Then, in 2024, Wild landed his dream job as an interpretive ranger at California鈥檚 Devil鈥檚 Postpile National Monument. He was still within the 12-month probationary period that all NPS workers undergo when they start a new position when the Trump Administration began slashing NPS jobs on February 14. Like thousands of other federal workers, Wild was told that afternoon that he鈥檇 been let go.

鈥淚 was the one who interacted with the park鈥檚 visitors, who handed out the badges for the Junior Ranger program, who coordinated visits from churches and other community groups,鈥� Wild told 国产吃瓜黑料. He was also the park鈥檚 only EMT, and the first responder for emergencies, assisting in multiple incidents every week.

Like many cut NPS staffers, Wild to express his sadness. 鈥淢y heart is broken for all of the other people who lost their jobs and their housing,鈥� he wrote on Instagram. 鈥淢y heart is broken for the parks and landscapes that will be damaged. And my heart is broken for my country.鈥�

Wild is one of an estimated 5,000 employees working for public lands who have lost their jobs since February 14. About 1,000 of these were with the National Park Service鈥攁nother reportedly took buyouts and went into early retirement. The rest were with the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

 

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In the days since the massive layoffs, media outlets and the public have sought to understand how these cuts will impact specific National Parks. After all, the busy spring and summer travel seasons are on the horizon, and in just a few weeks millions of Americans will descend on America鈥檚 parklands and campgrounds for their vacations.

Most NPS site have yet to publish details on which jobs have been lost amid the culling, and the NPS’s national office has not distributed a list of fired employees.听国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to the NPS national office to inquire about specific jobs that were terminated, but the agency didn’t respond. 听鈥淭he National Park Service is hiring seasonal workers to continue enhancing the visitor experience as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management. We are focused on ensuring that every visitor has the chance to explore and connect with the incredible, iconic spaces of our national parks,鈥� read a statement released by the NPS on February 27.

Instead, the public has pieced together information via , , and crowdsourced information. This lack of details has caused headaches with the non-profit groups that work with the NPS and other agencies to assist with trail projects and fundraising.

鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been any transparency from the administration about the layoffs or deferred resignations. The public is in the dark,鈥� said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of governmental affairs for the National Park Conservation Association. 鈥淭hankfully, many park rangers and staff who were laid off are speaking out and we are learning more about the positions lost. It should concern the public that maintenance technicians, wildlife biologists, interpreters, archeologists, ecologists who test water safety, fishery biologists, and EMTs were fired.鈥�

Amid the lack of information, social media posts like the one Wild published have helped media outlets and the general public get a sense of just how sweeping and damaging the cuts have been to the agency. This month, a non-profit group called the (ANPR) has shared crowdsourced information about how many layoffs have occurred at each park. The information was compiled by a seasonal ranger who has asked to remain anonymous. The ranger has maintained a detailed spreadsheet with the number of jobs lost at all 433 NPS sites, including the 63 national parks.

Bill Wade, the executive director of the ANPR, called the list “unofficial,” but said that the information has come from reliable sources.

“These numbers come from existing employees at national parks, or from friends groups that know what is going on at the park,” he told 国产吃瓜黑料.听Wade said that social media posts like the one Wild published have also helped his group tally the layoffs.

As of Friday, February 28, the group had charted 759 firings. 国产吃瓜黑料 was able to view the spreadsheet, and see how the layoffs impacted each national park. According to the ANPR鈥檚 data, these are the number of employees lost at each park:

• Acadia National Park: 8
• Arches National Park: 3
• Badlands National Park: 1
• Big Bend National Park: 5
• Biscayne National Park: 3
• Blue Ridge Parkway: 1
• Bryce Canyon National Park: 2
• Capitol Reef National Park: 1
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park: 14
• Channel Islands National Park: 6
• Congaree National Park: 1
• Crater Lake National Park: 1
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park: 4
• Death Valley National Park: 6
• Denali National Park and Reserve: 4
• Dry Tortugas National Park: 1
• Everglades National Park: 15
• Glacier National Park: 2
• Grand Canyon National Park: 10
• Grand Teton National Park: 4
• Great Basin National Park: 5
• Great Sand Dunes: 2
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 12
• Haleakala National Park: 7
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: 7
• Isle Royale National Park: 1
• Joshua Tree National Park: 6
• Kenai Fjords National Park: 1
• Lassen Volcanic National Park: 1
• Mammoth Cave National Park: 15
• Mesa Verde National Park: 2
• Mount Rainier National Park: 10
• National Capital Parks-East: 6
• American Samoa: 5
• North Cascades National Park: 6
• Olympic National Park: 5
• Petrified Forest National Park: 5
• Pinnacles National Park: 2
• Redwood National Park: 6
• Rocky Mountain National Park: 12
• Saguaro National Park: 2
• Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park: 10
• Shenandoah National Park: 15
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 2
• Virgin Islands National Park: 2
• Wrangell-St Elias: 1
• Yellowstone National Park: 7
• Yosemite National Park: 9
• Zion National Park: 11

 

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Other areas managed by the NPS have suffered major cuts as well, according to the ANPR data. Lake Mead National Recreation area in Arizona lost 13 staffers, including an aquatic ecologist who tests water safety. Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey lost 11 staffers. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area lost 12, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area lost 10. The NPS鈥檚 Historic Preservation Training Center, a group that helps restore and maintain historic structures, let 34 people go.

The cuts have impacted a wide swath of jobs, from custodians and trail maintenance crews, to visitor center workers and听 fee collectors, as well as scientists and teachers. “We’ve been told that interpretive rangers and people who do education for kids and school groups were hit the hardest,” Wade said. “And people who are involved in collecting fees.”

Aubry Andreas, 29, was working as a visual information specialist at Rocky Mountain National Park when she became one of the park鈥檚 12 probationary employees fired on February 14.

Andres oversaw all of the park鈥檚 printed materials, which in 2023 was the fifth-most visited NPS site with 4 million visitors. Among her tasks were creating the annual visitor’s guide, maintaining the official park map and the area maps that get handed out to visitors, and helping with park signage.

At the time of her termination, Aubry was leading an initiative to develop a new accessibility guide to Rocky Mountain,听both for people with physical limitations as well as cognitive considerations. She was also redesigning the park鈥檚 junior ranger book using money from a grant.

鈥淭he crazy thing is, I鈥檓 the only Visual Information Specialist there,鈥� Andreas told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淣ow that I’m gone, all that work will either have to get dropped鈥攚hich obviously is going to impact visitors鈥攐r it’s going to get placed onto other people who already have their own full breadth of duties and responsibilities to carry out.鈥�

A group of former and current NPS workers plan to hold protests at more than 100 sites managed by the agency. The group is calling itself 鈥�.鈥�

Other Agencies Feel the Cuts

Thousands of employees with other agencies overseeing public land have also lost their jobs throughout February. estimates that the National Forest Service lost 3,400 positions. Throughout February, laid-off employees from these agencies have also posted about their plights online.

The day before she lost her job with the U.S. Forest Service, Arianna Knight, the Wilderness Trails Supervisor for the Yellowstone Ranger District in Montana, was working late. She traversed the backcountry adjacent to Yellowstone National Park by snowmobile, doing routine maintenance on one of her district鈥檚 ten public rental cabins. When Knight, 29, returned to the office, she received an ominous text from her boss. 鈥淭here were whisperings of the terminations starting,鈥� Knight told 国产吃瓜黑料.

At home that evening, Knight checked the /fednews page on Reddit and learned that probationary employees听were going to be fired. Since stepping into a management role earlier in the year, she had been given that designation.

鈥淚 went into the office the next day knowing it was a lost cause,鈥� Knight said.

Losing Knight will have a dramatic impact on the Yellowstone Ranger District. In 2024 her maintenance team鈥攕he managed between two and eight workers鈥攃leared 4,062 trees that had fallen across trails near Yellowstone. Knight believes her ranger district won’t have the manpower in 2025 to do the same job. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not enough support available from nonprofits and volunteers, and they’re not specialized enough to do the type of work that we do,” she said.

Nate Stickler, 25, who was a trails crew leader in Colorado鈥檚 San Juan National Forest, told 国产吃瓜黑料 that he was two months away from finishing his probationary period when the cuts came down. The San Juan trails crew is comprised of seasonal workers, mostly novices, and volunteers. At the start of the season, it was Stickler鈥檚 job to train the crew, on everything from how to use a radio for communications in the backcountry to how to use a chainsaw.

鈥淭his is absolutely going to affect people鈥檚 experience of our public lands,鈥� Stickler said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that people will speak up and contact their congress person before the situation gets completely out of control.鈥�

Wild contends that by opting to fire people on probationary status, the federal government will lose some of its best public land managers. 鈥淭hese are the people who鈥檇 just gotten promotions,鈥� he said. 鈥淥r who鈥檇 performed so well in seasonal roles that they were offered permanent positions.鈥�

Sam Oseroff, 34, is one. In 2024 he was hired by the Middle Fork Ranger District in Willamette National Forest as a seasonal employee. After several months, the NFS offered him a permanent job as a forestry technician, starting in January, 2025.

鈥淚t was bad timing,鈥� Osteroff said. Doubly so because he鈥檇 just purchased a house鈥攁 decision he鈥檇 made after getting the offer for permanent work.

When Osteroff was let go, he was in the midst of replacing rotted beams on the roof of a shelter in one of the district鈥檚 campgrounds. He鈥檚 not sure who will take over the project, or how the rest of the maintenance that happens during winter is going to get finished. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a hot springs, a couple dozen trailheads, and about 15 campgrounds,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd only two people left to take care of them.鈥�

He’s also worried about the portion of the national forest closest to Eugene, Oregon, where unhoused people sometimes set up temporary camps, leaving behind garbage and human waste. 鈥淚n the fall, we filled a pickup truck and 26-foot trailer full of gross stuff from a campsite we found along Salomon Creek,” he said.

Knight said what鈥檚 happening is a devastating loss. 鈥淣ot only was my career taken from me in a way that can’t be replaced, but an entire industry is being dismantled,鈥� she said.

The post Here鈥檚 How Many Employees Each National Park Is Losing appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Let me establish my tourist bona fides before we go any further. I am a 47-year-old white man who has lived in the suburbs for the vast majority of my existence. I have spent a grand total of one week camping. I consider emptying the dishwasher to be hard labor. I don鈥檛 know how to pitch a tent, build a lean-to, start a fire without matches or a lighter, or climb any rock higher than three feet tall. I am not hardy. The only other time that 国产吃瓜黑料 asked me to write for them, it was to review bathrobes, which are generally not worn outside. I own both cargo shorts and a fanny pack.

Finally, I am an American. Nothing screams 鈥渢ourist鈥� more than being a big, stupid American.

And I am legion. The U.S. has a near-infinite supply of clueless tourists such as myself, much to the dismay of our National Park Service. Yellowstone, our most famous national park thanks to Kevin Costner, welcomes 4.5 million of us each year. Like all of our parks, Yellowstone takes in tourists not only for the revenue but to remind them that the physical country they reside in is a marvel well beyond their comprehension. As such, Yellowstone is set up to accommodate these hordes. And while park officials do their best to keep tourists in line, often literally, my kind still manage to do plenty of tourist shit. We . We get shitfaced and with animals ten times our size. And we hurt ourselves. According to NPS data, at least 74 people have died while visiting Yellowstone in the past 15 years. I could have been one of those people. I deserve to be one of those people.

This is why 国产吃瓜黑料 sent me to the park just a few weeks ago, during one of the busiest times of the year. They wanted me to observe our most basic tourists in the wild. Maybe I鈥檇 even get to see one die. Or, even better for my editors, maybe I would die while I was there. Maybe I鈥檇 look down my nose at the tourists around me only to end up as wolf food myself. Like most other Yellowstone visitors, I was not trained for the outdoors, I relish doing shit that posted signs yell at me not to do, and I often daydream about fighting bears (and winning!). I find danger tempting, which isn鈥檛 a good thing given that I can no longer swim a single pool lap without taking a break. Are people like me responsible enough to visit one of our national treasures without breaking it? Do we, as a population, know how to do national parks?

There was only one way to find out: by going into the park and behaving like an idiot.

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America has more than 828 million acres of public lands, an incredible boon to adventurers in every state. This month, when the crowds flock to the major national parks, we鈥檝e got our eye on trips to 13 public lands worthy of explorations that feel truly wild and free. From caving, canoeing, and camping to mountain biking, birding, and swimming, you can relish these areas without pressure or reservations.

Ansel Adams Wilderness

Location: Straddling the Great Western Divide of the Sierra Nevada, California

Why we chose it: When summertime crowds make a beeline for Yosemite Valley, serious hikers, anglers, and backpackers skip the more popular national park in favor of this 232,000-acre expanse of sky-high granite ridges, sparkling alpine lakes, and high-altitude meadows bursting with wildflowers.

Favorite adventures: I鈥檓 a massive fan of any trails leading toward the toothy spires of the Ritter Range, most of which lies within the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and this area boasts 350 miles of those trails. Looking for a workout to make your calves burn? Grab a permit and strike out on a seven-mile (each way) overnight trip to the serrated fins surrounding Minaret Lake, with a quick detour to marvel at Devils Postpile. Prefer a mellow afternoon stroll to an idyllic fishing spot? Motor up to Lake Thomas A. Edison for sweeping Sierra views and the hope of hooking some German brown trout.

Where to stay: If you鈥檙e driving up from the west, check out the quirky Mono Hot Springs Resort (open late May to early November), which boasts a restaurant serving buffalo and wild salmon, private soaking tubs, and a smattering of rustic 1930s-era cabins to rent (from $155). Most visitors stay in the eastern-side mountain mecca of Mammoth Lakes; try the Tamarack Lodge (from $99) or, if you鈥檙e feeling spendy, the elegant Westin Monache Resort (from $241). Alternatively, post up at the Forest Service campgrounds (from $28), usually open May through October and abutting phenomenal trails to Shadow Lake and equestrian-friendly Agnew Meadows.

Don鈥檛 miss: Go for the cheap and fantastic monster burritos at Latin Market Taqueria in Mammoth Lakes. 鈥�Emily Pennington

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For a lot of outdoorsy Americans, working for the National Park Service鈥攚hether as a ranger, an administrator, or one of their witty social media managers鈥攊s the dream. But according to a newly-released from the , the national parks might not be a dream job for applicants who value quality engagement and job satisfaction.

The group asked employees at agencies around the federal government questions based around three basic topics: Would they recommend their organization as a good place to work? How satisfied were they with their jobs? And how satisfied were they with their organization as a whole? The higher the agency鈥檚 engagement and satisfaction score, the more likely the employee intended to stay.

According to survey results, national parks ranked 371 out of 432 government agencies in 2022 鈥� or in the bottom 15 percentile. Those numbers were essentially flat compared to 2021 and 2020 survey results.

Increasing employee morale at the NPS, which has suffered from under-resourcing for decades, has been a main objective of the agency鈥檚 director, . During his confirmation hearings in 2021, he : 鈥淭he one thing I鈥檝e always learned in leadership is it鈥檚 the people that are most important,鈥� he added, 鈥淎nd therefore helping to improve the morale, listening to the staff, the long-term staff, and figuring out exactly what needs to be done to support them out in the field in order to be the good interpreters they are, to be able to take care of the parks in an appropriate way.鈥� But despite this sentiment, many park employees seem to have one foot out the door.

The biggest employee complaints pointed to an unsatisfying salary, a poor work-life balance, and a lack of workplace commitment to diversity. The park service鈥檚 best score was for mission matching, which ranked 187 out of 410 agencies.

One potential contributing factor to low employee morale could relate to the number of staff members that the park service currently employs. Between 2000 and 2010, the park service employed about 16,000 individuals every year. Since then, the agency has seen a 25% decline (with the exception of a brief surge in 2021), employing about 12,000 employees over the past decade despite surging park visitation.

Between , Capitol Reef National Park lost 15% of its staff members at the same time that visitation doubled. Similarly, Bryce Canyon National Park lost 10% of its staff and saw a 136% increase in park visitation over the same period of time.

Even when the budget allows national parks to hire new employees, the hiring process often takes months. And the hiring pool seems to be shrinking with employee morale.

Dissatisfied employees also indicated frustration with recognition for their efforts, with that measure dropping 9 points below the previous year鈥檚. Survey scores also ranked the park service a agencies when it came to 鈥渢he level of respect employees have for senior leaders, satisfaction with the amount of information provided by management and perceptions about senior leaders鈥� honesty, integrity and ability to motivate employees.鈥�

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Quinn Brett told her story to producer Paddy O鈥機onnell for an episode of The Daily Rally podcast. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Right before I took that cam out, I remember saying to myself, I shouldn’t have done that. I fell twice the rope length, and hit the big cliff of El Capitan.

And then at some point I came to consciousness and I said, I can’t feel my legs.

I work for the National Park Service, and I鈥檓 an athlete. I was a professional rock climber, and now I am a disabled athlete. Primarily, hand cycling, water sports, and the Worm. I’m still really good at the Worm.

I spend my time trying to be outside as much as possible. I can move all day, every day, pretty excessively, maybe annoyingly. You spend time outside and then you earn the ice cream or the IPA.听 In high school I discovered rock climbing and I wanted to learn more about it, and really dove into it. After college, I moved here to Estes Park, Colorado, and met an amazing amount of people who were into rock climbing, and they mentored me upwards into the sport.

The mental aspect is huge. How to overcome fears, how to stay calm. El Capitan is one of the quintessential iconic features of Yosemite National Park. It is a 3000-foot tall cliff, and the Nose is a rock climb in the center. It’s like a little prow feature.

In October 2017, my girlfriends Josie, Libby and I climbed a route on El Capitan in a day, setting a speed record for females. My headspace was a little off. My personal romantic relationship wasn’t doing so hot, and we got news that a good friend, Hayden Kennedy, and his partner had died in an avalanche. It struck all of our hearts, and climbing is something that we also fall back on, perhaps to distract ourselves from hardship, and so we decided we would still go climbing.

I am leading with placing gear, to a feature called the Boot Flake. That’s about 1500 feet up, but maybe 100 feet below the Boot Flake is another feature called the Texas Flake. It鈥檚 a big piece of rock that sticks out separately away from the main cliff of El Capitan. So I was on top of Texas Flake, and set sail on granite slab and clipped all of these bolts. The space between my gear was getting further and further apart. I was maybe 20 or 30 or 40 feet up from that last bolt. I had a cam in the crack, but I took the cam out for some reason, which is unusual for my protocol. I usually have two cams in, and in my rushedness or distracted brain, I took the cam out.

I reached across to my right hip to grab another piece of gear, and at that exact time, my foot or my hands or both slipped out of the rock. I just remember granite whooshing before my eyes as I fell.

I hit that Texas Flake with my back and my shoulder. I was just laying in the rubble, and my climbing partner Josie immediately initiated a rescue. My T-12 vertebrae shattered outwardly and inwardly into my spinal cord. I think I had four or five broken ribs. I had some internal bleeding, a punctured lung. My right scapula looks like a sledgehammer hit it. Fourteen staples in the back of my head. I had a pretty big swelling on the front of my head, like a hematoma. And paralysis, because of the shattered bone pieces in my spinal cord.

I vaguely remember people coming in and out of my ICU room. I was in the ICU for five days before my surgery, and I heard them say I was paralyzed. I remember laying in my bed and pointing at my toes and trying to wiggle them, and obviously nothing responded. It’s just fuckery. You have hope and you’re sad and you don’t get it, and you’re on drugs and you’re overwhelmed and you’re in pain. Of course I was in denial and of course I was mad and sad. I still have a lot of blame for myself, and disappointment and frustration. Where is that time travel machine? If I could only go back for that one second鈥hat the fuck was I doing.

I would rotate through friends, because with the bandwidth for friendships, the amount of listening that I needed, needed to be rotated and spread across different friends. It felt like it was too much if I were to go to one or three of them, I needed 10 of them to listen and console me and be there.

Use your community. You’re not alone as much as we feel like we are at times, because we are in our heads and we feel like nobody’s experienced this trauma or this grief, but somebody out there has. Talk to them. There’s somebody out there who maybe hasn’t experienced the exact same thing, but can share and corroborate on what you’re feeling.

I still struggle with it. I have a lot of shame still, being in public in my wheelchair. I get embarrassed about things like the amount of eyeballs I get when I hand cycle around Lake Estes. Or people being like, 鈥淵ou go girl.鈥� You don’t even know the shit that I was doing before; my heart rate is not even 100 right now. But I clearly still have that internal dialogue, and I talk to myself every day on the hand cycle. I’m like, What good does this do? Is it going to keep me inside? No. Get over yourself. Get outside. What is more important, being sulking inside and sitting on the couch and eating that ice cream, or going to fucking earn the ice cream? Why not try? That’s the human I’ve always been.

After I was injured in 2017, I returned to the National Park Service in a unique role. I’ve been educating on the type of mobility devices out there, opening doors for us to explore and be recreationally more adaptive on our trails in national parks. Also trying to measure our national park trails so we have more specific information, so the user can decide which trail works better for them rather than just being funneled to the one labeled accessible trail in our parks.

I’m gonna be an advocate louder than I can be for people with disabilities recreating in our national parks and in our public lands, and fo spinal cord research. Let’s amp it up, man. We got places to go, things to do.

Quinn Brett is an athlete, writer, public speaker advocate, and National Park Service employee. Her journey is documented in the film An Accidental Life. You can follow her adventures at and on Instagram .

You can follow听The Daily Rally听on听,听,听, or wherever you like to listen, and nominate someone to be featured on the show听.

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From Alaska鈥檚 remote bush to downtown Cleveland, our national parks provide us with millions of acres of public land to explore. We compiled a list of the best hikes in each park, according to the wilderness guides, park rangers, and hikers who know them.

Best Hikes in Acadia National Park

Maine

The Expert:听Pat Johnson, Maine Outdoor 国产吃瓜黑料 Club trip leader
The Hike: Penobscot and Sargent Mountain Loop

Summit听two of the on this 9.5-mile loop through thick spruce forest that eventually gives way to pink-tinted granite crags. The route offers access to three carriage-road bridges, relics from John D. Rockefeller Jr.鈥檚 philanthropic work鈥攃onsider detouring less than a half mile听to the 230-foot-long Cliffside Bridge.

Best Hikes in Arches National Park

Utah

The Expert: John Tillison, former Washington State park ranger
The Hike: Devils Garden Loop

You鈥檒l see eight of the on this 7.9-mile tour through Devils Garden. It鈥檚 an easy stroll to the longest arch in North America, Landscape Arch, but then the gentle trail transitions to narrow ledges that involve some scrambling to reach Double O, Navajo, and Partition Arches.

Best Hikes In Badlands National Park

South Dakota

The Expert:听Kelsy Koerlin, Rapid City, South Dakota, hiker
The Hike: Notch Trail

An easy听1.5-mile round-trip, this trail tours the best of the otherworldly assortment of eroded rock and clay, splashed with a brilliant array of red, white, and black. Ascend a log ladder to a bird鈥檚-eye view of the rugged terrain and distant prairie of White River Valley.

Best Hikes in Big Bend National Park

Texas

The Expert:听Courtney Lyons-Garcia, Big Bend Conservancy executive director
The Hike: Lost Mine Trail

through the heart of the Chisos Mountains for 4.8 miles round-trip, past alligator junipers and pi帽on pines. The views听of the Sierra del Carmen mountains听in Mexico are spectacular. Visit in November or March to avoid the summer heat.

Best Hikes in Biscayne National Park听

Florida

The Expert: Sandra Friend, author of ‘The Florida Trail Guide’
The Hike: Spite Highway Trail

Only accessible by boat, is the largest island in the park, home to the 鈥�,鈥� a seven-mile sliver of forest that in the 1960s was flattened in opposition to a national-monument designation. It鈥檚 the park鈥檚 only hiking trail, and on it you鈥檒l be immersed in tropical forests, even as Miami looms to the north.

Best Hikes in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado

The Expert:听Elaine Brett, North Fork Valley, Colorado, hiker
The Hike: North Vista Trail

At Exclamation Point, snag the best view of the from 900 feet above the rim. Continue to Green Mountain for a panoramic vista of the San Juan Mountains and Grand Mesa, a seven-mile round-trip.

Best Hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah

The Expert:听Charlie Neumann, owner of Willow Canyon Outdoor, in Kanab, Utah
The Hike: Under the Rim Trail

At 23 miles one-way, is the longest in Bryce. Take two days to experience the best of the Paunsaugunt Plateau鈥檚 hoodoo rock spires. Tackle most of the 5,000 feet in elevation change early by starting at Rainbow Point鈥攜ou can arrange a shuttle there with the Park Service, free with your entry fee.

Best Hikes in Canyonlands National Park听

Utah

The Expert:听Cort Wright, Moab 国产吃瓜黑料 Center guide
The Hike: Grand View Point

Although this is only a two-mile round-trip, the trail leading to isn鈥檛 short on views鈥攜ou鈥檒l gawk at the maze of basins, dozens of canyons, and the La Sal Mountains in the distance. Arrive before dawn (and the crowds) to watch the sun cast the desert in an amber hue.

Best Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park

Utah

The Expert: Andrew Wojtanik, former Capitol Reef interpretive ranger
The Hike: Halls Creek Narrows

The beauty of the Halls Creek Narrows, a slot canyon with towering cliffs, is often compared to the famous Narrows of Zion, yet this 22.4-mile round-trip hike is much more . The unmarked route requires a topographic map and compass to navigate. Plan to spend two nights in the backcountry听and to get wet through several creek crossings.

Best Hikes in Carlsbad Caverns National Park

New Mexico

The Expert:听Colin Walfield, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, employee
The Hike: Big Room Trail

It takes about an hour and a half to encircle the Big Room鈥攖he largest chamber within 听and the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. This听1.25-mile walk twists among giant stalagmites on a paved trail with handrails. A ranger-guided tour provides insight into the geologic history of the cave system.

Best Hikes in Channel Islands National Park

California

The Expert: David Begun, Channel Islands park ranger
The Hike: Lobo Canyon Trail

This 5.2-mile loop is marked by its ecological diversity鈥攎ore than a dozen grow in the park. You鈥檒l start in grassland bluffs, with sweeping views of the Pacific, before dropping into a canyon harboring native plants like the canyon sunflower. When you reach the coastline, look out for peregrine falcons and bald eagles.

Best Hikes in Congaree National Park

South Carolina

The Expert: Barbie Smrekar, Columbia Outdoor 国产吃瓜黑料 Network organizer
The Hike: River Trail

Tour this park鈥檚 namesake river on a through bottomland and bald cypress forest, home to whitetail deer, otters, and feral hogs. In periods of low water, lounge near the river on exposed sandbars鈥攂ut keep an eye out for alligators.

Best Hikes in Crater Lake National Park

Oregon

The Expert: Erik Fernandez, Oregon Wild wilderness-program manager
The Hike: Garfield Peak Trail

Starting from the Crater Lake Lodge, at an elevation of about听7,000 feet, climb another thousand feet in 1.7 miles to Garfield Peak. From here听you鈥檒l have a view of , the deepest in the country at almost 2,000 feet. Go in July for peak wildflower viewing and early in the morning to miss the crowds.

Best Hikes in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Ohio

The Expert: Erik Baldwin, Cleveland Hiking Club member
The Hike: Buckeye Trail

You鈥檒l be hard-pressed to find another park quite like , nestled in the middle of Cleveland. This one鈥檚 for the trail runners and the hardcore hikers: a 12.6-mile section of the from Station Road Bridge to the historic village of Boston. Pass waterfalls and old homesteads dotting densely forested hills before looping back.

Best Hikes in Death Valley National Park

California and Nevada

The Expert: Alan Gegax, VegasHikers trip organizer
The Hike: Panamint City Ghost Town

was a mining town founded by outlaws in 1873 that quickly garnered a rough reputation, but it was leveled a few years later in a flash flood. Hike to its ruins from Chris Wicht鈥檚 Camp, five miles via Surprise Canyon, and admire听its flowing water and lush vegetation鈥攔arities听in Death Valley.

Best Hikes in Denali National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Amy Eckert, travel writer
The Hike: Savage Alpine Trail

Few trails exist in Denali National Park, but among the handful that do, offers a lot in only eight miles round-trip. Wind over听tundra and past Dall sheep before climbing a ridge that on a clear day offers a view of 20,310-foot Denali, North America鈥檚 highest peak.

Best Hikes in Dry Tortugas National Park

Florida

The Expert: Sandra Friend, author of ‘The Florida Trail Guide’
The Hike: Fort Jefferson Loop

You won鈥檛 find any wilderness hiking trails in , an island 70 miles west of Key West. The main attraction here is Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. A half-mile loop around the island is a great tour of the fort and overlooks听the Caribbean鈥檚 crystal waters.

Best Hikes in Everglades National Park

Florida

The Expert: Sandra Friend, author of ‘The Florida Trail Guide’
The Hike:听Snake Bight Trail

The Everglades are better known for swampy boat tours than hiking. But the best trail here is , 1.6 miles one-way through tropical forests. The terminus is a boardwalk that offers bird-watching near a bay鈥攍ook听for pink flamingos.

Best Hikes in Gates of the Arctic National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Carl Donohue, Expeditions Alaska guide
The Hike: Koyukuk River Route

Take a plane to a gravel bar on the North Fork of the Koyukuk River, which snakes for more than 100 miles between glacial valleys. Spend a week and follow three creeks鈥擪achwona, Wolf, and Fish鈥攗p to 40 miles听deep into the backcountry of the Brooks Range.

Best Hikes in Gateway Arch National Park

Missouri

At just 91听acres, Gateway Arch is the smallest National Park. There’s not really any hiking, per se, but you should stroll the Mississippi River waterfront and then take听the elevator to the top of the Arch.

Best Hikes in Glacier National Park

Montana

The Expert: Grete Gansauer, Montana Wilderness Association听northwest Montana field director
The Hike: Hidden Lake Trail

Hikers habitually gawk at bears and bighorn sheep along this alpine . In summer听you鈥檒l be surrounded by wildflowers as you gaze at Glacier鈥檚 jagged peaks. Descend to Hidden Lake via switchbacks to lounge on the beach, with Bearhat and Reynolds Mountains just over your shoulder.

Best Hikes in Glacier Bay National park

Alaska

The Expert: Adam DiPietro, former Glacier Bay trail-crew member
The Hike: Gustavus Plane-Crash Site

This park is celebrated for whale-watching and towering glaciers, and those are definitely must-do鈥檚, but so is this half-mile hike to a Douglas C-47 crash site鈥攊n 1957, the crew went down after clipping a tall tree. The trail takes you through woods smattered with mosses, like old man鈥檚 beard, and you鈥檒l likely have it to yourself.

Best Hikes in Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona

The Expert: Melanie Radzicki McManus, Arizona Trail thru-hiker
The Hike: South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails

The best hike in the听 combines two trails, which traverse听the mile-deep canyon, and takes听two days. From the South Kaibab Trailhead, descend seven miles via ridges and spend the night next to the Colorado River at the Bright Angel Campground. The next day, huff back up the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail for 9.5 miles.

Best Hikes in Grand Teton National Park听

Wyoming

The Expert: Amy Eckert, travel writer
The Hike: Lake Solitude

, follow the crowds to Inspiration Point, which offers听views of the Gros Ventre Mountains. As you enter Cascade Canyon, the masses dwindle as the Tetons鈥� jagged peaks flank the trail. Pass berry patches and boulder fields before reaching Lake Solitude at mile ten听for a secluded night in the backcountry, then trek back the next day.

Best Hikes in Great Basin National Park

Nevada

The Expert: Nichole Andler, Great Basin National Park chief of interpretation
The Hike: Timber Creek鈥揃aker Creek Loop Trail

You鈥檒l have this to yourself virtually any time of year, starting from 8,000 feet and walking uphill via Timber Creek, with expansive views of Snake Valley below. Climb another 1,600 feet or so to aspen groves and a meadow, with听11,926-foot Pyramid Peak just overhead.

Best Hikes in Great Sand Dunes National Park

Colorado

The Expert: Ryan Kempfer, Salida Mountain Sports employee
The Hike: Sand Ramp Trail

Much more than sand dunes, creek crossings, wildlife viewing, and stunning shots of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Skirt the eastern edge of the dunes across undulating terrain for 11 miles one-way. Camp near Sand Creek鈥檚 cottonwoods before backtracking the next day.

Best Hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina and Tennessee

The Expert: Diane Petrilla, Smoky Mountains Hiking Club vice president
The Hike: Ramsey Cascades Trail

This was never logged, so it鈥檚 full of giant trees鈥攕ome tulip poplars reach seven feet in diameter. Through a jungle of rhododendrons, you鈥檒l ascend more than 2,000 feet over four miles to the tallest waterfall in the park, 100-foot Ramsey Cascades.

Best Hikes in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Texas

The Expert: Cameron Hall, North Texas hiker
The Hike: McKittrick Canyon Trail

is often hailed as the most beautiful spot in Texas. It鈥檚 secluded, and in the fall, foliage bursts red and yellow. This 14.8-mile out-and-back takes you to Pratt Cabin听and then to a small cave with stalagmites. You鈥檒l ascend McKittrick Ridge on the steepest section of trail in the park, looking down on the canyon.

Best Hikes in Haleakal腻 National Park

Hawaii

The Expert: Joani Morris, Friends of Haleakala听National Park hike leader
The Hike: Sliding Sands Trail

Towering over Maui at 10,023 feet above sea level, the dormant resembles the surface of Mars. For a tour of the caldron, start at the Keoneheehee Trailhead, trekking across the crater鈥檚 floor. People flock to the summit to witness a spectacular sunrise (reservations are needed).

Best Hikes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii

The Expert: Barnard Griggs, member of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Corp. board of directors
The Hike: Napau Trail

On this 14-mile round-trip, you鈥檒l explore rainforests and recent lava flows to reach Napau Crater. In the distance, you鈥檒l see the Puu Oo听volcano, which听had been continuously erupting since 1983, quieting only last year.

Best Hikes in Hot Springs National Park

Arkansas

The Expert: Don Jackson, owner of Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters
The Hike: West Mountain鈥揗ountain Top Trails

From Whittington Park, ascend more than 400 feet on the before connecting with the West Mountain Trail, which听loops around a ridge鈥攜ou鈥檒l have great views of downtown Hot Springs. Afterward,听soak at the Buckstaff Bathhouse, in operation since 1912.

Best Hikes in Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana

The Expert: Jean-Pierre Anderson, Indiana Dunes National Park ranger
The Hike: West Beach Three-Loop Trail

The best hike in 听combines three loops totaling 3.4 miles. Start among the dunes on the Dune Succession Trail, also touring an oak savannah and wetlands. Connect with the West Beach Trail and then the Long Lake Loop Trail, where you鈥檒l encounter more undulating dunes.

Best Hikes in Isle Royale National Park

Michigan

The Expert: Amy Eckert, Greenstone Ridge Trail thru-hiker
The Hike: Greenstone Ridge Trail

can only be reached by boat, guaranteeing solitude on this remote 42-mile trail that spans the island. You鈥檒l be immersed in boreal forest home to moose and wolves, occasionally topping a bald ridge offering views of the island and Lake Superior.

Best Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

California

The Expert: Tim Liddell, Hi-Desert Hiking Club trip leader
The Hike: Maze Loop

Combine the Maze, North View, and Window Trails for an eight-mile walk through mature desert vegetation like California juniper, yucca, and the park鈥檚 namesake Joshua trees. While trail signage has improved in recent years, navigation of this Joshua Tree National Park trail can still be difficult, so carry a map.

Best Hikes in Katmai National Park

Alaska

The Expert:听Dan Oberlatz, Alaska Alpine 国产吃瓜黑料s owner and guide
The Hike: Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

In 1912, the erupted and destroyed 40 square miles of Alaska鈥檚 backcountry. Today听the valley resembles the desert Southwest, with red mineral deposits covering sections of exposed rock. From the Three Forks Visitor Center, circumvent the valley floor, ascending nearby Broken, Baked, Cerberus, and Falling Mountains. You鈥檒l trek more than 50 miles off-trail and spend over a week in the backcountry. Advanced navigation skills are a must.

Best Hikes in Kenai Fjords National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Kyle McDowell, Kenai Backcountry 国产吃瓜黑料s guide
The Hike: Harding Icefield Trail

A tough but rewarding 8.2-mile round trip hike that gains about 1,000 feet per mile and starts on the valley floor through cottonwoods and alder trees, and offers views of the Exit Glacier even a short distance in. Continue to climb above treeline for views of the Harding Icefield.

Best Hikes in Kings Canyon National Park

California

The Expert:听Benjamin Cumbie, Sequoia Parks Conservancy, philanthropy and membership manager
The Hike: Redwood Mountain Grove

Tour the largest intact grove of in the world on this 9.9-mile loop, which combines听the Hart Tree and Sugar Bowl Trails. The Sierra Nevada听is visible as you stroll past flower-filled meadows, and the lonely dirt road leading to the Redwood Canyon Trailhead deters throngs of visitors.

Best Hikes in Kobuk Valley National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Nick Allen, Alaska Alpine 国产吃瓜黑料s guide
The Hike: Great Kobuk Sand Dunes

This remote part of the has no maintained trails, so you鈥檒l be route-finding in the Alaskan bush. Boreal forest gives way to tundra along the Kobuk River, where you鈥檒l find 25 square miles of sand dunes. Getting there requires a bush plane.

Best Hikes in Lake Clark National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Dan Oberlatz, Alaska Alpine 国产吃瓜黑料s owner and guide
The Hike: Telaquana Route

This ten-day, roughly 40-mile trek from Telaquana Lake to Upper Twin Lake is only for those willing to bushwhack. is via听floatplane to听Telaquana Lake, and then you鈥檒l be route-finding with a compass and topo map. Pass glaciers, ford rivers, and navigate seemingly endless miles of remote forest and tundra until you reach Proenneke鈥檚 Cabin, a log structure built largely by hand in the sixties听by Richard Proenneke.

Best Hikes in Lassen Volcanic National Park

California

The Expert: Sabrina Jurisich, Redding, California hiker
The Hike: Kings Creek Falls Trail

Walk along past California red firs that are permanently bowed from heavy snow in the winter (yearly snowpack can be as deep as 15 feet). The end of this 2.3-mile loop has an overlook of Kings Creek Falls, cascading 30 feet down.

Best Hikes in Mammoth Cave National Park

Kentucky

The Expert:听Michael Bunch, manager of听Nat鈥檚 Outdoor Sports in Bowling Green, Kentucky

More than 400 miles of have been explored, and the labyrinth boasts the title of world鈥檚 longest cave system. The best way to see it is on the three-mile Violet City Lantern Tour (tickets are required to enter the cave), where you鈥檒l re-create the experience of bygone explorers by walking with only the light from a lantern as a guide.

Best Hikes in Mesa Verde National Park

Colorado

The Expert: Betsy Fitzpatrick, Trails 2000 member
The Hike: Petroglyph Point Trail

From the , pass the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling, constructed before 1278 A.D. with 130 rooms and eight听ceremonial chambers. At 1.4 miles, you鈥檒l see the petroglyph panel that researchers believe depicts two Native American clans returning to the place of their origin. Complete the 2.4-mile loop on the mesa top.

Best Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park

Washington

The Expert: Diann Sheldon, Discover Nature guide
The Hike: High Lakes Loop

The will take you to Reflection Lake, Mount Rainier glimmering on its surface. Veer onto the Lower Lakes Trail through wildflower meadows before hopping on the High Lakes Trail and then the Mazama Ridge Trail. Reconnect with Wonderland to complete the 2.5-mile loop.

Best Hikes in National Park of American Samoa

American Samoa

The Expert: Sarah Barmeyer, National Parks Conservation Association,听听senior managing director for conservation programs
The Hike: Tuafanua Trail

From , climb up switchbacks to a ridgetop through tropical rainforest that鈥檚 home to fruit bats. You鈥檒l descend via ladders and ropes to a rocky beach scattered with coconut crabs that climb trees and weigh up to nine听pounds. You鈥檒l spot Pola Island offshore before returning 1.1 miles to the trailhead.

Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park

Washington

The Expert: Anna Roth, Washington Trails Association hiking-content manager
The Hike: Thunder Creek鈥揚ark Creek Pass

Start this 55.2-mile out-and-back at the Colonial Creek Campground, and tour old-growth forest over the five-day trek to Park Creek Pass and back. You鈥檒l have fantastic views of the Cascade Mountains among meadows, with sporadic scrambling required in some sections.

Best Hikes in Olympic National Park

Washington

The Expert: Anna Roth, Washington Trails Association hiking-content manager
The Hike: Heather Peak

Begin on the Heather Peak听Trail in a second-growth forest of mountain hemlock adorned with bearded lichen. You鈥檒l be climbing steadily via switchbacks over five miles听toward 5,740-foot Heather Peak. Scramble along a rocky ridge to the peak, then trek another quarter mile to a saddle that affords听stunning views to the south before returning.

Best Hikes in Petrified Forest National Park

Arizona

The Expert: Patrick Fuchs, Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club member
The Hike: Blue Mesa Trail

This one-mile loop will take you past the multicolored sedimentary rock layers of . Hike at sunrise to witness the serrated edges of the mesa glow. Along the way, you鈥檒l pass numerous petrified trees with a geologic backdrop that resembles the moon.

Best Hikes in Pinnacles National Park

California

The Expert: Dave Wachtel, Monterey Bay Area Hiking Club organizer
The Hike: Chaparral Trailhead

On this nine-mile loop, start on the Juniper Canyon Trail from the ,听then detour to the Tunnel Trail, which brings you to the High Peaks Trail, where you鈥檒l have a chance to spot California condors. You鈥檒l connect with the Rim Trail, which听meanders to Bear Gulch Cave, a maze of building-size听boulders. From there, head west on the Bench Trail and connect with the Old Pinnacles Trail, which circles back to the trailhead.

Best Hikes in Redwood National Park

California

The Expert: David Baselt, Redwood Hikes creator
The Hike: Boy Scout Tree Trail

You鈥檒l be immersed in a large tract of on this 5.6-mile out-and-back. In Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (managed jointly with the National Park Service), start early in the morning from the Boy Scout Tree Trailhead. At mile 2.5, you鈥檒l encounter听the Boy Scout Tree, a massive double redwood discovered by a local troop leader. The hike ends at Fern Falls.

Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado

The Expert: Steve Bonowski, Colorado Mountain Club trip leader
The Hike: Crystal Lakes

From the Lawn Lake Trailhead, ascend toward the Mummy Range through aspens and pines. You鈥檒l be following the Roaring River for a stretch and will eventually break tree line, with views of 13,425-foot Mummy Mountain. Check out Lawn Lake at mile 6.2 before continuing another 1.2 miles to Little Crystal and Big Crystal Lakes.

Best Hikes in Saguaro National Park

Arizona

The Expert: Jocasta Houldsworth, Tucson, Arizona, hiker
The Hike: Garwood Dam Loop

Totaling 6.4 miles, this hike starts from the on the Garwood Trail. You鈥檒l quickly enter a saguaro cactus forest. Keep an eye out for a rare crested saguaro and its fan-shaped tip鈥攖here are only 25 in the park. You鈥檒l pass Garwood Dam, built in the 1950s, and swinging a left onto the Carrillo Trail will lead to views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Best Hikes in Sequoia National Park

California

The Expert: Benjamin Cumbie, Sequoia Parks Conservancy membership manager
The Hike: High Sierra Trail

A great alternative to the John Muir Trail, this snakes through high mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada. Highlights include swimming in Hamilton and Precipice Lakes and Kern Hot Springs. Tack an extra 13 miles on the JMT to hit the summit of Mount Whitney.

Best Hikes in Shenandoah National Park听

Virginia

The Expert: David Bennick, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club鈥檚 Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter president
The Hike: Jones Run and Doyles River Trails

From the Browns Gap parking area, take the as it traces a ridge for 1.4 miles. A left on the Jones Run Trail switchbacks downhill to cascading Jones Run Falls. Take the Doyles River Trail past two more waterfalls back to the parking lot, completing a 6.5-mile loop.

Best Hikes in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

North Dakota

The Expert: Nick Ybarra, Watford City, North Dakota, adventure guide
The Hike: Maah Daah Hey Trail

The 144-mile听, which cuts through the heart of the Badlands, is the longest singletrack mountain-biking route in the country. And it鈥檚 great for hiking, too. You鈥檒l go through three units of the park, including the remote Elkhorn Ranch, where Theodore Roosevelt had a cabin, and the Little Missouri National Grasslands. Expect solitude among swaying prairie grass and forests of juniper trees.

Best Hikes in Virgin Islands National Park

U.S. Virgin Islands

The Expert: Kim Powell, Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
The Hike: Reef Bay Trail

Tour some of the tallest and oldest trees on this roughly six-mile out-and-back. On the way to Reef Bay, you鈥檒l see ruins of Danish sugar plantations, remnants of cattle ranches, and pre-Colombian Taino rock carvings.

Best Hikes in Voyageurs National Park

Minnesota

The Expert: Sam Brueggeman, staff member at Trailfitters in Duluth, Minnesota
The Hike: Cruiser Lake Trail

With more than 84,000 acres of water to explore, paddling is a great way to get around 鈥攂ut you can put your hiking boots to use on the Cruiser Lake Trail. Accessible via boat, the trail wends 9.5 miles one-way across wetlands and rocky cliffs.

Best Hikes in Wind Cave National Park

South Dakota

The Expert: Tom Farrell, Wind Cave National Park chief of interpretation
The Hike: Rankin Ridge Fire Tower

, nestled underneath the Black Hills of South Dakota, is one of the most complex cave systems in the world. But up above, miles of hiking trails zigzag across the prairie and hills. Trek to Rankin Ridge, the highest point in the park, where you鈥檒l find the Rankin Ridge Fire Tower. At only one mile round-trip, this one is accessible for all skill levels.

Best Hikes in Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias National Park

Alaska

The Expert: Greg Fensterman, Trek Alaska guide
The Hike: Seven Pass Route

is the biggest national park in the United States鈥�13.2 million acres鈥攁nd one of the most remote. On this eight-day, 40-mile backpacking trip deep in the backcountry, you鈥檒l start near Iceberg Lake, following a river to a glacier crossing. Expect to navigate more glaciers, along with high-ridge traverses, while you enjoy spectacular views of snowcapped mountains.

Best Hikes in Yellowstone National Park

Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

The Expert: Mike Rosekrans, Yellowstone Forever lead instructor
The Hike: Clear Lake Loop

From the Wapiti Lake Trailhead, you鈥檒l walk 6.7 miles past thermal-activity sites, with views of Mount Washburn. You鈥檒l skirt Clear and Ribbon Lakes鈥攏ear the latter, there鈥檚 a nice spur trail that鈥檒l bring you to Silver Cord Cascade, a waterfall that plunges more than 1,000 feet into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Best Hikes in Yosemite National Park听

California

The Expert: Frank Dean, Yosemite Conservancy president
The Hike: Valley Loop Trail

trails are chocked with听crowds, but you鈥檒l have the Valley Loop Trail to yourself for 11.5 miles. From Lower Yosemite Fall, the trail traces old wagon roads through meadows, with views of El Capitan.

Best Hikes in Zion National Park

Utah

The Expert: Rachel Ross, Zion 国产吃瓜黑料 Company guide
The Hike: Observation Point

You鈥檒l gain 3,000 feet in elevation in 3.4 miles, climbing through canyons toward . There听you鈥檒l have an excellent view of Zion Canyon, a few hundred feet higher than the busier Angel鈥檚 Landing viewpoint.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article recommended a trail in Kenai Fjords National Park that requires advanced navigation and trekking skills. The article has been updated with a hike on a more established and approachable route. Separately, trail conditions change often. Before you head out on your hike, visit for the latest information.

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