Parks

National, state, and local parks, as well as forests, wildlife preserves, national recreation areas, and museums: there are so many special places around the world worth exploring and protecting. Learn more about them and the people who care for them.

a small hill surrounded by trees

Learn lessons from the dead: take a trip to Shiloh Battlefield, where an abandoned ancient village sits amid the relics of war.

mother bear and cubs at the edge of a mountain lake

Ever wonder how to stay safe in bear country? Here are seven safety tips and several bear stories from a former national park ranger.

historic cannon in front of a fence and autumn trees

An interpretive park ranger conveys a park's story. Every park has a story, a reason that it was protected and staffed with park rangers.

a butterfly cupped in a child's hands

Butterflies, children, and guns. How a terrified child's question about butterflies changed the way I thought about migration and borders.

an outdoor sign reading "this is grizzly bear country"

Why are there no stupid questions to ask a park ranger? Because the biggest questions provide the biggest opportunities to learn.

exit sign outside in the brush

I quit the national park service for the same reason I became a ranger in the first place: to find and do what makes me happy.

fence open in front of a field of grass

Naturalist gatekeeping can frighten people away from trying new things. Lets encourage beginners to love what we love, not shame them.

a log cabin

This land tells a story: Booker T. Washington National Monument. Stand in the spot where a family of slaves learned that they were free.

a pale pink flower

Discover where to stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Ten scenic stops and hikes along the parkway's northern section.

A dirty and well-worn green and white bag with first aid printed on it

Why I became a Wilderness First Responder: how a scary accident taught me that doing your best is always enough.

a row of trees with white bark

My white privilege helped me become a park ranger. I feel safe in nature and in national parks when so many others don't.

blue ridge parkway wooden sign

Where to stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway: North Carolina, featuring ten must-see spots along the parkway's southern half.