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 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.

A woman sits beside a female park ranger

I am often asked how I became a park ranger at US national parks. Here's how the greatest adventure of my life began.

Wheelchair on beach in front of waves

All-terrain wheelchairs have arrived in many parks in the US and beyond. But are hiking wheelchairs coming to a park near you?

hikers backlit by sun

As a former ranger, I'm often asked how to become a national park ranger. These are my tips for prospective park rangers.

Rainbow strikes a mountain

A few years ago in a grad class, a fellow student made a statement that floored me: “LGBTQ people can’t work in national parks."

Pink canyon walls under a blue sky

Read a former Zion park ranger's answer to the question of what to do in Zion. Here are five ranger tips for Zion National Park.

Brown boots on floor

In the early days of US national parks, rangers did it all–built trails, fought fires, caught poachers. What do park rangers do today?

Girl with large glasses and homemade dress

Many people have asked why I became a national park ranger, but I never had a story to tell. Until now. Here is my park ranger origin story.