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This is the trailhead for Acadia Mountain, a 681 ft mountain located on the west side of Mount Desert Island. The trailhead is on Maine Route 102, about 3 miles south of Somesville and just after Ikes Point Boat Launch.

In May 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted the surrender of Germany, ending World War II in Europe. Eisenhower chose to remember Victory in Europe by actively commemorating the sacrifices and cooperation that made it possible. For Eisenhower and the Allies, the road to victory was not easy. Eisenhower believed that Victory in Europe Day--VE Day--could and should serve as a reminder of the cost of war for future generations. Explore this story further in this article.

Forests in Cuyahoga Valley National Park are responding positively to nearly a decade of white-tailed deer management. Although native, at high densities white-tailed deer can negatively impact forest vegetation. A recent study using data from the park’s long-term monitoring program found a reduction of woody browse, forest regeneration, and decreases in browse on the indicator species trillium.

North Kaibab Trail is the least visited and most difficult of the major inner canyon corridor trails. It is challenging for day hikers as well as rim-to-rim hikers. Water at the North Kaibab TRAILHEAD water has been shut off for the winter and is expected to be turned back on May 15, when the roads open. Always carry a way to filter or treat creek water, in the event the water stations at Manzanita and Cottonwood Campground are not working.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield park staff aimed to find out if Appalachian cottontail inhabited the park, so they collaborated with the Inventory and Monitoring Division to survey for their scat.

At Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, long-term vegetation monitoring provides park managers with useful information for decision making on topics including changes in climate, grazing, and fire management. A recent report summarizes monitoring from 2011 to 2022 of vegetation and soil conditions provides management recommendations for their conservation.

Assateague Island, way out on the Maryland coast, may be famous for its wild horses, but it’s also a great spot for birds. In this episode of Outside Science (inside parks), park scientists and interns are giving birds a health check-up to make sure they’re doing okay.

Invasive exotic plants are one of the most significant threats to natural resources in the national parks today. To provide early warning of weed invasions, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network monitors target plants in park areas where they are likely to first establish: along roads, trails, and waterways. Find out what we've learned at Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The National Park Service (NPS) is on a mission to deepen its understanding of the bees living in parks. Traditional survey methods require significant time, specialized expertise, and the collection of specimens from their natural habitats for species-level identification. With limited bee specialists available and a growing need for efficient, cost-effective methods, the NPS sought an alternative approach.

Forest regeneration in the National Capital Region continues to slowly improve, especially in parks that manage their deer populations. A look at forest regeneration capacity based on monitoring data from 2024.

Cape Cod is a large glacial moraine peninsula that extends 96.5 km into the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of Massachusetts. Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) is located on the outer portion of Cape Cod. Almost all the estuarine habitat at CACO is associated with two large coastal lagoon systems, Pleasant Bay (PB) and Nauset Harbor/Marsh (NH). Due to restricted flushing with the ocean and residential development pressures outside the seashore boundary...

Read a summary and get a link to a published journal article on denning duration of bears in the Brooks Range of Alaska: Deacy, W., M. S. Sorum, M. D. Cameron, G. V. Hilderbrand, D. D. Gustine, and K. Joly. 2025. Denning chronology in an Arctic brown bear population. Wildlife Biology e01420.

The mission of preserving and protecting cultural sites goes hand-in-hand with preserving and protecting the landscape, and maintaining healthy and sustainable forests in the parks of the Northeast Region.

The landscape between the two waysides is filled with dark volcanic rock and low green and tan vegetation.

Climate change has the potential to profoundly alter national parks, affecting plants, animals, and cultural resources. During this time of unusually rapid change, proactive management—planning ahead—has a better chance of success than reacting to crises after they arise. This article compares historical climate patterns at Rocky Mountain National Park with future projected conditions to help park managers proactively plan for climate change.

The Capitol Gorge trail features natural pools of water and markings from early pioneers and travelers.

Why is it called “Capitol Reef?”

Firefighters use drip torches to treat vegetation between a fence and Highway 207 in Carson County, Texas.

As the San Francisco Bay Area Network coho and steelhead monitoring crew wraps up the 2024-2025 spawner season, we are looking back at one of the busiest winters since the beginning of this monitoring program! We observed increased coho spawning in all three creeks we monitor—Olema, Pine Gulch, and Redwood Creeks. Olema took the cake with the strongest cohort of all.

This elephant seal breeding season, the single-day cow count peaked at 1,159 on 1/27, which is similar to last year’s peak count of 1,165. Pup counts were higher than the five-year average this season. This is likely due to the lack of strong storms this winter and thus high pup survival.