If you take the time to stop in West Virginia's New River Gorge, our newest national park, and listen, you may hear, intertwined with the sound of birdsong, flowing water, and the wind billowing through the trees, the whistle of a train. Today on Parkography, the legend born from the Gorge that would echo through generations to come. A man named John Henry.

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This week in national parks and public lands news, Yosemite is already dealing with major traffic headaches after dropping its reservation system, Arches could be moving toward a shuttle future, and Grand Teton visitors should prepare for a summer full of construction delays. We’ll also talk about a new proposal to stop staffing cuts at public lands agencies, a major land donation at the Smokies, expanded hunting and fishing access at park sites, and a brand-new experience opening underneath the Lincoln Memorial.

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00:00 Headlines Preview 00:40 Yosemite Traffic Chaos 02:57 Arches Shuttle? 04:40 Grand Canyon North Rim Reopens 06:05 Grand Teton Construction Season 07:06 Hunting and Fishing Expansion 08:53 Bill to Stop Staffing Cuts 09:57 Smokies Land Donation 10:37 Lincoln Memorial Undercroft 11:44 Wrap Up and Mailing List

Back-to-back bear attacks in Yellowstone and Glacier, Grand Canyon officials recovered the body of missing 26-year-old, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is investigating 33 federally protected black vultures dumped along Foothills Parkway, Denali introduced this year's sled dog puppies on its puppy cam, state updates include Louisiana’s bill to relocate removed monuments to state parks and Maryland’s possible expansion of park entry reservations and online payments, and more.

00:00 Yellowstone and Glacier Bears 01:23 Grand Canyon Missing Hiker 02:12 Smokies Vulture Dumping 03:01 Alcatraz Coyote Mystery 05:08 Denali Sled Dog Puppies 06:57 Louisiana Monument Proposal 08:04 Maryland Park Reservations 10:02 Crater of Diamonds Find 11:05 Wrap Up

The Trump administration withdraws its National Park Service director nominee, leaving the agency under acting leadership, while a proposed 2027 budget would cut NPS operations by about $736 million (over 25%) alongside a new $10 billion DC construction/beautification program. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is turning “American Flag Blue,” and non-resident park fee revenue rose by about $2 million year over year, far below projections. Two recent fatal accidents at Zion National Park, Grand Teton’s robotic sage grouse decoys, a whistleblower complaint alleging widespread lead paint risks in Yellowstone employee housing, and more.

00:00 This Week 00:40 NPS Nominee Withdrawn 01:47 Proposed Budget Cuts 02:33 Lincoln Memorial Pool Turns Blue 03:55 Non-Resident Fee Revenue 04:51 Zion Trail Fatalities 05:35 Robotic Birds for Sage Grouse 07:25 Yellowstone Housing Lead Risks 08:21 Boundary Waters Mining Fight 09:54 California State Park Expansion 10:54 Wrap Up

Hidden beneath hundreds of inches of snow each winter, there’s a historic lodge sitting high on the slopes of Mount Rainier National Park that almost didn’t survive.

In this episode of Parkography, we’re exploring the incredible story of the Paradise Inn—a lodge built in 1917 that helped shape what America’s national parks would become. From its origins as a luxury resort in the wilderness to its near-demolition in the mid-20th century, Paradise Inn stands as a symbol of how our relationship with national parks has evolved over time.

Written by Lizzie Tesch

#MountRainier #NationalParks #USHistory

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In this episode: the BLM’s plan to ban dispersed camping on nearly 14,000 acres near Zion National Park—shifting use to designated areas and two proposed campgrounds, a resolution that could overturn a 20-year ban on copper-nickel mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters watershed, a Texas man sentenced to five days in jail for stepping off boardwalks onto Yellowstone’s thermal features, a settlement to keep the pride flag flying at Stonewall National Monument, tightened South Rim water restrictions at Grand Canyon due to pipeline breaks, Big Bend’s Chisos Basin closure being put on hold, and Yosemite’s historic Ahwahnee dining room moving to a required prix-fixe menu starting at $95.

00:00 Public Lands News Roundup 00:29 Zion Dispersed Camping Ban 02:37 Boundary Waters Mining Fight 04:29 Yellowstone Boardwalk Jail 05:34 Stonewall Pride Flag Returns 07:08 Grand Canyon Water Restrictions 08:14 Big Bend Closure Delayed 09:04 Yosemite Dining Goes Prix Fixe 10:52 Wrap Up and Subscribe

This week in national park and public lands news: A major US Forest Service overhaul, including relocating its headquarters from Washington, DC to Salt Lake City by 2027; a bill to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument as a national park passed the House and heads to the Senate; National Park Week in 2026 will move to August; a lawsuit challenges firearm bans inside NPS buildings; Grand Canyon’s South Rim enters Stage 3 water restrictions after a Trans-Canyon Waterline break, and more.

00:00 Intro 00:38 Forest Service Overhaul 02:32 New Arizona Park Push 03:39 Mammoth Cave Expansion 04:05 National Park Week Moves 05:14 Firearms Rules Lawsuit 06:29 Grand Canyon Water Crisis 08:23 Idaho Wildlife Charges 09:22 Millions of Bees Spill 10:35 Wrap Up and Goodbye

Before he was president… before he was a Rough Rider… Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly kid struggling to breathe.

Then he came to the Badlands.

In this episode of Parkography, we explore how the rugged landscapes of Theodore Roosevelt National Park transformed Roosevelt’s life—and ultimately helped shape the future of conservation in America.

From cattle ranching along the Little Missouri River to devastating personal loss, this is the story of how one wild place forged one of the most influential presidents in U.S. history.