Want to hike to the top of the Half Dome in Yosemite? It might be tougher to get a permit this summer than last. The National Park is considering creating a new lottery system that will weed out scalpers and lower the number of permits that it gives out. more ›

Rangers at Yosemite National Park have recovered the body of Hormiz David, a 22-year-old from Modesto, who died after being swept over a 317 foot waterfall with two other hikers on July 19, according to a National Park Service news release. more ›

Three hikers are presumed dead after falling over the edge of a waterfall at Yosemite National Park on Tuesday. The incident took place Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. more ›

57-year-old Brian Matayoshi and his wife Marilyn were hiking on the Wapiti Lake Trail when they encountered a female grizzly bear with cubs, according to ABC7. The couple saw the bear twice but continued hiking. Upon the third encounter, the bear charged the man. more ›

Gregory Meyer and Richard Fox were on a four-day backpacking trip with three others when unseasonably high waters swept them into Falls Creek near Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The group had successfully traversed the Wapama Falls bridge on the inbound hike but runoff from a storm that hit the mountains Tuesday led to the swollen waterfall which swept the men to their deaths early Wednesday. more ›

If the fees at any of the National Parks is what keeps you from checking out their natural splendor, there are 17 days this year when that excuse just won't wash. The National Parks have announced the 17 fee-free days they'll offer this year, when they'll waive your entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees (third-party fees, however, cannot be waived). more ›

So you've gone to Coachella, but why head back to Los Angeles so soon? April 17th to 25th is National Park Week, meaning entrance fees are waived. April is the park's busiest month and also a great time to check out wildflowers. “The desert is at its best for the next few weeks,” said Park Superintendent Curt Sauer. more ›

Joshua Tree, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Death Valley. These National Parks have captured the hearts of Californians and millions of others. Channel Islands, Mojave, Pinnacles, Cabrillo. They're lesser known in Southern and Central California, but sometimes just as beautiful, if not equally. And closer to home here in Los Angeles and heading west into Ventura County are a collection of National Park units hardly spoken about by the millions who live here (and will not be talked about in Ken Burns' 12-hour epic documentary, which debuted last night on PBS). more ›

In 2016, the National Park System will enter its second century. With that, come a new set of problems--population, development, global warming--that did not exist when the series of public lands were dedicated nearly 100 years ago. more ›

After eight and a half years of nine-to-five work and three Spiderman franchises, Ian Shive had enough. Like most us, we all wish we could just grab a camera and travel to earn a living. But like most of us, we don't. Shive is the exception. more ›

As part of the stimulus bill, $750 million was committed to National Parks across the country and California gets 13% of those funds, $10 million of which that will go locally for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which extends from Runyon Canyon in Hollywood to the Pacific Ocean in Malibu (read LAist's dossier of the area here). more ›

"We're not a travelogue, we're not a nature fim, we're not a recomendation on which lodge to stay in. It's the story how this place got started," a zealous Ken Burns said of his upcoming twelve hour documentary on the National Parks. He and his crew have spent what many dream about: six years of traveling the country from National Park to National Park exploring some of the country's most beautiful and historically and culturally significant places. more ›

Yesterday, an oversight hearing was held at Joshua Tree National Park, to better understand the affects of climate change on our park system and suggested remediation by witnesses in the National Parks and wilderness fields. The event was hosted by the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), as well as Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (CA-38). The location of Joshua Tree was chosen because of the threat posed to its namesake species by a warming climate. This subcommittee was designed to conduct a series of hearings to explore the role of federal lands in combating and adapting to climate change. more ›

Now with President Barack Obama talking about reinvigorating the econony and the job market, there's been a resurgance of an idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's: bringing back the Civilian Conservation Corps, the first "emergency agency" that he established. Now there's talk in Congress of bringing it back as part of Obama's economic stimulus plan, according to the LA Times. more ›

What will Hike The Geek do?!?! more ›