#national-park-service

#national-park-service

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Three thousand people a day visit Mist Trail, which has views of two majestic waterfalls and is arguably the most popular hike at Yosemite National Park.Mist Trail is now going to get a $5-million upgrade."We're excited," said Frank Dean, president of the Yosemite Conservancy and a former ranger at Yosemite.

What many hoped would be a perfect weekend filled with blooming cherry blossoms and sunny weather quickly turned into a traffic nightmare on Saturday and Sunday.Thousands of unlucky drivers who ventured out spent hours in traffic as people flocked to the Tidal Basin in hopes of catching a glimpse of the pink flowers.

Plus: Weeping cherry trees are currently blooming.Peak bloom is predicted for next week, but some cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are already blossoming.According to NPS spokesperson Mike Litterst, those trees account for less than 25 percent of the Tidal Basin's cherry blossoms.Still, there are some clusters of pink petals around the loop.

L.A.'s beloved P-22, the legendary mountain lion that roamed the Hollywood Hills for more than a decade, amassing a celebrity-worthy following and inspiring a campaign to save Southern California's threatened pumas, will be remembered at a Feb. 4 memorial in Griffith Park.P-22 died Dec. 17 after officials "compassionately euthanized" the cougar, finding the big cat had severe health issues and injuries.

P-22, the celebrated mountain lion who lived in Los Angeles and became a symbol of urban pressures on wildlife, was euthanized Saturday after a decade of fame.Seen here in 2014, P-22 took up residence in Griffith Park after crossing two major freeways in 2012.(U.S. National Park Service/AP)The iconic mountain lion known as P-22 - who lived in Los Angeles' Griffith Park for a decade, became an international celebrity and was a symbol of the need for urban wildlife protection - was euthanized Saturday, California state officials said.

Sarah Picchi was on a work call at her Los Feliz home on Monday morning when wildlife officials buzzed her front gate with a startling message: You have a lion in your backyard."Of course, I knew it was P-22, because I've been following the story," Picchi said.They carried the big cat, who has roamed the hills of Los Angeles for more than a decade and become a celebrity in the process, out of the muddy yard in a bright green blanket used as a sling.

A bison calf at Yellowstone National Park had to be euthanized after a man apparently tried to help it, causing the herd to reject it, park officials said this week.The newborn calf began following cars and people, officials said, and was killed because it posed a hazard to visitors.The episode began on Saturday evening, when the calf was separated from its mother as their herd crossed the Lamar River in Wyoming, in the park's northeast corner.

Wine tastings typically involve arriving at a winery, quietly taking a seat at the counter and learning about the tasting notes of each pour.But the experience can be so much more than sip, spit and repeat.To shake up your next wine-focused outing, we've put together a list of adventerous and unusual wine tasting experiences around the globe.

Authorities are searching for a 25-year-old hiker who was reported missing Friday after backpacking alone through Joshua Tree National Park.Trammell Evans was supposed to be picked up at 11 a.m.Friday at Black Rock Campground in the northwest corner of the park after a five-night backpacking trip.When he did not show up, he was reported missing that afternoon, according to the National Park Service.

San Francisco Fire Department A man was rescued on Tuesday after falling from a pier into San Francisco Bay and becoming submerged 16 feet underwater, officials said.Witnesses informed the San Francisco Fire Department that before the man fell into the water, he was collecting cans on the Torpedo Wharf, which is located east of Fort Point, Capt.

Editor's note: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2022 is Sunday, Nov. 20.More than 50 communities in 30 states are hosting events to commemorate the dead; Click here to find one near you.Legend has it that sometime in the late 1920s, an Ohio governor issued an unusual (and possibly visionary) order: that after every fatal car crash, a marker would be placed on the site of tragedy to remind the public about the dangers of driving.

Joshua Marano was flying over the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2016 when he noticed a strange pattern in the water.Mr. Marano, a maritime archaeologist with the National Park Service, consulted some old nautical charts, expecting he might find the ruins of a lighthouse or beacon.Instead, he found a whole island.

Skeletal remains found at Lake Mead last fall have been identified as those of a North Las Vegas man who drowned nearly 50 years ago, Nevada officials said.Stacey Welling, a spokeswoman for Clark County, said on Wednesday that the man had been identified as Donald P. Smith, 39, of North Las Vegas.Mr. Smith's death was ruled accidental from drowning, the authorities said.

Wednesday's peak bloom announcement kicked off the start of cherry blossom season: The Tidal Basin will reach peak bloom from March 22 to 25, according to the National Park Service.Longtime Washingtonians know the drill: Blossom-themed specials are already popping up at restaurants and hotels all over town, and the Tidal Basin will soon be crammed with eager photographers.

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day-but your help is essential.If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us.Thanks for your support!Good morning, Portland!The best news: the weather people say that today is going to mostly sunny!

The third-warmest winter on record has led to changes at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.Festival events wereinitiallyscheduled to begin March 20.Then the National Park Service projected that peak bloom - the period when 70 percent of the Japanese cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will be at their pinkest, fluffiest and most photogenic - will occur between March 22 and 25, with trees beginning to blossom before those dates.

If you're interested in booking a campsite for this spring or summer, now's the time to start making your reservations.Sites book up lighting fast these days and there are only so many places to look.Luckily, thanks to the Airbnb-ification of, well, everything, there's a fleet of apps that make it easier to book a campground, cabin, RV, treehouse, or pretty much any sort of outdoor accommodation you can think of (yep, that includes yurts).

WASHINGTON The National Park Service is moving to prohibit hunters on some public lands in Alaska from baiting black bears with doughnuts and using spotlights to shoot hibernating bears and cubs in their dens, techniques allowed by the Trump administration but considered inhumane by conservationists.

P-22, seen in 2014 in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles.(AP)A mountain lion who made a name for himself in Hollywood, navigating busy freeways and establishing a home range in a sprawling city park, was captured by Californian wildlife authorities on Monday after he killed a dog that was being walked in the park.

In this aerial photo released Monday by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mauna Loa volcano is seen erupting from vents on the Northeast Rift Zone on the Big Island of Hawaii.U.S. Geological Survey via AP Smoke filled the Hawaiian night sky on Sunday, glowing a bright red  signaling the eruption of the world's largest active volcano.

When wolves were hunted to near extinction in parts of the US and Europe, the environment rapidly changed.Deer or elk no longer had a predator, allowing them to overgraze and trample vegetated areas where they once dared not tread.Higher populations of the hoofed mammal altered landscapes and destroyed habitats that supported other species such as songbirds.

A mountain lion that killed a Chihuahua on its leash after quietly stalking a dog walker in the Hollywood Hills earlier this month is the famed big cat P-22, the National Park Service confirmed Monday.For over a decade, the puma has captivated Angelenos, recorded by doorbell and security cameras while strolling in and around Griffith Park and on residential sidewalks.

Part of a human foot found floating in a shoe in Yellowstone National Park's Abyss Pool about three months ago belonged to a 70-year-old Los Angeles man who died in an unspecified incident, authorities said Thursday.In the last three weeks, DNA analysis matched the foot to Il Hun Ro, park officials said.

Starting October 25, you can try to snag a lottery ticket for one of DC's merriest events.The National Park Service will be holding the 100th annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on November 30 this year, and the free-ticket lottery opens tomorrow at 10 a.m.If you're interested, you have until November 1 to enter the lottery.