News From The Parks | Navy Rescues Motorcycles from Death Valley, 3 New National Park Sites, Yosemite Reservations Return, More

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First up. The National Park Service has announced its 2024 fee-free Days, which are a great opportunity to get out in a national park without having to pay admission. But for those of you with an annual pass or who don't want to join big crowds. Sometimes these fee-free days are ones to avoid, especially because some of them are over holidays when people have time off work. The fee-free days for 2024 are January 15, the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. April 20, the first day of the annual National Park Week. June 19, which is Juneteenth National Independence Day, August 4, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, September 28 National Public Lands Day and November 11 Veterans Day. Remember, only about a third of National Park service sites require paid admission in the first place, mostly the biggest parks in the system. So you don't necessarily have to worry about this if you're not going to a fee-charging site. And on that note, the National Park Service has announced the next three units to join the National Park system, raising the total number of existing parks from 425 to 428..

All three of them are National Scenic Trails, the Ice Age, New England and North Country National Scenic Trails. All previously established by Congress and administered by the National Park Service as part of the National Trail System, they're now recognized as official units of the National Park Service. Their combined 5,500-plus miles travel through parts of 10 states and hundreds of communities, from large cities to rural towns. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin is nearly 1,200 miles long.

Its landscape of lakes, river valleys, gentle rolling hills and ridges are reminders that just 15,000 years ago, during the ice Age, much of North America lay under a huge glacier. The New England National Scenic Trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts stretches 235 miles from the shores of Long Island Sound to scenic mountain summits. It offers panoramic vistas of New England's natural and cultural landscape, including trap rock ridges, historic village centers, farmlands, unfragmented forests, quiet streams, steep river valleys and waterfalls. The North Country National Scenic Trail is expected to be a 4,600-mile trail when it's completed, traversing sections of Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin. It showcases the varied landscapes of the Lake Superior region, Adirondacks, Ohio, River Valley and North Dakota Plains.

The designation won't result in any immediate changes to the size or structure of the trails, which already have access points, signage, operating budgets, superintendents, staff and volunteers. But the trails join three other national scenic trails—the Appalachian Natchez Trace and Potomac Heritage—that are already official units of the National Park System. So now, all six National Scenic Trails administered by the National Park Service are official National Park Service sites. Keeping them together, there are five additional trails administered by the U...S. Forest Service.

In our last National Park news roundup, we talked about the return of entry reservations at Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Arches National Parks. While now, Yosemite is jumping back into the vehicle reservation fray after taking 2023 off from reservations, which, by many counts, led to a bit of a chaotic summer. They're calling the new program Peak Hours Plus, and it will require advance reservations for entry on select days between April 13th and October 27th. For those driving into or through Yosemite National Park between 5 a...m. and 4 p...m. But it's not going to be for every day of the week for much of the season. Reservations will be required April 13th through June 30th, on Saturdays, Sundays, as well as on Memorial Day, which is Monday, May 27th, and Juneteenth, which is Wednesday, June 19th.

Then, for the seven weeks between July 1st and August 18th, a reservation is required every single day. After that, it goes back to Saturdays, Sundays and the holidays through October 27th, the holidays being Monday, September 2nd, Labor Day and Monday, October 14th, Columbus Day. If only it were as simple as all of that. Visitors will pick from two types of reservations reservations valid for a full day 5 a..m. to 4 p..m. or reservations valid for park entry any time after noon. Both reservation types, full day and afternoon entry are valid for up to three consecutive days, including the arrival date.

Visitors with in-park lodging or campground reservations, wilderness or half-dome permits, or visitors entering the park via Yosemite's Yarts buses and on permitted commercial tours do not need a vehicle reservation. So that's a really big distinction. You can stay at some of the lodging right outside the park, take the bus in, and you don't need a reservation at all. This all really has a lot to do with the limited parking at Yosemite, more than anything.

Reservations will be released on recreation.

Gov. beginning at 8 a.

M Pacific on January 5th for all 2024 arrival dates, which makes it different than the other parks who do monthly rollouts. I wish they would make this stuff a little bit more standard. Those afternoon reservations that start at noon and a limited number of held-back full-day reservations will be released one week in advance. For example, reservations for a July 30th arrival date will be released on July 23rd.

Driving through the park will require a reservation if entering between 5 a.

M and 4 p...m. The park wants to make it clear, though don't show up at like 3 30 and try to wait outside the gate. They say vehicles blocking roads will be ticketed. Can I make it even more confusing, though?

If you plan to head into Yosemite Valley in February, when horsetail falls, aligns with the sunset, when the conditions are right, creating what's known as the firefall. Reservations are required to enter Yosemite on Saturday and Sundays, including the Monday President's Day holiday, February 10th through February 25th. You must obtain a reservation if you plan to enter on February 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 24th, or 25th. Unlike for the summer, for the firefall, reservations are required 24 hours a day in the Yosemite Valley. But you can visit other areas of the park without one. Reservations. Went on sale back on December 1st and at my last check, only three days still have availability. An additional batch of reservations will be available two days in advance at 8 a...m.

Pacific time for the firefall? It's very likely that Yosemite Arches, Glacier and Rocky Mountain will be moving to permanent reservations in the future. But in the meantime, they're experimenting with different ideas to help ease the congestion. Great Smoky Mountains National Park doesn't have entry reservations, but they do have parking passes. That were required for the first time this year, and now, of course, they will be next year again. The National Park Service is investigating an online scam selling fraudulent parking tags to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Someone posing as the National Park Service is directing individuals and organizations to a website titled Smokies Park Pass.

This website looks like it belongs to the park's non-profit partner, the Great Smoky Mountains Association, but it's not a GSMA or NPS website. Official Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking tags are only available for sale online only through smokies information..org or Recreation..gov. In the same area, the Blue Ridge Parkway officials announced that the area, known as Sled Hill, near Milepost 294.5, is closed. Effective immediately to all winter activities, including sledding, tubing, skiing and snowboarding. In addition to the hill closure, parking is now prohibited along the roads. Quote The growing popularity of winter recreation activities in this area, unfortunately, can no longer be accommodated.

The area was not designed for snow play or a high level of pedestrian use. And these activities, combined with roadside parking, have created a dangerous situation for park visitors, said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout. Quote. In recent years, staff have witnessed multiple near misses of adults and children with passing vehicles due to unsafe conditions, high volumes of traffic and poor sight lines. While we know this may be disappointing to many of our winter visitors, we must take action in the interest of visitor safety. Park staff will install closure fencing and signage in the area and anyone found not in compliance.

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Titus Canyon Road is completely gone in certain sections. One of the men crashed his motorcycle, he broke his collarbone and had other non-life-threatening injuries. The men called 911 via a satellite phone just before sunset. Park Rangers weren't able to reach the injured man in a timely manner due to the road conditions, so they called for helicopter assistance. The U..S.

Navy responded and they transported the injured man and his companion to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. Charges are pending. Titus Canyon is one of the park's most popular backcountry drives. When opened, the 27-mile high-clearance road provides access to Leadfield, Ghost Town, Petroglyphs at Clare Spring and spectacular Canyon narrows. Meanwhile, portions of Eureka Valley and Saline Valley at Death Valley reopened on November 30. The most recent additions after every road in the park was damaged by the remnants of Hillary back in August.

Many roads in the park are still closed due to flood damage. Finally, First Lady Rosalind Carter has been laid to rest in the family plot at the Carter home, part of Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. Congress authorized the National Park in 1987 to interpret President Carter's life and presidency in relation to Plains, Georgia, and to preserve the resources associated with that story. The park includes President Carter's boyhood, farm and home, the high school that President and Mrs Carter attended, their residence, and the railroad depot that served as the headquarters for his presidential campaign.

Park Superintendent Jill Stuckey said. Quote ".

Rosalind Carter was a staunch supporter of the National Parks, both as first lady and as a private citizen here in Plains. She has long been an active participant at the park that bears her husband's name. Regularly attending events and forums and working with National Park Service staff in the development and growth of the park. I and the entire staff of Jimmy Carter National Historical Park are deeply saddened by Mrs Carter's passing. But we celebrate her life and legacy and will continue to inspire and educate present and future generations by telling the stories of her life and impact on the global community. That's it for this month's National Park news roundup. Thanks so much for being here.

Make sure to subscribe if you want more like this. We'll see you next time. Bye everybody.

AI.