National Park Service

It's hardly a bailout, but the federal government is hoping that waiving fees at national parks will help boost local economies across the country. On three weekends this summer, the National Park Service will offer fee-free weekends to encourage cash-strapped families to visit the parks. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the initiative Tuesday at a news conference at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. "National parks also serve as powerful economic engines for local communities, and we hope that promoting visitation will give a small shot in the arm to businesses in the area," Salazar said.

The Appalachian Trail extends 2,160 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin in Maine.By now, most throughhikers with enough determination to complete the entire 2,160 miles of the Appalachian Trail have kicked off their hiking boots and headed for home. Since its completion in 1937, people from all over the world have hiked the A.T., as it is commonly called.;An estimated 4 million people a year use the A.T., which extends from Georgia to Maine, in some way. The amount of throughhikers those who hike from one end of the trail to the other has grown from 10 people in 1970 to an estimated 280 in 1999.

Alcatraz Island was a chilly, unwelcoming place once reserved for infamous criminals. Not even the federal government appeared to want it after the penitentiary closed in the 1960s. Adam Fortunate Eagle remembers "The Rock" a little more warmly: a place where fellow Native Americans took a stand that may have helped end the U.S. policy of tribal assimilation. Forty years ago Friday, dozens of Native Americans -- mostly California college students -- boated to the largely abandoned island in San Francisco Bay, starting an unarmed occupation that lasted nearly 19 months and captured the attention of media around the world.

Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 AtlantaUSDA Forest Services U.S. Interagency Wild and Scenic Coordinating CouncilAmerican Whitewater Affiliation;National Park Service ChattoogaGreat Outdoor Recreation Pages Chattooga River;National Park Service Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaCobb Parks and RecreationGreat Outdoor Recreation Pages Chattahoochee River;Great Outdoor Recreation Pages Nantahala National ForestNantahala FallsNantahala Outdoor...

Few things in nature are as mesmerizing as a waterfall -- the thunderous roar as water spills over cliffs, the light glistening off the spray, the sheer force of it all. We found the 10 most enticing cascades on the planet. Some are obvious choices (who could resist the honeymooners' classic Niagara?), others are more obscure (ever heard of Langfoss?), but they all share an important quality: One look, and you're bound to be transfixed for hours. Niagara Falls New York and Canada The most powerful waterfall in North America, Niagara straddles the international border between Canada and the U.S., near Buffalo, New York.

A strong earthquake in Virginia shut down a nearby nuclear power plant Tuesday afternoon and sent out seismic waves felt by millions from Georgia to northern New England. Three aftershocks were reported by Tuesday evening. No major injuries or extensive damage were reported after the 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which struck about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. The quake prompted evacuations of office buildings and the precautionary closing of monuments in the nation's capital. A surge in calls by cell-phone users after the event affected service in many areas, federal officials said.

Tourists, locals cheer Washingtons cherry blossoms March 26, 1997Explosion of cherry blossoms mark D.C.s rite ofspring April 5, 1996;National Park Service Cherry Trees of WashingtonDC City Pages 1997 Cherry Blossom FestivalDC City Pages;

; BACK TO TOP ;King associates say dream still unfulfilled January 20, 1997King Day 1997 January 1997Celebrating Black History month on the Web February 1997Destinations ElvisMemphis National Civil Rights Museum August 1997;National Park ServiceMartin Luther King Jr. National Historic SiteMartin Luther King Jr. Center for NonViolent Social Change;

Destinations San Francisco March 1997Destinations Monterey, California September 1997Destinations California wine country January 1998;Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation DistrictNational Park Service Golden Gate National Recreation Area;

U.S. National Park Service police say they need additional funding to protect America's most visible monuments -- and the people who visit them -- from the possibility of terrorist attacks. The request for millions of dollars stems from a new report that raises questions about security at heavily visited monuments in the nation's capital.