Welcome

There are nearly 400 parks, preserves, historical parks and battlefields, monuments, historic sites, memorials and other units that are part of the National Park Service of the United States in 2009. They attracted about 275 million visitors in 2008.

During the past seven years, University of Miami journalism students have prepared a series of more than 350 pages of feature articles, photographs, and multimedia content about the activities, environment, scenic rivers and recreation areas, the unusual places, monuments, historical sites, cultural heritage, museums, nearby places, and the people of Our National Parks. We hope you will find them interesting and worth reading.

This fall, we visited Yosemite National Park in Northern California. Our stories, photographs, video, slideshows, and other content will be posted here by mid December.

We will also continue our on-going work focusing on our home region parks of South Florida, including Everglades, Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne national parks. We expect to prepare nearly three dozen new story, photographs, and graphics packages.

We will also prepare a series of 16 new stories this fall focusing on issues and problems currently facing the U.S. national parks system. The new stories will appear on the site at the end of this year. We published a similar series of stories in 2008 and 2007 for our readers.

Our Spring project, completed last May, looks at the most popular parks and historic sites of the San Francisco Bay area, and several of the leading sites in the New York City area. This was our second group visit to San Francisco in two spring semesters. Our work is now posted on the site.

The name of our site comes from the ground-breaking 1901 book by naturalist John Muir, Our National Parks. It is in the spirit of Muir's life-long effort to preserve some of America's most remarkable wilderness spaces that we have developed this journalistic work.

We remind our readers that the information in these articles was current when it was posted, but information may have changed as time passes. Each article that we prepare has a posting date at the top right of the page. Conditions in the parks change. Always check for changes in fees, hours of operation, dates, and other information before traveling.

Featured Parks and Locations

		San Francisco Bay national parks and recreation areas During two recent trips to the San Francisco Bay area, we visited national parks, recreation areas, and historic sites. We focus on Alcatraz, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Point Reyes National Seashore, the area’s maritime history, and the area’s remarkable culture.
		The U.S. Virgin Islands National Park During a recent trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, we visited the national park and national monument on St. John Island. We focus on activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, exploring secluded beaches, and hiking the trails around St. John. We introduce you to the people and places of the islands, their unique history, and wonderful cultural offerings.
		Old San Juan and the San Juan National Historic Site We explore the history and culture of five centuries of life in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Our focus is on the San Juan National Historic Site and its historic forts known as San Cristobal, San Juan de la Cruz, and San Felipe del Morro. We look at the people, historic events, structures, arts and crafts, and other aspects of life in this unusual location.
		Issues and Problems facing Our National Parks This unique section of our Web site examines many of the most pressing issues and problems that involve our parks at both the national and regional levels. A new set of stories is being prepared this fall and we offer our work from 2008 and 2007. We talk to park officials and experts about funding, safety, preservation, and other concerns.

Photos by Bruce Garrison and Vincent Daniello.