THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKSTATE & NATION TRAVEL
National parks, historic sites and practical visitor updates, directly from the National Park Service.
NPS sources checked 10/3/2026, 2:02:56 PM Eastern
Many closures remain on the Trail following Hurricane Helene's devastation. This will remain true for the foreseeable future. Visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) website for an up-to-date list of closures. OBSERVE ALL CLOSURES. Stay safe!
Official NPS sourceHuman-habituated bears have been frequently spotted in the McAfee Knob Area. Allowing bears access to human food or garbage causes it to lose its fear of humans. Follow all food storage regulations, use provided food lockers and never feed a bear.
Official NPS sourceTours may be purchased online (recreation.gov) or in person with a credit or debit card only. Cash transactions are not available at the park.
Official NPS sourceTrail closures are reported to the North Country Trail Association. Go to their Trail Alerts page for the latest information.
Official NPS source
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller and Saint-Gaudens National Historical Parks are proud to celebrate the achievements of three outstanding team members whose work exemplifies the mission and values of the National Park Service.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service report shows that 108,400 visitors to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller and Saint-Gaudens National Historical Parks in 2024 spent $7.3 million in communities near the parks. That spending had a cumulative benefit to the Vermont and New Hampshire economies of $9.6 million.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service will begin construction on a new stairway connecting the Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge (Byron Bridge) to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath at mile 60.6.
Official NPS sourceAnnual forest management operations are scheduled to begin at Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park on November 4 and continue for approximately three weeks. During this time, there will be temporary trail closures in and around the work areas between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Posted signs at trailheads will alert hikers to the closures and alternative routes will be marked.
Official NPS sourceMarsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the Woodstock Police Department have received multiple reports in the last 48 hours of an aggressive fox approaching visitors on or near the Faulkner Trail on Mount Tom. Rabies is suspected as a possible cause.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service and partners have published a Visitor Use Management Plan for the Virginia Triple Crown Segment of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The Virginia Triple Crown Segment includes the iconic Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs areas. This plan will guide long term visitor management in this area.
Official NPS source
Three national scenic trails have become the country’s newest national parks, raising the total number of existing parks from 425 to 428. 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 Trails System, are now also recognized as units of the National Park System.
Official NPS source
National Park Service has selected Ed Clark as the new superintendent of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. He is expected to begin his new assignment on October 8.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service (NPS) and its partners co-managing Appalachian National Scenic Trail’s Virginia’s Triple Crown segment near Roanoke, Va., encourage members of the public to comment on a draft Visitor Use Management Plan for Virginia’s Triple Crown segment of the trail. Comments will be gathered August 1 - 31, 2023.
Official NPS sourceMost forests in eastern United States national parks are at risk due to browsing by overabundant white-tailed deer and crowding by invasive plants, according to a National Park Service (NPS) study published in the journal Ecological Applications.
Official NPS sourceMarsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park invites the public to celebrate working woodlands and wood craft during its annual Forest Festival event on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Entry to the park and event is free. Parking for the event is at the Billings Farm & Museum overflow lot.
Official NPS source
Annual forest management operations are scheduled to begin at Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park on September 21 and continue through mid-October. During this time, there will be temporary trail closures in and around the work areas between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Posted signs at trailheads will alert visitors to the closures and alternative routes will be marked. The Prosper Road parking lot will remain open.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 6,675,119 visitors to national parks in Maryland spent $246.6 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 2,940 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $344.3 million.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 2,187,125 visitors to national parks in West Virginia spent $108.9 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 1,447 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $131 million.
Official NPS source
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is pleased to announce its 2022 Artist-in-Residence (AIR), Amy Hook-Therrien, a visual artist with a specialization in watercolor. Her residency at the national park will run from June until October and feature numerous events, workshops and open studio days.
Official NPS source
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Horticulturalist Kim Murray has retired after over two decades of service. For over 43 years, Murray has curated and cared for the landscape of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller estate and will leave behind a legacy of beautifully maintained grounds and gardens.
Official NPS source
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, in partnership with ArtisTree Community Arts Center, welcomes the return of Artist-In-Residence (AIR) Margaret Dwyer. Dwyer is a multi-media artist with a specialization in watercolor. Her first residency at the park was in 2019 and the park was fortunate to have her return last year and this year to carry on the AIR program through the pandemic.
Official NPS source
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park was selected to represent Vermont for the ATB Quarter which was officially released to the public in 2020. Located in Woodstock, Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP is the only national park dedicated to telling the story of conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America
Official NPS sourceNo upcoming events returned. Check the destination calendars for additional programs.
National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
Connecticut · Georgia · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Pennsylvania · Tennessee · Vermont · Virginia · West VirginiaNational Scenic Trail
Come to the North Country. Trek the hills and valleys. Stand on the shores of lakes & streams from glaciers 10,000 years before. Clear-flowing water, red/gold of autumn, a fairyland of snow, open prairies, and distant horizons paint the land. Historic sites along the way tell how America settled and grew as a nation. From North Dakota to Vermont, adventure is never far away.
Michigan · Minnesota · New York · North Dakota · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Vermont · WisconsinNational Historical Park
Walk through one of Vermont's most beautiful landscapes under the shade of the Mount Tom Forest, the oldest continuously managed scientific forest in the United States. This is a landscape of loss, recovery, and conservation. This is a story of stewardship, of people taking care of places - sharing an enduring connection to land and a sense of hope for the future.
VermontDestination directory sourced from NPS state listings, October 3, 2026. Official NPS directory