The Real Stories Behind the Scenery

Ranger Confidential: Secrets of the National Park Rangers

What hiker hasn't dreamed of being a National Park Ranger? It's the primo job in the outdoors, right? You patrol the country's most spectacular wilderness preserves, become a backcountry hero (with government benefits!), and get to wear that iconic hat. But what really happens when you put on a smokey the bear stetson?.

misguided investigation ends an era in Arizona

Calling the National Park Service case against Billy Malone "misguided" is a kindness. Others use words like "corrupt" or "fiasco" when speaking of the bungled federal investigation that cost taxpayers nearly a million dollars, ruined the reputation of one of the last old-time Indian traders and may have transformed an authentic Indian trading post into nothing more than a gift shop.

The Case of the Cigarette Smoking Woman

“Old buildings talk,” Ranger Garcia says. “They shift. They creak. They moan. You hear things.” 

The ranger was working on the main level one afternoon when she heard someone coming up the stairs from the tap room below. “It was footsteps on stone,” she says, “but when I looked up to wave at the person coming up the stairs, no one was there.”

How Hard Can it Be? Bikepacking the Arizona Trail: Adventure Cycling

When Cycling Denali, What You See is What You Get—So Deal With It: Adventure Cycling

A Journey to Anacapa Island’s Dark Side: Santa Barbara Independent