The Newsroom

Reporting from the front lines of America's public lands

Honest field journalism from people who've spent their adult lives in America's public lands. Investigations, policy tracking, and on-the-ground trail reports on the places we're all fighting to keep.

By Will, Jim & Tony Pattiz Published daily, served free 27,000+ readers
Policy & Threats Smoke drifting over the peaks of Glacier National Park during fire season

Investigation

How to Plan a National Park Trip During Fire Season

Wildfire is rewriting the calendar for every Western park. Here's how we read the conditions, what closures actually mean on the ground, and how to plan a trip that still works when the smoke rolls in.

Jim Pattiz
Co-Founder, June 19, 2026
Read the report
01

Latest from the field

All reporting News · daily briefs
Park GuidesGranite domes and waterfalls in Yosemite Valley

Best Time to Visit Yosemite, Month by Month

Twelve months in the Valley, ranked honestly. When the waterfalls actually peak, when the crowds finally break, and the two windows we'd book for ourselves.

Will Pattiz·Jun 22, 2026
Field NotesWildflower meadows beneath misted ridgelines

Paradise at Mt. Rainier, the Most Beautiful Place We've Ever Filmed

Jim Pattiz·Jun 18, 2026
Park GuidesMountain lake reflecting the peaks of Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park Reservations in 2026, Explained Simply

Jim Pattiz·Jun 17, 2026
Red rock arches and open desert country
Conservation

National Forest vs. National Park, the Difference Explained

Will Pattiz·Jun 16, 2026
 Steam rising from the geyser basins of Yellowstone
Field Notes

Best Time to Visit Yellowstone, by Someone Who Keeps Going Back

Will Pattiz·Jun 15, 2026
 Sun-baked salt flats stretching across Death Valley
Policy & Threats

You Can Do Death Valley in Summer. But Should You?

Will Pattiz·Jun 9, 2026
 Turquoise shallows along a Virgin Islands beach
Wildlife

An Honest Guide to Summer in Virgin Islands National Park

Jim Pattiz·Jun 4, 2026
 The sandstone walls of Zion Canyon above the Virgin River
Park Guides

Summer in Zion Means Heat, Crowds, and the Best Hikes

Will Pattiz·Jun 2, 2026
 Lava fields and crater rim at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Field Notes

What Spring in Hawai‘i Volcanoes Is Really Like, from Weather to Crowds

Will Pattiz·May 20, 2026
The Fight for Public Lands

Right now, 117 public lands destinations are under threat

Oil and gas leases fast-tracked. Agencies gutted. Monument protections rolled back. These are places that belong to all of us, hunters and hikers and families alike, and we're documenting every threat as it happens. This is the reporting the headlines miss.

View the Threat Map How to Fight Back
117
Public lands destinations under active threat
615+
Field-built guides and reports
4
Federal agencies hired us to film
27K+
Readers standing up with us

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