Mesa Verde National Park offers new camping, tour package

ARAMARK Mesa Verde has announced a new camping package, a guided tour and "green" upgrades at Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park's Morefield Campground. Campers can enjoy sleeping under the stars in the natural beauty of the park's scenic Morefield Canyon.

The package deal, which starts at $89, includes a dry campsite (or $115 for a base campsite) plus two seats on the new Far View Explorer Tour, a driver-guided adventure that departs directly from the campground. The tour takes guests to the popular Far View archaeological sites, including the third largest cliff dwelling Spruce Tree House, and includes short hikes to scenic and archeological overlooks and a picnic lunch in a wooded canyon. The package, which is valid for stays through Oct. 13, 2010, also includes an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for two and s'mores fix’ns to cook by the fire.

The full-service 350-space Morefield Campground is located inside the park, four miles from its entrance, and offers single, group and base camping; along with amenities like Wi-Fi access at the camp store, a cafe, hot showers, picnic tables and grills.

Together with the National Park Service (NPS), ARAMARK Mesa Verde worked to curb water consumption through a complete water system overhaul at the campground which saved 1.3 million gallons of water in its inaugural year.
 
Mesa Verde National Park was named "The Number One Historic Monument in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler, "One of 50 Places to Visit in a Lifetime" by National Geographic Traveler and a "Top 10 Fodor's Destination." The park was established by Congress on June 29, 1906, to preserve from injury or spoliation the ruins and other works and relics of prehistoric humans. It contains world-renowned dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples within 52,000 acres, 8,000 of which have been designated by Congress as protected wilderness areas. For more information, log on to visitmesaverde.com.

Photo copyright 2010 by Emily Woodbury

Saguaro National Park to host BioBlitz 2011

Saguaro National Park, bordering Tucson, Ariz., has been named as the host site for the 2011 National Park Service/National Geographic BioBlitz, scheduled for Oct. 21 and 22, 2011.

Part scientific endeavor, part festival and part outdoor classroom, BioBlitz is a two-day celebration of biodiversity centered on a 24-hour race to count species. During the BioBlitz, teams of scientists, school children and the general public work together to find and identify as many species as possible.

“We are excited that Saguaro National Park will host the 2011 BioBlitz,” said Saguaro National Park Superintendent Darla Sidles. “This event will offer a great opportunity for thousands of people in the greater Tucson area to explore and learn about species across the park’s mountains, cactus forests and riparian areas like never before.”

This will be the fifth BioBlitz that National Geographic and the National Park Service are presenting as a lead-up to the Service’s centennial in 2016. A different national park is being selected each year. The 2010 BioBlitz took place in Florida’s Biscayne National Park on April 30 and May 1, when thousands of people, including more than 1,300 school children and more than 150 scientists, identified over 800 species, including several not previously documented in the park.

“BioBlitz is a unique opportunity for top scientists and the general public to do field work together,” said John Francis, National Geographic’s vice president for research, conservation and exploration. “Through BioBlitz, the park gets a biodiversity checkup, but more importantly we all better understand our unique role in the natural systems where we live.”

Park Service launches online travel itinerary for Scotts Bluff, Nebraska

Towering 800 feet over the plains, Scotts Bluff, Nebraska has been a landmark for travelers for thousands of years. Modern day tourists can now easily follow the footsteps of Native Americans, fur trappers, missionaries, soldiers, and homesteaders and explore the area with the help of the National Park Service’s new Discover Our Shared Heritage travel itinerary, found at http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/scotts_bluff.

“People on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, and with the Pony Express all passed through the Scotts Bluff region,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “This part of Nebraska’s North Platte River Valley tells an important part of the story of western expansion and the settlement of the Midwest. This itinerary highlights places that trace the history of the area from its earliest settlement to modern times.”

The itinerary has information about 27 local sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Descriptions, maps, and photographs of each place highlight their significance and thematic essays provide additional context. A Learn More section includes links to tourist information for the cities of Scottsbluff and Gering and the surrounding area and other units of the National Park System in Nebraska.

The Scotts Bluff itinerary is the 51st in the National Park Service’s ongoing Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series. The series promotes public awareness of history and encourages visits to historic places throughout the country.

The National Park Service’s Heritage Education Services, Midwest Regional Office History and National Register Program, and Scotts Bluff National Monument produced the Scotts Bluff Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary in partnership with the City of Scottsbluff, the City of Gering, the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.