While each park has its own system, destinations like Carlsbad Caverns and Yosemite have reservation requirements for timed entry or specific areas. Reservation systems change frequently and are often seasonal. Below are some of the major parks that typically require reservations—but always confirm details on the National Park Service (NPS) website or Recreation.gov before your trip.

Acadia National Park

Reservation Type: Vehicle reservation

Acadia National Park, located in Maine, protects a stretch of rocky coastline, and called the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast. While you do not need an entrance reservation, you will need a permit to drive Cadillac Summit Road from May 20-October 25. Cadillac Mountain is a popular destination for visitors to Acadia National Park, especially for sunrise. Accessible by car, it is the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., and offers magnificent views of a glaciated coastal and island landscape. You can make a reservation up to 90 days in advance on recreation.gov.

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Carlsbad Caverns

Calling all fans of National Treasure, this park is for you. Explore more than 119 caves, walk a surface trail, stargaze, and drive Walnut Canyon Desert Drive. Timed entry reservations are required all year. Reservations are released 30 days in advance.

Reservation Type: Timed entry

Glacier

With glacier-capped mountains, aqua lakes, and 700 miles of trails, it’s fitting that Glacier National Park is called the “Crown of the Continent.” Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the U.S. (and only entry point to many trailheads). This year the park is piloting a shuttle reservation system. Starting July 1, 2026, parking at Logan Pass will be limited to three hours. This shuttle will replace the previous first-come, first-served shuttle system.

Reservation Type: Shuttle reservation

Haleakala

Standing at 10,023 ft above sea level, Haleakala National Park is Maui’s highest peak. Haleakala translates to “house of the sun” and is named for the demigod, Maui, who lassoed the sun, extending its passage and allowing people more time to dry cloth and grow food. Sunrise (or sunset) at the summit is a must if you’re visiting this park. However, you will need a vehicle reservation if you plan to enter the park between 3-7am. For more information on planning your sunrise hike, visit the NPS website.

Reservation Type: Vehicle reservation

Muir Woods

Located just outside of San Francisco, this national monument protects the old growth coastal redwoods. Parking reservations are required all year to prevent overcrowding.

Reservation Type: Parking reservation

Rocky Mountain

Covering 415 square miles, Rocky Mountain National Park offers a variety of ecosystems. Rocky Mountain is one of the highest-elevation national parks in the country. Straddling the Continental Divide, it includes more than 75 summits over 12,000 ft. If you’re feeling up for a challenge, Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail won’t disappoint. You will need timed entry reservations to enter the park from late May-mid October. Please note there are two different types of reservations to choose from: Timed Entry and Timed Entry+ Bear Lake Road.

Reservation Type: Timed entry

Check out our three-day guide to RMNP here.

Shenandoah

75 miles from Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is located within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. There are over 500 miles of trails through the park, including a section of the Appalachian Trail. You won’t need a reservation to enter the park, but if you plan to hike Old Rag (one of the most popular trails), you will need to make a reservation for a Day-Use Ticket.

Reservation Type: Hiking permit/Day-Use Ticket

Yosemite

As of February 2026, Yosemite no longer requires timed entry reservations. However, the popular Half Dome hike does require permits for day hikers. These are distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov, with one preseason lottery having an application period in March and daily lotteries during the hiking season. Backpackers—including those who plan to spend the night in Little Yosemite Valley—should apply for Half Dome permits with their wilderness permit.

Reservation Type: Hiking permit

Zion

From the tall stretching walls of narrow slot canyons, to the sheer drops of Angels Landing, Zion has many experiences to offer. If you’re planning to hike Angels Landing, you will need a Hiking Permit. However, no reservation is necessary to visit the remainder of the park or to ride the park shuttle.

Reservation Type: Hiking permit

Final thoughts

The guide above is based on information available as of 5/20/26, please make sure to check the NPS and recreation.gov websites for up-to-date information.

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Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) covers over 415 square miles with more than 350 miles of hiking trails, diverse wildlife, and the opportunity to hike along the Continental Divide. If you’re a seasoned hiker, we recommend spending at least three to five days to explore RMNP. Beware that crowds are largest during the summer months, especially July and August. If hiking isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other activities to fill your days. This itinerary is best from Memorial Day through mid-October, when Trail Ridge Road is open. Please also note that during this period, timed entry reservations are required to access the park.

Before we dive deeper, let’s familiarize ourself with the geography:

• Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved continuous road in the U.S. and cuts through the park from east to west.

• Bear Lake Road runs into the heart of the park and allows access to some of the best trails in RMNP.

• The Continental Divide Trail connects some of the tallest peaks, including Mount Ida, Flattop Mountain, Isolation Peak, and many more.

To get an idea of the full experience and discover extra insider tips, be sure to visit these places on the Nature’s Playbook app!

Things to Know When Planning Your RMNP Itinerary

1. Timed Entry System (there are two ticket types)

   From May 22-mid October 2026, you will need to make a reservation in advance to visit the park. Reservations are made online on the recreation.gov website. Each daily reservation costs $2 per vehicle, which is in addition to the $25 daily entrance fee or $35 weekly fee per vehicle. Learn more on the official National Park Service website. Or visit recreation.gov to make your reservation.

   Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road: This permit allows access to all areas within Rocky Mountain National Park. It covers Bear Lake Road and the trails that begin there, including Bear Lake, Emerald and Dream Lakes, Alberta Falls, Sky Pond, Hallett Peak, and Sprague Lake. The permit is valid from 5 am to 6 pm.

   Timed Entry (Excludes Bear Lake Road access): This permit allows you to explore all areas of Rocky Mountain National Park, with the exception of Bear Lake Road. You can drive along Trail Ridge Road, visit the Alpine Visitor Center, and hike to Longs Peak, Chasm Lake, and Gem Lake. The permit is valid from 9 am to 2 pm.

2. Elevation of RMNP

   RMNP is one of the highest national parks in the U.S.. The elevations at the lowest sections of the park range from 5,600-9,500 feet. If you’re coming from sea level, know that you might tire and get out of breath more easily. A number of hikes exceed 9,000 feet, with some reaching 13,000-14,000 feet. If you plan to tackle these hikes, make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to acclimate to the higher elevation and are staying hydrated.

3. Afternoon Thunderstorms

   Always be prepared! Afternoon thunderstorms, especially during the summer months are very common–2pm tends to be the sweet spot for these. To be safe, plan to start your hike early in the day so that you are finished, or at least below tree line by 1pm.

4. Parking at Trailheads

   Parking spaces at the most popular trailheads fill up very early in the morning. The parking lot at Glacier Gorge and the one at Longs Peak trailhead are usually full before sunrise. Although the parking area at the end of Bear Lake Road is sizable, it fills up quickly because it serves as an entry point to several popular trails in the park. If you plan to start your hike from this location, try to arrive by 7:30 am to secure a spot.

   During the busy summer months, a free shuttle service is provided by the national park service. These shuttle buses connect Moraine Park and Bear Lake, with numerous stops in between. Learn more on the National Park Service website.

Your 3 Day Itinerary for RMNP

Day One:

Morning: Nymph, Dream, Emerald, Haiyaha, and Bear Lakes from the Bear Lake Trailhead

This 6.2 mile hike covers the heavy hitters and then some. This is a moderate hike passing by five lakes and taking roughly 4-5 hours to complete. If you’re looking for a shorter hike, this route can be modified a number of ways. Pack snacks or lunch to enjoy when you reach Lake Haiyaha before returning to the trailhead. After a rockslide the color of Haiyaha can turn a milky tropical blue. Remember to pack-out all your trash and follow Leave No Trace principles.

Afternoon: Drive Trail Ridge Road

From Bear Lake Road turn left onto Highway 36 and continue on Trail Ridge Road. This is a 48 mile long road that connects Estes Park to Grand Lake, taking you into alpine tundra and up to 12,000 feet. It’s also the highest continuous paved road in the U.S.. If you want to to learn more about the road’s complex history and what led to It’s creation, read this article.

Day Two: Odessa and Fern Lakes

If you are looking to escape the crowds and visit multiple alpine lakes, this is good hike to consider. Depending on the route you choose, the hike can be 7.5-10 miles. There’s a good chance you’ll spot wildlife, we saw a moose and multiple deer. Remember to keep your distance because while they may be friend shaped, they are not your friend.

Day Three: Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge

Wake up early, as this will be a long yet stunningly beautiful day! The 8.6-mile hike to Sky Pond offers some of the most breathtaking views in RMNP. The journey starts at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead on Bear Lake Road. Along the way, you’ll visit several popular spots, including Alberta Falls, The Loch (also known as Loch Vale), Lake of Glass, and Timberline Falls. You can also opt for a side quest to Andrew’s Tarn on your way back.

Explore Estes Park

Estes Park is the town at the base of RMNP and where you’ll find lodging, restaurants, and plenty of ice cream shops. It’s also where you’ll find a number of breweries to quench your thirst after a long day on the trails.

Want more places to explore? Check out Nature’s Playbook for even more outdoor destinations and adventure ideas!

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Sterling Pond

Difficulty: Moderate

Length: 2.3 miles out and back

Gain: ~938ft

Seemingly short and sweet on paper, don’t let this hike fool you. The Sterling Pond Trail earns its reputation with a steep, calf-burning climb right out of the gate. It begins with a long stretch of stone steps off Route 108 at the top of Smugglers’ Notch, following a stream bed most of the way. The forest stays thick up until it meets the Long Trail, just under a mile in. Turn left and within a quarter mile it opens up to Sterling Pond, reflecting Madonna Peak just across.

Whenever I have friends visiting, this is one of the first spots I bring them to. I always pack some snacks and sit on the rock before heading back down. If it’s a warm day, bring a towel and take a dip in the pond to cool off.

Find the trail here.

The Nose via Haselton Trail

Difficulty: Difficult

Length: 4.5 miles out and back

Gain: 2,850ft

Starting from the base of Stowe Mountain Resort behind the Midway Lodge, the Haselton Trail is a true forest hike. The lower section winds through dense woodland, that’s been thinned just enough to let sunlight in. The trail steepens as it climbs, eventually breaking onto open ski runs before topping out at Auto Toll Road.

From there, continue up the road to the Long Trail and follow the ridge to the Nose, Mount Mansfield’s iconic secondary summit at 4,062 feet. The views from the top are some of my favorite — Stowe spreads out below, Lake Champlain stretches to the west, and on a clear day you can spot Mount Washington in New Hampshire and Mount Marcy in New York. Bring a beer and get a sandwich at Edelweiss to enjoy before heading back to the car. One important note: the Haselton Trail is designed for ascent. The steep, rocky upper sections are not recommended for the descent — plan to either retrace the Auto Road or connect to another route on the way down.

Find more details here.

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The Chin via Long and Profanity Trail

Difficulty: Difficult

Length: 5.5 miles loop

Gain: 2,300ft

This is the big one but definitely gives a taste of everything. The loop starts at Stowe Mountain Resort’s Lower Barnes Lot and climbs the Long Trail immediately and without apology. The ascent is relentless — steep, rocky, and technical in sections, be prepared for some scrambling — but the trail eventually breaks onto the exposed ridgeline where the sky opens up and the effort starts to make sense. The route passes the Upper Lip before cresting at the Chin, the true summit of Mount Mansfield at 4,393 feet and the highest point in Vermont.

The descent offers a choice: continue down the Long Trail or cut onto the Profanity Trail, a 0.5-mile bypass that lives up to its name with steep, narrow scrambles but is slightly more forgiving going down—if you’re a backcountry skier, take note since these are some popular lines in the winter. Both routes converge at Taft Lodge before connecting to the Haselton Trail for the final descent back to the resort. Bring lots of water, snacks, and patience. June through October is the sweet spot, though the mountain makes its own rules.

New England doesn’t believe in switchbacks, and Stowe is no different. Any one of these three trails is a great day in the mountains — do all three and you’ll leave Sunday exhausted and with some pretty decent memories.

If you've been following this series, you already know that public lands decisions are rarely simple — they involve competing mandates, multiple agencies, and stakeholders with vastly different relationships to the land. The fight over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota is one of the most consequential public lands battles playing out right now, and it's happening fast. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a resolution that would overturn a 20-year mining ban protecting one of the most visited wilderness areas in the country — using the same Congressional Review Act tool we covered in our BLM basics post. Here's what you need to know.

What is the Boundary Waters

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota represents one of the most visited and ecologically significant wilderness areas in the U.S., drawing over 150,000 visitors annually— making the proposed Twin Metals mine so contentious. The case presents as a multiple-use conflict, defined by federal public lands management since the passage of the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 and Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Together with the Superior National Forest, the region contains 20% of all freshwater in the entire National Forest System, and the Boundary Waters is home to over 1,100 lakes, 1,200 miles of canoe routes, and a regional economy generating $78 million in annual output and supporting 1,100 jobs. It is part of the boreal forest biome, home to endangered species including the gray wolf and Canada lynx, and serves as a dark sky sanctuary. Beyond recreation, the proposed mine sits within Tribal Ceded Territories where the Ojibwe retain usufructuary rights — the right to hunt, fish, and gather — under the Treaty of 1854.

What is Twin Metals proposing

Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Antofagasta, a Chilean mining conglomerate, is proposing to extract copper, nickel, and platinum—minerals considered critical to the energy transition and national security. The Duluth Complex in northeastern Minnesota contains these critical minerals which are highly sought after—95% of the country's known nickel resources, 88% of cobalt, 75% of platinum group metals, and a third of copper. Twin Metals is proposing to use dry stacking instead of traditional wet tailings ponds, which reduces the risk of dam failures, and claims that because of the geology and project design, they have eliminated the risk for acid rock drainage. The mine would be an underground mine rather than open pit.

The mine would be located near Birch Lake and the South Kawishiwi River in the Rainy River watershed—and the primary concern is the way that water flows in that watershed and where the project would be placed relative to it (Save the Boundary Waters, 2026). The Laurentian Divide runs through northern Minnesota and serves as a geographic boundary between surface watersheds (Pearson et al., 2022). Surface water north of the Laurentian flows to Hudson Bay, and the water south of it eventually flows to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. Sulfide ores contain sulfur-bearing minerals that produce sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water (Willms, 2026). Mining operations would cause acid mine drainage that would flow directly into the BWCAW and the border waters between the U.S. and Canada. Defined by interconnected lakes, the Boundary Waters is vulnerable to water pollution — pollutants do not remain isolated, they move, ensuring contamination in one place will affect water miles away (Willms, 2026).

A decade of political whiplash

The Boundary Waters has been contested for decades, but the conflict over Twin Metals has been subject to political whiplash over the last decade. The conflict began in 1966 when the BLM issued two federal preference right mineral leases to the International Nickel Company, covering roughly 5,000 acres of the Superior National Forest adjacent to the BWCAW. The 1978 Boundary Waters Wilderness Act banned mining within the BWCAW and established a 220,000-acre Mining Protection Zone along entry corridors. The leases were renewed in 1989 and 2004, but in 2016 the Obama administration denied a third renewal citing unacceptable environmental risk to the watershed. The first Trump administration reversed course, renewing the leases in 2019. The Biden administration then canceled the leases in 2022 and issued a 20-year mineral withdrawal protecting 225,504 acres in 2023. Most recently, the current Trump administration submitted that withdrawal to Congress under the CRA, and the House passed H.J. Res. 140 on January 21, 2026 by a 214-208 vote with a Senate vote imminent.

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The competing arguments

Competing commodity and non-commodity values on public lands are at the center of the Twin Metals conflict—a tension rooted in the multiple-use framework established by MUSYA and FLPMA. Proponents argue the mine would provide economic stability to the Ely region, which has never fully benefited from the area's tourism economy, and would contribute to domestic critical mineral independence, particularly at a time of geopolitical competition (PBS, 2019). The Duluth Complex contains 95% of the country's known nickel resources, 88% of cobalt, and 75% of platinum group metals—reserves carrying significant national security implications. However, the resource independence argument is complicated by the fact that the U.S. lacks the resources required for domestic smelting of nickel and cobalt. This means that extracted minerals would likely need to be exported for processing and bought back, undermining the self-sufficiency rationale—a concern reinforced by the fact that Antofagasta, Twin Metals' parent company, has existing agreements to process copper at Chinese smelters (Donnelly & Chakrabarti, 2026). A 2020 Harvard economics study found that in 89% of projected scenarios, a recreation-based economy would generate more jobs and income than a mining-based one, further complicating the local economy argument (Stock & Bradt, 2020).

The other side of the debate represents a broad coalition of environmental groups, recreation businesses, and Indigenous nations. The Ojibwe's treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather would be directly threatened by sulfide-ore mining contamination of their food and water sources. Two former superintendents of Voyageurs National Park, which lies downstream, stated this week that contamination from the mine would inevitably reach the park's waters, ecosystems, and fisheries—and that once these waters are polluted, they cannot be fully restored. Ultimately, this is a conflict between special interests seeking commodity extraction and the common interest in protecting an irreplaceable public resource for future generations.

What’s happening right now

The current administration has used an aggressive set of tools to advance mining development near the Boundary Waters. At the executive level, several orders have prioritized domestic mineral production—including Unleashing American Energy and Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production—which direct federal agencies to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory barriers for critical mineral projects. At the agency level, the Interior Department reinstated Twin Metals’ lease renewal in August 2025, and the administration submitted the Biden-era mineral withdrawal to Congress to initiate the CRA review process—allowing them to bypass the NEPA review process that would otherwise apply. Legislative tools including the Critical Mineral Dominance Act (H.R. 4090) and the FY 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill reflect Congressional support for increased domestic mineral development.

As of April 15, time has been held on the Senate floor for the vote—meaning it could happen at any moment. The resolution requires only a simple majority to pass and cannot be filibustered. The window for the Senate to act under the CRA closes at the end of April.

What needs to happen and why it matters beyond Minnesota

Litigation is the most immediate lever opponents can use. Environmental groups can challenge lease reinstatements and CRA proceedings under the Clean Water Act and the Wilderness Act, and tribal nations can invoke treaty consultation requirements to slow or complicate the permitting process. At the state level, the Minnesota DNR retains authority to deny Twin Metals’ state permit to mine, and the state legislature could pass permanent protection legislation for the Boundary Waters.

If H.J. Res. 140 passes the Senate and is signed by Trump, it would bar any future administration from issuing a substantially similar mineral withdrawal without new Congressional authorization—taking away not just the protection, but the ability of any future administration to put similar ones in place. Ely residents who support the project, including younger community members, are driven by genuine economic anxiety—and they are being presented with a solution. That local context matters. But the fact that the CRA has never been used to overturn a mineral withdrawal, and that its success here would permanently prevent future administrations from issuing similar protections without Congressional approval, makes clear that this is no longer just a fight about one mine in Minnesota. It is a test of whether established public lands protections can be quietly dismantled by Congress, setting a dangerous precedent for every landscape across the country.

What you can do

Contact your Senators today and House Representatives. You can reach the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Even if you don't live in Minnesota, this vote affects public lands protections across the entire country. Find more ways to take action at Save the Boundary Waters.

Below are a number of press releases explaining the vote and what it means.

• Earthjustice weights legal options to stop Chilean-owned Twin Metals mine.

• Senate Republicans send Trump resolution to lift mining ban near Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

• More than Just Parks released an article explaining what happens next. Read it here.

If you’ve been following this series, you already know that BLM lands and other federal public lands are managed under a complex web of mandates, agencies, and competing uses. The San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado are a good example of how that complexity plays out on the ground. The BLM’s Tres Rios Field Office manages more than 600,000 acres of public land and over 2.6 million acres of federal mineral estate (subsurface mineral rights owned by US and managed primarily by BLM), covering terrain that stretches from the Dolores River Canyon to the San Juans. This land supports grazing, energy development, recreation, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources—simultaneously under the multiple-use mandate we covered in A Beginner’s Guide to BLM Lands. But what happens when a natural disaster stress-tests that system in real time? The 2026 snow drought in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains offers a clear and sobering answer.

As of early April 2026, the San Miguel-Dolores-Animas-San Juan River Basin — the headwaters of some of the most important river systems in the American Southwest — was at just 19.5% of median snowpack. Colorado is experiencing its lowest snowpack levels since record-keeping began in 1941. This isn’t just a bad ski season. It’s a governance crisis playing out across millions of acres of public land.

What’s happening on the ground

In Durango, outfitters on the Animas River are already adapting. RiverTrippers began running trips earlier than usual this season, switching to smaller boats suited for low flows and reframing the experience for families rather than whitewater enthusiasts. It’s a good example of the kind of ground-level adaptability that local businesses have developed out of necessity — but it also illustrates a broader point: the people with the most on-the-ground knowledge are often the ones with the least formal influence over the decisions that affect them.

Further south, Navajo Reservoir is currently sitting about 60% full — roughly 50 feet below full pool. The reservoir is a critical upstream control point for the Colorado River Basin, and its drawdown is already limiting boating and camping access. For gateway communities like Durango and Pagosa Springs, the economic ripple effect is significant. Low snowpack conditions can trigger decreased visitation, hotel cancellations, and reduced retail sales — hitting small businesses that have limited reserves to weather a slow season. Ecologically, low snowpack accelerates wildfire risk and drought-related erosion, both of which can force recreation closures and compound an already difficult management situation.

Who makes decisions and when

In March 2026, Governor Polis activated Colorado’s Drought Task Force through the Department of Natural Resources — a state-level body that brings agencies together to share data and coordinate responses. It sounds like a reasonable system. The problem is that record warm temperatures and below-normal precipitation had been driving snowpack to record lows since October 2025. The state was responding to a crisis that had been building for five months.

This reactive pattern is one of the central challenges of drought management — and it’s fundamentally different from managing a wildfire or a flood. Wildfires and floods are sudden. Drought is slow-moving, which makes it politically difficult to mobilize a response before conditions become severe. By the time the Drought Task Force is activated, outfitters have already adjusted their schedules, ranchers are already rationing water, and tribal communities are already operating on a fraction of their allocated supply.

At the federal level, agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and BLM manage the public lands of the San Juan Mountains, while the Bureau of Reclamation operates the infrastructure — including Navajo Dam — that controls how water moves through the system. These agencies operate under different mandates, on different timelines, with different chains of command. The Colorado Drought Task Force can coordinate state agencies, but it cannot direct federal water management decisions. That gap between the body that coordinates and the body that actually controls the water is where drought response most often breaks down.

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Who is missing from the conversation

Even where coordination exists, key voices are frequently absent.

Outfitters and small recreation businesses — the people with the most real-time knowledge of how drought is affecting visitor experience — often have no formal seat at the planning table. The same is true for tribal nations with legally recognized water rights in the basin.

The Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise, for example, plans to operate on just 10% of its allocated Colorado River water this summer due to low snowpack. Tribal water rights in the Colorado River Basin are among the oldest and most senior in the system — yet tribal nations are frequently excluded from formal drought planning processes. Given that many tribal water rights claims in the basin remain unquantified and unsettled, making decisions without tribal input doesn’t just create a governance gap — it perpetuates an inequitable system where those most affected have the least influence.

Adding to the coordination challenge, research from the National Integrated Drought Information System found that outfitters and recreation businesses report drought monitoring resources are scattered across multiple agencies and platforms, making it difficult to get timely, actionable information. In some areas, this gap is being filled by nonprofits rather than government agencies — a sign of how much informal coordination is carrying the weight that formal systems aren’t.

What needs to change

Three gaps stand out as most urgent. The first is the information gap. A consolidated drought forecasting dashboard managed at the state level with input from recreation businesses, tribal nations, and local governments. It would give decision-makers and affected communities access to the same information at the same time. Right now that doesn’t exist in any meaningful way.

The second is the reactive posture of the current system. Quarterly proactive Drought Task Force meetings with early stakeholder notification would allow businesses to make procurement decisions, staffing plans, and trip scheduling adjustments before conditions become critical rather than after. Early warning and proactive preparation are essential for communities to build resilience — but the current framework consistently lags behind the conditions it’s meant to address.

The third is tribal inclusion. Permanent tribal representation in drought planning processes isn’t just good governance — it’s a legal and ethical necessity given the scope of tribal water rights in the Colorado River Basin. Drought decisions made without tribal input are decisions made without the full picture.

Why this matters for public lands

The 2026 San Juan drought is not an isolated event, it’s a preview of what public lands management looks like as drought becomes a permanent feature of western landscapes rather than a periodic disruption. The BLM, USFS, and Bureau of Reclamation were built for a different climate. Their mandates, planning cycles, and coordination structures were not designed for the pace of change that land managers are now facing.

Understanding how these systems work, and where they break down, is part of what it means to be an informed public lands citizen.

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March is my favorite month of the year. It’s the beginning of Spring. Flowers are blooming, there are little ducklings and baby r…

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Spring is in the air in Southern California. It may not be official for another week or so but we are seeing it pop up all around us. On freeways, backyards, mountain, or hillsides, and valleys. If you live here, you know what I’m talking about. The wildflowers. Oh yes! The joy that springs up (pun intended), when seeing bits of yellow, orange, purple, …

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This is a recording of our second Nature’s Playbook “The Atlas” Book Club discussion of Eat Like a Fish by Bren Smith. It was such a thoughtful and engaging conversation, and we truly appreciate everyone who took the time to participate, ask questions, and share ideas.

A special thank-you to our guest keynote speaker, Mae Connor, for joining us and generously sharing her expertise. Mae is an Aquatic Biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers based in the Pacific Northwest. Her work focuses primarily on anadromous salmonids—particularly ESA-listed species—studying their populations, reproduction, and habitat restoration. As someone working closely with these ecosystems in and around Seattle, Mae brought real-world insight to many of the themes discussed in the book.

Our conversation ranged widely—from salmon ecology and regional tribal knowledge to the current realities Mae is seeing in the Pacific Northwest. We discussed common misnomers surrounding farmed fishing, particularly salmon farming, and some of the environmental challenges and trade-offs associated with those systems. The book’s candid and often humorous storytelling style also sparked conversation, as Bren Smith shares his journey in a very honest, fisherman-to-reader voice. Many of us were surprised by what we learned—from the role of kelp and shellfish in improving ocean health to the broader food and environmental implications of regenerative ocean farming. While the book doesn’t shy away from difficult environmental realities, it also offers a hopeful vision for the future of food production and ocean stewardship. We also explored complex topics like hydropower, recognizing that even solutions considered renewable can carry environmental costs if the full chain of cause and effect isn’t fully considered and planned for. Mae’s perspective helped bring these ideas to life in a way that deepened the conversation for all of us.

For those who may be newer to the book, Eat Like a Fish is both a personal story and a hopeful vision for the future of our oceans. Bren Smith shares his journey from commercial fisherman to ocean farmer, pioneering regenerative ocean farming that grows kelp and shellfish while restoring marine ecosystems, creating jobs, and helping feed communities sustainably. It’s a fascinating and inspiring look at how working with nature—rather than against it—can help heal our waters.

We were especially grateful for the thoughtful questions and insights that came from this group. The curiosity and perspective each of you brings is what makes this community so special.

Looking Ahead

If you have a book suggestion for our next Atlas read, we would love to hear it. Please feel free to reply with a title you think would spark meaningful discussion and connect to our shared curiosity about nature, place, and stewardship.

We would also love to see experiences inspired by our recent reads shared on the Nature’s Playbook community page under The Atlas.
If you haven’t yet, consider posting an outdoor experience connected to The Enduring Wild. Over the next couple of months, we’d also love to see experiences connected to Eat Like a Fish.

The idea is simple: share an experience through the lens of what you learned from the book—whether that’s understanding ecosystems differently, noticing the role each species plays, or thinking more deeply about how human choices affect the natural world.

Experience Ideas Inspired by Eat Like a Fish

Coastal Experiences
• Visit a working harbor or fishing dock
• Walk the beach after a tide and observe seaweed washed ashore
• Explore a rocky shoreline tide pool and observe how different species coexist
• Snorkel, kayak, or dive above a kelp forest
• Visit a shoreline where oysters or mussels grow naturally
• Go fishing
• Visit an outdoor fish market

Anywhere Experiences (including landlocked regions)
• Visit a farmers market and talk with growers about soil health
• Explore a community garden and ask about composting or natural fertilizers (including seaweed or kelp if used)
• Visit a garden focused on biodiversity and soil health
• Observe a river, lake, or wetland ecosystem and note the interconnected species
• Participate in or organize a river or lake cleanup
• Visit a water garden and observe how different plants and animals contribute to the ecosystem

Finally, if you’ve enjoyed these conversations and have a friend or family member who might enjoy joining us, please feel free to invite them. We always welcome new voices and perspectives to the group.

Thank you again for being part of this community and for bringing your curiosity, ideas, and passion for the natural world.

Warmly,
Nature’s Playbook
The Atlas Book Club

So don’t worry — as we step into this mini blog, we’re doing it the Nature’s Playbook …

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I could write a whole series on Glacier, but for the purpose of this blog post and your short attention spans, I’ll keep it quick to our NP communities top hikes.

A Brief History of the Park

Established in 1910, Glacier National Park protects over a million acres of rugged peaks, alpine meadows, and glacially carved valleys in northern Montana. The land has long been home to the Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreille peoples, whose deep cultural connections to these mountains pre-date the park by thousands of years. Often called the “Crown of the Continent,” Glacier sits at the headwaters of multiple major river systems and was shaped by massive glaciers that once covered much of the landscape—many of which, while rapidly receding today, still define the park’s dramatic terrain.

To learn more about the park’s history listen to the official podcast of Glacier National Park, Headwaters. Follow Headwaters on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your podcasts.

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Grinnell Glacier

Length: ~11mi

Time: 5.5-6hrs

Elevation gain: 2,000ft

Type: out and back

Details: Grinnell Glacier

If there’s one hike that encapsulates Glacier’s scale and grandeur, it’s Grinnell Glacier. Images really don’t do this place justice. Be prepared for a long but incredibly epic day.

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I hope your elf on a shelf survived another week from the family dog, and your Q4 projects are coming to an end. We’ve got a lot to cover, so pour that coffee and keep reading. This week’s deep dive focuses on the impact of low snow years on water storage.

A quick recap of what we learned last week:

• Snow Drought is a period of abnormally low snowpack for …

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This month we’ll be talking about all…

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I think we often forget NYC is a small island. You might be asking why I’m opening this email this way. It’s about perspective. Odds are your mind went straight to a tropical place, and that’s understandable because islands are generally associated with warmer climates. I made a very lo…

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The weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving in NYC go by both quickly and feel like an eternity. Some …

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Shifting Focus

This past summer I made an effort to view every moment outside as a mini adventure. We have a tendency to get caught up in our routines and miss the small moments in our everyday. I started viewing my daily runs as mini adventures throughout the city. Thinking of my daily routine in this way made me mo…

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Opening the doors

Nonprofits and community groups run mentorship programs, rent or buy adaptive equipment, operate free or subsidized lessons, and coordinate transportation. These all have …

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Hey there!

The lyrics “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” are beginning to ring truer each day, and if you’re a fan of Christmas music, you’ve probably heard the classic “12 Days of Christmas” more than once. Here at Nature’s Playbook, we have our own version: 12 Days of Nature. Because let’s be honest... nature may just be our true love, and i…

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