Category: Travel News

The National Park Service controls the National Parks and monuments throughout the United States, and is in charge of making decisions that will impact both the park land itself as well as the experience of the visitors to National Parks. On Monday, September 12 the National Park Service enacted a regulation that would make it not be allowed to utilize e-cigarette or vaping equipment within any area of a National Park where a previous designation of "no smoking' had been in place.  This has created controversy in the "vaping" community due to the fact that it has been established that the process of vaping and the process of smoking tobacco products are different.  Under the Clean Indoor Air Act, those utilizing tobacco products are restricted to specific areas when in public, and according to the specifics of the act "vaping" is not regulated in the same way due to the fact that there is no combustion of tobacco, nor any introduction of smoke into the atmosphere.  Vaping is more along the lines of the use of an inhaler for asthma, but now according to the National Park Service the two are viewed as the same thing. It is essentially irrelevant to argue about the control of one over another, or the reasons behind the decision.  It is debatable if the regulations are in place to reduce fire risks, as have been the case for tobacco product use, or if it is to control the introduction of particulate matter into public spaces.  The decision stands at this point, and vaping is no longer allowed in National Parks.  One reason this is an important discussion is that National Parks near  Las Vegas are often toured by visitors who utilize these e-cig products, and who are allowed to utilize them legally in Las

Touring Zion National Park, UT Located in the southwest corner of Utah, Zion National Park encompasses 229 square miles at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions. Known for its incredible canyons and spectacular views, it is Utah’s oldest national park, designated in 1919 by the newly created National Park Service. Zion is also Utah’s most visited park, and attracts nearly three million people a year to enjoy its spectacular views and vast sandstone monoliths. The northern portion of the park is known as the Kolob Canyons section, which is conveniently located just off the interstate. It is often said that tours of Zion present the most beautiful place in America to ovservers, with its towering red and tan-colored Navajo sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, mesas, buttes, and rivers. This geologic wonder is the result of two hundred million years of ice, water, and snow carving its eight layers of sandstone into breathtaking natural creations. The powerful Virgin River moves millions of tons of rock and sediment every year that gets deposited where it meets its tributaries, creating dramatic waterfalls. Four life zones are found in the park: desert, riparian, woodland, and Coniferous forest habitats. Over 400 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians make their home in one or more areas of this diverse habitat. It is no mystery why Zion National Park’s enchanting landscape attracts so many to hike, walk, climb, drive, backpack, horseback ride, and photograph its geologic diversity. For those looking to spend more than one day exploring, two developed campgrounds are located within the park that offer plenty of amenities. More adventurous campers can also set up in the one primitive campground, located off the Kolob Terrace road. Zion Lodge has motel units and cabins available for visitors. The Lodge