The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a non-profit organization that oversees the trail, says they’re looking for volunteers at three different offices. Volunteers help educate visitors about the AT and the work the Conservancy does. Positions are now available in these offices:

• Damascus, VA
• Harpers Ferry, WV
• Monson, ME (seasonally)

Besides greeting visitors, volunteers take phone calls and answer emails and are the go-to people for all things Appalachian Trail. The role is pivotal for the millions of people who hike parts of the trail annually and thousands of thru-hikers.

Learn more about the roles in Virginia, West Virginia, and Maine.

Ready to hike the trail instead? Here’s what you need to know to get started.

The post Be Part of an Appalachian Trail Adventure By Volunteering to Help Thru-Hikers and Other Visitors appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Rescuers say the man was climbing on a route called “Generic Crack” in the famous Indian Creek climbing area.

The man’s climbing partner called 911 after realizing they could not free the victim from the rock.

After determining the victim was too high for rescuers, they called in a helicopter to shuttle their team members to the top of the climbing route. They then rappelled down to the man to try to remove him from the rock but had little success.

According to media outlets, additional search and rescue teams responded to help. Crews used a mix of different lubricants like soap and other items to try to free the man’s leg. By the time he got out, it had been 12 hours. 

“Thankfully he only suffered minor injuries,” posted the San Juan County Search and Rescue. “A huge thank you to our partners Classic Air Medical and Grand County SAR. Without them this rescue would not have been possible.”

Indian Creek is famous for its crack climbing. The climbing area is in Bears Ears National Monument.

The post This Is Our Nightmare: Rescuers Take 12 Hours to Save a Trapped Rock Climber appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

The Everglades are known for being jam-packed with alligators. It’s also the only place in the world where you can find alligators and crocodiles. 

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says they were called in to assist the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office due to the pilot’s remote location. In a social media post, rescue crews say the area is only accessible by aircraft.

Multiple media reports say the pilot crashed around 4:00 a.m. The rescue didn’t happen until 10:00 a.m. The rescue crew used the helicopter’s hoist to pull the pilot to safety. 

The pilot is said to be okay with only minor injuries.

Alligators vs. Crocodiles

Visitors to Everglades National Park have the opportunity to see both alligators and crocodiles. Telling the two animals apart is easier than you think. Alligators have wider snouts and teeth that rest inside their mouths. In comparison, crocodiles have long, skinny snouts and exposed teeth. Alligators are way more common in the Everglades and are generally less aggressive than crocodiles. 

Wildlife experts say the best way to stay safe from alligators is to keep a safe distance. If one does charge you, don’t bother running in a zigzag. That’s mostly a myth. Running away in a straight line will put the greatest distance between you and the animal.

The post Later, Gators: Pilot Survives Crash but Lands in Remote, Alligator Infested Swamp – Watch the Rescue Footage appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

A 2022 study found a 16% increase in vehicle and deer collisions the week after daylight saving time. One of the leading arguments for a permanent DST is the decreased risk of crashes. 

However, for now, we’ll see another end to daylight saving. So, in the meantime, state agencies like Colorado Parks & Wildlife want to remind drivers to be extra vigilant.

“This is the time of year when we start seeing more animals on the move at our state parks and on our roads,” said CPW Fishers Peak State Park Manager Crystal Dreiling in their official press release. “Drivers across the state can expect to find wildlife on or near the roadways as winter approaches and they can do their part in helping to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions with bear, elk and deer by traveling at slower speeds and staying vigilant.”

Wildlife officials are partnering with the state’s Department of Transportation for their message and offered these tips to drivers:

• Slow Down. Driving more slowly increases reaction time and reduces the chance of a collision.​
• Stay Alert while driving at dusk and dawn. This is when many of Colorado’s wildlife are the most active and are likely to be crossing roadways.
• Scan Ahead and watch for movement along roadsides. When driving at night, watch for shining eyes in headlights. Always look and be prepared for more than one animal.
• Obey traffic signs and watch for wildlife warning signs.

Colorado Parks & Wildlife says the best action the state can take is creating more animal-safe infrastructure. These designs include wildlife overpasses, underpasses, and fences along busy roadways.

The post Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend – and That Means an Increased Risk for Collisions With Wildlife appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

The NPS wants 30% of their officers to be women by 2030. Currently, women represent only 16% of the entire NPS law enforcement workforce.

“Protecting the nation’s most precious resources, history and communities is a large undertaking that requires a skilled and diverse workforce,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams in a press release. “The most skilled workforce is one that has people from all walks of life, with different skills and different ideas. It is essential that we continue to grow a team that reflects the nation and communities we serve.” 

This current plan isn’t the first time the National Park Service aimed to diversify its workforce. In 2021, the agency started a new hiring program to reduce barriers and increase diversity for law enforcement park rangers. The initiative appears to be working with an increase seen in the 2023 fiscal year. Of the 100 new officers hired, 25% were women, and a quarter were non-white. 

The 30×30 pledge initiative says in 2021, only 12% of law enforcement officers across the U.S. were women. Studies show that female officers use less force and appear in fewer complaints and lawsuits. Some major police departments are also following the initiative, like New York City and Los Angeles.

The post The National Park Service Pledges to Increase Hiring of Female Law Enforcement appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Park Rangers and others are now preparing for the winter season and the arrival of snowmobiles and snowcoaches. A snowcoach is a wintertime tour bus. These chartered rides are a great way to experience the park when it is snow-covered. The park opens to these vehicles on December 15.

Anyone visiting the park in the winter months must enter through the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana or the Northeast Entrance in Cookie City/Silver Gate, Montana.

Yellowstone officials say visitors need to be prepared when visiting in the winter:

• Prepare for changing weather conditions.
• Have flexible travel plans.
• Expect limited services.
• Anticipate possible road closures due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions.
• Temporary travel restrictions or closures can occur at any time without notice.
• Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone.

Have you ever visited Yellowstone in the wintertime?

The post Winter Arrives in Yellowstone National Park as Most Roads and Entrances Close for Season appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Park officials say they’ve seen a 44% increase in visitation from 2012 to 2019. In the last few years, they’ve tested a reservation system at the park during peak visitation times, mainly the summer months. 

“Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased visitor and staff safety concerns, and created a heavy strain on the park’s facilities and ability to perform daily operations,” wrote the park in their press release. The goal of the plan is to identify strategies that will help protect park resources, offer varied opportunities for high-quality visitor experiences, and enhance visitor and staff safety.”

The National Park Service is now opening a window for the general public to share their feedback on Rocky Mountain’s Environmental Assessment and settle on a long-term plan to handle day-use visitors. 

Recent public input has helped the park decide on a reservation system, which guarantees those with a reservation access to the park. The most popular plan includes two separate reservations. One allows access to everything, including the Bear Lake Corridor, one of the most popular destinations in the park. A second will enable visitors access to only the remainder of the park. 

Provide Your Feeback to Rocky Mountain National Park

• Submit feedback to the park’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
• Attend an open house:
  • Tuesday, November 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Grand Lake Center in Grand Lake, Colorado
  • Monday, November 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Estes Valley Community Center in Estes Park, Colorado
• Attend the virtual public meeting on Wednesday, November 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Register here.
• Write a letter to the Park Superintendent with this mailing address: 

Superintendent 
Rocky Mountain National Park 
1000 US Highway 36 
Estes Park, CO 80517 

Feedback is due by December 14, 2023. The park is announcing its 2024 plans within the next few weeks.

The post Make Your Voice Heard: Rocky Mountain National Park Wants Your Feedback on Crowds and Timed Entry appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

According to Blue Ridge Parkway officials, they have multiple reports of visitors feeding and attempting to pick up a young bear in the area at Lane Pinnacle Overlook. As a result, “we can’t have nice things.” The route is now closed from mile 367.6 near Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to mile 375.6 at Ox Creek Road. That section is northeast of Asheville, North Carolina, and includes the closure of a visitor center. 

“We are closing this section of the road temporarily for the safety of both the bear and park visitors,” said Superintendent Tracy Swartout in a social media post. “When people intentionally attract bears with trash and food, it can lead to very dangerous situations. In this instance, we want to give the bear a chance to lose interest in the area before the situation escalates and visitors or the bear are harmed.”

Officials say visitors trying to reach the Craggy Gardens recreation area can still take NC80 from the north. However, there is no timeline to reopen the roadway.

Visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited site in the National Park Service system. Fall is especially busy for the parkway as the mountains running through North Carolina and Virginia turn vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Millions of visitors will make the drive to see the leaves change.

Besides photo opportunities of leaves, fall is also a critical time of year for bears who are working towards hibernation. The animals must eat as much as possible to fatten up for their long nap. However, feeding bears causes habitation, meaning bears lose their natural fear of people. In many of these situations, officials are forced to euthanize bears.

Want to get closer to wildlife? Try a pair of binoculars.

The post ‘Very Dangerous’: Popular Section of the Blue Ridge Parkway Closes After Tourists Repeatedly Feed and Attempt to Pick Up A Bear  appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

The study comes from the Voyageurs Wolf Project, which focuses on wolves in northern Minnesota, including parts of Voyageurs National Park. 

“The premise is really quite simple: human activities change where deer are on the landscape, and wolves go where the deer are,” says Dr. Thomas Gable in the organization’s press release. “Plus, humans have done an excellent job of creating and maintaining a diverse, well-connected web of roads, trails, and other cleared linear features that are ideal corridors for wolves to hunt deer.”

Our Impact on Wolves

Just like humans, wolves would rather not bushwhack through the forest. The animal prefers to use well-maintained human-made trails to track deer and other animals. The paths and roads allow the animals to travel faster and farther.

The study also found that wolves will often target recently logged forests. Cut trees are a food source for fawns, and that is easy hunting for wolves.

Finally, the study found a lot of wolves hunting near cabins and other infrastructure. Researchers believe this has to do with the fact that deer can often find food near people. Additionally, wolves generally avoid humans, meaning it should be safer for deer looking to avoid predators. Notably, though, the study found that wolves will risk a human encounter to find something to eat.

Research officials say that doesn’t mean there’s an increased risk for humans.

“Although the high concentration of deer near human development attracts wolves to areas near people, wolves still definitely avoid encountering people when hunting fawns around human infrastructure,” said Austin Homkes, a researcher for the Voyageurs Wolf Project. “Wolves spend substantial time in close proximity to occupied cabins and residences, and yet almost no one sees them.”

You can find the full study here. 

The Voyageurs Wolf Project has worked for years in the area and often captures amazing videos of wolf packs roaming the area.

The post ‘Just Like Humans, Wolves Prefer to Travel on Roads and Trails’: A New Study Proves Humans Directly Impact Where Wolves Hunt appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

According to a press release, visitors from Switzerland in a camper van slammed on their brakes to avoid running over a tarantula. A Canadian man on a motorcycle then crashed into the back of the van.

An ambulance transported the motorcycle rider to the Desert View Hospital.

Park officials say the incident happened on CA-190 near Towne Pass. They say the crash is a reminder to drive slowly through national parks.

“Please drive slowly, especially going down steep hills in the park,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds in their press release. “Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out.”

Tarantulas spend most of their lives living underground. However, in the fall, the spiders will travel for mating. Male spiders will die after mating and sometimes are killed by the mating female. On the other side, female spiders can live for 25 years. 

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