Visiting a National Park This Summer? Here's What to Expect
While it's true that the country's beloved parks are currently operating with about half of their expected seasonal staff and are bracing for massive budget cuts under the current administration, it's also true that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has gone to great lengths to maintain the façade that National Park Service (NPS) sites are doing just fine, even going so far as ordering them to stay open without enough staff to properly do so. As a result, important scientific research and services are being neglected behind the scenes so that visitors during the busy summer season don't notice the fallout from the dismantling of the current organization of the NPS. We may not see the negative effects of NPS cuts for months.
'We sometimes forget (that) managing a place like Yellowstone or Rocky Mountain or Yosemite is like running a city,' says Michelle Uberuaga, a Senior Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. 'In addition to service and public-facing roles, these skilled Americans perform roles like wastewater management, IT, wildfire prevention, species and ecosystem recovery, and beyond.'
How Your National Park Trip Could Change Under Trump
Park advocates say staff layoffs and building lease terminations could have far-reaching implications for both the visitor experience and the protection of natural resources.
Still, if you look closely, it's possible to see the strain already facing top national parks. Carlsbad Caverns has temporarily suspended many of its ranger-guided cave tours. Denali has announced that it's forgoing its popular youth camps for the entirety of 2025. Since May 2, the Park Service's Alaska Regional Office has lost about one-third of its staff, the most of any support facility so far, just as an estimated 2.6 million visitors stream in during the summer high season.
'They're going to have no choice but to reduce services,' says Sheridan Steele, former superintendent of Acadia National Park and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. 'That could mean anything from dirty restrooms to emergency calls that are not answered swiftly… That could actually mean health and safety issues for visitors. It could mean fatalities.'
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Motor Trend
27 minutes ago
- Motor Trend
You've Never Experienced a Truck Stop Until You've Been to the Beyond-Wild Iowa 80 Truckstop
Off Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa is what is perhaps one of the most uniquely American establishments ever created: the Iowa 80 Truckstop, the self-proclaimed 'world's largest truck stop.' A haven for long-haul truckers, road trippers, and tourists alike, the Iowa 80 Truckstop is something you must see to believe. For instance, here are some superlative figures to start: The Iowa 80 Truckstop, the world's largest, features amenities like a movie theater, restaurants, a dentist, and more on a 225-acre site. Open since 1964, it serves 6,000 daily visitors and offers unique services and a museum. Owned by the Moon family, it's a key destination for truckers and travelers. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next 225-acre property 900 truck parking spots 250 car parking spots 20 bus parking spots 42 car and RV fuel pumps 34 diesel pumps 10 EV chargers 130,000-square-foot main building Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the stop boasts it hasn't closed its doors since first opening them in 1964. In addition to a convenience store and nine restaurants (one of which includes a buffet or à la carte), there's also a workout room, 24 private showers, truck service center, a movie theater, a library, an arcade, a laundry center, two dog parks, a pet wash, a barber shop, a massive gift shop, a custom embroidery and print shop, a chiropractor, and a dentist. Finally, its onsite museum tells the story of trucking in the U.S. It houses more than 130 antique trucks, with the oldest one built in Iowa in 1903 and the most modern one made in 1996. Admission is free. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum. Photo courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop. In short, visiting the Iowa 80 Truckstop is like being in a small city. MotorTrend stopped here for lunch as part of the cross-country road trip we took in our long-term 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid sedan, and it was possibly the smartest move we made on the whole trip. Grab a seat at the Iowa 80 Kitchen for the tasty and filling buffet, or order a sizable burger cooked to perfection. Once you've refueled yourself, we highly encourage you to wander through the massive gift shop and truck parts store to take it all in. Here you can purchase anything and everything you'd ever need as a trucker or road tripper. Besides obvious items like snacks, chargers, and seat cushions, you can buy truck mattresses, pillows, sheepskins, DVDs, books on tape, guitars, high-visibility clothing, and a truly impressive array of ... swords. If you budget enough time, you can even get something custom vinyl embroidered. A Man, a Plan, a New Interstate Highway, Truckstop! The Iowa 80 Truckstop's history began with the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and the subsequent need to place truck stops along Interstate 80. Upon returning from service in the Korean War, founder Bill Moon worked as a district representative and location scout for Standard Oil. A bit of farmland beside the highway caught his eye. It was about three hours from Des Moines and Chicago and six hours from Detroit and Omaha. At mile marker 284, just north of Walcott, Iowa, Standard Oil broke ground. Photo courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop. Opening in 1964, the early truck stop was modest compared to what it is now. Customers were welcome to a single-bay service area, a handful of fuel pumps, a communal shower, a communal and cot-filled sleeping room, and a 24-hour car and truck wrecker service. The Moon family eventually bought the truck stop from Standard Oil of Indiana (or Amoco, as it was known by then) in 1984. From then to 2004, they began turning it into the destination it is today by expanding the service center, store, and restaurant; installing individual showers; and adding amenities like the arcade and movie theater. There were even fax machines for those needing to do business before the Internet was a thing. The completion of the Iowa 80 Kitchen was a cornerstone event between 2004 and 2024, transforming the food options from a cafe to a 300-seat restaurant and buffet. Pictured, the Iowa 80 Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop. Bill Moon died in 1992, so he never saw the completed work. But his legacy lives with the family members that survive him and anyone who visits the stop. Under the Iowa 80 Group, the Moon family—now in its third generation—also owns and operates the Joplin 44 Petro and Kenly 95 truck stops in Joplin, Missouri, and Kenley, North Carolina. But the Iowa 80 location is undoubtedly the family portfolio's crown jewel. A Trucker's Diagon Alley As for being 'the world's largest truck stop,' how can the family make such a claim? 'Acreage and amenities, and we've checked with other truck stops,' Iowa 80 Group spokesperson Lee Meier told MotorTrend . 'Our Kenley and Joplin locations are probably No. 2 and No. 3 in terms of size and amenities. So we're beating ourselves here. Plus, we've been called the 'world's largest' since we were branded [as] Amoco. That probably started in the '80s.' The convenience store. Photo courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop. Iowa 80 serves nearly 6,000 customers per day, and that volume is split approximately 50/50 between truckers and people in passenger cars. Summertime sees more families and vacationers, but Meier said there really isn't a 'slow' time for the truck stop. Its busiest days depend on the weather and season. 'Some of our customers are fourth- or fifth-generation customers, which is very cool and pretty humbling,' Meier said. 'Sometimes we have the same customers three or four times a week, depending on routes, and other times we don't see people for a couple of months. Maybe once a year we have this same customer, but we're glad to see them however often they visit us.' The sheer variety of things to do at Iowa 80 is what keeps them all coming back, so it's a pretty great place to spend a mandated break if you're on one. There's plenty to choose from if you're there for more than one meal, and the staff keeps the showers clean and running around the clock. Meier said the on-site chiropractor and dentist are particularly popular. Both accept walk-ins and insurance, depending on the provider, and even take emergency appointments at odd hours. '[A truck driver's] truck is their [only] vehicle [when they're out on the road], and oftentimes, parking lots for normal dentist offices can't accommodate a semi-truck and trailer,' Meier said. 'So it's nice they don't have to worry about parking or getting some kind of rideshare to a dentist office in order to fix an emergency.' By far, though, the most interesting wing is the Super Truck Showroom. Here, truckers can buy seemingly any part for their trucks under the sun. Hood ornaments, trumpets, bumper guards, mud flaps, mirrors, seats, and stacks were just a few of the things we saw for sale. Up and down the aisles, truck drivers strolled with salespeople, chatting specs and prices. The Super Truck Showroom. Photo courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop. For the casual road tripper, the Iowa 80 Truckstop is a highly unique place to visit, as well. The Iowa 80 Kitchen is a relaxing place to sit, and you don't feel like you'll be chased out as soon as you finish your food. The convenience store is stocked with what looks like every snack and beverage known to humankind, and the gift shop has some truly spectacular options, such as these shoes. The stop's aesthetic is a bit of a time capsule, as you can see the different eras of development in the decor. But each is a testament to Iowa 80's continued expansion. No doubt cherished by truckers and travelers alike, the Moon family has managed to craft some permanence into an industry built on transience. — Additional photography courtesy of Iowa 80 Truckstop.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
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The British Embassy's Shady Fourth of July Tweet Speaks Volumes Without Saying Much
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