National Park Service Coverage

Park rangers seek information on human-made fires at NC historic site

According to the Parks Service, the two fires happened around 9:02 a.m. on Sunday adjacent to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site's Freedom Trail.

WRAL staff

Free entrance to National Parks on Sept. 24

All National Park Service sites that normally charge an entrance fee will offer free admission on multiple dates in 2022 including September 24!

National Park Service awarding Historically Black Colleges and Universities millions of dollars

Saturday, the park service announced it is awarding 9.7 million dollars to preserve HBCUs across the country.

'She was pretty exhausted and hot': NPS workers help disoriented sea turtle

Cape Lookout National Seashore workers helped a disoriented loggerhead sea turtle return to the water.

Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Loggerhead sea turtle returns to the water at Cape Lookout National Seashore

Workers with the National Park Service's Cape Lookout National Seashore helped a loggerhead sea turtle in need on Thursday. Video courtesy of Cape Lookout National Seashore

New NPS grants worth $1 million total will help Raleigh HBCU's St. Augustine's, Shaw universities preserve historic buildings

Both Shaw University and St. Augustine's University each have received a $500-thousand dollar grant to help preserve their historic campuses.

Rick Armstrong, WRAL photojournalist

Free entrance to National Parks five times in 2022

All National Park Service sites that normally charge an entrance fee will offer free admission on multiple dates in 2022!

Teen in hammock attacked by bear at Great Smoky Mountains campsite

A young girl was attacked by a bear while sleeping early Friday morning at a campsite in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to officials.

Visit a U.S. National Park for free on Saturday

National Park fees will be waived on Saturday.

Free entrance to National Parks on Saturday, April 17

All National Park Service sites that normally charge an entrance fee will offer free admission on the following dates in 2021 including April 17th!

NC parks prep for Hurricane Isaias

North Carolina has so many beautiful parks especially on the eastern side of our state and along the coast. With Hurricane Isaiah on the way, officials are starting to make preparations to protect them. David Hallac, Superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, spoke with WRAL News on Friday morning.

After decades of devastation, a comeback for western NC forests

A long-term study in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shows that the number of adult Fraser firs has increased over the last 30 years.

Anne McDarris, UNC MediaHub

Free online National Park Service Junior Ranger books

The National Park Service has a number of free Junior Ranger books available to download.

Girl sends rock back to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

After pocketing a rock from the Great Smoky Mountains, a young visitor felt so guilty she mailed the rock back, along with a sweet letter.

Sewer leak endangers Kentucky national park visitors

National parks across the country are filling with visitors this summer, and many parks are badly in need of maintenance and repairs. Gary Strieker takes us underground at Mammoth Caves National Park where a sewer leak is causing potentially dangerous conditions for visitors.

National parks will offer free admission Saturday

Following a day of severe storms, Triangle residents might want to enjoy a free day of outdoor fun when the weather clears Saturday.

Janine Bowen, WRAL digital journalist

This summer marks 20 years since Cape Hatteras Lighthouse move

The National Park Service planned for years and worked for months to save the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from rising tides and the migrating shoreline along the Outer Banks as the ocean crept closer to its base in Buxton. Most of the Cape Hatteras Park Rangers from 1999 have since moved on.

National Park Service now owns the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born

Over the years, concerns emerged about the maintenance of the Atlanta home where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, which was owned by the nonprofit Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Now the home has a new owner, the National Park Service, which hopes to repair and preserve the house.

Mihir Zaveri, New York Times