Visitors’ Experiences

Promoting Inclusivity in our National Parks

One of the greatest joys for us over the past two years has been the ongoing collaboration between Mount Rainier and WNPF to reach out to our region’s Latinx community. Thanks to visionary leaders at Mount Rainier -- like former Superintendent Chip Jenkins and current Acting Superintendent Tracy Swartout, who...

Stehekin: Least Visited and Most Remote

You might think there is no better place than a remote mountain valley to spend some time in the age of COVID-19, and Stehekin, WA certainly fits the bill. It must be difficult now for the locals, though -- on the one hand wanting to keep away anyone who could...

Park Person of Interest: Dean Butterworth, Park Ranger, Outreach and Education Specialist

Connecticut native Dean Butterworth never set out to be a park ranger. He discovered his vocation—a perfect fit—after four years in the Navy, a brief period as a teacher, and a stint as a construction worker.

The Rise of Responsible Photography in the Age of Social Media

Nature First, a Leave No Trace partner organization, is an alliance of photographers dedicated to preserving highly photographed wild places through wise use, education, outreach, community and research. While the Leave No Trace principles seek to minimize human impact for everyone who recreates outside, the Nature First principles address specific...

These Projects Want YOU… to push them Over the Top!

The countdown is upon us…the fiscal year-end is coming... Will we make our fundraising goals? Instead of anxiety here in the office, all of us get super excited this time of year to see our ‘thermometer’ rise, knowing all the good work we’re doing with you to support our beloved...

What Makes YOU Parks Proud?

Whatever gets your geek on, I bet WNPF has a project you can sink your teeth into! And now’s the time to show your Parks Proud with a gift to Washington’s National Park Fund. We’re looking to you to help fully fund projects by the end of our fiscal year...

Field Trip to Olympic National Park

At the time the trifecta moon passed through our lives, I got to do the three things I love most about my job all in one day — spend time with a donor, visit a park ranger to learn about a project we’ve funded, and explore a bit in our beloved...

A Cabin Haven for Search and Rescue

Who are these dedicated folk springing from bed and/or leaving family and jobs on a moment’s notice? They are unpaid citizens who undergo rigorous training: 164 hours mastering navigation, rescue techniques, search classification and planning, first aid, CPR, outdoor survival, data gathering and photographing the dead for the medical examiners....

Park Person of Interest: Jared Infanger

“We are constantly doing work on our buildings,” he says. “We” means Infanger and the Carpenter Shop’s three year-round employees. They battle aging and weather’s detrimental effects on structures, struggling to maintain, repair, rebuild and preserve—to stay steps ahead of deterioration. It’s one project after another with urgent fixes in...