Yosemite National Park To Build New Visitor Center

Above, the current Yosemite Visitor Center and Theater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yosemite National Park in California will be getting a new visitor center in Yosemite Village.

The new Visitor Venter will be next to the Village Store.

Mercury News reported:

In a typical year, more than 4.5 million people visit Yosemite National Park, many of them first-time visitors from other states and countries who are looking to find their bearings and figure out how best to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of one of America’s most storied landmarks.

Now, park officials and a leading Bay Area environmental group are working to make their experience a little easier by building a new $10.4 million visitor center in the heart of Yosemite Valley.

Construction is planned to begin this fall, with the new facility expected to open by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

To read more, go here. 

Masks Mandatory At Grand Teton Visitor Centers

Above, Grand Teton's Colter Bay Visitor Center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One nice thing about visiting national parks is going outdoors and enjoying the fresh air.

Indoors in national parks, however, is a different story.

Masks are required in national park visitor centers, that includes those in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

According to Jackson Hole News & Guide:

The public will be required to wear masks inside Grand Teton National Park visitor centers and other buildings in 2021, a policy shift ushered in by the change in presidential administration.

Wearing face coverings indoors to reduce transmission of COVID-19 was strongly encouraged by Teton park in the summer of 2020, but local federal employees lacked the authority to enact a mask mandate.

“We could not enforce it,” park spokeswoman Denise Germann said.

As a result, mask rules in federal buildings at Moose, Jenny Lake and elsewhere did not square with a countywide mask mandate that took effect in July, going above the statewide rules.

That’s changing under President Joe Biden’s administration. Last week the Department of the Interior announced in a statement a blanket indoor mask mandate for visitors and employees — and some additional requirements when conditions are crowded outdoors.

“Wearing a mask around others, physical distancing, and washing your hands are the simplest and most effective public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Sara Newman, the National Park Service’s public health director captain, said in a news release. “Getting outside and enjoying our public lands is essential to improving mental and physical health, but we all need to work together to recreate responsibly.”

Outdoors, face coverings will be required when physical distancing isn’t possible, such as along narrow and busy trails, at overlooks or outside historic homes.  

No visitor centers are open in Teton park, but the policy change took effect immediately across the Park Service’s 423 properties when it was announced last Tuesday. 

Now that masks are required, maybe now the visitor centers can be reopened.

To read more, go here.

Grand Teton National Park Reopening 3 Visitor Centers

Above, Colter Bay Visitor Center last summer. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Things are slowly creeping back to some semblance of normalcy at Grand Teton National Park as three visitor centers are being reopened.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported:

Nearly a month after Grand Teton National Park reopened its gates to the public, three park visitor centers will unlock their doors Tuesday for the first time this year. 

On Monday, park officials announced the Tuesday openings of the Moose-area Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, the Colter Bay Visitor Center on Jackson Lake, and the ranger station and “welcome center” at Jenny Lake. There will be no cap on numbers of people admitted into the buildings at any one time, but park spokeswoman Denise Germann said that the centers’ operations will be different and that she’s telling people “to come with their patience.” 

“We are using stanchions within the visitor centers,” Germann told the Jackson Hole Daily. “There may be a line of people waiting to talk to someone. We’re not limiting the people, we’re just organizing and structuring the people in a way that’s both safe for visitors and employees.”

To read more, go here. 

Roswell UFO Festival and Manuelito Visitor Center

Above, the Manuelito Visitor Center near the Arizona border off of I-40. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This morning, I had some business to attend to in Gallup. While there, I decided to go on further west to the state line (20 miles) and enter Arizona a little bit to make a raid on the Big Teepee's humidor.

While I was in the area, I also went to the New Mexico Manuelito Visitor Center to pick up some literature, if they had any, on Roswell. Sure enough, they did.

I picked up a card on the Roswell 2018 UFO Festival that will be taking place on July 6-8.

Above, the advertising card for this summer's UFO Festival in Roswell. 

Also, (I had to ask a clerk as I didn't see any out in the literature racks) I obtained this Roswell Visitors Guide:

The Manuelito Visitor Center is a nice modern facility and it also has a rest area with shelters (each one has a picnic table and barbecue grill). Inside the Visitor Center, there are staff members who can answer any tourist's questions.

Above, the rest area and shelters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who are traveling to New Mexico, the Visitor Center is well worth a stop.