Catch the Eclipse at a TRACK Trail!
Four TRACK Trails are in the path of totality of the upcoming solar eclipse! Experience darkness in the middle of day at these cool places...
Blog
Meritus Health & National Park Service Partner to Get Kids in Parks
In conjunction with the National Park Service’s ParkRx Day, celebrated Sunday, April 23, Meritus Health became the only health system in the state of Maryland to partner with area parks for the Kids in Parks program’s TRACK Rx initiative.
Vote to Raise Money for Kids in Parks
As part of its Hike NC intiative, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is donation $100,000 to five nonprofits and Kids in Parks was selected as one! The more votes we get, the higher the percentage of the donation we will receive.
Students Engage in the New Citizen Science TRACK Trail at their Elementary School
On April 17, Kids in Parks celebrated the grand opening of the Haw Creek Elementary School’s Citizen Science / STEM TRACK Trail in Asheville, N.C. The celebration was held in conjunction with the school’s Earth Week, and coincided with the North Carolina State Science Festival.
The trail materials were overlaid on the school’s existing half-mile hiking trail. Throughout the week, teachers and their students flocked to the trail to learn about science found in nature through hands-on activities performed at a series of experiment stations.
Kids in Parks Invited to International Seminar for Kids in Nature
As Americans, it’s easy for us to recognize the issues surrounding children and their lack of connection to and interaction with nature here in the United States; but the problem of children disconnecting from nature is truly a global challenge.
In March, Kids in Parks Director Jason Urroz attended the Salzburg Global Seminar’s session titled, “The Child in the City: Health, Parks, and Play,” to work with 50 leaders representing 23 countries to address the multiple facets of this important issue.
Patients, Doctors, and Rangers Brave Weather on National Park Rx Day
On April 23, the Kids in Parks program joined the National Park Service, National ParkRx initiative, and several other park prescription programs from across the country in celebrating the second annual National Park Rx Day. The annual ceremony takes place on the last day of National Park Week, and doctors nationwide prescribe the events to their patients to get them active outdoors and connect them with the health benefits associated with spending time in parks.
First Wyoming TRACK Trail Opens Big!
The community of Laramie and surrounding areas turned out in big numbers for the opening of the Fort Laramie NHS TRACK Trail. As the speakers engaged the crowd, the sense of pride in the natural and cultural riches of the park became evident. Park Superintendent, Tom Baker, emphasized the parks ties to the people of the community and the dedication to broadening the range of opportunities for visitors to experience the amazing resources at the Fort and bring kids outdoors...
N.C. State Parks Celebrates 100th Anniversary with 23rd Trail
The National Park Service and North Carolina State Parks share a birthday this year. Both agencies turned 100!
To celebrate the BIG one, the North Carolina State Parks department and Kids in Parks cut the ribbon on a new trail atop Mount Mitchell, the state's first park and the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River. The trail marks the North Carolina State Park's 23rd TRACK Trail and the 80th TRACK Trail in the state!
TRACK Rx Expands into Maryland
The TRACK Trails at the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Catoctin Mountain Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, and Antietam National Battlefield are about to be inundated with Trail TRACKers. That’s because Kids in Parks has formed a partnership with Meritus Health, a hospital system in Washington County, Maryland, to expand their TRACK Rx program.
Shenandoah National Park Gets Third TRACK Trail
Now, when kids and families drive through Shenandoah National Park on the 100-mile long Skyline Drive, they’ll have three opportunities to get out of their car and stretch their legs on a TRACK Trail. That’s because Kids in Parks partnered with Shenandoah
San Diego County Parks Get Fourth and Fifth TRACK Trails
Three years ago, Kids in Parks installed three TRACK Trails in partnership with San Diego County Parks. One of the trails, the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve, has been the program's most registered TRACK Trail three years in a row. Because of this success, the county recently partnered with Kids in Parks to install two new TRACK Trails, giving kids and families from the region a total of five locations to get outdoors and active in parks!
Public Lands Day 2016
National Public Lands Day is on September 24th and we're really excited about it. Not only are public lands the reason programs like Kids in Parks can exist, but they are the public connection to the natural world. They are places we can go to see plants, animals, rocks, and history that we might not otherwise get to see. We can visit high peaks or deep canyons and everything in between. It's easy to take these places for granted.