The Alpine Connection Co.

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Captain’s log: We have made First Contact with a bear. The bear would like to be left alone.

Good plan. For more than 60 years, Star Trek has asked humanity to boldly go where no one has gone before. The National Park Service has been doing something similar, although we recommend bringing water, checking the weather, and telling someone where you’re going first. Also, our strange worlds tend to involve mountains, deserts, starry skies, underground caves, forests, oceans, and the occasional bear that has absolutely no interest in joining your crew.

Set phasers to fun! And bug spray/bear spray to stun? Whether you’re exploring the final frontier, a national park, or just trying to find a parking space at a popular trailhead, remember the basic rules of exploration:

🖖 Explore new worlds: Go somewhere you haven’t been before. Preferably somewhere with a map.

🌲 Respect the Prime Directive: Leave wildlife wild. Do not interfere, feed, pet, challenge, or attempt diplomatic relations with them.

🪐 Seek out new life: Look, listen, and observe. Also, don’t beam anything aboard.

🧭 Make it so: Plan ahead, check conditions, and know what you’re getting yourself into. “I thought there would be cell service” is not a survival strategy.

👽 Live long and prosper: Take care of yourself, each other, and the places you visit.

P.S. If you’re wearing a red shirt, maybe don’t volunteer for your party’s away team. Avoid suspicious caves too. Oh, look, we’ve now made Second Contact with the bear.

⁣Image: Clymene haptoera, a moth who wears its very own Starfleet badge at Mammoth Cave National Park.

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Grand Canyon National Park Evening Update | Sept. 8

Grand Canyon National Park Announces Recovery and Repair Plan Following Flash Flood

Grand Canyon National Park continues response and recovery operations following the significant August 29 flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area. Search operations remain active, while crews continue infrastructure assessments, stabilization work and efforts to restore a reliable water supply to the South Rim.

The park now has a path forward to restore water service and, based on current progress, expects that work to take weeks, not months.

Crews are moving forward with construction of a temporary water intake at Bright Angel Creek to replace the intake destroyed by the flood. Engineers are in the canyon designing the temporary intake, the existing Transcanyon Waterline contract has been modified to support the work, and construction activities are beginning this week.

Read more. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-announces-recovery-and-repair-plan-following-flash-flood.htm

09/09/2026

If you've visited the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center lately, you might have noticed we are screening a brand-new film! 🎉

"What Bison See: Restoring Yellowstone's Lost Migrations" reveals a lesser-known story about the migration patterns of one of America's most iconic species: the American bison. It explores where and how the animals established the migration routes they use today after a century and a half of restoration efforts.

The 20-minute documentary is presented by Yellowstone Forever and produced by the Wyoming Migration Initiative at the University of Wyoming, in partnership with the National Park Service. The film is showing three times daily at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center.

09/07/2026

ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT
Road construction along Mineral King Road resumes on Tuesday, September 8 at 7 a.m. with temporary road closures and delays through the end of the season.

Visitors heading into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks through the main entrance stations will not be affected.

The work zone will begin about 60 minutes up from the Hwy 198 intersection.

MINERAL KING ROAD CONSTRUCTION
CLOSURE AND DELAY SCHEDULE
September 8 – October 28

Weekdays (Mon – Thurs)
7 a.m. – 10 a.m. – Open with up to 30-min delays
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Full Roadway Closure
4 p.m. – 7 p.m. – Open with up to 30-min delays
7 p.m. – 7 a.m. – Open to traffic, no closures or delays

Weekends (Fri – Sun)
8 a.m. – 7 p.m. – Roadway Closure with Passthroughs
10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. single passthrough in each direction
(be at the flagging location at that time)
7 p.m. – 8 a.m. – Open to traffic, no closures or delays

The schedule and more road construction information can be found on our website:
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-construction.htm

NPS Photo
Alt text: Map of Mineral King Road indicating an estimated 65-minute drive between flagger location and Highway 198, a yellow highlight for the construction zone portion of the road with a flagger location at each end, and icons pointing to Atwell Grove, Atwell Mill Campground, Silver City Resort, East Fork Grove, and Cold Springs Campground.

09/07/2026