A moose nibbles on branches near a stream with her two young calves by her side in the Peak 7 neighborhood near the White River National Forest on July 6, 2017, in Breckenridge. (Helen H. Richardson/, Denver Post file)
A ranger in San Juan National Forest in 1973. (Denver Post file)
People hike in the Wild Basin are of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1980. (Denver Post file)
Rocky Mountain National Park by Ranger Foster F. Freeman welcomes Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Sawyer and Mrs. Tom Sawyer, all of Milwaukee, as the 1,500,000th visitor of the year in 1957. (Denver Post file)
Hikers leave logging road in the woods of the Arapahoe National Forest during a 615-mile walk from New Mexico to Wyoming in 1972. Credit: Denver Post (Denver Post file)
A giant redwall cavern along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon dwarfs the modern tourist-adventurers in 1985.(Denver Post (file)
A dory boat makes its way through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, powered by oar only, in 1987. (Denver Post file)
Forest Service ranger Dale Nuss at Yellowstone National Park Nuss has an old- time ranger's disdain for paper work and being indoors. Photo taken in1980. (Denver Post file)
Rocky Mountain National Park in 1980. (Denver Post file)
Katy Bell, 12, Colorado Springs, offers a tidbit to a new acquaintance at a camp on Trail Ridge Road while taking advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and the warm summer weather in1978. (Denver Post file)
The Holzwarth Homestead cabin at Rocky Mountain National Park is the centerpiece of the National Park Service's Living-History program. This 1975 photo shows the homestead being restored as a working ranch typical of those settled near headwaters of Colorado. (Denver Post file)
Lower ruin in Canyonlands National Park has been sheltered in this natural Grotto for more than 600 years. This photo was taken in 1972. (Denver Post file)
Kurt Oliver, a 1972 Forest Service ranger, heads for the woods of the Rocky Mountain National Park to aid a ranger in obtaining his uniform, a monetary allowance supplements his salary. (Denver Post file)
EcoFlight pilot Bruce Gordon gets up close and personal as he flies past Mount Sopris in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in White River National Forest on June 25, 2018, in Aspen (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
ESTES PARK, CO. - January 23, 2015: Very first light at the sunrise near Horseshoe Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park January 23, 2015 Estes Park, CO (Photo By Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Visitors tour the dwellings at Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park on July 12, 2017. (Joe Amon, Denver Post file)
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve on June 13, 2018, near Alamosa. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
Looking back at the sunrise near Horseshoe Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park on Jan. 23, 2015. (Joe Amon, Denver Post file)
DEC 20 1957 Park Welcomes 1,500,000th Visitor of Year Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Sawyer and Mrs. Tom Sawyer, all of Milwaukee, are welcomed to Rocky Mountain National Park by Ranger Foster F. Freeman. Credit: The Denver Post (Denver Post via Getty Images)
Cliffside dwellings carved into cliffs above and below in Mesa Verde National Park. (Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post)
A deer grazes on grasses at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve on June 12 near Alamosa. (RJ Sangosti, Denver Post file)
AUG 8 1980, AUG 19 1980 Wild Basin Rocky Mountain National Park Credit: Denver Post (Denver Post via Getty Images)
The beach at the base of the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park with the Sangre de Cristo mountains behind on April 31, 2017, in Hooper. (Joe Amon, Denver Post file)
A Black-billed Magpie rides a grazing Elk after the sunrise color has faded near Horseshoe Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park on Jan. 23, 2015.(Joe Amon, Denver Post file)
Joe Amon, Denver Post fileSand blowing from the top of the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park with the Sangre de Cristo mountains behind on April 31, 2017, in Hooper.
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A moose nibbles on branches near a stream with her two young calves by her side in the Peak 7 neighborhood near the White River National Forest on July 6, 2017, in Breckenridge. (Helen H. Richardson/, Denver Post file)
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By Amy Brothers | abrothers@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...
The National Park Service is celebrating its 102nd birthday on Aug. 25. NPS was created in 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Act.
This year, NPS is encouraging park visitors to “” in honor of its birthday by trying new recreational activities or visiting a new park.
