The Trail

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is now Chiricahua National Park, the 64th U.S. national park and the first new one since West Virginia's New River Gorge in 2020, after President Trump signed Rep. Juan Ciscomani's Chiricahua National Park Act (H.R. 6380) this week. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum joined a dedication ceremony at the park.

The roughly 12,000-acre park, protected as a monument since 1924, is known for rhyolite spires and balanced rocks formed after a volcanic eruption about 27 million years ago, and sits between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts as a "sky island," Condé Nast Traveler notes. It has more than 17 miles of trails and the Bonita Canyon scenic drive. Climbing on the pinnacles remains prohibited to protect resources and because the rock is unstable, Gripped reports.

Instead of hunting for a way up the rock towers, consider the Echo Canyon Trail and the drive to Massai Point, which the park service highlights for views of the standing rocks.

Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, shut on October 10 after repeated Houthi strikes, reopened with restrictions: a notice effective October 17 requires prior permission for every arrival and departure, Airways reports. By Wednesday, October 21, Saudia and Flynas were operating limited domestic flights, while Lufthansa and Air France had cancelled through mid-November, the AP reports (via the Baltimore Sun).

Late on October 21 an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one resident and injured eight, Saudi aviation authorities said. The State Department ordered non-essential embassy staff and families to leave and warned that hostilities "have the potential to escalate rapidly." EASA's airspace bulletin for parts of the Jeddah flight region remains active through November 16.

Instead of booking Saudi trips or connections now, consider postponing non-essential travel and checking each airline's suspension notice.

The New York City Council on October 22 passed a bill banning horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, ending a Central Park tradition of more than 150 years that animal-welfare groups have long opposed, the Associated Press reports (via NBC News). The vote followed the death of a teenage tourist last spring.

The law requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office to produce a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers find work, including referrals to transit, hospitality and taxi jobs, and lets the city consider compensation. Driver Alexus Lawson asked, "Without a job, how can I take care of my horses?"

Instead of a carriage ride before 2028, consider seeing Central Park on foot or by bike.

Student-led protests over school conditions and the cost of living have grown into some of France's largest in years, Condé Nast Traveler reports. On October 22 the Préfecture de Police banned unauthorised gatherings from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. around the Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Élysée Palace, Bastille, République and major rail stations, and several Metro stations, including Bastille and Gare d'Austerlitz, were closed from 10 a.m.

Students have called further days of action on October 24, November 3 and November 5, and a large security operation is planned for central Paris on October 24, including Opération Sentinelle troops. Localised curfews have been introduced in Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Instead of crossing central Paris on announced protest days, consider scheduling museum visits and train connections for other days, and check RATP updates before setting off.

The Plaza Hotel at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South will close for four years starting in January 2027 to restore its landmarked marble facade, according to its operator, Fairmont, ABC7 New York reports. Staff told The New York Times the Palm Court and event rooms will close too, leaving couples such as a bride planning a May wedding looking for new venues.

Condé Nast Traveler explains that the hotel's rusticated marble base weathers faster than smooth stone and often needs restoring within about 20 years; the last major renovation was in 2008, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission is working with the hotel. It also reports the hotel is working with the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council union to place the Plaza's 378 staff in other jobs during the closure.

Instead of the Plaza, Condé Nast Traveler suggests the Sherry-Netherland across the street, The Pierre, the Lowell or the Carlyle.

Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London is showing all 46 prints of Hokusai's "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" from Japan's Iuchi Collection, the only exhibition of the complete series in Europe before the prints return to Japan, Ian Visits reports. It runs until January 17, 2027.

Three impressions of The Great Wave hang side by side to show how woodblock prints changed as the blocks wore down, and most of the show is very early impressions. Ian Visits says tickets are selling quickly and recommends booking ahead.

Instead of seeing The Great Wave on its own, consider giving time to the other 45 prints, which the reviewer says are really about everyday Japanese life nearly 200 years ago.

Venice will charge day visitors an entry fee of up to €10 on 72 dates between Good Friday and mid-August 2027, up from 60 days this year, city authorities said on October 16, dpa reports (via Yahoo News). Officials held off on a steep increase, although €30 or more had been discussed, and the national government must approve a higher fee.

This year more than 650,000 visitors paid, bringing in over €5 million; booking at least three days ahead cost €5. Overnight guests are exempt but pay tourist tax. The city says the aim is managing crowds, not revenue, but visitor numbers have not fallen; fewer than 50,000 people live in the historic centre against an estimated 25 million-plus visitors a year.

Instead of a peak-season day trip on a fee date, consider staying overnight, which exempts you from the fee, or visiting outside the April-August fee period.

Since October 16, visitors to the Twelve Apostles on Victoria's Great Ocean Road must book a timeslot through the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Slots are free for now, but the state government plans to introduce a fee; walk-ups can book at the entrance but may wait if the precinct is full. Local MP Richard Riordan has criticised the planned fee.

The $126 million Keerray Woorroong Visitor Centre, funded $88 million federally and $38 million by Victoria, was co-designed with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and has a 230-seat cafe, rooftop lookout and parking for more than 950 vehicles, according to the government. A path to the viewing platforms makes a walk of about 2 km return. Only seven stacks remain standing.

Instead of turning up unbooked on a busy summer day, consider booking an early or late timeslot online before you set off.

The Manaslu Larke Pass trekking route has partly reopened after Dharche and Chumnubri rural municipalities repaired roads, trails, bridges and teahouses damaged by Budhi Gandaki River floods, the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) said, Peoples' Review reports. Trekkers can drive to Machhakhola and walk on via Jagat and Nyakphedi; TAAN advises a short alternative path around a difficult stretch at Yaru Bagar and urges caution.

The Chum Valley route remains closed after a cantilever bridge collapsed; a local chair expected it to reopen in about a week. The Langtang, Kyanjin and Gosaikunda areas are open, with a Bailey bridge at Betrabati restoring access after August floods.

Instead of the Chum Valley this month, consider the Langtang or Gosaikunda routes, which TAAN lists as open.