National Parks magazine is a magazine about the National Park System. They publish articles about everything related to the National Parks. They accept queries from freelance writers, and pay very well. The rate is $0.70-$1 a word.

According to their website:

National Parks magazine publishes articles about areas in the National Park System, proposed new areas, threats to parks or park wildlife, scientific discoveries, legislative issues, and endangered species of plants or animals relevant to national parks.

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Articles for National Parks should be directed to a largely nonscientific but well-educated audience. News articles and smaller departments are 500-1200 words. Features run approximately 1,800-2,000 words. We generally pay 70 cents to $1.00/word—the high end being reserved for our proven contributors. Articles should have an original slant or news hook and cover a limited subject, rather than attempt to treat a broad subject superficially.

Queries are sent via email.

Please note that they do not publish fiction, or poetry. Although they say they don’t publish “my trip to…” stories, they recently published a personal essay just about that — a trip to Point Reyes.

It goes to show that the best way to find out what a publisher wants is to read what they publish, and take their guidelines with a grain of salt. A great way to add impact to your pitch is to mention similar article they published. This immediately adds credibility to your pitch. It shows that you have read the magazine, know what they publish, and that your work matches their needs.

To learn more, be sure to read their submission guidelines.