What's New in the West: July 2009

• Four miles of sandy coast near Marina, Calif., are now Fort Ord Dunes State Park, where a bluff-top overlook offers views of Monterey Bay and a chance to see dolphins. (831) 649-2836, parks.ca.gov [2].
• Send email and tap the Web from 35,000 feet with Gogo Inflight Internet service, now on 170 planes flown by three airlines. gogoinflight.com [3].
• Historic Hawaiian Hall in Honolulu's Bishop Museum reopens on August 8 after a $21 million renovation. (808) 847-3511, bishopmuseum.org [4].
• Three cabins to be unveiled on August 1 at Palisade State Park [5] in Sterling, Utah, come equipped with refrigerators, showers, and beds. From $60 a night. utah.com/stateparks [6].
• Locals narrate audio tours of California's Highway 395, sharing bits of eastern Sierra Nevada natural and cultural history. Free for downloading at roadsideheritage.org [7].
• Hooked on Hiking: Northern California, a pack of loose cards, includes 50 trail summaries and route maps that note viewpoints, waterfalls, and forests. $17. (800) 759-0190, chroniclebooks.com [8].
• African lions roar back into Portland this summer with Predators of the Serengeti [9], a new exhibit at the Oregon Zoo. For details, search for "Serengeti" at oregonzoo.org [10].
• Thunder Falls, a family raft ride, debuts this summer at Roaring Springs Waterpark in Meridian, Idaho. (877) 420-7529, roaringsprings.com [11].
• Timberline Lodge: The History, Art, and Craft of an American Icon, by Sarah Baker Munro, documents the construction and preservation of the 72-year-old Mount Hood landmark. $35. (800) 827-5622, timberpress.com [12].
• Get close to 20 Humboldt penguins at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. A new habitat includes kid-size "climb-in" burrows and rocky pools that replicate the birds' Peruvian home. (206) 548-2500, zoo.org [13].

This article was first published in July 2009. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.