Ken Burns' National Park series: watch excerpts and extras online now

The six episodes of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” are available to watch online one day after they air on PBS.

If you can't wait, there are other related videos available for online viewing right now, including excepts from the series, like

• Gerard Baker on the Indian Idea of Sacredness
• Mark Twain and Hawai'I Volcanoes National Park.

There are also five 10- to 15-minutes programs on the untold stories related to America’s national parks that you can watch online right now.

Yosemite's Buffalo Soldiers: Highlights the work of Yosemite ranger Shelton Johnson and his rediscovery of the story of the African American soldiers who patrolled the parks of the High Sierra at the turn of the last century. Shelton tells the story in the dramatis personae of a Buffalo Soldier himself, directly engaging visitors in a way that is immediate and often high impact.

City Kids in National Parks: Explores National Park Service efforts to bring inner city kids into the parks, often for their first encounters with wilderness. The film tells the story through the lens of two programs -- Biscayne National Park and Death Valley National Park.

Manzanar: "Never Again": Looks at the interconnected stories of Japanese internment during World War II, Sue Kunitomi Embrey's efforts to commemorate Manzanar internment camp, and the ongoing work of Manzanar National Historic Site to educate visitors about civil rights.

San Antonio Missions: Keeping History Alive: A thriving hub for the city's Latino community, the park hosts Spanish and English language masses throughout the week, celebrates traditional Hispanic festivals year-round, and educates more than 50,000 school children annually about our nation's Hispanic heritage.

Mount Rushmore: Telling America's Stories: Focuses on the new interpretive program at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, spearheaded by Supt. Gerard Baker.