President Woodrow Wilson signed the 1916 act that established the National Parks Service. The act's purpose is "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Flickr User: Al_HikesAz
With the explosion of the green movement, eco resorts are popping up all around the world. Although finding affordable eco adventures can be difficult, fortunately it is not impossible… With nearly 400 national parks in the U.S., national reserves may be the most local and eco destination spots you can choose to visit for your holidays or weekends. And, for only 80 dollars, the National Park Pass allows you to explore every reserve you want during one year. Thanks to prices, proximity and the green commitment of the National Park Service to protect the national natural heritage of the United States, it is no surprise that these locations have seen record attendance since their creation. To help you make your choice from the long national parks list, here are the top 10 national parks you really must visit!
“I have seen persons of emotional temperament stand with tearful eyes, spellbound and dumb with awe, as they got their first view of the Valley from Inspiration Point, overwhelmed in the sudden presence of the unspeakable, stupendous grandeur.” – Galen Clark, guardian of the Yosemite Grant. Flickr User: Anders Young
1. Yosemite National Park: With its nearly 1,200 square miles, Yosemite approaches the size of Rhode Island and is truly one of the country’s grandest parks, and is the third-most visited park in the United States. Yosemite was one of the first wilderness parks and is best known for its countless waterfalls. Giant Redwood Sequoias and granite cliffs also make it very popular with hikers, bikers and families. Virtually everyone can find something to love in this vast Central California Park.
Yellowstone National Park is home to some 10,000 thermal features, and contains the majority of worlds geysers. Flickr User: Stuck In Customs
2. Yellowstone National Park: Established in 1872, it is truly America’s first national park and the nation’s fourth-most popular. This massive park is located in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and attracts people thanks to a large variety of wildlife and landscapes: from geysers (with the famous Old Faithful geyser), free-roaming bison and grizzly bears, to beautiful fountains and its very own Grand Canyon.
With the support of many early conservationists, scientists, and other advocates, Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Flickr User: James Good
3. Everglades National Park: This Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, is the best place in the country to see rare and endangered species such as crocodiles, panthers, manatees or Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. It has been designated as a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people of the world. Covering 2,500 square miles, camping, boating, hiking, and even a visit to a former missile base in the center of the park are all possible in the Everglades National Park!
Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1.2 million acres and the vast majority of the park is inaccessible even to experienced hikers. Flickr User: Al_HikesAZ
4. Grand Canyon National Park: Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park is the nation’s second-most visited park and it’s also generally included in every list of 7 Natural Wonders of the World, often as the only U.S. site. The Grand Canyon epitomizes the ultimate American travel destination, and it’s probably the best known U.S national park in the world. The park includes more than a million acres of land. The Colorado River travels for 277 miles through the canyon from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs. At the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village, it’s a vertical mile from the rim to the river.
Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest location in North America with nearly 550 square miles of its area lying below sea level.
5. Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest and lowest place (at Badwater) in North America. Thanks to its vast size (3.4 million acres of wilderness) Death Valley can make you feel a sense of isolation, without much chance of encountering other tourists. The park is spectacular, nearly surreal and makes visitors feel like they are walking on some unearthly place with its rock formations, salt pans, desert, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, amd “skeletonized” ranges (mountains with very little soil on them). It is best to visit Death Valley during spring or winter, since the summer is too hot. In July of 1913, the temperature hit a shocking 134 degrees in the valley. It hasn’t been that hot since, but other days have come close. Back on July 6, 2007, it touched 129 degrees and during the summer of 2001 the valley experienced 154 consecutive days where temperatures reached 100 degrees.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. Flickr User: Will Folsom
6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: This is America’s most visited national park thanks to a wondrous diversity of life. It boasts over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping. But hiking is not the only reason for visiting the Smokies: camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing (most of all, the 1,500 bears that are living in the park), and auto touring are also popular activities.
Olympic National Park and its surroundings are home to a wide variety of wildlife.The park is a rare refuge for species dependent on old growth forests, including some species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Olympic provides one of the last remaining large tracts of intact primeval forest in the lower 48 states. Flickr User: javi.velazquez
7. Olympic National Park: It is the fifth-most visited national park in the U.S with three distinct ecosystems and nearly 1 million acres to explore; there is a lot to see and to do at Olympic National Park. According to the National Service Park’s description, it’s a park with great contrast: “Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. The heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.”
Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Flickr user: Alan Vernon
8. Bryce Canyon National Park: “Bryce is the Bryce!” is what the National Park Service likes to say to describe its contrasting landscapes. This Utah National Park is famous for its amazing rock formations called hoodoos but also for its night sky and the lack of artificial light. Bryce Canyon is named after Ebenezer Bryce, an immigrant from Scotland who moved to the area with his family in 1875. Although his family moved in 1880, the name stuck.
The riparian (wetland) ecosystem of Rocky Mountain Park is based in 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams. Flickr User: Blue Bird
9. Rocky Mountain National Park: The Rockies, with elevations ranging from 8,000 feet in the wet, grassy valleys to 14,259 feet at the weather-ravaged top of Longs Peak, provides visitors with opportunities for countless breathtaking experiences and adventures: stunning alpine wild flower meadows, pristine lakes and streams, and impressive wildlife, like bighorn sheep and elk.
Kenai Fjords National Park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States. Flickr User: Asane
10. Kenai Fjords National Park is probably the smallest national park in Alaska covering an area of “only” 1800 square miles. Nevertheless, in Kenai Fjords, glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects of this splendor. Ice worms, bears, moose, humpbacks, northern sea lions and whales make their home in this land of constant change.
Marvel these natural beauties but please respect environmental rules so you and future generations can appreciate their uniqueness to the fullest extent. In fact, exploring our historic and natural treasures can’t be made without an environmental conscience.
Stay tuned to learn more about the green initiatives the National Park Service has taken to preserve and protect U.S. National Parks from climate change and the pollution that is linked to the tourist industry.
