Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
Zion National Park, Utah
Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, you need to walk among the towering cliffs, or challenge your courage in a small narrow canyon. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons.
Rocky Mountain, Colorado
Throughout its 416 square miles of rock-ribbed wildness, Rocky Mountain National Park truly is a land of superlatives. Here at least 60 mountains exceed 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,259 feet on the football field-sized summit of Longs Peak.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Nearly five million people see the 1 mile deep Grand Canyon each year. Most of them see it from their car at overlooks along the South Rim (this includes Grand Canyon Village, Hermits Rest, and Desert View). The South Rim is the most accessible part of the park and is open all year.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park was designated our nation’s 10th national park on May 11, 1910
Acadia National Park, Maine
People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th-century visionaries donated the land that became Acadia National Park. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park preserves a spectacular landscape rich with majestic mountains, pristine lakes and extraordinary wildlife.
Denali National Park, Alaska
Roughly 400,000 intrepid travelers journey to Denali National Park and Preserve each year, primarily between late May and early September. Most come in search of wildlife or glimpses of 20,320′ tall Mt. McKinley, the roof of North America.
Arches National Park, Utah
Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations.
Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Wyoming, & Montana
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America’s first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk.
Bryce Canyon, Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwestern Utah. Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
Everglades National Park, Florida
Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, boasts rare and endangered species.
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
In the shadow of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, 5,000 year old bristlecone pine trees grow on rocky glacial moraines. Come to Great Basin National Park to experience the solitude of the desert, the smell of sagebrush after a thunderstorm, the darkest of night skies, and the beauty of Lehman Caves.
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Come witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. Nestled within Lassen’s peaceful mountain forests you will find that hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennesse
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture.
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Sometimes considered “three parks in one,” Big Bend includes mountain, desert, and river environments. An hour’s drive can take you from the banks of the Rio Grande to a mountain basin nearly a mile high.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
The geologic deposits of the Badlands contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.
Biscayne National Park, Florida
Within sight of downtown Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs.
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents.
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