Virgin Islands National Park covers 60% of St Johns Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Established in 1956, it protects rain forests and coral reefs from development while creating an area open to recreation for more than 500,000 visitors per year. Trunk Bay, part of the park, is considered one of the most beautiful beaches […]
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Author: Dan Bourque
Katmai
Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, was originally designated a national monument in 1918 to protect the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes that had been formed from an enormous volcanic eruption in 1912. While the area is still active from a volcanic perspective, it’s now best known for its gigantic brown bears who feast on […]
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, was originally established as Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in 1947, the only park ever to have this designation, and it was re-designated in 1978. This park exists in three separate units including North and South units of badlands and the Elkhorn Ranch unit formerly owned by Teddy Roosevelt, […]
Isle Royale
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, was established in 1940 to protect this pristine island and smaller surrounding islands in Lake Superior. Isle Royale is large, 45 miles long and 9 miles wide, and can only be reached by boats and float planes. It’s home to its own isolated wildlife populations including wolves and moose. Visitor […]
Hot Springs
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, is arguably the oldest national park, having been preserved for future recreation by the U.S. Congress in 1832. The park protects the area’s historic spas and natural thermal springs, considered by people for centuries to have medicinal value. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Hot Springs NP Write […]
Olympic
Olympic National Park, Washington, was originally established as Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909 and was designated a national park in 1938. The park was created to protect the unique coastline, rain forests and glaciers of the Olympic Peninsula. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Olympic NP Write Your Own Review
North Cascades
North Cascades National Park, Washington, was established in 1968 to protect the dramatic scenery and pristine valleys and lakes of the North Cascades range bordering Canada. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website North Cascades NP Write Your Own Review
Hawaii Volcanoes
The Park Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, was established in 1961, though the park had been part of Hawaii National Park since 1916 before becoming a park in its own right. It protects earth’s largest volcano, Mauna Loa, and the active Kilauea along with their volcanic geology and ecosystem. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official […]
Haleakala
The Park Haleakala National Park on Maui, Hawaii, was originally protected as Hawaii National Park in 1916 along with other park units. It became Haleakala in 1961 when Hawaii Volcanoes on the Big Island was established as a separate national park. The main feature of the park is the volcanic crater atop Haleakala, though coastal forests […]
Great Basin
The Park Great Basin National Park, Nevada, was established in 1986, though its caves had been declared a national monument in 1922. This park protects a diverse ecosystem that spans from desert to high alpine on the slopes of Mount Wheeler and is famous for its ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known living organisms on earth. […]
Glacier Bay
The Park Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, was established as a national monument in 1925 and became a national park in 1980 along with many other Alaskan parks. It protects a wilderness area along the northern end of Alaska’s Inside Passage. There are no roads to Glacier Bay, and most visitors arrive by cruise […]
Gates of the Arctic
The Park Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska, is the second largest park in the National Park System. Established as a national park in 1980, protects a stretch of arctic tundra and the rugged Brooks Range. It’s remote location makes it one of the least visited national parks. Visitor Rating (write your own […]