Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska was founded in 1917 as Mt McKinley National Park. The centerpiece is Mt McKinley (known to locals by it’s native American name, Denali), North America’s highest peak at 20,320 feet, but the park’s 6,000,000+ acres are also home to a fantastic array of wildlife including moose, caribou, Dall […]
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Category: National Parks
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Cavern National Park was established to protect the enormous caves under the southern New Mexico desert. While these caves are not the most ornate (“decorated” in spelunking terms) in the world or the largest, they are certainly some of the best caves in the world at combining size and beauty. The Park makes a […]
Wrangell – St. Elias
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, is the largest national park in the system, more than six times the size of Yellowstone. It covers both a massive land area and a massive elevation gain, going from sea level to more than 18,000 feet of ocean, glaciers and jagged peaks. It was established […]
Lassen Volcanic
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, was created in 1916 from two national monuments established in 1907, Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument. It protects an area of rare geologic features such as mud pots and hot springs. Lassen is still an active volcanic area with the last major eruption only a century […]
Voyageurs
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, lies on the boundary of the U.S. and Canada and is accessible mainly by boat, canoe or kayak (and snowmobiles in the winter). Though Minnesota lobbied to have this area declared a national park in 1891, it wasn’t officially established until 1971. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Voyageurs […]
Lake Clark
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska, was established as a national park in 1980 after being declared a national monument in 1978. It protects a beautiful area of Alaska coastal region where rivers flow with salmon and three mountain ranges intersect. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Lake Clark NP Write […]
American Samoa
The Park National Park of American Samoa was established in 1988 and protects more than 5,000 acres of volcanic Pacific islands, rain forest and coral reefs in addition to the unique island culture of Samoa. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Acadia NP Write Your Own Review
Kobuk Valley
Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska, was established in 1980 to protect a unique landscape of dunes and caribou routes. The park, roughly the size of Delaware, is located entirely above the Arctic Circle. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) Official NPS Website Kobuk Valley NP Write Your Own Review
Virgin Islands
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 […]
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 […]