National Parks

The iconic landmarks in America’s National Parks draw millions of visitors each year. Everyone wants to see Yosemite’s Half Dome and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful. But what people often don’t realize is that there are 63 National parks in the United States! It would be a lengthy read if we highlighted each one, but below are all 63 spaced out in sections with brief descriptions of some of them. If you would like to visit one of these beautiful locations please contact us to get started planning today.

East

Arcadia – Shenandoah – New River Gorge – Great Smoky Mountains – Biscayne – Everglades – Cuyahoga Valley – Mammoth Cave – Congaree – Dry Tortugas – Saint John

You don’t have to travel all the way to the other side of the country to see some beautiful nature, as each coast, and in between, offers a unique view. All of the beauty of Maine’s wilderness comes together in Acadia National Park: Ancient coniferous forests, rugged mountains, wildlife, and the untamed Atlantic marry in a way that makes the area feel untouched and unexplored. Shenandoah is home to Skyline Drive, waterfalls, and swimming holes. The native Cherokee people traditionally called the Great Smoky Mountains Shaconage, which translates to “place of the blue smoke.” Euro-American settlers drew from this name in their own label of “Smoky Mountains,” with “Great” being added at one point to reflect the massiveness and grandeur of the range. Biscayne National Park has stunning coastal scenery, with crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches, and a variety of coral reefs and islands. Everglades National Park is a complex and vital ecosystem of wetlands, swamps, mangroves, and forests, the Everglades are North America’s biggest protected sub-tropical wilderness reserve.

Southwest, West & The Rockies

Big Bend – Petrified Forest – Grand Canyon – Bryce Canyon – Canyon – Zion – Capitol Reef – Mesa Verde – Canyonlands – Arches – Rocky Mountains – Wind Cave – Badlands – Theodore Roosevelt – Yellowstone – Grand Teton – Glacier – Voyageurs -Isle Royale -Hot Springs -Indiana Dunes- Gateway Arch – Guadalupe Mts. – White Sands – Carlsbad Caverns – Saguaro -Great Basin – Great Sand Dunes – Black Canyon of the Gunnison

These sections are where some of the most popular National Parks are located, Such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Yellowstone is arguably the most popular National Park in the United States reaching up to 5.9 million visitors a year. It is said that when most visitors come to this iconic park they only see up to 1% of its natural beauty. A few uncommonly known National Parks such as the Big Bend located in Texas and known for their jagged terrain and immense distance. Petrified Forest got its name because it is known for its fossils and archeological finds. Isle Royale located more in the northern middle of the USA is known oddly for its timber wolf and Moose populations. Each park has something all its own to preserve.

Pacific Rim

Mount Rainier – Olympic – Crater Lake – Redwood – Yosemite – Sequoia – Pinnacles – Death Valley – Joshua Tree – Channel Islands – Hawaii Volcanoes – Haleakala – Kings Canyon – Lassen Volcanic – Crater Lake – North Cascades – Kobuk Valley – Gates of the Arctic – Denali – Wrangell-St. Elias – Glacier Bay – Katmai – Kenai Fjords – Lake Clark – American Samoa

There are some familiar National Parks in this section. Most well-known might be Sequoia or Yosemite. Sequoia is a very large National Park located in California, and known for its towering sequoia trees. Kings Canyon National park is an extension of Sequoia. This section has a lot of volcanoes and tree-related preservation. Other tree preservation locations are Redwood and Joshua trees.
However, perhaps the most interesting to mention might be volcanoes. Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park has the longest erupting volcano ever recorded and is still erupting to this day. Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, Death Valley, Haleakala, Katmai, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias are all the National parks that have a volcano being preserved. For more fun and interesting facts please contact your Travel Advisor and considering joining a guided tour to see these beautiful natural wonders for yourself!