Now that you have been through 4 posts, you may be wondering if you have the ability to go on trips internationally, especially with rising costs of fuel and traveling in general. Like you, I wanted to add some more cost-friendly trips to my bucket list: the US National Parks. With over 400 parks spread across the US mainland and territories, we can explore right at home. Over the years, I have been to a few such as the Smoky Mountains and the Grand Canyon and both were as full of beauty and adventure as some of the other places I mentioned at the fraction of the cost.
You may be wondering why the United States even has pieces of lands designated as “national parks.” The idea really started when environmentalists began to lobby for wildlife and land preservation. However, it never took off until Ferdinand Hayden, who led a federal geological survey, uncovered a number of “strange features” in Yellowstone valley. As a result, Hayden pushed for Congress to pass legislation in 1872 to make it a national park. Shortly after in 1916, the National Park Service Organic Act was passed to “protect other preserved land for future generations to enjoy” according to the National Park Service.
Obviously, the first park we have to look at is Yellowstone located in Wyoming with some portions of the park extending into Montana and Idaho. Due to Hayden, Yellowstone became the first national park in the US and in the world. Famous for being the location of more than half of the world’s active geysers, Yellowstone offers stunning and scientifically incredible geothermal attractions. I highly recommend seeing the iconic Old Faithful that erupts every 44 min with a height of up to 180ft (over 4 school buses long!).
Next, check out Grand Prismatic Spring. Saying it’s colorful is like saying fire is hot. The striking array of rainbow colors is actually due to bacteria in certain regions of the water scattering white light differently!
The next national park I want to visit is interestingly home of some of the Apple macOS backgrounds. Taking up nearly 1,200 square miles in central California, Yosemite is known for its unique granite rock formations crystallized from glaciers moving around the Sierra Nevada. Two that are famous among rock climbers are Half Dome and El Capitan.
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If you are like me and want something less extreme, the national park is also known for some of the tallest waterfalls like Yosemite and Ribbon Falls. Although it is a hard hike, the payoff is spectacular: unobstructed views of the park.
Now, imagine mounds of sandstone towering over you in peculiar shapes and sizes. Some may be loops while others resemble arcs. Arches National Park in Utah offers all of this and more.
There are actually over 2000 of these arches, formed by thousands of years of erosion. One of the most famous has to be hiking up the Delicate Arch trail. Ironically, there isn’t anything delicate about it; the moderate-difficulty hike is 3 miles roundtrip with some steep climbs and limited shade from the blazing Utah sun. However, you’ll be greeted by the largest arch in the park that has become a commonly recognized landmark of the beehive state.
These 4 parks are like a grain of sand at a beach when compared to the hundreds of national parks we have access to in this country. The few that I have been to were not only cost-effective but offered me to see more nature than I am used to in southeastern PA. So, venture out and explore what nature has to offer in your own backyard!
I’ve always loved the natural beauty found on this Earth. I’ve gone to a number of national parks. Unfortunately, none of that you mentioned. The best place for national parks, in my opinion, is out west. I’d recommend Saguaro National Park in Arizona and Coronado Peak. Both are absolutely amazing. If you find yourself in Palm Springs, California, be sure to check out Joshua Tree National Park. That one was genuinely breathtaking. I hadn’t heard of the El-Captian mountains in California. Thanks for the tip-off, I’ll have to look into it (Maybe plan a trip during Christmas break).
I’ve been surrounded by National-Park-talk most of my life since my grandparents have been to every single one, yet I’ve only been to about 2 or 3 myself. I’ve always been fascinated by the vast, varying beauty of North America, but for whatever reason, I have barely made an effort to travel to many of these beautiful places. I think I will definitely ask my grandparents about some of their favorites and see if you have any in common with them!
This was a really captivating and interesting post, I love how you gave the brief history of environmental preservation efforts; it makes these parks even more valuable and powerful to explore. It is also on my bucket list to visit Yellow Stone National park! I never knew that El Capitan was the same rock formation shown in the display image of the MacOS, now, every time I see it I’ll have more appreciations for its beauty.
My mom grew up traveling with her family to all the national parks around the country and she has tried to carry on this tradition to me and my family. So far we have visited Yosemite and Yellowstone and Yellowstone by far was my favorite. Reading this has sparked my interest in traveling back to these national parks. Joshua Tree is still high up on my bucket list and I would love to get back out and start traveling again with my family.