US National Parks: Must See Scenic Landscapes
The USA is one of the most diverse and beautiful countries in the world. You can be surrounded by pristine white sandy beaches one day and rugged desert terrain the next. The landscape is spectacular, and thankfully there are plenty of National Parks which have helped preserve this natural beauty for us to go and enjoy. There are numerous National Parks around the USA, and in this article we shall outline some of the most popular ones.
The most popular national park by visitor numbers is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, situated between Tennessee and North Carolina. During 2007, the park had over 9.4 million visitors. The park has plenty of great activities such as 800 miles of hiking trails and picturesque areas perfect for picnics, fishing and horse-riding. The old Southern Appalachian mountains make up the majority of the park, and they boast an immense range of plant and animal species - including lots of black bears and over 100 different tree species. Other animals which are regularly seen are chipmunks, deer, groundhogs and squirrels. The area has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.
The second most popular national park in the USA, and arguably one of the most famous, is the Grand Canyon National Park situated in Arizona. The famous 2 billion year old Grand Canyon is situated in the park and is considered to be one of the greatest natural wonders in the world. You really do have to see it to believe it! The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest in the USA, being designated a protected area in 1919. The majority of visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park arrive through the South Entrance near Tusayan in Arizona, although there are several entry points to the park. Much of the park is only accessible by foot or horse back, and can be very rugged and harsh. The Grand Canyon National Park attracted nearly 4.4 million visitors in 2007.
The third most popular national park in the USA is California’s Yosemite national park. This picturesque park has been shaped from many millennia of glaciers and rock falls. There is a huge variety of landscapes in the park ranging from the 13,000 feet Mt. Lyell down to the depths of the Yosemite Valley at 4,000 feet. Yosemite National Park is also home to the USA’s highest waterfall - Yosemite Falls. The park is also home to a huge variety of flora and fauna. It is not unusual to see black bears, grizzly bears, bob cats, gray foxes, and spotted owls within the surrounds of the park. The park attracted over 3.7 million visitors in 2007, and is an easy drive from the city of San Francisco.
Yellowstone National Park is the fourth most popular national park in the USA. It is situated mainly in the state of Wyoming, although some parts of it extend into Idaho and Montana. It is one of the oldest national parks - and was first designated a national park in 1872. Half of all of the world’s geothermal features are situated in Yellowstone park, and it is best known for its geysers - the most famous of which is the Old Faithful geyser. The longest free-flowing river in the USA is also situated in the park - the Yellowstone River. The river has also created all the fantastic features of the park such as waterfalls and canyons. Yellowstone Park also has a huge range of ecosystems, and is home to one of the USA’s largest high-altitude lakes - Yellowstone Lake. In 2007, 3.2 million people visited Yellowstone National Park, although the majority just drive through and stop off at scenic lookouts.
The fifth and final national park we shall look at today is Olympic National Park. Despite not being very well known, it still attracts over 3 million visitors every year, and is the fifth most popular national parks in the USA. It is situated in the north-western state of Washington. There are three main areas to the park, each very distinct. There is the Pacific coastline to the west, the Olympic Mountains, and the temperate rainforest. It became a world heritage site in 1981, and is recognized for it’s diverse range of ecosystems and plant and animal species. From the Pacific coastline you can see dolphins, whales and sea lions, and starfish line the sandy beaches. Inland there are beavers, bears, deer and raccoons.
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the top five most popular US National Parks. These are just a selection of some of the outstanding natural sites that the beautiful USA has to offer both tourists and locals alike.
