"Our Beautiful National Parks in The United States" Top 5 Page for this destination United States of America Favorite Tip by deecat

Favorite thing: Fortunately, for all of us in the United States, there have always been citizens who realized the value of keeping at least a portion of our vast land in as close to a natural state as possible.

In our cities & our suburban areas, people need a place to escape pressure & to enjoy the fresh air, open space, clear streams, & stunning landscapes. These places deserve to be protected because they contain plants, animals, & scenery found nowhere else in the world. What are these places. Why, the United States National Parks, of course.

Although, unlike many of my friends on VT, I have visited very few of these wonderful parks. I will list the ones I know something about because I've been there:

Everglades National Park in Florida This huge (2,185 square miles) park is still in danger. Its an open, flat land of prairie grass, pine trees, & swamps with water that flows slowly to the sea. Importantly, there are beautifu herons, egrets, storks, pelicans, spoonbills who come here to hunt fish. In addition, alligators prey on anything they can find.
Here you are able to hike backpack, camp, boat, bicycle, fish, go birding, or take a guided boat tour.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona (1,903 square miles). This is the "Cadillac of National Parks" with its gorge carved by the Colorado River. From the canyon's top to the bottom, you can experience 4 life zones. 2 billion years of earth's geological history are here for us to see in the layers of rock. Here you are able to hike, backpack, camp, take river raft & mule trips.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee (813 square miles). This is indeed my all-time favorite. There's a smoky haze that covers the land; the hills are pink with rhododendron blossoms in spring. In the fall, the fall colors are spectacular. Here you are able to hike, backpack, camp, horseback ride, bicycle, fish, cross-country ski, sled, toboggan, or just enjoy the scenery.

Fondest memory: Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas (9 square miles) Although it is small, it is wonderful with its thousands of gallons of hot (143 degrees F) water that flows daily from 47 natural hot springs. You are able to bathe in the water in handsome old bathhouses to seek relief from pain or just to relax. There's also beautiful woodlands. Here you are able to hike, backpack, camp, horseback ride, swim, boat, or bathe in the hot springs.

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky (81 Square miles) It's the world's largest known underground cave system with more than 330 miles of mapped passages. Here you are able to hike, backpack, camp, fish, boat, and explore the caves.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia (305 square miles) The dense hardwood forest balanket the Blue Ridge here. The fall is spectacular. Here you are able to hike, backpack, camp, snowshoe, downhill & cross-country ski, climb mountains, horseback ride, and fish.

All the national parks were created to protect our irreplaceable land. Each has its own special value. There are 350 sites in the system, but only 50 are national parks.

These special parks have the highest mountains, tallest trees, longest cave systems or some other unusual landscape feature that is not found anywhere else in the world. These parks are dazzling.