Redwood National and State Parks - California
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_National_and_State_Parks]This park and the co-managed state parks protect almost half of all remaining coastal redwoods, the tallest trees on earth. There are three large river systems in this very seismically active area, and 37 miles (60 km) of protected coastline reveal tide pools and seastacks. The prairie, estuary, coast, river, and forest ecosystems contain a wide variety of animal and plant species. USNPs Oct 2, 2023, 8:07 AM cowpoke
Pinnacles National Park California
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnacles_National_Park]Named for the eroded leftovers of a portion of an extinct volcano, the park's massive black and gold monoliths of andesite and rhyolite are a popular destination for rock climbers. Hikers have access to trails crossing the Coast Range wilderness. The park is one of the few locations where the endangered California condor can be seen in the wild. Pinnacles also supports a dense population of prairie falcons and more than 13 species of bat that populate its talus caves. USNPs Oct 1, 2023, 9:19 AM cowpoke
Petrified Forest National Park - Arizona
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrified_Forest_National_Park]This portion of the Chinle Formation has a large concentration of 225-million-year-old petrified wood. The surrounding Painted Desert features eroded cliffs of red-hued volcanic rock called bentonite. Dinosaur fossils and over 350 Native American sites are also protected in this park. USNPs Sep 30, 2023, 10:25 AM cowpoke
Olympic National Park - Washington
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_National_Park]This park on the Olympic Peninsula includes a wide range of ecosystems from Pacific shoreline to temperate rainforests to the glaciated alpine peaks of the Olympic Mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Olympus. The Hoh and Quinault Rainforests are the wettest areas in the contiguous United States, with the Hoh receiving an average of almost 12 ft (3.7 m) of rain every year. USNPs Sep 29, 2023, 8:25 AM cowpoke
North Cascades National Park - Washington
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cascades_National_Park]The highly glaciated mountains of the North Cascades Range exhibit a spectacular and complex geologic history. Between the river valleys and high peaks there are eight diverse life zones with 75 mammal and 1,600 vascular plant species. Popular hiking and climbing areas of the Stephen Mather Wilderness include Cascade Pass, Mount Shuksan, Mount Triumph, and Eldorado Peak. Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas adjoin the two segments of the park and are all administered together. USNPs Sep 28, 2023, 8:02 AM cowpoke
New River Gorge National Park - West Virginia
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_River_Gorge_National_Park_and_Preserve]The New River Gorge is the deepest river gorge east of the Mississippi River. The park primarily covers the lower gorge area around the New River Gorge Bridge, which features some of the country's best whitewater rafting. Smaller noncontiguous sections showcase the ghost town of Thurmond, the scenic Grandview vista, and Sandstone Falls. The other 65,165 acres (263.71 km2) of the redesignated national river is now a national preserve, spanning 53 mi (85 km) of the New River. USNPs Sep 27, 2023, 8:20 AM cowpoke
Mount Rainier National Park - Washington
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier_National_Park]Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the most prominent peak in the Cascades and is covered by 26 named glaciers including Carbon Glacier and Emmons Glacier, the longest and largest in the contiguous United States respectively. The mountain is popular for climbing, and more than half of the park is covered by subalpine and alpine forests and meadows seasonally in bloom with wildflowers. Paradise on the south slope is among the snowiest places on Earth.[89] The Longmire visitor center is th USNPs Sep 26, 2023, 7:43 AM cowpoke
Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde_National_Park]This area constitutes over 4,000 archaeological sites of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who lived here and elsewhere in the Four Corners region for at least 700 years. Cliff dwellings built in the 12th and 13th centuries include Cliff Palace, which has 150 rooms and 23 kivas, and the Balcony House, with its many passages and tunnels. USNPs Sep 25, 2023, 12:18 AM cowpoke
Mammoth Cave National Park - Kentucky
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammoth_Cave_National_Park]With more than 400 miles (640 km) of passageways explored, Mammoth Cave is the world's longest known cave system. Subterranean wildlife includes eight bat species, Kentucky cave shrimp, Northern cavefish, and cave salamanders. Above ground, the park provides recreation on the Green River, 70 miles of hiking trails, and plenty of sinkholes and springs. USNPs Sep 24, 2023, 7:29 AM cowpoke
Lassen Volcanic National Park - California
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassen_Volcanic_National_Park]Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome volcano in the world, is joined by all three other types of volcanoes in this park: shield, cinder cone, and composite. Though Lassen itself last erupted in 1915, most of the rest of the park is continuously active. Numerous hydrothermal features, including fumaroles, boiling pools, and bubbling mud pots, are heated by molten rock from beneath the peak. USNPs Sep 23, 2023, 8:08 AM cowpoke
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve - Alaska
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Clark_National_Park_and_Preserve]The region around Lake Clark features four active volcanoes, including Mount Redoubt, as well as an abundance of rivers, glaciers, and waterfalls. Temperate rainforests, a tundra plateau, and three mountain ranges complete the landscape. USNPs Sep 22, 2023, 8:29 AM cowpoke
Kobuk Valley National Park - Alaska
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobuk_Valley_National_Park]Kobuk Valley protects 61 miles (98 km) of the Kobuk River and three regions of sand dunes. Created by glaciers, the Great Kobuk, Little Kobuk, and Hunt River Sand Dunes can reach 100 feet (30 m) high and 100 °F (38 °C), and they are the largest dunes in the Arctic. Twice a year, half a million caribou migrate through the dunes and across river bluffs that expose well-preserved ice age fossils. USNPs Sep 21, 2023, 8:18 AM cowpoke
Kings Canyon National Park - California
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Canyon_National_Park]Home to several giant sequoia groves and the General Grant Tree, the world's second largest measured tree, this park also features part of the Kings River, sculptor of the dramatic granite canyon that is its namesake, and the San Joaquin River, as well as Boyden Cave.[76] Although Kings Canyon National Park was designated as such in 1940, it subsumed General Grant National Park, which had been established on October 1, 1890, as the United States' fourth national park. USNPs Sep 20, 2023, 7:30 AM cowpoke
Kenai Fjords National Park - Alaska
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai_Fjords_National_Park Near]Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, this park protects the Harding Icefield and at least 38 glaciers and fjords stemming from it. The only area accessible to the public by road is the rapidly shrinking Exit Glacier. Boat and kayak tours offer views of tidewater glaciers, whales, sea lions, and marine birds. USNPs Sep 19, 2023, 7:35 AM cowpoke
Katmai National Park and Preserve - Alaska
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katmai_National_Park_and_Preserve]This park on the Alaska Peninsula protects the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, an ash flow formed by the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, and the stratovolcano Mount Katmai. Over 2,000 grizzly bears come here each year to catch spawning salmon. Other wildlife includes caribou, wolves, moose, and wolverines. USNPs Sep 18, 2023, 8:10 AM cowpoke
Joshua Tree National Park - California
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Tree_National_Park]Covering large areas of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts and the Little San Bernardino Mountains, this desert landscape is populated by vast stands of Joshua trees. Large changes in elevation reveal various contrasting environments including bleached sand dunes, dry lakes, rugged mountains, and maze-like clusters of monzogranite monoliths. USNPs Sep 17, 2023, 8:14 AM cowpoke
Isle Royale National Park - Michigan
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_Royale_National_Park]The largest island in Lake Superior is a place of isolation and wilderness. Along with its many shipwrecks, waterways, and hiking trails, the park also includes over 400 smaller islands within 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of its shores. There are only 20 mammal species on the island, though the relationship between its wolf and moose populations is especially unique. USNPs Sep 16, 2023, 11:36 AM cowpoke
Indiana Dunes National Park - Indiana
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Dunes_National_Park]Previously designated a national lakeshore, parts of this 20-mile (32 km) stretch of the southern shore of Lake Michigan have sandy beaches and tall dunes. The park includes grassy prairies, peat bogs, and marsh wetlands home to over 2,000 species. USNPs Sep 15, 2023, 9:50 AM cowpoke
Hot Springs National Park - Arkansas
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Springs_National_Park]Hot Springs was originally established by Congress as a federal reserve on April 20, 1832, making it the oldest area managed by the National Park Service. Natural thermal springs flow out of the Ouachita Mountains, providing opportunities for relaxation in a historic setting. Bathhouse Row preserves examples of 19th-century architecture.[68] Hot Springs is the first national park within a city and was the smallest national park until 2018. USNPs Sep 14, 2023, 7:23 AM cowpoke
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Hawaii
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawai%CA%BBi_Volcanoes_National_Park]This park on the Big Island protects the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, two of the world's most active geological features. Diverse ecosystems range from tropical forests at sea level to barren lava beds at more than 13,000 feet (4,000 m). USNPs Sep 13, 2023, 7:51 AM cowpoke
