7 Most Famous National Parks
National parks aim to preserve the planet’s wildlife and diversified ecosystems. Most of them are open to the public, and you can visit with friends and family. There are numerous methods to explore these beautiful natural areas, such as hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking. However, you will find hundreds of these parks, so picking a location can get confusing. Keeping this in mind, we have listed the best national parks to consider.
Yosemite National Park
Glacier National Park
This location must feature on your list of national parks to visit. Also known as the Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park spans a million acres and offers breathtaking mountain views on both sides. The best viewpoints in this park include the Going-to-the-Sun road, Continental Divide at Logan Pass, and the four campgrounds.
Grand Canyon National Park
The vistas at this well-known national park are unbeatable. The Grand Canyon never ceases to astound tourists with its varying hues, immense depth, and fantastic rock formations. Various helicopter tours enable tourists to see areas of the park that are inaccessible by walking or bus tours. In addition, educational programs give deeper insight into the history of the Grand Canyon.
Jasper National Park
This is one of the best national parks if you want to enjoy outdoor activities. It is also one of the largest in the Canadian Rockies. Come to this place to engage in various adventurous pursuits like hiking, biking, and boating in the summer and cross-country skiing and ice climbing in the winter. Maligne Lake, the second-largest glacier-fed lake worldwide, is located here.
Arches National Park
This park spans roughly 77,000 acres and is famous for oddly sculpted sandstone monuments. The land formations are perfect for hikers, rock climbers, trekkers, and photographers. La Sal Mountains viewpoint is a must-visit if you want a panoramic view of the park and far-away mountains. Garden of Eden is another top attraction that consists of unique rock formations.
Zion National Park
This is a haven for adventurers, photographers, and anyone who loves nature. The Zion Narrows trek, a ten-mile trip through the narrowest part of Zion Canyon, compels hikers to travel upstream along the Virgin River or hike Angels Landing, which gets you up through a nearly 1,500-foot natural staircase. Many love staying at one of the visitor centers and lodges inside the park for an extended trip.
Hot Springs National Park
Did you know that almost 4,000-year-old spring water may be found in Hot Springs National Park? A visit would be incomplete without putting a finger in one of the steaming pools scattered around. And do not forget to include the Hot Springs Mountain Tower in your itinerary when here. Its observation decks, which rise 216 feet above the park and 1,256 feet above sea level, provide 360-degree views of the park and the nearby Ouachita Mountains. The Fordyce tour should also be on your list of must-see attractions if you want to peek inside a historic bathhouse.
How to navigate through national parks with ease?
After choosing the best national park to visit, online maps can help you get there and find your way to different viewpoints inside the park. To begin, open your maps application on your computer or mobile device. Then plan your route to the park. To do this, type in your starting point and first stop. Most apps have a plus sign to add stops to the route, so keep adding them depending on the attractions you want to visit. Pause when your national park map has all the stops. You can add up to ten points using Google Maps.
Most maps allow you to rearrange stops and play around with your route. You may be able to drag and drop the points to change their order. And while the application will select the fastest road between the stops, you can modify it to take the scenic route. Once you have planned your national park visit, you can send the directions to your phone for quick access while on the road. Email or text messages can be used to communicate directions.
The National Park Service
Several hundred national parks, monuments, historical sites, and other federally designated assets are managed and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency of the federal government created in 1916. The agency aims to conserve the natural landscape, wildlife, and historical monuments in these areas for the enjoyment of future generations.