Great places to visit in celebration of America's national parks
The National Park Service in the United States has been around for more than a century. Created in 1916, the National Park Service was initially tasked with protecting the country's 35 national parks and momuments. Today, the National Park System comprises more than 400 areas that cover more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands.
The growth of the National Park Service is proof of the undeniable allure of the great outdoors. The call of the wild can be answered anywhere in the United States, and the following are some must-see locations that fall under the purview of the National Park Service.
Alabama
· Little River Canyon National Preserve
Alaska
· Denali National Park
· Glacier Bay National Park
Arizona
· Grand Canyon National Park
· Petrified Forest National Park
California
· Joshua Tree National Park
· Redwood National Park
· Sequoia National Park
· Yosemite National Park
Colorado
· Great Sand Dunes National Park
· Rocky Mountain National Park
Delaware
· First State National Historical Park
Florida
· Everglades National Park
· Dry Tortugas National Park
Hawaii
· Haleakala National Park
Idaho
· Yellowstone National Park (extends into Montana and Wyoming)
Kentucky
· Mammoth Cave National Park
Indiana
· Indiana Dunes National Park
Maine
· Acadia National Park
· Roosevelt Campobello International Park (a cooperative effort between the U.S. and Canada)
Michigan
· Isle Royale National Park
· Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Minnesota
· Voyageurs National Park
· Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (extends into Wisconsin)
Missouri
· Gateway Arch National Park
· Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Montana
· Glacier National Park
· Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (extends into Wyoming)
Nebraska
· Niobrara National Scenic River
Nevada
· Great Basin National Park
New Jersey
· New Jersey Pinelands
· Gateway National Recreation Area (extends into New York)
North Carolina
· Great Smoky Mountains National Park (extends into Tennessee)
North Dakota
· North Country National Scenic Trail (extends across various states)
Ohio
· Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Oregon
· Crater Lake National Park
· Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (extends into Washington)
South Carolina
· Congaree National Park
South Dakota
· Badlands National Park
· Wind Cave National Park
Texas
· Big Bend National Park
· Big Thicket National Preserve
Utah
· Arches National Park
· Canyonlands National Park
Virginia
· Blue Ridge Parkway (extends into North Carolina)
· Cumberland Gap (extends across various states)
West Virginia
· New River Gorge National Park
