The United States is home to more than 60 national parks, spanning from the Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska to the Virgin Islands National Park off the coast of Puerto Rico. As early as the 1800s, people have been trying to regulate and protect our nation’s national parks. Now that we are in the 21st century, national parks have become a thriving business, as well as places for education, entertainment, and pure enjoyment.
Some of the most popular sites within US National Parks are forests of huge redwood trees, snow-capped mountains, the everglades, salt lakes spread out within deep valleys below sea level, deserts so long you can’t see where they end on the horizon, hot springs, canyons, glaciers, and huge hills speckled with wildlife including bison and elk. It’s amazing how diverse wildlife and its habitat can appear from one side of the country to the other.
If you have been considering visiting a national park and have a passion for travel and adventure, we’re going to give you some of the best reasons to mark the trip on your calendar.
1. You will never run out of things to see and do.
The amount of things to see and do is seemingly limitless when it comes to exploring the US National Parks. Even if you work as a ranger on a national park, it’s unlikely you can see and do it all before you are ready to retire because the areas are so vast and diverse.
The largest national park in the United States is Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska and spans over 8 million acres, which is larger than each of the nine smallest states. Yellowstone National Park is often confused as the largest, but it was actually the first established national park and at 2.2 million acres, it’s still considered enormous. Whether you want to kayak through a canyon or walk up an active volcano, the compass is yours to point in whichever direction you choose.
2. You absorb more knowledge when you are experiencing it.
Reading about wildlife and looking at photos of it doesn’t come close to the type of experience you can get from actually visiting the area and absorbing everything in person. Many of the national parks have programs and ranger-led excursions so you can gain knowledge about the habitat and wildlife you might get lucky enough to encounter on your hike, such as a fox or bighorn sheep.
According to a study on urban children being immersed in wildlife and nature-centered activities, multiple benefits can be gained from a relatively short environmental activity. In this case, it was bird watching and monitoring. For most children in the study, both knowledge and attitudes towards nature improved in most children.
3. Your five senses will take you places you could never imagine.
If you’re a person who remains aware of your senses within your environment, you will love the sensory elements of visiting a national park. Whether your star sign falls under a zodiac that loves nature or prefers staying home, you will surely enjoy all the different experiences in the national parks. People of all backgrounds, zodiac signs and careers enjoy the sensory elements of nature. You can be a salesperson or banker and still appreciate the great outdoors. From seeing bobcats and black bears to feeling the cold air on your face in the depths of a cave system, your senses will give you a new appreciation for the natural wonders of the world.
Because the environments in different national parks are so diverse, you will never feel bored or as if you’re wasting time. Our national parks have everything from dunes to arches and woodlands, so you’ll never run out of things to appreciate about the diverse landscape and wildlife inhabiting it.
