Page 48 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA
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46 USA A T A GLANCE
Exploring the National Parks fees, valid for seven days, which
range from nominal amounts
It is no exaggeration to claim that one could spend a ($1–5) at the smaller sites to
lifetime exploring the sprawling expanses of national parks upwards of $30 at prime
such as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. Most people visit attractions. Some parks don’t
parks simply because they happen to be near one, or to see charge a fee but do collect
charges for specific activities.
specific sights such as the geysers of Yellowstone. To make If planning to visit more than
their trip more worthwhile and enjoyable, visitors should two or three parks, visitors
restrict the number of parks they intend to visit, and instead should consider an America the
explore a couple of the most appealing ones at leisure. Plan Beautiful – National Parks and
for a minimum of one full day per park. Federal Recreational Lands
Pass. Valid for one year, these
cost approximately $80, and
enjoy nature without the give admission to the bearer
Background
crowds. Also try to take and passengers in the same
The world’s first national park advantage of the many well- private vehicle to all national
was established in 1872 to maintained trails to enable you parks and federal recreational
protect the geothermal to get away from the crowds lands, including national forests
wonders and wild creatures of and the traffic, and to really Bureau of Land Management
Yellowstone, on the crest of the enjoy the parks at close range. (BLM) properties. In parks
Rocky Mountains. In the years where a per-person fee is
since, a staggering 409 places of charged, the pass admits the
scenic or historical interest in Passports, Fees & Permits pass holder and three adults
the US have been given federal To help maintain their facilities, (children under 16 are free).
protection, including 59 parks most parks charge admission This pass can be bought at
within the National Park system.
America’s national parks offer Top National Parks
visitors some of the most
unforgettable wilderness Listed below, are some of the most
experiences anywhere in the popular national parks in the United
world, from stunning glacial States (in alphabetical order), including
lakes and lush forests to arid the top parks on the previous pages. Volcanic/Geothermal Coral Reefs & Islands Coastal Marshlands
expanses of desert. This chart depicts the various types of Mountainous Climatic Extremes Dramatic Erosion
landscape and geological formations
The National Park Service, that are found within each park. Glaciers
a unit of the US Department
of the Interior, also manages Acadia NP, ME (see p180)
national seashores, battlefields, Arches NP, UT (see pp512–13)
and national historic sites
(such as Independence Hall Badlands NP, SD (see p440)
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Biscayne NP, FL (see p322)
and national memorials (such Bryce Canyon NP, UT (see pp518–19)
as Mount Rushmore in Canyonlands NP, UT (see p514)
South Dakota). Death Valley NP, CA (see pp672–3)
Denali NP, AK (see pp728–9)
Everglades NP, FL (see p321)
Planning your Visit
Glacier NP, MT (see p571)
The national parks draw millions Glen Canyon & Lake Powell, AZ (see p515)
of visitors each year. In fact, the Grand Canyon NP, AZ (see pp530–33)
immensely popular Great Smoky Grand Teton NP, WY (see p575)
Mountains National Park sees Great Smoky Mts. NP, TN, NC (see p264)
over 10 million visitors annually, Hawai’i Volcanoes NP, HI (see p738)
while more than 3 million people Mesa Verde NP, CO (see p588)
visit compara tively remote parks Mount Rainer NP, WA (see pp614–15)
such as Yellowstone and Olympic NP, WA (see p608)
Yosemite. To avoid the crowds, Rocky Mountain NP, CO (see p583)
aim to visit the parks outside
the peak summer season (June– Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP, CA (see p707)
August), when they are full Shenandoah NP, VA (see p223)
to capacity. Voyageurs NP, MN (see p419)
While the most popular parks Yellowstone NP, WY (see pp576–7)
are the jewels in the crown of Yosemite NP, CA (see p706)
US public lands, there are many Zion NP, UT (see p517)
quieter parks where you can
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