online book

book cover


MENU

Contents


Introduction

Arches

Aztec Ruins

Capulin Mountain

Casa Grande

Chaco Canyon

Colorado

Craters of the Moon

Devils Tower

Dinosaur

El Morro

Fossil Cycad

George Washington Birthplace

Glacier Bay

Gran Quivira

Hovenweep

Katmai

Lewis and Clark Cavern

Montezuma Castle

Muir Woods

Natural Bridges

Navajo

Petrified Forest

Pinnacles

Pipe Spring

Rainbow Bridge

Scotts Bluff

Shoshone Cavern

Sitka

Tumacacori

Verendrye

Wupatki

Yucca House




Glimpses of Our
National Monuments

THE NATIONAL PARKS AT A GLANCE

[Number, 23; total area, 12,431 square miles]

NameLocationArea in
square miles
Distinctive characteristics
Acadia
     1919
Maine coast 16The group of granite mountains upon Mount Desert Island and also bold point on opposite mainland across Frenchmans Bay—Formerly called the Lafayette National Park.
Bryce Canyon
     1928
Southwestern Utah 23Box canyon filled with countless array of fantastically eroded pinnacles—Best exhibit of vivid coloring of earth's materials.
Carlsbad Caverns
     1930
Southeastern New Mexico 1-1/8Beautifully decorated limestone caverns, believed to be largest yet discovered.
Crater Lake
     1902
Southwestern Oregon 249Lake of extraordinary blue in crater of extinct volcano—Skies 1,000 feet high—Interesting lava formations—Fine fishing.
General Grant
     1890
Middle eastern California 4Created to preserve the celebrated General Grant Tree, 40.3 feet in diameter—31 miles by trail from Sequoia National Perk.
Glacier
     1910
Northwestern Montana 1,534Rugged mountain region of unsurpassed alpine character—250 glacier-fed lakes of romantic beauty—60 small glaciers—Precipices thousands of feet deep—Almost sensational scenery of marked individuality—Fine trout fishing.
Grand Canyon
     1919
North central Arizona 1,009The greatest example of erosion and the most sublime spectacle in the world.
Grand Teton
     1929
Northwestern Wyoming 150Includes moat spectacular portion of Teton Mountains, an uplift of unusual grandeur.
Great Smoky Mountains (proposed)
     1930
North Carolina and Tennessee248This area is not to be developed ss a national park until at least 427,000 acres have been donated to the United States, as specified in the organic act. Meanwhile the park area of 158,876.50 acres already in Federal owners-hip is being protected by the National Park Service.
Hawaii
     1916
Hawaii 245Interesting volcanic areas—Kilauea and Mauna Loa, active volcanoes on the island of Hawaii; Haleakala, a huge extinct volcano on the island of Maui.
Hot Springs
     1921
Middle Arkansas 1-1/26 hot springs said to possess healing properties— Many hotels and boarding houses—19 bath houses under Government. supervision. Reserved by Congress in 1812 as the Hot Springs Reservation to prevent exploitation of hot waters.
Lassen Volcanic
     1916
Northern California 163Only active volcano im United States proper— Lassen Peak, 10,413 feet—Cinder Cone, 6,913 feet—Hot springs—Mud geysers.
Mesa Verde
     1906
Southwestern Colorado 80Most notable and best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in United States, if not in the world.
Mount McKinley
     1917
South central Alaska 2,645Highest mountain in North America—Rises higher shove surrounding country than any other mountain in this world.
Mount Rainier
     1899
West central Washington 325Largest accessible single peak glacier system; 28 glaciers, some of large size; 48 square miles of glacier, 50 to 500 feet thick—Wonderful subalpine wild-flower fields.
Platt
     1902
Southern Oklahoma 1Sulphur and other springs possessing medicinal value.
Rocky Mountain
     1911
North middle Colorado 401Heart of the Rockies—Snowy range, peaks 11,000 to 14,215 feet altitude—Remarkable records of glacial period.
Sequoia
     1890
Middle eastern California 604The Big Tree National Park—Scores of sequoias 20 to 10 feet in diameter, thousands over 10 feet in diameter, General Sherman Tree, 37.1 feet in diameter and 273.5 feet high—Towering mountain ranges—Startling precipices—Mount Whitney and Kern River country.
Sullys Hill
     1901
North Dakota 1Small park with woods, streams, and a lake—Is a wild-animal preserve.
Wind Cave
     1903
South Dakota 17Cavern having several miles of galleries and numerous chambers containing peculiar formations.
Yellowstone
     1872
Northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and north eastern Idaho3,426More geysers than in all rest of world together—Boiling springs—Mud volcanoes—Petrified forests—Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, remarkable for gorgeous coloring—Large lakes—Many large streams and waterfalls—Vast wilderness, one of the greatest wild bird and animal preserves in the world—Exceptional trout fishing.
Yosemite
     1890
Middle eastern California 1,139Valley of world-famed beauty—Lofty cliffs—Romantic vistas—Many waterfalls of extraordinary height—3 groves of Big Trees—High Sierra—Waterwheel Falls—Good trout fishing.
Zion
     1919
Southwestern Utah 148Magnificient gorge (Zion Canyon), depth from 1,500 to 2,100 feet, with precipitous walls—Of great beauty and scenic interest.




top of page Top




Last Modified: Thurs, Oct 19 2000 10:00:00 pm PDT
glimpses/monuments/glimpsest2.htm