THE NATIONAL PARKS AT A GLANCE
Arranged chronologically in the order of their creation
[Number, 14; Total Area, 7,290 Square Miles]
NATIONAL PARK and Date |
LOCATION |
AREA in square miles |
DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS |
HOT SPRINGS RESERVATION 1832 |
Middle Arkansas |
1-1/2 |
46 hot springs possessing curative propertiesMany hotels and
boarding-houses in adjacent city of Hot Springsbath-houses under
public control. |
YELLOWSTONE 1872 |
Northwestern Wyoming |
3,348 |
More geysers than in all rest of world togetherBoiling
springsMud volcanoesPetrified forestsGrand Canyon of
the Yellowstone, remarkable for gorgeous coloringLarge lakesMany
large streams and waterfallsVast wilderness inhabited by
deer, elk, bison, moose, antelope, bear, mountain sheep, beaver, etc.,
constituting greatest wild bird and animal preserve in
worldAltitude 6,000 to 11,000 feetExceptional trout fishing. |
YOSEMITE 1890 |
Middle eastern California |
1,125 |
Valley of world-famed beautyLofty cliffsRomantic vistasMany
waterfalls of extraordinary height3 groves of big
treesHigh SierraLarge areas of snowy peaksWaterwheel
fallsGood trout fishing. |
SEQUOIA 1890 |
Middle eastern California |
237 |
The Big Tree National Park12,000 sequoia trees over 10 feet in
diameter, some 25 to 36 feet in diameterTowering mountain
rangesStartling precipicesFine trout fishing. |
GENERAL GRANT 1890 |
Middle eastern California |
4 |
Created to preserve the celebrated General Grant Tree, 35 feet in
diametersix miles from Sequoia National Park and under same
management. |
MOUNT RAINIER 1899 |
West central Washington |
324 |
Largest accessible single-peak glacier System28 glaciers, some of
large sizeForty-eight square miles of glacier, fifty to five
hundred feet thickRemarkable sub-alpine wild-flower fields. |
CRATER LAEE 1902 |
Southwestern Oregon |
249 |
Lake of extraordinary blue in crater of extinct volcano, no inlet, no
outletSides 1,000 feet highInteresting lava
formationsFine trout fishing. |
MESA VERDE 1906 |
Southwestern Colorado |
77 |
Most notable and best-preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in United
States, if not in the world. |
PLATT 1906 |
Southern Oklahoma |
1-1/2 |
Sulphur and other springs possessing curative propertiesUnder
Government regulations. |
GLACIER 1910 |
Northwestern Montana |
1,534 |
Rugged mountain region of unsurpassed Alpine character250
glacier-fed lakes of romantic beauty60 small glaciersPeaks
of unusual shapePrecipices thousands of feet
deepAlmost sensational scenery of marked individualityFine
trout fishing. |
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 1915 |
North middle Colorado |
358 |
Heart of the RockiesSnowy range, peaks 11,000 to 14,250 feet
altitudeRemarkable records of glacial period. |
National Parks of less popular interest are:
Sully's Hill, 1904, North Dakota | Wooded hilly tract on Devil's Lake. |
Wind Cave, 1903, South Dakota | Large natural cavern. |
Casa Grande Ruin, 1892, Arizona | Prehistoric Indian ruin. |
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Last Updated: 30-Oct-2009
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