The 5 Great National Parks Almost No One Knows About
by www.SixWise.com
The world's first national park was created back in 1872
to provide a "pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment
of the people in order to protect for all time this outstanding
natural area." And today, millions of people have enjoyed
this park named Yellowstone.
But dotting the national landscape are many other great national
parks -- 57 to be exact -- that deserve just as much recognition
as the original. Here we have highlighted just a few of our
favorites, but you can visit the National
Park Service to find out about all of the others (including
the 390 parks, battlefields, seashores, historic sites and
more that have been designated an important part of American
heritage).
1. Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor, Maine
At Arcadia you can explore 47,000 acres of Maine's coastline,
woodlands, lakes, ponds and granite-domed mountains. Native
American Indians are thought to have lived in Acadia some
6,000 years ago. And, as the first national park to be created
east of the Mississippi, Acadia has been a favorite stomping
ground for the affluent since the turn of the century.
Acadia has incredibly diverse terrain. You can watch a sunrise
over the bay, hike to the top of a mountain, or walk around
the more secluded trails. If you're in to biking, Acadia has
over 40 miles of carriage roads that span the hillside.
2. Isle Royale National Park
Houghton, Michigan
Isle Royale, located on the shoreline of Lake Superior, is
so secluded that you can only get there by boat or float plane.
It's also a United States Biosphere Reserve, which are meant
"to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between
humans and the biosphere," and must "encompass a
mosaic of ecological systems."
With 165 miles of hiking trails and 36 campgrounds, Isle
Royale is an ideal location for experienced backpackers, fishermen,
boaters and campers. In all, it encompasses 850 square miles,
and 99 percent of the land is federally designated wildlife.
History buffs can take in historic lighthouses, shipwrecks
and ancient copper mining sites, while nature lovers can take
in wildlife.
3. Kings Canyon National Park
Southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare and Fresno counties,
California
In Kings Canyon, and its next-door-neighbor park Sequoia,
you can see giant mountains and trees alongside deep canyons.
These parks have oak-tree-dotted foothills, sequoia groves
and marble caverns, but most of the parks are composed of
high-alpine wilderness.
Visitors can enjoy tours in the foothills, sequoia groves
and high-country, river activities and horseback riding in
the summer, and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the
winter.
4. Shenandoah National Park
Blue Ridge Mountains near Luray, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park is home to diverse wildlife, including
deer, black bears and wild turkeys, an oak-hickory forest,
waterfalls, deep canyons and mountain peaks. It has over 500
miles of trails, 101 of which are part of the Appalachian
Trail, a national hiking tail that spans from Georgia to Maine.
Shenandoah has hiking, picnicking, camping (either in a developed
campground or the backcountry with a permit), and fishing.
Or, explore the trails and see if you can find Shenandoah's
apple trees, wild flowers, stone foundations and cemeteries.
5. Voyageurs National Park
International Falls, Kabetogama, Ash River, and Crane
Lake, Minnesota
Voyageurs has some of the oldest exposed rock formations
in the world, shaped by at least four periods of glaciation.
This rugged terrain is part of the southern part of the Canadian
Shield, and most of its shoreline is only accessible by boat.
Along with rock formations, at Voyageurs you can see bogs,
beaver ponds, swamps, islands, migratory birds, many lakes
and the north woods, a rich forest ecosystem. The park got
its name from the French-Canadian canoe-men of the same name,
who were known to travel the Great Lakes in canoes made of
birch bark. This park is ideal for water sports, fishing,
camping, and exploring the north woods.
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Sources
National Park Service
National Parks Conservation Association