For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People

In honor of National Park Week I thought I would express my IMMENSE love and passion for the national parks. To put it simply they display nature's finest. One of the places in the world where I am truly comfortable and feel at home is in a national park. I would love to explore them all, and am on my way with 35 or so thus far experienced.  You can't really say one park is "the best" because they are all so unique and beautiful!

It is exploration at it's best! You can see mountains, deserts, canyons, rivers, lakes, flowers, cacti, rocks, volcanoes, bison, bears, wolves, big horn sheep, elk, porcupines, mountain lions, snakes, lizards, butterflies, spiders, snow, rain, ice, sunshine, beaches, ocean, stars, northern lights, glaciers, lava, geysers, hot springs, mud pots, Americans, people from Asia or Europe or Canada or Papua New Guinea, and sometimes you might have it all to yourself and not even see a soul.

If you haven't seen Ken Burns' National Parks:America's Best Idea, you really should. It beautifully tells the story of the creation of the national parks. The love and dedication people had to preserve and  honor some of America's most sacred natural places. It's a wonderful story that makes you appreciate these places even more.

Here are some stats:

First National Park: Yellowstone
Largest National Park: Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska
World's Largest Cave System: Mammoth Cave National Park
Highest Waterfall in North America: Yosemite
Most Visited National Park: Great Smokey Mountains
World's Oldest Trees: Great Basin National Park
World's Tallest Trees: Redwood National Park
World's Largest Tree: Sequoia National Park
America's Version of Galapagos Islands: Channel Islands National Park
Largest Concentration of hydrothermal features in the world: Yellowstone
Lowest Point in Western Hemisphere at -282 ft: Death Valley
Highest Peak in North America: Mount McKinley (Denali National Park)

So take a road trip. 

See the sights. Smell the fresh air. Hear the sounds. Feel the wind. 

Experience YOUR national parks.