PEAKLIFE

The USA is home to a staggering 62 national parks that attract millions of visitors each year. In 2019 itself, more than 327 million people visited the parks to immerse themselves in natural beauty

These national treasures are preserved by the National Park Service, which is celebrating its 104th birthday on August 25, this year.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Located in the southwestern part of Texas, Big Bend National Park is one of the most remote national parks and is known for its temple-like canyons. It is also distinguished as an International Dark Sky Park, marking it a great place for stargazing. On the clearest nights, one can see about 2,000 sparkling stars with the naked eye.

Big Bend was established as a national park in June of 1935, preserving the largest tracts of Chihuahuan Desert. The park is comprised of 1,252 square miles of land—making it larger than the state of Rhode Island—and offers hiking, camping, river running, horse riding, mountain bicycling, birding, jeep touring, and abundant sightseeing opportunities.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Set in southern Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, Crater Lake National Park is comprised of 183,224 acres of mountains, peaks, evergreen forests, and lake. The park provides abundant opportunities to visitors who can swim, snowshoe, ski, hike and cycle through the mountainous terrain.

Crater Lake National Park’s most iconic feature, the Crater Lake, is the deepest lake in the U.S. and the seventh deepest lake in the world. It is also one of the snowiest inhabited places in the USA. Reaching a depth of 1,943 feet, it lies inside a volcanic basin, and was created when the 12,000-foot-high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption. Crater Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the world as it is filled almost entirely by snowfall; it receives no water from rivers or creeks.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Situated near Bar Harbor, Maine, Acadia National Park is renowned for its incredible rocky beaches and is home to towering mountains, lush forests and a wide variety of animals. Hiking and biking are popular park activities. One can hike the Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast.

In 1919, Acadia became the first national park established east of the Mississippi River. At 3.5 million visits a year, this sprawling 47,000 acres park is one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States.

Arches National Park, Utah

Located just outside the adventurous town of Moab, Arches National Park is unlike any other park in the world. It is home to some 2,000 natural sandstone arches that have been shaped by years of wind and rain. The Delicate Arch is one of the most renowned and photographed arches in the park.

Hikers can take advantage of a variety of trails in Arches. While some hikes just take a couple of hours to complete, others are longer half-day hikes for the intermediate and advanced hiker. Apart from hiking, there’s an endless array of things to do in the park including biking, camping, and horse riding.

Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali National Park is one of the most visited attractions in Alaska and is the only U.S. National Park with its own sled dogs. It was established in 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park and renamed Denali National Park in 1980.

This outdoor wonderland contains the tallest mountain in North America, Mount Denali. In 2015, the peak was renamed from Mount McKinley to Denali, a word meaning “the high one” in the Koyukon language. Denali’s more than 6 million acres is packed with stunning scenery, wildlife and adventures for the bold, from horseback riding to white water rafting.

Glacier National Park, Montana

With over one million acres of protected land, including majestic peaks, lakes, alpine meadows and glacier-carved valleys, Glacier National Park boasts an outstanding natural world. It takes its name from the many glaciers and glacial forces that shaped its rugged topography over two million years.

The park features a variety of trails and is a favorite among hikers seeking wilderness and solitude. One of the most popular destinations of the Glacier National Park is ‘Going-to-the-Sun Road’, a 50-mile trek that provides some of the most amazing views in Montana.