Who hasn't heard of Yellowstone Parks? The oldest National Park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park is located in three states -- Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. This park was created in 1872 and is without a doubt the country's most famous national park. Here you will find all kinds of indigenous wildlife and plant life. Animals like elk, bison, grizzly bears and wolves call the wilderness of this park home. Also located here is Old Faithful, the famous geyser. In addition to Old Faithful there are other lesser known geysers and hot springs in the park. Tags: yellowstone parks, national parks, national park service

Anyone who appreciates the natural beauty of unspoiled wilderness should check out some National Forest parks. U.S. National Forests are popular destinations and are often located within the bounds of national parks. Many of the activities that can be enjoyed at these forests include camping, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching and more. What you can expect depends on which forest you visit. Because there are so many, you are likely to find one within reasonable distance from your location. Across the United States there are millions of acres of National Forests to explore and enjoy. Tags: national forest parks, national parks, national park service

Whether you are doing a school project or planning a vacation being informed about National Parks history is a good idea. You may be surprised to learn that the first ideas about these parks stemmed from poets and artists like William Wordsworth and George Caitlin. In 1832 Caitlin was quoted as expressing interest in a preserved national park area for the Native American people and also the majesty of nature. It was in the same year that Andrew Jackson signed paperwork setting aside four pieces of Hot Springs Arkansas land for preservation. However no government control of the area was taken until the year 1877. Tags: national parks history, national parks, national park service

There are a large variety of America parks to visit if you love the outdoors. The United States has 58 state parks in many different states. Some states have lots of parks, some have only one and others have none. It all depends on where you are. The parks are headed up by the NPS or National Park Service. This service is under the Department of the Interior and works to manage all the National Parks in the U.S. With so many parks all across the map this is an admirable task indeed. Tags: america parks, national parks, national park service

There are federally protected national parks all over the country, including the state of Florida. Everglades National Parks are popular with tourists and locals alike because of the many great features of this region. The Florida Everglades happens to be the biggest subtropical area in the United States, with its National Park welcoming more than one million visitors annually. This park is the third largest in the the contiguous United States with Death Valley and Yellowstone being the top two. Not only is the Everglades park large and popular with tourists, it has been deemed a Wetland of International Importance, an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. Tags: everglades national parks, national parks, national park service

The best place to find a list of US National Parks is at NPS.gov, which is the official website for the National Park Service. This service is run by the Department of the Interior at a federal level. When you first visit the site you will notice the map of the United States of America on the home page. You can click anywhere on the map to see the nearest National Parks. There are other features on the home page you might also find interesting. The most useful are probably going to be the links on the left which allow you to search for a park using certain criteria such as location or name. Tags: list of us national parks, national parks, national park service

If you love getting back to nature, hiking is the perfect activity for you. There are lots of fantastic opportunities for National Parks hiking at locations around the country. A national park is an area of land designated by the federal government as protected. There are parks of this type all over the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. In the contiguous 48 states you'll find a large number of parks, preserves and other government protected areas of land to enjoy. The national parks are spread unevenly among the states, for example Alaska has 8 parks while New Mexico only has one. Tags: national parks hiking, national parks, national park service