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With 59 protected areas known as National Parks, the United States of America has plenty of options to explore and delve into nature.
To be considered a National Park, the area must include natural beauty, diversity of ecosystems, remarkable geology and opportunities for recreation.
To help you on your way to tranquil contemplation in the woods, our personal travel managers have compiled a list of their favourite National Parks throughout America.
Yellowstone National Park
The world’s first National Park, Yellowstone sits atop a volcanic hot spot in Wyoming.
From geysers like the famous Old Faithful, to its sprawling and dramatic canyons, Yellowstone is the flagship of National Parks worldwide.
The wildlife on offer only adds to its allure with the park home to a menagerie of species including bears, bison, elk, antelope and wolves.
Size: 2.24 million acres
Location: Northwest Wyoming
Yosemite National Park
California’s Yosemite Valley is popular for those seeking adventure, with hiking, rafting, fishing and rock-climbing all on offer.
The highlight of Yosemite is the lookout from Glacier Point, which affords an impressive view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite’s high country.
Size: 768,000 acres
Location: California, 5 hours’ drive east of San Francisco
Everglades National Park
Less than an hour’s drive from Miami, the Everglades is comprised of 1.5 million acres and three separate entry points including Gulf Coast Visitor Centre, Shark Valley and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Centre.
With five distinctive habitats including Mangrove, Pineland, Hammock, Sawgrass and Slough, the diversity of ecosystems on offer has led to the Everglades being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
An abounding selection of wildlife lives within the Park, including tree frogs, alligators, the American manatee, deer, otters and even a breed of panther.
Size: 1.5 million acres
Location: Southern Florida, 1 hour from Miami
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
As the United State’s largest national park, Alaska’s Wrangell-St.Elias National Park has unique bragging rights – it’s even bigger than Switzerland.
With towering mountains (the largest, Mount St. Elias, standing 18,000 feet tall) and glaciers in abundance, it’s easy to feel humbled by the sheer size of your natural surroundings. The park can be accessed year-round with most facilities open between May and September. Pack warm though, because while a short summer can see the mercury reach as high as 27°C, winter lasts as long as five months where the temperature often stays below freezing.
Size: 13 million acres
Location: Alaska, four & half hours west of Anchorage
Zion National Park
Located in south-western Utah, Zion National Park— whose name means “place of peace and relaxation”— attracts hikers, climbers, bikers and tourists from across the world.
With some of the most colourful canyon country in the U.S., Zion also boasts waterfalls, cliffs, mesas and Coral pink sand dunes stretching 229 square miles across Utah.
Home to more than 420 types of species, including the endangered California condor, travellers come to Zion to reflect and truly submerge themselves in nature.
“In-park” lodging is available as well as in the surrounding city of Springdale, Utah.
Size: 148,000 acres
Location: Southern Utah
If you would like to know more about the adventure that awaits you in the United States, get in touch with your personal travel manager here.
TravelManagers respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands where we work and gather, and those we visit.
