Explore the nation’s natural and historical treasures.
The jewel of the NPS are its national parks, which have been hailed as the most democratic idea that the United States has ever had. Ever since the granddaddy of them all, Yellowstone, was designated a national park in 1872, 58 more parks have come under the protection of the NPS. The stature of these parks, such as Zion, Joshua Tree and Sequoia, is such that they have the power to evoke emotions of adventure, calm and renewal, just at the mere mention of their names.
NPS also manages 50 smaller historical parks, such as Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, as well as wild and scenic rivers, such as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The National Trails System also falls under the care of the NPS and includes long-distance trails such as the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide, which runs between Canada and Mexico.
It’s not all redwoods and rivers, however. The NPS is also caretaker of the nation’s most significant monuments, such as the Statue of Liberty and George Washington Birthplace National Monument, and memorials including Mount Rushmore and Wright Brothers National Memorial. It offers reflective experiences too, on the rolling fields of Revolutionary War and Civil War battlegrounds. The NPS preserves some of the nations most significant places of sacrifice, at sites such as the Gettysburg National Military Park and Antietam National Battlefield.
Sometimes it all comes together — the forests, the shorelines, the monuments and the history — in recreation areas such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which encompasses such gems as Alcatraz, The Presidio, the Marin Headlands and the Muir Woods National Monument.