America: land of the free, home of the brave, and site of some of the greatest national parks in the world. Featuring 58 national parks, all of which are well worth visiting, the United States provides nature lovers with plenty to see and do. But with so many parks to choose from, even the most avid outdoor enthusiasts probably won’t have the time to see them all. So here are five that you must visit.

Olympic National Park – Washington

Olympic National Park is like a highlight reel of all the great things nature has to offer. The park features three distinct ecosystems: Coast, Forest, and Mountains. That’s right; within nearly one million acres of park land, visitors can explore numerous Pacific Coast beaches, countless acres of lowland and temperate rain forests, and the glacier-capped peaks and mountains surrounding Mount Olympus. If it sounds overwhelming, that’s because it is. There is so much to do and see that a single weekend trip might not suffice. Experienced hikers and mountaineers have plenty of intense, snowy peaks to summit, while more casual visitors can use roads

to access

similar vistas, Hurricane Ridge being the most popular.

The west side of the park is populated by temperate rain forests (such as Hoh Rain Forest), which gain over 12 feet of rain per year, while the east side is filled with lush valleys of forests, rivers and lakes. As if that wasn’t enough, 73 miles of Pacific coastline comprise beaches of all types, rocky cliffs, and rugged wilderness.

On that note, 95 percent of the park is designated as wilderness, making Olympic National Park one of the finest examples of West Coast nature.

Yosemite National

Park – California

World-famous Yosemite is truly a sight to behold, featuring mind-boggling granite formations, epic waterfalls, and breathtaking vistas. The 1200-square mile park sees over 3.5 million visitors each year, but most of them stay within the seven-mile stretch of Yosemite Valley, which features some of the park’s most famous sights, including El Capitan and Half Dome. Also in the Valley is Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America (the hike to the top of the falls is compared to climbing the stairs of more than two Empire State Buildings!). The most popular hike, and also one of the most dangerous, is Half Dome, which requires permits every day of the year. How popular is it? Permits go on sale months in cialis from canada online pharmacy advance and sell out within minutes. Aside from hiking, however, Yosemite also features some of the best rock climbing in the world. Massive granite boulders and towering monoliths make it a climber’s heaven. Outside of Yosemite Valley, there is still plenty to see, such as Mariposa Grove, which is home to about 500 giant sequoias. The park is open year-round, and different seasons offer distinct sights. The best time to visit is during late Spring and early Summer when the entire park is open and the waterfalls are roaring.

Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming

Here it is: the granddaddy of them all. The world’s first national park remains one of the most popular, and for good reason. Yellowstone’s 3468 square miles of park land, including canyons, waterfalls, lakes and rivers, feature a vast variety of diverse wildlife and nigeria phone number tracker remarkable

geothermal features. Among these geothermal features are the park’s 300 geysers, including the world-famous Old Faithful, which, on average, erupts 145 feet high every 90 minutes or so, as well as Steamboat Geyser, www sms tracker the world’s largest active geyser, sometimes erupting more than 300 feet into the air. Another popular attraction is the vivid, rainbow-colored Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States. The park’s great geographic features include the massive Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone’s largest body of

water, which is located on the volcanic Yellowstone Caldera. The enormous Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is sildenafil citrate 100mg one of the top sights to see in the park, offering a stunning vista and a great view of Lower Yellowstone Falls and the Yellowstone River. Perhaps even more remarkable than all of this, however, is the wildlife. Yellowstone’s wildlife includes nearly 2000 species of native trees and plants, more than 300 species of birds, and cialis price walgreens nearly 60 species of mammals, including bison, wolves, lynx, grizzly bears, black bears, elk, moose, and pronghorns.

Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona

No national park list is complete without mentioning the Grand Canyon. Internationally famous, the immense canyon is an iconic American landscape and often considered one of the great Wonders of the World. The scope of the canyon is incredible, to say the least, at 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and more than one mile deep.

Most visitors come to the South Rim of the canyon because of its easy accessibility and stunning vistas. Of course, there’s more to the park than mesmerizing views of the Grand Canyon. Hiking into the canyon is among the best ways to experience the natural beauty the park has to offer. That being said, even avid hikers have found the hike to be extremely demanding, both physically and mentally, so be prepared to run out of water, shade, and peace of mind.

Hiking isn’t the only way to experience the vastness of the Grand Canyon, however. Mule trips are a popular way to see the canyon and are given from both the South and North rims. Be warned: trips can be booked more than a year in advance and fill up very quickly. Those feeling a bit more adventurous can take a thrilling trip down the Colorado River.

Both smooth and white water trips are available, and some companies offer trips

that last 25 days long! But don’t take my word for it; words don’t do the Grand Canyon justice. You must see this astonishing, inspiring landscape for yourself to believe it.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Tennessee / North Carolina

Straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina is the United States’ most popular national park, welcoming more than 9 million visitors every year. But what makes the park so popular? Why is it that the park writing a narrative paper sees

more than twice as many http://buyessayeasy365.com/ visitors as the next most popular park, the Grand Canyon? Perhaps it’s the fact that the park features a whopping 850 miles of hiking trails. Or perhaps it’s the amazing http://cellphonetracker24.com/ fall colors of the Eastern United States.

Could it be because of the abundance of historic churches, schools, and log cabins? Or is it the excellent fishing, with more than 2000 miles of streams? It is all of these sildenafil citrate generic viagra things, of course, and then some. Visitors can indulge in a nearly endless number of excellent leisure activities at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a hiker’s paradise, for one, with many trails leading to stunning vista points and large waterfalls, Ramsey Cascades being the tallest at 100 feet. Clingman’s Dome is the highest point of the park at 6643 feet, although there are sixteen peaks in the park that elevate above 6000 feet. Most roads can also be traveled by bicycle or horseback, as well.

The park is famous for its vivid Fall colors, but each season provides unique, breathtaking scenery. Realistically, you could spend the rest of your life in this park and not live to see it all. It’s the most popular national park in America for a reason. Oh, and watch out for bears.

Written by Babak Haghighi

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