Almost a century ago, there were no guidelines for creating a national park, because nothing like them existed anywhere in the world. It was generally recognized that the pristine nature of the United States needed to be preserved for the future but different states had different rules.
On the one hand the cattle grazed free, elsewhere the elk were hunted and elsewhere the trees were felled for timber. The great minds have pondered the question, taking Niagara Falls as a starting point, which, by the end of the 1860s, had already been devastated by commercialism. Surely Yosemite and Yellowstone shouldn't suffer the same fate.
Created in 1872, Yellowstone it was the first national park in the United States. Its protective status towards nature and its inhabitants has created the widespread idea throughout the country and then around the world, of the importance of national parks and their protection.
Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Wind Cave and Mesa Verde all acquired the same status, until 1916, when the National park system as a person charged with overseeing all aspects of these wild lands.
There's never a bad time to visit America's incredible national parks, but with 58 of them in total, not to mention more than 100 national monuments, deciding which ones to visit can be confusing.
To make it easier for you to choose, we have compiled a list based on parks with new facilities, better routes, annual celebrations and visitor preferences. All that remains is to start planning the next outdoor adventure.
The most important natural parks in the United States:
Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
Sequoia National Park (California)
Yosemite National Park (California)
Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
Glacier National Park (Montana)
Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
Acadia National Park (Maine)
Denali National Park (Alaska)
Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Zion National Park (Utah)
Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
Great Smoky Mountains National (Carolina del Nord)
Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
Everglades National Park (Florida)
Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Colorado)
