“Within National Parks is room — glorious room — room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
Congress established Yellowstone National Park in 1872. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service, a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior. Today, the NPS comprises more than 400 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands.
Did you know?
- The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
- Our National Park Service protects over 84 million acres of wild landscapes and historic sites.
- The national parks are home and habitat to more than 400 endangered or threatened plant and animal species.
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska, is the largest national park, covering 13,000 square miles or 13.2 million acres.
- Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower 48 U.S. states, stretching 5,300 square miles or 3.4 million acres.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park with more than 9 million guests per year.
- The smallest national park is part of an acre in downtown Philadelphia, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.
The National Park Service offers a range of virtual experiences….bringing the beauty, majesty, history and unique aspects of each park into our homes.
- Search the NPS multimedia gallery for nature videos and audio files.
- Listen to the Voices of Science podcast series to learn more about current science happenings in parks.
- Spot wildlife, catch dramatic geological processes in action, or soak in stunning views from the comfort of anywhere watching webcams in national parks.
- Explore a sound gallery to virtually experience soundscapes and natural sounds in parks. Try enhancing the soundscape at home or anywhere you visit.
- The Google Arts & Culture series, The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, focuses on lesser-known sites, including the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Utah’s Bryce Canyon, and Dry Tortugas in Florida.
- Google created 360-degree Google Earth tours of 113 national parks sites, including 31 parks and a number of monuments, historic sites, and seashores. Some of these are popular sites you may have visited or dream of visiting, such as Mount Rushmore or Alcatraz; others you may never have heard of, including Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado or Wupatki National Monument in Arizona.
From our home to yours, xxoo.
