Sexton 1

Amanda Sexton

College Composition

Keeley/Rhoney

09 February 2023

U.S. National Parks

In 1861, Ferdinand Hayden–the head of the geological survey at the time–led an

expedition to the Yellowstone river. His team of geologists, botanists, and zoologists gave the

U.S. its first official account of the area. The beauty of the west inspired Hayden, and he pushed

for the land to be protected. In 1872, President Ulysses Grant signed a protection act, and

Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. Beauty may have been why Hayden wanted

to protect the area, but national parks are far more significant than just a pretty area to explore.

U.S. National Parks are significant for the environment, recreation, education, and culture.

The United States is home to 63 national parks. Of those National Parks, Great Smoky

Mountains National Park, Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon

National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park were the top 5 most visited parks in 2021.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the Appalachian Mountains, along the

border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The Smoky Mountains are shorter than the Rocky

Mountains, but that’s because they are far older, and “they’ve been worn down over the last 300

million years” (Emily). Zion National Park is located in Utah. It is home to two very popular

trails, Angel’s Landing and the Narrows. Angel’s landing is a strenuous, upward hike that is

worth the amazing views. The Narrows is a hike in a canyon through the river. It brings many
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amazing views of waterfalls and the canyon, but can also be very strenuous. Yellowstone

National Park is located in Wyoming, with a bit of the park in Montana and Idaho. It is the

world’s first national park, and it’s famous for its geysers, especially Old Faithful. It is one of the

only six geysers that park rangers are currently able to predict eruption times for, hence its name

that speaks of reliability. Grand Canyon National Park is an especially well known National

Park, being one of the world’s seven natural wonders. The park is located in Arizona, however

the canyon also touches Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. The canyon is a spectacular example of

erosion. It was carved out by the powerful Colorado river over the course of millions of years.

And last of the top five National Parks is Rocky Mountains National Park in Colorado. The park

has over 100+ lakes. “94% of Rocky Mountains National Park was designated a wilderness area

by Congress”, meaning that no man made structures can be built there (Rocky Mountain

National Park). These areas are accessible by horse or hiking. The Park has over 60 mountains

higher than 12,000 feet and it is the highest US National Park by average elevation. These five

National Parks are the most visited, but that doesn’t mean that the other National Parks aren’t

just as spectacular.

In fact, the five least visited US National Parks have just as much to offer. The least

visited parks are Gates of The Arctic National Park and Preserve, National Park of American

Samoa, Kobuk Valley National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Lake Clark National

Park and Preserve. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is located in Alaska, entirely

above the arctic circle. The park has no roads or trails. It is completely untouched wilderness,

void of any modern development. Its night skies are filled with Auroras, and the area is made of

glacier carved hills and valleys. The National Park of American Samoa is in Samoa. It is quite

the unique National Park, with a heavy focus on preserving, protecting, and sharing Samoan
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culture. It is composed of three islands covered almost entirely by tropical rainforest. It has

beautiful beaches, small villages, and lots of rare wildlife. Kobuk Valley National Park is also

located in the arctic of Alaska. It is home to the largest active sand dunes in the arctic. The park

is known for its caribou and the long standing tradition of harvesting these caribou as they

crossed the Kobuk River. North Cascades National Park is a park filled with beautiful glaciers. It

is in Washington, only 3 hours from Seattle. It is composed of forested valleys with cascading

waters, as well as tall glacial mountains, and has lots of camping, boating, and various other

backcountry activities. Lake Clark National Park is in southwest Alaska, about 100 miles from

Anchorage. Lake Clark is known for its salmon, having the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the

world. It is also the homelands of the Dena’ina people, preserving their culture and history.

The official statuses of these National Parks are subject to change. Some parks gain

National Park status only after years as being designated under a lower protection status. Others

may lose their status as a National Park. Good examples of both of these occurrences are Indiana

Dunes National Park and Mackinac Island State Park. Indiana Dunes originally started out as a

State Park in 1926. Beforehand, the idea was to turn it into a “National Park for the Middle

West”, but the idea fell apart when World War 1 started (National Park Service). In 1966, it

finally managed to gain national status. It was designated as a National Lakeshore, the title

directly below National Parks in protection status. After that, four more bills were passed to

expand the National Lakeshore. In 2019, Indiana Dunes finally became a National Park.

Mackinac Island became the second National Park in the US in 1875. However, because of the

military presence on the island in Mackinac, the land was managed by the army. In 1895, the fort

was deactivated and the military left. The island lost its National Park status. However, the state

of Michigan reopened it as a State Park. It became Michigan’s first State Park, and has remained
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a State Park ever since, with beautiful rock formations on the island accompanied by the historic

town and Fort Mackinac.

National Parks are selected as parks for their environmental significance. Some parks are

chosen for their features that are unique to anywhere else. Mammoth Cave is “the longest cave in

the world—over 350 miles long with more passages waiting to be discovered or connected”

(Boorstein). Mammoth Cave National Park was established to protect the uniquely long tunnels

and caves. It is also unique for other things such as its formations of stalactites and stalagmites as

well as the Snowball Dining Room— a cave with walls covered in gypsum. Yellowstone

National Park was created as the first national park because of its hydrothermal features, such as

geysers, mud pots, and hot springs. The park has the “greatest concentration” of these features,

with “over 10,000” hydrothermal features (National Park Service). Unique places like these that

don’t exist anywhere else in the world should without a doubt be protected. However, less

unique– but still beautiful– places should also be protected just as much.

National Parks can also act as beautiful recreational areas for people to explore a new

place while also enjoying a fun sport or activity. People from around the world travel to

Yosemite to experience the Half Dome and climb “its 8842-foothigh great cliffs” (Miller). Half

Dome’s great cliffs make for an amazingly scenic climb, which wouldn’t be possible without the

protection of Yosemite National Park. New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia is a

newer national park, officially becoming a park in 2020. “Fishing is one of the most popular

activities” in New River Gorge (National Park Service). New River Gorge, like Yosemite, is a

popular recreational area. Without the protection of it, it would likely be used for commercial

fishing, instead of creating an opportunity for recreational fishing. The importance of us getting

outside is undeniable, and National Parks like these give us the perfect opportunity to.
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National Parks also give the perfect opportunity for education. This education can be

helpful for all ages, but it is especially great for educating children about the wilderness around

them. The National Park Service has a Junior Ranger program that is targeted to children ages 5-

13. “Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, share their answers with a

park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger patch and Junior Ranger certificate” all in their

day at the park (National Park Service). These activities keep the children engaged with the

nature around them while also teaching them about it in a way that entertains them. Some

National Parks have their own additional educational programs. The Grand Canyon National

Park has ranger led fossil walks where rangers have kids “pledging to pick up litter in the park,

leave fossils where they found them, hold their parents’ hands to keep safe— and eat their

vegetables” (Redding). This teaches kids all about fossils and the earth’s history. It also helps

teach them to clean after themselves in order to protect nature and these National Parks.

The National Parks are also good for another type of education; they can educate about

indigenous culture. The Grand Canyon’s Desert View Watchtower is made just for that. It was

built to resemble Puebloan towers made over 1,200 years ago. The park has hosted many events,

such as “indigenous artists and cultural specialists at the tower, where they give art

demonstrations, speak with visitors and sell their work” (Allen). This allows Native Americans

to teach about their own culture and history, instead of having someone less informed teach the

culture. The Grand Canyon was formerly home to many tribes, and it’s important to remember

their history, both from before the land was taken from them, and from after that point in time. In

addition, the Grand Canyon still to this day serves as a home with Havasupai that live in

buildings built for them by the Park Service. The park and their home should be treated with

respect, which is what the protection of the park now does. In fact, it’s not just Grand Canyon
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National Park that works closely with indigenous people to keep their park educational and

culturally accurate. “National Parks, like federal agencies at large, are mandated to consult with

local tribes when the decisions affect them” (Allen). Some parks go even further than this.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska worked together with Huna Tlingit to build a

tribal house. Olympic National Park now shares resources with eight local tribes. Even National

Parks that don’t do as much to represent Native cultures have a rich indigenous history. One of

these includes Yellowstone National Park. Among tribes that have history with Yellowstone is

Apsaalooke. Their stories include tales of a courageous hero saving Thunderbirds from an otter

that resided in Yellowstone Lake, the son of the Sun killing an evil bison to create Dragon’s

Mouth, and a special story about Liberty Cap that connects many of the local tribes. This last

story also connects to the night sky—something that’s a lot more commonly known in more

places than just Montana and Wyoming. It’s a story of twins scaring away a monster after it

inadvertently gave them powers by trying to end their lives. The story of these Divine Twins

“unites people across the mountains, plateaus, prairies and valleys, and it extends well beyond

the borders of today’s national park” (Doyle). Learning each other’s culture is undeniably

important to gaining understanding of others. It is especially important to learn about native

culture, as their ancestors have been on this continent far longer than ours. National Parks bring

this opportunity in a way many other places may not be able to. The land is preserved, and

indigenous people are invited to share their culture with visitors and tourists.

National Parks are often credited as the United States’ best idea. For such a bold

statement, it isn’t far from the truth. National parks ensure that the world gets to keep some of its

beauty as we build our cities and plow land to become farmland. Without National Parks, we

may not have nearly as many opportunities to enjoy nature as we currently do.
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Works Cited

Allen, Laura. "A New View: Has the long-troubled relationship between Grand Canyon National
Park and local indigenous people entered a more harmonious era?" National Parks, vol.
94, no. 2, spring 2020, pp. 12+. Gale In Context: High School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A619305576/GPS?u=dist214&sid=bookmark-
GPS&xid=fb71f20b. Accessed 28 Feb. 2023.
‌“An Overview of Rocky Mountain National Park.” Rocky Mountain National Park,
www.rockymountainnationalpark.com/gallery/overview/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.
“Become a Junior Ranger (U.S. National Park Service).” Www.nps.gov,
www.nps.gov/kids/become-a-junior-ranger.htm.
Boorstein, Margaret F. "The wonders and origins of four National Parks of the southern United
States." Focus, vol. 42, no. 4, winter 1992, pp. 26+. Gale OneFile: High School Edition,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A14643561/GPS?u=dist214&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=f8638825.
Accessed 6 Mar. 2023.
Doyle, Shane. "LAND OF STEAM: AN APSAALOOKE WRITER SHARES THREE STORIES
THAT SHED LIGHT ON HIS PEOPLE'S CONNECTIONS TO THE LANDS OF
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK." National Parks, vol. 97, no. 1, Wntr 2023, pp. 42+.
Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A732234890/GPS?
u=dist214&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=73390ef0. Accessed 28 Feb. 2023.
Emily. “12 Epic Things to Do in Smoky Mountain National Park (& MASSIVE Travel Guide).”
Practical Wanderlust, 17 Sept. 2021, practicalwanderlust.com/things-to-do-in-smoky-
mountain-national-park/.
“Explore the Old Faithful Area - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service).”
Nps.gov, 2016, www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/exploreoldfaithful.htm.
“History & Culture - Indiana Dunes National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 2016,
www.nps.gov/indu/learn/historyculture/index.htm.
Miller, Jerry. "YOSEMITE'S WONDERS." Cobblestone, vol. 39, no. 9, Nov.-Dec. 2018, p. 12.
Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A564465486/GPS?
u=dist214&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=30478743. Accessed 28 Feb. 2023.
Redding, Barbara. "Grand Canyon for adventurers young and old." Travel Weekly, vol. 73, no.
17, 28 Apr. 2014, pp. 62+. Gale In Context: High School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A368074527/GPS?u=dist214&sid=bookmark-
GPS&xid=9a7261e8. Accessed 28 Feb. 2023.
“The MOST VISITED National Parks in the US 2021 (with PHOTOS + Tips).” More than Just
Parks | the Ultimate National Park Resource, 27 June 2021,
morethanjustparks.com/most-visited-national-parks/.
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