Gran Teton Mountains, near Jackson, WY.
It all started on March 1, 1872 when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill creating Yellowstone as the nation's first national Park. Since then 58 protected areas, which are operated by the National Park service, have been established. The latest is Great Sand Dunes, dedicated on September 13, 2004, in the southern part of Colorado.
The largest national park is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska which consists of 13,175,901 acres. The smallest which covers only 0.2 acres is the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Monument, dedicated to a Polish freedom fighter, and is located in Philadelphia, PA.
27 of the 50 states in the Union have national parks.
There are also parks located in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alaska and California have the most, eight in each state. The most visited national park is Great Smoky Mountains which has over nine million visitors per year. The second most visited is the Grand Canyon with over four million. There are 14 national parks designated as World Heritage sites.
Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, MT
Bison in Yellowstone National Park, WY
There are also parks located in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Alaska and California have the most, eight in each state. The most visited national park is Great Smoky Mountains which has over nine million visitors per year. The second most visited is the Grand Canyon with over four million. There are 14 national parks designated as World Heritage sites.
In addition to sight-seeing, the park systems offer a wide array of activities for visitors. Hiking, biking, fishing and camping are just a few of the possibilities for park visitors. There are also numerous employment opportunities within the national parks. Employment can consist of everything from Park Ranger to volunteering at the visitor's centers. For more information on opportunities to work in a national park, please visit this site.