Interesting Facts about USA National Parks

 

The national parks listed here in this gallery are jewels to the nation. They are renowned not only for their natural beauty but also for their historical and cultural significance. That’s why they must be preserved to be appreciated by future generations. There are some interesting things about national parks in the USA that are also worth knowing, and some of these facts are quite thought-provoking.

In this famous national park, you can see the tallest living single-stem tree in the world, which is dubbed General Sherman. It measures 275 feet in height, and weighs about 1,900 metric tons.

Polish freedom fighter Thaddeus Kosciuszko also swore allegiance to the United States during the American Revolutionary War. He stayed in this house in Philadelphia for a time in 1797 to nurse his injuries sustained from his capture and imprisonment in his native Poland by the Russians. In 1970 the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has since been restored. Tourists are welcome anytime to visit the house with no fees, tickets or reservations.

Grand Canyon

One of the iconic parks in the United States, the Grand Canyon is one of the longest and deepest canyons in the country. But not so in the entire world — the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in the Himalayas take the title. However, it doesn’t mean that the Grand Canyon is short of being breathtaking… see for yourself and discover why the Grand Canyon is one of the most famous canyons in the world!

The white dunes that make up the White Sands National Monument are not just ordinary sands but are actually gypsum crystals. So it’s like trudging on fine gemstones.

The largest national park in the United States is the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, in the state of Alaska. The park covers 13.2 million acres of land, making it much bigger than the entire country of Switzerland. Due to such large topography it also enjoys three climate zones.

The Yellowstone in the state of Wyoming is the country’s oldest national park, having been founded in 1872. Yellowstone is the home of Old Faithful Geyser.

California's Yosemite National Park

There are a lot of interesting things to know about California’s Yosemite National Park. It is believed that a glacier might have spearheaded the formation of the park.

In addition to that fact, you could also find at least 90 species of animals in Yosemite that include coyotes, black bears and chipmunks.

The Arctic National Park, as well as the Kobuk Valley National Park, are both located up further north, in the Arctic Circle. Both of them are in Alaska.

The Badwater Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin in Death Valley, California, is named this because it is too salty to make it undrinkable. However, it is home to several plants and animals including certain weeds and aquatic insects.

The Crater Lake is located in the national park of the same name in the state of Oregon. It is the deepest lake in the United States, measuring 1,932 feet (589 meters) in depth.

Denali, also known by its former name Mount McKinley, is the highest peak in the United States. It rises 20,320 feet (6193.5 meters) above sea level. It is located in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains is one of the most visited national parks in the country. It has drawn an astonishing 9,354,965 visitors. January is the peak season for the Great Smoky Mountains, which receives at least 320,000 tourists during that month.

The longest cave system not only in the United States but also in the world is the aptly-named Mammoth Cave National Park, located in the state of Kentucky. The park’s 52,830 acres is home to 3,454 miles of cave explored, and there are lots more that have not yet been explored. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

The Russell Cave National Monument in the state of Alabama maintains an almost unbroken record of human settlement that dates back to about 7000 BC, when prehistoric natives used the cave as their shelter.

The National Park of American Samoa is located in the unincorporated US territory named (what else) American Samoa. This is not to be confused with the independent Polynesian state which is named only as Samoa, although both of them belong to the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The National Park of American Samoa is the only national park that’s located south of the equator, spanning a total of 13,500 acres. These include 4,000 marine acres, which mostly consist of coral reefs.

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