Nature is amazing! It seems that wherever we look there are gorgeous vistas, beautiful waterfalls, spectacular chasms and interesting wildlife. The United States is particularly blessed with a plethora of these wonderful natural places. In addition, America has chosen to preserve for all time these treasures through the creation of a national park system which has become a model for the rest of the world.
My Bucket List of America’s great natural areas will take you on a scenic journey across this magnificent country (places I have seen are asterisked).
Alaska
Denali National Park*
Glacier Bay National Park*
Katmai National Park
Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park*
Meteor Crater*
Oak Creek Canyon Drive*
Petrified Forest National Park*
Saguaro National Park*
California
Big Sur Coast*
Death Valley National Park*
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park*
Lassen Volcanic National Park*
Muir Woods*
Point Reyes National Seashore*
Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park*
Yosemite National Park*
Colorado
Colorado National Monument*
Garden of the Gods State Park*
Rocky Mountain National Park*
Florida
Everglades National Park*
Hawaii
Haleakala National Park*
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park*
Kentucky
Mammoth Cave National Park*
Maine
Acadia National Park*
Massachusetts
Cape Cod National Seashore*
Montana
Glacier National Park*
Nevada
Valley of Fire State Park*
New Hampshire
White Mountains*
New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns National Park*
White Sands National Monument*
New York
Niagara Falls State Park*
Watkins Glen State Park*
North Carolina
Outer Banks*
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park*
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Custer State Park*
Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park*
Texas
Palo Duro Canyon*
Utah
Arches National Park*
Bryce Canyon National Park*
Canyonlands National Park*
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument*
Zion National Park*
Virginia
Shenandoah National Park*
Washington
Mount Rainier National Park*
Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument*
Olympic National Park*
Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park*
Yellowstone National Park*
Total = 49 (I have visited 47 — fantastic!).
