How well do you know America's national parks?
From geysers to glaciers, America's national parks protect some of the world's most spectacular places. Six questions, from easy to hard, with explanations.
Did you know?
- Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis is the smallest national park, covering about 91 acres. Its 630-foot (192 m) stainless steel arch is the tallest human-made monument in the Western Hemisphere.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park has no entrance fee. When Tennessee transferred a key road to the park, it required that no toll or fee ever be charged to use it.
- More than 300 million visits are made to National Park Service sites in a typical year. National parks alone account for about a third of those visits.
America's best idea
The United States created the world's first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, and the idea of protecting wild places for everyone spread around the globe. Writer Wallace Stegner famously called national parks 'the best idea we ever had'. Today the parks protect mountains, deserts, forests, coasts and caves, and welcome hundreds of millions of visits each year.
Parks, monuments and more
Not every site run by the National Park Service is a national park. The system includes national monuments, historic sites, seashores, lakeshores, trails and memorials. Only Congress can create a national park, while presidents can protect land as national monuments, which sometimes later become national parks.
Protecting nature and history
National parks aim to preserve landscapes and wildlife unimpaired for future generations while allowing people to enjoy them. Rangers balance these goals by managing trails, campgrounds, visitor numbers and wildlife protection. Scientists also use parks as natural laboratories for studying ecosystems and climate.
Planning a visit
Popular parks can be crowded in summer, and some now use timed-entry reservations. Visiting in spring or fall, arriving early or exploring lesser-known parks can make trips calmer. The 'America the Beautiful' pass gives access to national parks and many federal lands for a year.
Junior Rangers
Many parks offer free Junior Ranger programs for children. Kids complete activities about the park's nature and history and receive a badge. The program encourages families to learn while exploring, and some adults enjoy collecting badges too.
Threats and challenges
National parks face challenges such as climate change, wildfires, invasive species and heavy visitor numbers. Glaciers in Glacier National Park have shrunk dramatically, and some Joshua trees struggle with hotter, drier conditions. Protecting parks requires ongoing research, funding and care from visitors.