“I’ve stood humbled at the foot of a towering sequoia, peered nervously into the Grand Canyon and known the meaning of miniscule next to vast oceans at Acadia and Olympic. I’ve listened to brilliant red apapanes sing at Hawaii Volcanoes, wondered at the age of a log in Petrified Forest and marveled at Dr. Seuss-like landscapes at Saguaro and Joshua Tree. Like our country, our National Parks are beautiful, diverse and something to be immensely proud of.” – Peggy Darr, Defenders’ New Mexico Representative, has visited 35 national parks!
There’s over 110 years of history behind the brown and green shield of the National Park Service. National parks provide protected environments for animals and fragile ecosystems. In fact, more than 600 federally listed species rely at least in part on the National Park System.
Before we dive into some staple national parks, here are a handful of fast facts:
- Yellowstone was the first national park, established on March 1, 1872.
- The National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916.
- The National Park Service manages over 400 sites including 63 national parks, national monuments, national seashores, historic sites and battlefields.
- Every state, plus D.C. and many United States territories, has at least one National Park Service site.
- Only 30 states contain at least one designated national park.
Let’s explore six staple national parks across the U.S., learn about when they were created and what animals call them home!
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
Yellowstone National Park is the first national park, in the U.S. and globally. The mountains, canyons and plateaus defining its landscape are the result of 150 million years of various geological activities.
Many of the 67 mammal species living in Yellowstone are just as famous as the landscape. Grey wolves, for example, were wiped out of Yellowstone by the 1920s due to a misguided government extermination campaign. The wolves roaming the park today are a result of reintroductions in 1995 and 1996.
Less than 10 miles south of Yellowstone’s South Entrance is the northern boundary of the just as magnificent Grand Teton National Park.
“My brother and I hiked the most beautiful 20 mile loop up Paintbrush Canyon and down Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park. The paintbrush flowers and mountain views were breathtaking. As we descended, we even got to enjoy the rarer view of the western, or back side, of Grand Teton peak and its sister peaks.” – Kent Wimmer, Defenders’ Senior Northwest Florida Representative, has visited 29 national parks!
Coursing through both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks is the Snake River. This 1,078-mile river flows from the Two Ocean Plateau in Yellowstone to the Columbia River in Washington. Grand Teton is home to one of the best views of the river and the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, which are exclusively found in the upper Snake River region.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley, the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias and the surrounding wilderness were designated as the U.S.’s third National Park in 1905.
“I grew up just outside Yosemite, camping and fishing in the park during summers, and skiing at Badger Pass in winter. I’ve hiked to the top of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Sentinel Dome to take in the splendid views. I've swam in the mighty Tuolumne River and spent countless hours along my beloved Merced River. Whatever the season, each Yosemite adventure brings new inspiration.” – Pam Flick, Defenders’ California Program Director, has visited 23 national parks!
Yosemite is most well-known for its waterfalls. There are 25 prominent named falls and countless smaller cascades around the park.
Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which are home to several endemic animals, many of whom are imperiled. The Yosemite toad, for example, is native to the Mountains’ high-elevation meadows. They were first discovered in Yosemite in 1915 and were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014. About one-third of this toad’s entire global range exists within the park’s boundaries today.
Zion National Park
Before it was “Zion,” it was Mukuntuweap National Monument. Mukuntuweap means “straight canyon” in the Southern Paiute language. The park’s name changed in 1918, just one year before it was designated as the 15th national park, because officials worried “Mukuntuweap” was too difficult to pronounce.
This national park is known for its massive sandstone cliffs and canyons, and boasts a 5,000-foot elevation change within its 232 square miles.
“Zion is home to the most memorable and scariest hike I’ve ever done. Angels Landing gets its dramatic reputation for the last half mile, where the trail takes you up the narrow spine of rock, with a 1500-foot sheer drop on either side. It’s a genuinely dangerous hike that requires a permit, but the view from the top — which we witnessed thanks to the persistence of my very adventurous daughter — is the most incredible I’ve ever seen.” – Aimee Delach, Defenders’ Director of Energy and Biodiversity, has visited 31 national parks!
Quite the contrast from the park’s giant cliffs is the endemic Zion snail. This 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch snail is only found in the wet, sandstone "hanging gardens" of Zion and Orderville Canyons in the National Park.
Everglades National Park
Florida’s Everglades once covered 11,000 square miles from just south of Orlando down to Florida Bay. Drainage for agriculture and development reduced the Everglades to about half of its original size.
Everglades National Park was opened to the public in 1947 as the 20th national park and the first created to protect a specific ecosystem in the U.S.
“While paddling in Everglades National Park in 2023, I came across a flock of more than 30 American flamingos for the first time. After being nearly hunted out of Florida in the early 1900s, wayward winds from Hurricane Idalia blew hundreds back into the state. Seeing these flamingos feeding, thriving and making the Everglades their home was an unforgettable reminder of why protecting and restoring these places matter.” – Kelly Cox, Defenders’ Senior Policy and Planning Specialist, has visited 13 national parks!
The Everglades is home to 36 federally listed species, including the threatened American crocodile and endangered Florida panthers. It is also the only ecosystem in the world where wild American alligators, found in freshwater inland habitats, and American crocodiles, found in coastal brackish environments, live together.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains national park is the most biologically diverse park in the system. This national park was born from the desire to conserve the cool, healthy air of the southern Appalachians.
Great Smoky Mountains hosts over 19,000 documented species. Known as the "Salamander Capital of the World," the park is home to 31 salamander species, more than any other protected area globally. The Jordan’s red-cheeked salamander is the only endemic salamander to this park, making its home in moist, preferably spruce-fir, forests above 2,500 feet.
“I grew up near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have spent hours adventuring through the vast, rugged terrain — seeing the park the way so many do — and spending hours just exploring a single boulder covered by hundreds of mosses, lichens, ferns, and fungi — witnessing a tiny world few take the time to notice. There’s so much diversity in our National Parks, if only you take the time to look.” - Ben Prater, Defenders' Southeast Program Director, has visited 12 national parks.
So, of the 63 national parks, how many have you been to? Share your stories in the comments below!
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