America’s smallest national park
takes up only a few square yards
in Beachwood, Ohio. It is the David
Berger National Memorial, which is
made up of a single sculpture on the
grounds of the Mandel Jewish Community Center.
White Sands National Monument
is home to the largest gypsum dune
field in the world.
Pinnacles National Park is the newest park to be added to the National
Park Service. It was upgraded to a
protected land in 2013.
The “Old Faithful” geyser at Yellowstone is named fittingly for its
reliable eruptions, though there are
no set time patterns, it is guaranteed
to go off at some point. Eruption
heights can be as tall as 184 feet.
The deepest lake in the United States
is in Crater Lake National Park – its
name is Crater Lake, fittingly, and it
is more than 1,900 feet deep.
There are nearly 300 waterfalls in
Yellowstone National Park.
President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national monument,
Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, on September 24, 1906.
The Florida Everglades is the only
true tropical forest in the northern
hemisphere, and is home to many
exotic animals, including the Florida
Panther and the American Alligator.
There are prehistoric structures preserved within the National Parks
Service sites as well, including the
Aztec Ruins in New Mexico and the
Montezuma Castle in Arizona.
This next century, the National Park Service has recommitted themselves to the
same principles, and promises to continue to uphold these wonders within our
country. Though times have changed,
the mission has not, and the National
Park Service will see to it that our American heritage is preserved in the many
years to come as well.
22 Summer 2016 Adventure Outdoors
“In our second century, we will
fully represent our nation’s
ethnically and culturally
diverse communities. To
achieve the promise of democracy,
we will create and deliver
activities, programs, and services
that honor, examine, and interpret
America’s complex heritage. By
investing in the preservation,
interpretation, and restoration
of the parks and by extending
the benefits of conservation to
communities, the National Park
Service will inspire a “more perfect
union,” offering renewed hope to
each generation of Americans.”
– A Call to Action 2015
If you haven’t taken a trip to a national park,
now is the time to start planning. If you know
what it is like to enjoy the protected lands and
monuments of the United States, then get involved and plan your next trip in honor of the
many years of dedication that the National
Park Service and its founders and contributors
have put in. There are thousands of miles of
land to explore; go find adventure!