American Beauties

The U.S. National Park System stretches from Maine to Hawaii, and from Florida to Alaska, incorporating 58 separate parks. Visitors come for the scenery, whether it’s redwoods in Northern California forest or manatees among Florida mangroves. They come for the open space, including more than 723,138 acres of it in Colorado’s Arapaho National Forest alone. And they come to commune, with nature or with family. Many of the national parks are kid friendly, offering summer camps, guided tours, and a chance for evenings around a campfire. It’s likely that you’ll never forget the sight of a bull moose munching on water plants, mud pots near the Grand Canyon (hint: the mud is not actually in pots), or horned puffins at rest on a jagged rocky ledge. Whether you’re craving an encounter with wilderness or simply seeking to satiate your wanderlust, the National Park Service will fill the bill.

» 22
The number of parks designated International Biosphere Reserves

» 92
The age of the U.S. National Park Service, founded in 1916

» $80
The price of an America the Beautiful pass, good for one year’s admission to all national parks and monuments

» March 1, 1872
The date Yellowstone National Park was established by Congress as the first U.S. national park

For Off-the-Beaten-Path Exploration

> Maine: More than 2 million people each year visit Acadia National Park, about an hour’s drive from Bangor. Here you’ll find 125 miles of hiking trails to explore — alone, or with a park ranger — along rocky coastline.

> Texas: Less than a two-hour drive from Houston, you’ll find Big Thicket National Preserve, ideal for hiking, bird-watching, canoeing, and fishing.

> Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park, a two-hour drive from Denver, has some of the oldest rocks in the entire National Park System — some more than 1.8 billion years old.

> Ohio: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The valley of this “crooked river” near Cleveland is a stop for monarch butterflies, which can be viewed by the hundreds during their annual migration.

Mountain’s Majesty

A two-hour drive from Seattle, you’ll see the Cascades’ tallest peak, Mount Rainier, long before you approach it — it’s almost 3 miles high.

The Grizzly Giant

Nope, you won’t need to play dead in the presence of this grizzly. The Grizzly Giant, a sequoia that’s at least 2,000 years old, is one of more than 200 giant trees in Yosemite National Park in California.

Did You Know?

Pacific coast tree frogs are the only frogs residing at Lava Beds National Monument in California. They like to make their home in the dewy cave entrances. So when you enter, watch your step.

Everglades National Park

A short and very worthwhile 50-mile drive from Miami, the Everglades’ 1.5 million acres make it the largest subtropical wilderness in North America. What does that mean? Crocodiles, panthers, and manatees, for starters. Everglades National Park has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance. But try to visit the wildlife between mid-December and mid-April, or you’ll likely be battling humidity and mosquitoes.