From the World Heritage inscription for Carlsbad Caverns National Park: The more than 100 limestone caves within Carlsbad Caverns National Park are outstanding and notable worldwide because of their size, mode of origin, and the abundance, diversity, and beauty of the speleothems (decorative rock formations) within. On-going geologic processes continue to form rare and unique …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Statue of Liberty: The Statue of Liberty, a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, stands on an island at the entrance to New York Harbor. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi in collaboration with engineer Gustave Eiffel and was a gift …
From the World Heritage inscription for Mammoth Cave National Park: Mammoth Cave is the most extensive cave system in the world, with over 285 miles (456 km) of surveyed cave passageways within the property (and at least another 80 miles [128 km] outside the property). The park illustrates a number of stages of the Earth’s …
Mesa Verde is another really under-appreciated national park. While it is one of the first national parks in the U.S., it’s a cultural attraction, not a natural one. In fact, North America is seriously lacking in ancient structures (due do the nomadic nature of the original inhabitants), and Mesa Verde is one of the finest. …
I love deserts, so it should come as no surprise that Death Valley is one of my favorite national parks in the U.S.—and that’s saying a lot considering there are some amazing locations across North America, and even in California. I’ve visited Death Valley on two occasions: first during my 2009 road trip and second …
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of the first national parks when I began traveling full time. I had previously been to Volcanoes in 2006 as part of a geology department trip with the University of Minnesota. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of the few places on Earth where you can see an active …
At only 24 square miles (62 km2) Gulf Islands National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Canada. The islands lie between the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Island. It is also one of Canada’s newest national parks having been founded in 2003. Parkland is located on 15 different islands, some of which …
Kootenay is adjacent to two other national parks: Banff (which borders to the east) and Yoho (which borders to the north). It is also a component of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site. As with Yoho, there is one primary highway which runs through the park, and everything you’d want to see …
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, also known as the Black Canyon National Park, is a national park outside Montrose, Colorado. It is managed by the US National Park Service since it was established as a national monument in 1933. It was later upgraded to national park status in 1999. The entire park spans …