| My favorite national park is Yosemite National | | | | of the Arctic but the total acreage for such sites |
| Park. Breathtaking is a hackneyed phrase, but | | | | is 55 million. Visitors to The North American |
| bursting into daylight after passing through the last | | | | Mountain Kingdom are rare as few have ventured |
| tunnel on Highway 41 and seeing Yosemite Valley | | | | farther than Anchorage. It is the area of the |
| below draws audible gasps from first time visitors. | | | | country with an abundance of 16000 feet mounts |
| There is a terrific shot at any angle be it the solid | | | | and glaciers. |
| rocks of the walled valley or the Half Dome knob | | | | Many are willing to go back one more time to the |
| from afar or the running waterfalls. | | | | Grand Canyon specifically its North Rim. When I |
| Around 95 percent of people visiting Yosemite | | | | was a kid, my father hated the crowds of the |
| miss seeing 95 percent of the park because the | | | | South Rim so we always made the long drive to |
| crowds are too big to handle. What sets | | | | the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is |
| Yosemite apart from sites like the Grand Canyon | | | | sometimes hard to appreciate the Grand Canyon |
| and Yellowstone though is its vertical aspect that | | | | view offerings on a return visit because tourists |
| make jostling through crowds tolerable. You will | | | | have their hands full navigating through the |
| catch people looking upward ignoring the crowds | | | | crowds. |
| below. From spring to winter to autumn there are | | | | You can spot a grizzly or two in Kobuk Valley plus |
| less traveler numbers to worry about unlike during | | | | some buffalo down in Yellowstone while visiting |
| the summer months. | | | | the Everglades wildlife. Get close to nature by |
| People find few things to like about the national | | | | dropping by the Everglades Anhinga Trail and |
| park of Great Smoky Mountains. The park has | | | | witnessing several gators sunning themselves. |
| lots of trails you need to walk personally to | | | | These creatures can cause the faint hearted to |
| genuinely get a feel of the area. Visitors total | | | | run scared just by looking at its saw teeth and |
| around 9.2 million a year easily doubling the | | | | add to that its slow movement toward the water |
| number of those going to Grand Canyon. Although | | | | leaving just their eyes visible. |
| attractive most of the crammed roadways and | | | | Some people considered Monument Valley as one |
| scenery did nothing to wow Westerners who | | | | of the national parks. The West is well |
| were repeat visitors. Casinos and other traps | | | | represented in its monoliths in the shade of red. |
| await tourists when they arrive at Cherokee and | | | | Arizona and Utah has an area forming a section |
| Gatlinburg. Air quality has suffered in recent years. | | | | of the Navajo Indian territory that a number of |
| With countless National Park tourists coming in | | | | films has used as background. But strings cannot |
| droves it has perhaps been depleted too much. | | | | be pulled to reclassify it as a national park |
| Many would likewise like to travel to the Wrangell | | | | because it is presently listed with a sovereign |
| Saint Elias national park. Two parklands that are | | | | status. Nevertheless it is still a favorite location for |
| infrequently toured are Kobuk Valley and Gates | | | | many. |
