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This year hit the parks! The national parks to be exact. The best way to teach your family why conservation is important is to show them the stunning national park system. From Yellowstone to Grand Canyon, the U.S. has the largest national park system in the world thanks in large part to an early eco-activist named Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was an avid conservationist who signed legislation establishing five national parks between 1901 and 1909, including Crater Lake, Ore., Wind Cave, S.D., Sully's Hill, N.D. (later redesignated a game preserve), Mesa Verde, Colo., and Platt, Okla. (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area).
You could spend years just traveling through the park system alone. If you're new to the park system, here are some highlights:
- First, pick up a National Parks Annual Pass. The standard annual pass is good for admission at each national park for up to four adult visitors for a year from the purchase date. It is a steal at only $80. If you over 62 you can get the same pass for only $10.
- Glacier National Park in West Glacier, Mont., borders Canada and is home to one of the most spectacular drives in the United States. Going-to-the-Sun Road runs straight up the side of glacier laden cliffs and through immaculate mountain passes. Stay in an historic chalet and take a short hike to one of the mirrored lakes hidden in what little is left of our pristine forests.
- Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, contains spectacular views from its rugged Atlantic coastline and stunning granite peaks. Acadia was the first National Park established east of the Mississippi River and is home to the tallest mountain on the eastern coast of the United States. Don’t leave without checking out the beautiful Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.
- Canyonlands National Park in Moab, Utah, is a maze of canyons, mesas, and buttes in a pristine section of the beautiful Colorado Plateau. Canyonlands is famous for mountain biking, especially the 100 mile White Rim Road, which provides spectacular views. The more adventurous can go rock climbing at the Island in the Sky or travel deeper into the park on an extended canyoneering trip.
Read Part 2 of National Park Hopping:
Go National Park Hopping, Part 2
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