Although spending thousands of dollars for traveling to foreign destinations is one way to enjoy a vacation, another option is to explore America by visiting the magnificent national parks and forests. Many times, we think a vacation has to include a long flight to some unknown country for it to be fun and exciting but in truth the United States has thousands of destinations, all unique and beautiful, just waiting to be explored. As you will discover in this article, for individuals who love the outdoors and natural beauty, national parks and forests are an excellent opportunity just waiting to be discovered.
For starters, you have your choice of more than 379 national parks, although just 15% of these are actually deemed “national parks” with the remaining areas being comprised of monuments, lakeshores, seashores, battlefields, historical sites, etc. Each of these destinations provides a wonderful experience that you will treasure for life. While learning more about this great country, you are also getting the opportunity to see nature at its best.
Typically, a person thinks of places such as Yosemite National Park or Rocky Mountain National Park as being “national parks” and while they are, there are many other national parks of which most people are completely unaware. Then considering that national parks and forests are scattered around the country, you will find that each one is very different. Some national parks are dense with forests and abundant wildlife while others are sparse and rocky, yet no less intriguing.
Therefore, whether visiting Mount Rainier located in the southeast portion of Washington where volcanoes and glaciers are a part of the beautiful scenery, the Shenandoah National Park in the Appalachian Mountains between Pennsylvania and Georgia where you will find lush valleys and stunning mountains, or the Everglades National Park that covers more than 110,000 acres, you are in for a wonderful time.
For national forests, you will discover there are 155 in the United States alone. The land is so vast that it covers an estimated 190 million acres, which would be about the size of the state of Texas, although just 9% of that is actually land. When people think of national parks and forests, they generally think of places with mountains, valleys, and wildlife. Interestingly, there are two types of national forests that include those reacquired and replanted and those where the land was originally owned, reserved by the government so the public could buy sections.
With both national parks and forests, the opportunities are unrivaled. You will likely have your favorites but a few destinations to consider include the Redwood National Forest, which is in California and home to the Sequoia trees that are planted as small seeds but grow upward to 350 plus feet, the Black Hills National Park in South Dakota, perfect for cave and canyon exploration, and the Sierra National Forest, a place of peace and tranquility that covers more than 1.3 million acres of peaks and valleys.