Introduction
The very famous National Park Grand Canyon is located in the state of Arizona. The canyon is carved by the Colorado River, which is an iconic feature within the canyon. The Grand Canyon park is on the area of 4 926 km², it’s 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide. The living history of Grand Canyon goes 10,500 years back in time, where it has been proven that people actually lived around there. Along with other cultures, Native Americans were on of the groups that lived here. Grand Canyon is one of the worlds’ top parks that attract nearly five million visitors each year. One million of the visitors are international, so it’s not a secret that many people think that that Grand Canyon is a place that must be visited during a lifetime.
The national park is divided in different part, the me most famous ones are: the South Rim, North Rim and the Inner Canyon. South Rim is open all year, it’s 2134 m above the sea, this area is where 90% of the visitors go and of course were we will go too. The less accessible part, but equally as amazing is the North Rim, which is 2438 m above the sea and also 305 m higher than South Rim. Unfortunately this parts’ season is only open may-October. For all you hikers, mule riders and true adventurous people, the Inner Canyon, which we also will visit, is a must!
The climate in Granc Canyon varies depending on what part of the park you are in. During the summer it could be up to 45 degrees Celsius hot. The coolest and the wettest part is the North rim, where the coolest temperature so far was February 1, 1985 when the temperature was -22 degrees Fahrenheit. During the 1900, the Grand Canyon had about 45 earthquakes and five of them were 5.0 or above. Over the past two million years, hund...
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... the Grand Canyon Park today was ”taken” from the Kaibab National Forest in 1919. Today, when visitors visits Grand Canyon National Park, driving from the major roads to get to the South and North rim they have to pass some parts of the Kaibab National Forest. These could be reasons why the forest is considered to be a gateway to the Canyon, although the National Park Service and the Forest Service have not had the best relation between each other. The word “Kaibab” means “mounting lying down” and is the Paiute name for the Grand Canyon. In 1906, president Roosevelt indicated a part of the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve as a game preserve to the Kaibab National Forest. Today, those 600,000 are parts of the Kaibab National Forest. It all began in 1908 when Roosevelt “made” Grand Canyon National Monument, that in 1919 changed its name to “Grand Canyon National Park”.
Many people know ‘Lake’ Powell as a fact of life. Since its creation in 1963, the reservoir, known as Lake Powell, is just there. Few people that are alive today have had the opportunity to see the true beauty of Glen Canyon, which rivals the Grand Canyon. Glen Canyon, equivalent to one hundred eighty river miles with dozens of side canyons, was flooded for the purpose of power and water resources. ‘Lake’ Powell also generates an enormous cash flow due to the tourism it receives. Although the ‘lake’ has a few reasons to remain in existence, there are many more reasons to drain it.
Many will attest to the grandeur of the natural feature that exists in northern Arizona, but the formation of the Grand Canyon has befuddled geomorphologists to this day. This confusion can be attributed to the Kaibab Plateau, an anomaly considering the Colorado River traverses it seamlessly. Four prevalent hypotheses have been proposed since the 19th century, starting with the lake overflow proposition first brought up by John Newbury and then reinforced by Eliot Blackwelder. Newbury argued that a structure must have ponded an ancient lake causing an overspill to cut into the Grand Canyon. This argument holds that the river must have come after the plateau’s existence. Unbeknownst to Newbury, the structure would be the Kaibab Plateau.
...c structures and other objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments. National parks were established together with National Forest Service throughout U.S. for conservation and recreation purposes. These actions faced opposition from Western settlers and Congress members who had plans of using the land that was set aside but also the Indians who were forced to stop hunting and fishing. However, settlers were happy with 1902 Reclamation Act that put aside funds to irrigate unlivable chunks of land and previously dry.
In the 1800’s into the early 1900’s a man named John Muir began to explore the western American lands. He traveled down South and up North. But, when he reached Yosemite Valley, his life changed. As said in John Muir’s Wild America, written by Tom Melham, “Following the forest-lined mountain trails, Muir climbed higher into the Sierra Nevada: suddenly, a deep valley enclosed by colossal steeps and mighty water falls yawned before him. Spell bound, he entered Yosemite Valley” (79). Muir’s travels and adventures, highlighted in Melham’s book, explain this man’s love of the wilderness. Yosemite Valley was like a wide, open home to Muir, who, lived alone and discovered new landings and important later landmarks that create the aura of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Valley was given to the state of California in 1864, part of the continuous idea of Manifest Destiny, later, in 1890; Yosemite became one of the first National Parks (“World Book”). Uniquely, the longer Muir stayed the more that he...
Zig-zag, back and forth, down, down, down, Jonathon, Dad, and I went into a mysterious new world. Now that I have gone into this hot, dry canyon surrounded by monstrous hoodoos, I have seen what it is really like to leave the small town of Seymour, and emerge into the greatness of this world. I have now seen several other National Parks on one of the most renowned places on earth for mysterious creations, the Colorado Plateau. Of all the beautiful places on it, even the Grand Canyon, I have found my favorite one. Bryce Canyon National Park. I thought it was amazing, because it was the most diverse to anything I have ever seen before. We hiked down into it and I felt like I was surrounded by skyscrapers. We trekked around a little, but we didn’t
Yosemite and its history, young to old the story of an area of land that is doomed to be mined, forcibly stripped naked of its natural resources. In 1864 Yosemite land grant was signed into act by president Abraham Lincoln, the first area of land set aside for preservation and protection. Yosemite being a very important historical plot of land, some time ago president Theodore Roosevelt visited the park managing to disappear from the secret service with John Muir. Through the years the contrast of ideas between the industrialists and the preservationists have clashed, Yosemite’s history both interesting and mysterious but more importantly inevitable .
This seemingly boring process came to fruition in one of the most beloved National Parks in the United States of America. The Grand Canyon National Park is located in the state of Arizona. It is over 270 miles long and, at some points, is up to 18 miles wide and deep (History.com Staff). Its deep walls help provide a geologic history of the earth, because the many layers contain artifacts and information about the climate at the time (History.com Staff).
John Wesley Powell was one of the foremost explorers in American history, and his first descent down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is one of America’s greatest adventure stories. Although he is not as well known as other explorers, his travels and his contributions to American history are significant because they represent a spirit of discovery motivated not by self-glory or the acquisition of gold or land, but by a curiosity about and appreciation for both the natural world and the native peoples of the West.
...costing, hot weather, regular, lay on the beach vacation, I suggest taking a trip to Key West, Florida, but for those outdoor types, like myself, who want to experience one of the most breathtaking places in the world and literally sit above the clouds, a vacation getaway to Denali National Park in Alaska is your cup of tea. The colder weather in Alaska was not as bad as I had thought it to be. Common snow clothes were suitable outdoors clothing for the time of the year I went and regular camping supplies worked out for me during my stay. Denali National Park is hands down the most beautiful place in America and is worth every penny it costs you to travel there and experience nature in its purity. It was a life altering experience climbing mountains high above the clouds and seeing how truly magnificent and compelling the earth must have looked thousands of years ago.
Within the state of Colorado lies a well know national park, which is known for its breathtaking geologic features and history of ancient civilizations. This site of interest is known as Mesa Verde National Park. In the Spanish language, Mesa Verde means green table. This park serves a medium for the protection of the thousands of well-known archeological sites that lie within it. Many of these preserved sites served as a home for its inhabitants, the Ancestral Pueblo people, over a thousand years ago. It is estimated that this was most likely around AD 600 to about 1300.
...erospace and transportation. Also important are high-technology researches and development, communications and service industries. Since the 1920s and 1930s the importance of the tourist industry began to grow and it is still one of the most important sources of income of Arizona. The mountains in the northern and central regions of the state have 1,286,900 hectares of commercial forests. These forests are owned by the U.S. government for 95% and are used for lumber and building-materials industries. The state forests and the national forests attract millions of tourists each year. Other famous tourist spots are the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, meteor craters, ancient Native American ruins, the Spanish colonial ruins and the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Golf courses and other leisure facilities attract a large amount of tourists as well.
By placing this emphasis on beauty in the wilderness the American people expected to see a beautiful wilderness, although in reality these two are not mutually exclusive. Muir supported a form of natural improvement in which alterations to the natural world are made, but not with any economic value in mind. Interestingly, Muir suggests that our wildness is a commodity to which, we are glad to see how much of even the most destructible kind is still unspoiled”. (Muir) By the time the National Park Service was founded in 1916 the American people wanted to be entertained by, and in, nature
Canyonlands National Park, immense amounts of wilderness and rock, is located at the heart of the Colorado Plateau (Canyonlands National Park-Geology). Millions of years have formed specific features to the rock and surrounding wilderness that make it so special. Throughout the park, you will find that the sedimentary rock has formed many features such as hundreds of colorful canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches, and spires. The Green and Colorado rivers have played a major role in the formation of many of these features. These rivers cut through the park forming two massive canyons. This further splits the park into three distinct zones. “Island in the Sky” sits to the north while “The Maze” sits off to the west and “The Needles” to the east (Canyonlands National Park Information Guide). “Island in the Sky” serves as Canyonlands’ observation tower; it allows tourists to see overwhelming vistas of the rest of the land. “The Maze,” as hinted at by the name has been described as a “30 square mile puzzle in sandstone” (NPS: Nature & Science» Geology Resources Division). This section of the park often ranks as one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the United States. Lastly, “The Needles” is known for its diversity in rock features. Throughout this land, features such as sculptured rock spires, arches, canyons, grabens, and potholes can be seen. The varying names hint at the diversity of the land as a whole. As said by The National Park Service’s Geology Resources Division, “Traces of the Anasazi can be found in almost every canyon in the Needles. Many of their stone and mud dwellings and storehouses are remarkably well-preserved. Tower Ruins, built high on a cliff ledge in a side canyon of Horse Canyon, is an outstanding ex...
Yellowstone Park is the world’s first national park and the 8th largest national park in the United States. The park is primarily located in Wyoming and parts of Idaho and Nevada (56 Interesting Facts About . . . Var Addthis_config = ) It is a tourist attraction due it’s 5,000 to 15,000 years old geysers, over 45 waterfalls, canyons, rivers, hot springs, and its massive concentration of natural wildlife. Two of the most popular park attractions are the Old Faithful geyser and the Grand Prismatic springs. ("Fun Facts." - 32 Interesting Facts Yellowstone National Park.)
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park in northwestern Wyoming. It is approximately eight hundred and fifteen miles, or a thirteen hour and ten minute drive, from Boise City, Oklahoma. Grand Teton offers a multitude of attractions, some of which are located in a quaint town only five minutes from the national park. With its ski slopes and hot springs in the winter, and its scenic hiking trails through the pristine and natural beauty of the mountains, there is something for every member of the family year round. The landscape is magnificently beautiful with deep meadows filled with the vivid colors of the wild flowers, and tall crisp mountain ranges that reflect off the surface of the calm lakes. Golden eagles fly high in the blue sky, and buffalo roam in the tall green grass. Along with its beauty and serenity, Grand Teton National Park has a story worth fighting for.