Tioga Pass Road takes you into Yosemite’s high country, including Tuolumne Meadows and its fabulous hiking trails (try the quick climb to the top of Pothole Dome). “Absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” Here are 20 of America’s best national parks, each one a unique expression of nature’s bounty, that celebrate this notion to the fullest. “America’s best idea,” quipped writer Wallace Stegner.
Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Wind Cave and Mesa Verde all gained status too, until eventually, in 1916, the National Parks System was created – one entity charged with overseeing all aspects of these wildernesses. National parks were spaces that human kind deemed precious and worth protecting. Its status sparked an idea that spread across the country and then around the world. Yellowstone was the first national park ever to exist, designated in 1872. But they also are welcoming destinations that transcend all ages and fitness levels, offering everything from nature walks and camping to white-water rafting to extreme canyoneering. They are places that inspire awe in their superlatives: towering redwoods, masses of pinnipeds, ancient petroglyphs, sweeping mountain vistas. Millions of acres of untrammeled nature, from striated canyons to sun-soaked beaches to immense glaciers, embrace these 63 scenic gems across 30 states (and two island territories). In the catalogue of classic American holidays, the national parks top the list.
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