B THE NATIONAL PARKS AT A GLANCE
Reading edition
ARRANGED CHRONOLOGICALLY IN THE ORDER OF THEIR CREATION
(Number, 17; total area, 9776 square miles)
National ParksLocationArea in square milesDistinctive characteristics
Hot Springs (1832)Middle Arkansas1½ 46 hot springs possessing curative properties—Many hotels and boarding-houses—20 bathhouses under public control.
Yellowstone (1872)Northwestern Wyoming3348 More geysers than in all rest of world together—Boiling springs—Mud volcanoes—Petrified forests—Grand Cañon of the Yellowstone, remarkable for gorgeous coloring—Large lakes—Many large streams and waterfalls—Vast wilderness inhabited by deer, elk, bison, moose, antelope, bear, mountain sheep, beaver, etc., constituting greatest wild bird and animal preserve in world—Altitude 6000 to 11,000 feet—Exceptional trout-fishing.
Yosemite (1890)Middle eastern California1125 Valley of world-famed beauty—Lofty cliffs—Romantic vistas—Many waterfalls of extraordinary height—3 groves of Big Trees—High Sierra—Large areas of snowy peaks—Water-wheel falls—Good trout-fishing.
Sequoia (1890)Middle eastern California252 The Big Tree National Park—12,000 sequoia trees over 10 feet in diameter, some 25 or 36 feet in diameter—Towering mountain-ranges—Startling precipices—Fine trout-fishing.
General Grant (1890)Middle eastern California4 Created to preserve the celebrated General Grant Tree, 35 feet in diameter—6 miles from Sequoia National Park and under same management.
Mount Rainier (1899)West central Washington324 Largest accessible single peak glacier-system—28 glaciers, some of large size—48 square miles of glacier, 50 to 500 feet thick—Wonderful sub-alpine wild-flower fields.
Crater Lake (1902)Southwestern Oregon249 Lake of extraordinary blue in crater of extinct volcano, no inlet, no outlet—Sides 1000 feet high—Interesting lava-formations—Fine trout-fishing.
Mesa Verde (1906)Southwestern Colorado77 Most notable and best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in United States, if not in the world.
Platt (1906)Southern Oklahoma11⁄8 Many sulphur and other springs possessing medicinal value, under Government regulation.
Glacier (1910)Northwestern Montana1534 Rugged mountain region—250 glacier-fed lakes—60 small glaciers—Peaks of unusual shape—Precipices thousands of feet deep—Fine trout-fishing.
Rocky Mountain (1915)North middle Colorado400 Heart of the Rockies—Snowy range, peaks 11,000 to 14,250 feet altitude—Remarkable records of glacial period.
Hawaii (1916)Hawaiian Islands117 Vast volcanoes—Craters—Tropical plants and birds.
Lassen Volcanic (1916)Northern California123 Active volcano, volcanic records, lakes, hot springs, and forests.
Mount McKinley (1917)Central Alaska2200 "The Great One"; highest peak in North America, 20,300 feet; vast big-animal range; enormous glaciers; wild flowers.
Other National Parks are:—
Sully's Hill (1904) North DakotaWooded hilly tract on Devil's Lake.
Wind Cave (1903) South DakotaLarge natural cavern.
Casa Grande Ruin (1892) Arizona Prehistoric Indian ruin.
For National Park booklets and other Park information address The Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.