America's National Parks

Civil War

Period: Apr 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865

Yosemite Park and Mariposa Big Tree Grove are made as public preservations.

Jun 30, 1864

This is the first national preservation in the country. Yosemite is known for its beauty, hiking, and a landform known as Half-Dome. Yosemite would become the country's second national park on October 1, 1890.

Yellowstone is established as the world's first National Park

Mar 1, 1872

This national park is the oldest in the world being the first to be created on this day. Yellowstone is one of the most popular in the US because of its volcanic activity like its geysers and hotsprings.

Sequoia National Park is established

Sep 25, 1890

This park, located in California, has more than tripled in size since it was first established and today is one of the largest parks in the country. The park is mostly known for the Sequoia Trees that its named after that have the potential to grow up to 30 ft in width and up to 250 ft high.

Mt. Rainier National Park is established

Mar 2, 1899

Located in Western Washington this national park is known by every person in Washington, from the native tribes of the Tahoma to the citizens of Washington's largest city, Seattle. This is because the 14,416 foot mountain can be seen almost anywhere in the state.

Crater Lake is established as a National Park

May 22, 1902

This national park located in West Oregon is known for its crystal waters. This "crater" was caused by an explosion of a shield volcano that was located on the hotspot that is now under Yellowstone. The explosion affected areas as far away as Northwest Nebraska where archaeologists found a "dinosaur Pompeii."

Wind Cave National Park is established

Jan 9, 1903

This park is known to be "two worlds" with one above ground and one below. The one above ground holds over 40 sq miles of prairie and pine forest while the other is the world's fifth largest cave system.

Mesa Verde National Park is established

Jun 29, 1906

As the Romans glory dimmed to the East the pueblos created a new city that gave them food, water, inspiration, and a strong spiritual bond in this national park located in Southwestern Colorado.

Glacier National Park is established

May 11, 1910

Although this national park located on the continental divide in Northern Montana has over 20 alpine glaciers its name refers to the continental glaciers that carved this park during the last ice age. The park is known for its tall peaks and its 700 sparkling lakes.

World War I

Period: Jul 28, 1914 to Nov 11, 1918

Rocky Mountain National Park is established

Jan 26, 1915

This national park in Northeast Colorado protects over 400 sq miles of alpine scenery and a large part of the peaks of the Rocky Mountains (hence the name).

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is established

Aug 1, 1916

This national park located on the island of Hawai'i protects two of the most active volcanoes in the world in its 333,000 acres of land, Mauna Loa and Kilauea. These volcanoes were created from the Hawaiian Hotspot, the same hotspot that created the whole archipelago.

Haleakala National Park is estalished

Aug 1, 1916

This national park located on the island of Maui is home to a dormant volcano and more than 33,000 acres of protected wilderness (one quarter is unaccessible). The park is named after the dormant volcano of Haleakala or "house of the sun."

Lassen Volcanic National Park is established

Aug 9, 1916

America's National Park System is Created

Aug 25, 1916

Lafayette (Acadia) National Parks is established

Feb 26, 1919

This national park located in Southeast Maine is known as where the mountains meets the sea. The majority of the park is located on Mount Desert Island and is known for is known for its glacial geology and the small villages that surround it such as Bar Harbor. This park was originally Lafayette National Monument but is now known as Acadia National Park.

Grand Canyon National Park is established

Feb 26, 1919

This national park is located in Northern Arizona and is probably one of the best known landmarks in America. This park is known for its spectacular views and is the largest canyon in the world. The river that carved now runs through it, the Colorado.

Zion National Park is established

Nov 19, 1919

This national park located in Southern Utah is one of the most visited in the country. It's known for its spectacular hiking and geology.

Hot Springs National Park is established

Mar 4, 1921

Bryce Canyon National Park is established

Feb 25, 1928

This national park located in Southern Utah is home to a large collection of rock pillars that the Paiutes believe is petrified ancestors. The pillars were created by rain, frost, and snow over a million years ago.

Grand Teton National Park is established

Feb 26, 1929

This national park near Yellowstone are known for their tall, steep peaks and clear lakes. The peaks were first discovered by French trappers.

Arches National Park is established

Apr 12, 1929

This national park located in Eastern Utah is most named after what its most well known for, its arches. Although these are the most popular, there are many more geologic landforms like domes and pillars. Although in the middle of the desert these landforms go back hundreds of millions of years, once at the edge of the sea.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is established

May 14, 1930

Located in South New Mexico this national park holds 117 caves.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established

Jun 15, 1934

This 800 sq mile national park is located in the Appalachian Mountain Range on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. This is the most visited national park most likely due to its unique ecosystem and its close proximity to over 10 million US citizens.

Shenandoah National Park is established

Dec 26, 1935

This national park is located on the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western Virginia, this is the closest national park to our capital Washington, DC. This park is known for its hiking and scenic Skyline Drive.

Olympic National Park is established

Jun 29, 1938

This park is located in Western Washington. The park is most known for being one of the world's best remaining old-growth temperate rain forests. Here moss grows on every tree and lichen is draped on every limb on trees that grow up to 300 ft tall.

World War II

Period: Sep 1, 1939 to Sep 2, 1945

Kings Canyon National Park is established

Mar 4, 1940

Isle Royale National Park is established

Apr 3, 1940

Mammoth Cave National Park is established

Jul 1, 1941

Big Bend National Park is established

Jun 12, 1944

Located on a bend on the Rio Grande (hence the name) in Southwestern Texas this national park is far from any major city but is well known for its beautiful landscape and starry nights.

Cold War

Period: Jan 1, 1947 to Dec 26, 1991

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is established

Apr 25, 1947

This national park in Western North Dakota is actually composed of two parts, a north and south. This park is not only known for its scenery but also its rich history.

Everglades National Park is established

Dec 6, 1947

Made of 2,400 sq miles in Southern Florida this national park is one of the most unique climates in the country. The park is most well known for its American Alligators and colorful birds.

Korean War

Period: Jun 25, 1950 to Jul 27, 1953

Vietnam War

Period: Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975

Virgin Islands National Park is established

Aug 2, 1956

Petrified National Park is established

Dec 9, 1962

Located in Eastern Arizona this park split by a major freeway. The park is most well known for the fossilized trees that is located across the park. The national park also included the Painted Desert which gets its name from its colored rocks.

Canyonlands National Park is established

Sep 12, 1964

This national park in Southern Utah is the meeting place of the Colorado and Green Rivers. The national park is most well known for its scenic views and the carvings on rocks found in some locations of the park.

Redwood National Park is established

Oct 2, 1968

This national park on the northern coast of California is named after the very tree species that dominates the park, Redwoods. This species of tree is in fact the largest in the world. Although a majestic and natural place there is an interstate that goes on for miles inside the park.

North Cascades National Park is established

Oct 2, 1968

Voyageurs National Park is established

Jan 8, 1971

Capitol Reef National Park is established

Dec 18, 1971

This national park in Southern Utah is truly under appreciated. Although the park has similar geologic structures as Zion and Arches, and is larger than both, this national park is one of the least visited in the country.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is established

Sep 30, 1972

Badlands National Park is established

Nov 10, 1978

This national park in Western South Dakota is named after what the early explorers called "bad" land because of its poor agricultural conditions. Today visitors go to see the many formations caused by millenions of erosion.

Channel Islands National Park is established

Mar 5, 1980

These islands are in the Barbara Channel, 17 miles away from the Californian Coast. These islands are said to be perfect representations of what California was like before it was densely poulated.

Biscayne National Park is established

Jun 28, 1980

This national park is located right next to Miami. This means many people travel to Biscayne but to cruise around in there powerboats or look at the city skyline not to enjoy the unique plant and animal species that live in the area.

Glacier Bay National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Kenai Fjords National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Katmai National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Lake Clark National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Gates of the Arctic National Park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Kobuk Valley National park is established

Dec 2, 1980

Great Basin National Park is established

Oct 27, 1986

National Park of American Samoa is established

Oct 31, 1988

Persian Gulf War

Period: Jan 16, 1991 to Apr 6, 1991

Dry Tortugas National Park is established

Oct 26, 1992

Saguaro National Park is established

Oct 14, 1994

Death Valley National Park

Oct 31, 1994

This national park located on the southern border of California and Nevada. It might unexpected for the country's and North America's lowest and hottest place but it actually has many features such as unique colored rock, animals found nowhere else, barren mountains, and even a castle.

Joshua Tree National Park is established

Oct 31, 1994

This national park in Southern California is the place to be for desert lovers. This park may look like just any desert but this park actually holds rocks popular among rock climbers, a rich history of Native Americans and expansion, and trees unique to the region that give the park its name, the Joshua Tree.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is established

Oct 21, 1999

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is established

Oct 11, 2000

Congaree National Park is established

Nov 10, 2003

Great Sand Dunes National Park is established

Sep 13, 2004

Centennial Anniversary

Aug 25, 2016