GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted May 5th,
    2021

               

    How to Make the Most of your Visits to
    Our National Parks

               

    Happy Camper Blog

             

             
               
                 

    March 1, 1872
    was a landmark day for Americans since it was the day when Congress
    established our first national park—Yellowstone—in the Territories of Montana
    and Wyoming “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” In the years that followed,
    the U.S. added many more parks and monuments, and in 1916, President Woodrow
    Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service (NPS) to conserve
    the scenery, natural and historic elements and wildlife within these
    treasured lands so they can be enjoyed for generations to
    come.

    Now, more than a century later, there are 63 officially-designated
    National Parks in the U.S., American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In
    size, they range from less than 100 acres (Gateway Arch
    National Park
    in Mo.) to the massive
    Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska that
    spans more than 13 million acres, making it the size of Yosemite, Yellowstone
    and Switzerland combined. The breathtaking scenery of our National Parks is
    equally as diverse and includes mountains, lakes, canyons, shorelines, red
    rock formations and lush forests.

    You just may want to add one or more National Parks to your travel
    plans this year. Some of the most visited National Parks are
    Great Smoky Mountains National Park
    (Tenn./N.C.), Yellowstone National Park
    (Wyo./Mont./Idaho), Zion National Park (Utah),
    Rocky Mountain National Park (Colo.),
    Grand Teton National Park (Wy.),
    Grand Canyon National Park (Ariz.),
    Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio),
    Acadia National Park (Maine),
    Olympic National Park (Wash.) and
    Joshua Tree National Park (Ca.). But there are
    many others to choose from, as well.

    Here are three ways to make the most of your
    experience:

      1. Decide which National Park(s) you want
    to visit.

    The National Park
    Service
    has a handy “Find a Park” tool that you can search by state
    to help you plan your visit(s) to more than 400 sites, including National
    Parks, monuments, memorials, historic sites, trails and recreation areas.
    Each listing includes basic information, a calendar of events, maps and any
    alerts and/or conditions you need to know about. You can also download the
    free NPS
    app
    , available for iOS and Android devices. It offers interactive
    maps of NPS sites and much more.

     

      2.Find a great campground
    nearby.

    Search right here on GoCampingAmerica.com
    to find the ideal campground that offers the amenities and services you need
    and want. Your campground hosts will be happy to share their local insights
    and perspectives on visiting the National Park in their area.

     

      3. Learn how to do your part to help
    preserve our natural resources.

    A good place to start is to review the 7 Principles of Leave
    No Trace
    before you leave. They offer helpful guidelines for
    planning for your trip and minimizing your impact on our National
    Parks.

    Studies have shown that spending time in nature can offer many
    benefits for health and well-being. In fact, the Japanese have created a
    term, shinrin-yoku, for this type of therapy. It
    literally means “forest bathing” and refers to spending time peacefully
    relaxing while benefiting from the restorative properties of being surrounded
    by trees. Our National Parks offer many opportunities to engage in this
    mood-enhancing practice.

    One more tip: As you plan your camping trips to see our incredible
    National Parks, be sure to leave yourself enough time to fully enjoy the
    experience. Dayton Duncan, who co-authored “The National Parks: America’s
    Best Idea” with filmmaker Ken Burns, shared a humorous tale about not
    planning to spend enough time.

    “The story is, a man came up to Yosemite and the ranger was
    sitting at the front gate and the man said, “I’ve only got one hour to see
    Yosemite. If you only had one hour to see Yosemite, what would you do?” And
    the ranger said, “Well, I’d go right over there, and I’d sit on that rock,
    and I’d cry.”

    So, enjoy exploring our National Parks! When you get back to your
    campground, you’re sure to have a lot of great stories to share around the
    campfire.