Hawaii volcanoes National Park

(an eruption of Kilauea

(a fiery explosion of Mauna Loa)

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Within this park are the volcanoes Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the most active volcanoes on earth. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is so amazing that it was made a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. It is located on the island Hawaii in the Pacific ocean (sorry, driving directions are only good from the airport).

(map of Hawaii, the blue flag is the entrance to the park)
View My Saved Places in a larger map

The islands of Hawaii were formed almost entirely from volcanoes and solidified lava, and some of those volcanoes are still active today. The coast of the islands are always changing as new lava continues to flow. As the molten lava runs off the land into the water it hardens into rock. The volcanoes have recently added over 500 acres of new land to the island! In many cases, new build up is eventually washed away by the tides.

(a video showing lava flow entering the ocean)

Visitors to the park are able to journey very close to certain lava flows and areas of activity that aren't too dangerous. In the past there have been explosions and lava flows that have destroyed towns. One town in particular, Kalapana, was almost completely buried by lava.

(Kalapana, a town almost completely destroyed by lava)


(more destruction in Kalapana)

Other attractions in the park include the Thurston Lava Tube and a museum. Oddly enough, the park is also a good destination for hiking and camping.
Weather in the park, like the rest of the island, is very unpredictable. The climate differs depending on where you are in the park. On the summits of the volcanoes it can be about 15 degrees cooler than at sea level. Also, near where the lava is running off into the water it can be very hot, dry, and windy (though there are frequent passing showers).

Arches National Park

The Arches National Park is located in Utah on the Colorado Plateau. The park contains 2000 sandstone forms and has unusual rock forms. Also some areas in the park include a lot of years of geologic history. The national park is a red arid desert. In addition the National Park's sandstone forms can be known as fins, balanced rocks, and arches. In Arches National Park you can..........

-Touring

-Hiking

-Climbing

-Camping

-Biking

-Off Roading

The Arches National Park is the world's largest concentration of natural stone arches.

The National Park is 73000 acres which is 3,179,880,000 ft2.

The Colorado River creates one of the boundaries for this National Park and that boundary is the southern one. The climate in the Arches National Park are through the months of June and September, the temperature can be 100 degrees F and maybe even more. However in the months December through February, the temperatures can be below 32 degrees F.

In this national park there is a place where you can observe many of the arches and that is called the windows section. Another feature that is presented at this park is Fiery Furnance. This is not an arch it is maze of red colored ridges with gullies in between them. a third thing in the park is Salt Valley and that is a very deep depression that goes through the center of the park.

COME TO THIS PARK SOON AND YOU CAN SEE HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olympic National Park

Come to Olympic National Park!

-Olympic National Park is very diverse, a foggy coast with huge waves, spectacular beaches, an alpine country with lakes, meadows, glaciers, and North America's finest temperate rain forest.

Olympic National Park has 11 champion sized trees. A Sitka Spruce at Olympic National Park is 707 in. in circumference, 191 feet in height, with a 96 feet spread! Above you can compare the size of the tree to the little boy to get an idea of how big this tree really is.

At Olympic National Park there is an activity for everyone... beaches, biking, camping, climbing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and even winter sports.

We have at Olympic National Park;beautiful beaches, 17 campgrounds, 600 miles of trails, several stables, 4 lodges, and ski instruction.

Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. State of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. Theodore Roosevelt created Olympic National monument in 1909. Then in 1938 Franklin Roosevelt signed a legislation, and in 1976 it became Olympic National Park.

Visitors can come during any season. There are several activities for any time of year.

• Some Facts about Olympic National Park
  
  
  




• 3 different ecosystems;glacier capped mountains, Pacific coast, and temperate rain forest




• 95% of park is designated wilderness




• in some places, the forest canopy is so thick so never reaches the ground




• some animals in the park are; black tailed deer, cougar, black bear, river otter, Douglas squirrel, jumping mouse, shrew, and a wide variety of birds




• there are about 266 glaciers




• Average annual precipitation 56.50 inches




• Average annual snowfall 17.1 inches




• Average annual high temp. 57.3 degrees Fahrenheit

Did You Know?-That Olympic snow moles scurry beneath blankets of snow? Olympic National Park's Hurricane Ridge is blanketed with over ten feet of snow for most of the winter, providing water for summer and protection for snow moles in winter.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

Mammoth Cave

WELCOME TO MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK!

At Mammoth Cave there are many cool sights and fun activities you can do too.

Here you can take tours of the caves,

go cannoning in the Green River,

hike outside,

picnicking,

horseback riding,

biking,

camping and much more!

Some cool facts:

Mammoth Cave is visited mostly in June, July, and August. The caves are open all year round except for on Christmas day. In 2006, there were 597,934 visitors

The park ws established on July 1, 1941.

The reason why they call it Mammoth Cave is because it is 335 miles. To this very day it is documented as the longest cave in the world. The park its self covers 52,835 acres.

It has been reported that during the exploration of the caves that they found skeltons.

Acadia National Park

*Acadia National Park is one of the most visited national park in the United States.

*Acadia National Park is located in Bar Harbor, Maine.

*The establishment of this park was in 1919.

* The average amount of visitors per year is about two million.

a hiking/biking trail

*Main attractions in the park include: camping, hiking, biking, bird-watching, skiing, snowshoeing, carriage rides, and of course the natural attractions.

* Tours of the park are also available.

*There are twenty two bodies of water in this park.

* At least twenty four species of fish live in these waters.

* Over forty different kinds of foliage have been found throughout Acadia National Park.

deer are one of the many species found in the park

*Forty different species of mammals are in the park, including deer.

*In the park there are over two hundred and seventy three kinds of birds also.

* Six thousand five hundred types of insects are also in the park.

* The climate in the park is pretty moderate, nothing too extreme.

Grand Teton National Park

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

Grand Teton (Pronounced Teeton) National Park is located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

·  There are many wildlife sightings, such as elk, black/brown grizzly bears, bison, deer, and the moose and wolves above.

Aerial View of the Park

Nearly 4 million people visit the park per year.

The peaks can rise higher than 7,000 feet, with Mt. Teton reaching 13,770 feet!

There are over 200 miles of hiking trails.

The approximate averages for snow and rainfall are 191 inches (snow) 10 inches (rain).

It became a national park in 1929 and was expanded upon in 1950 thanks John D. Rockefeller.

There are many lakes and Snake River also runs through a part of the park.

The most popuar hiking spot is South Jenny Lake .

There are also many reptiles, amphibians, spiders, bats, and rodents to add on to the list of wildlife!

Activities to enjoy are:

Biking

Horseback Riding

Rafting

Scenic Drives

AND MUCH MORE!

A Lovely View To End The Day.

Yellowstone National Park

Northern Entrance 

Since established in 1872 as America's first national park, Yellowstone has remained the largest park in America.  It stretches through Montana and Idaho, although a majority of the park is located in Wyoming. Yellowstone receives about 3 million visitors per year, ranking it as the third most commonly visited park in North America.

*cornerstone of arch laid by Teddy Roosevelt

Old Faithful

 Almost 60% of the earth's geysers are located at Yellowstone as well as hot springs and the site of the worlds largest volcanic eruptions. Old Faithful is the biggest regular geyser, active between every 35 - 120 minutes. Other regular geysers include Castle, Riverside, and Grand.

Yellowstone is home to over sixty different mammals. Among the rare species include... 

• Raccoon
• Fisher
• Striped Skunk
• Wolverine
• Preble's Shrew
• Dwarf Shrew
• Long-eared Bat
• Yuma Bat
• Northern Flying Squirrel 

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake is over 7,000 feet above sea level -making it the largest lake at a high elevation in America. Although the lake is heated from over 3,000 gallons of hot basin water from nearby geysers the average temperature is 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees F).

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is a combination of water, heat, limestone, rock, and living bacteria thats constantly changing. Together they create an array of rainbow like colors on the lower and upper terraces.

Guided llama packing tours can be reserved!

Other things to do: camping, snowshoeing, skiing, fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, and biking.

*can observe fish from Fishing Bridge

Zion National Park

• Zion is Utah's oldest and most used National Park.

• "Zion" was a name given to the land by Mormon settlers meaning "a place of peace and relaxation.''

• The park stretches 229 square miles.

• Incredible red, pink and orange sandstone canyons are what Zion National park is known for.

• Almost three million people come to visit annually.

• The beautiful canyons and scenery are effects erosion, done by the Virgin River, had.

• Many have believed not only that the National Park one of Utah's greatest gems but that it is also the most beautiful place in America.

• After nearly 2 million years the canyon's 8 layers of sandstone have been weathered to perfection.

• With the exquisite landscape Zion National Park attracts many hikers of all skill levels. For the hikers and backpackers Zion is home to some of the best trials in the U.S., to others it might just be a beautiful place to go for a walk or easy hike with some friends.

• Zion park can have an erratic climate at times. The daily to nightly temperature changes may vary up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Reasons for other changes could be from the constant changes in elevation while moving.
  
• Before the federal change to a National Park in 1908 Zion was home to a few privileged Native Americans as well s some Mormon settlers.
  
  
• With almost 800 different plant species Zion has the richest plant diversity throughout Utah.

• There are many different types of animals in the park as well. The park houses 75 species of mammals, 271 species of birds, 32 reptiles and amphibians, and 8 different types of fish.

• There are many other things to do at Zion as well. It is an excellent place to photogragh, you can bike, as well as many other things.

• There are 13 different types of lizards in the park making them a common scene. Another species of animals would be snakes, being shyer they aren't as easily seen in the park but of the 12 different types only one is poisionous.

• Many types of mammels can be found in the park including mice, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, porcupines, skunks, ringtail cats, bobcats, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, elk, blackbears, mole deer, squirrels and man different types of bats
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

You would never know that beneath the surface of the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas there was a series of over 300 underground caves!

The caves were formed by sulfuric acid dissolving the natural limestone. The caves were first discovered by Native Americans but they couldn't go very far into the caves due to lack of natural sunlight.

The stalagmites and stalactites were formed about 500,000 years after much of the caverns had been formed. They were formed by water dripping down the cave absorbing carbon dioxide gas and the mineral calactite. It finally formed a crystal of calactite.

This formation is called Whales Mouth and is located near the Natural Entrance.

Near the Natural Entrance is this huge amphitheatre where crowds gather to watch the flight of hundreds of thousands Mexican-freetailed bats that form a cloud in the sky.

Visitors can either use the natural entrance, a tiring 750 foot descent, or the elevator to enter the caves.

(above: formation called Witch's Finger)

The temperature in the caves is about 56 degrees Fahrenheit.



The "Big Room" is a natural limestone chamber that is almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 350 feet high at the highest point. This cave chamber holds the record for the second largest cave in the world.

Activities include:

• Many exciting cave tours

• Hiking and back country camping

• Attending programs in the visitor's center

• Watching the thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats in the summer