National Parks in the USA III

Welcome to this new blog post! It’s finally time for a new part of the National Parks blog posts. This time, I’m introducing you again to three special national parks in the USA.

Top attractions in the country

National parks are among the top attractions in the USA. Many protected areas can be found all over the country. Most national parks can be found in the states of California, Alaska, Utah and Colorado. In this blog post I will show you national parks on both sides of the country: One is in South Carolina in the eastern United States, and two are in Arizona in the west.

National Parks – general information

There are 63 national parks in the USA. In total, these parks cover about the size of Great Britain and have over 33,000 kilometers of hiking trails. National parks help to protect endangered animals and plants. In addition, numerous visitors come every year to see those beautiful natural landscapes with their own eyes. Let us now turn to three highly recommended national parks.

Congaree

This national park in South Carolina, established in 1976, is home to the last large stand of old-growth hardwood forests in the entire country. Congaree Indians settled in that area in search of gold. The park lies in a swamp and is a habitat for a wide variety of animal species.

The park features beautiful wooden hiking trails. There are also many observation decks offering excellent views of the surrounding area. Campsites are located all around, allowing you to base yourself and explore the landscape over several days. Rangers offer paddling trips and walks to learn more about the region’s history. There are also opportunities for canoeing and birdwatching. You’ll definitely see plenty of wildlife: turtles, squirrels, lizards, spiders, fish, and with a little luck, even alligators.

Saguaro

Saguaro National Park is located in Arizona near Tucson in the Sonoran Desert. The park gets its name from a specific plant: the Saguaro cactus. These giant cacti have been a symbol of the American Southwest for centuries. They grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) tall.

The saguaro cactus is found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. Because the plants require a balance of warmth and rainfall to thrive, climate is the primary factor in their distribution. They are very tolerant of subzero temperatures, which is why the cacti are only found from sea level up to an altitude of about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters).

Saguaro has been officially a national park since 1994, but the area has been protected as a national monument already since 1933. There are numerous hiking trails and you can easily spend half a day or even a whole day in the national park.

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep gorge in northern Arizona. Over millions of years, the Colorado River has carved its way into the rock of the Colorado Plateau, creating unique rock formations in this famous canyon.

The two valley rims that border the canyon („North Rim“ and „South Rim“) vary in distance from one another depending on the vantage point. Many visitors drive to one of the South Rim viewpoints. But few discover the Colorado River, as it flows 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the South Rim and can only be seen from a small variety of vantage points.

The canyon is one of the world’s great natural wonders. The national park has been a United States World Heritage Site since 1979. Native Americans lived in the area over 3,000 years ago. Centuries later, other peoples lived in mud huts on the canyon walls, but abandoned their homes due to a drought period centuries ago. At the Visitor Center you can find out more about the history of the national park.