List of national parks of the United States

The United States has set up a number of national parks. Other protected areas are national monuments ( National Monument ), historical parks, monuments, recreation areas, rivers and coastal areas. All National Parks, and part of the other protected areas managed by the National Park Service, an agency under the auspices of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Currently (as of 2013) there are 59 official National Park with an area of ​​210,000 km ² together (for comparison: the area of the old Federal Republic (until 1990 ) was 248,000 km ²). You have the protection status of National Park get awarded by the United States Congress.

Only in later years, conservation and education were introduced as further objects of the areas, they become the focus. In the national parks a wide variety of cultural, geological or biological resources is under protection as a rule. Hunting and mining activities are not normally allowed. As far as uses existed before the designation of the park, you can be grandfathered granted, operates in Death Valley National Park ( dedicated in 1994 ) a iron mine.

The character of the park is very different. While the outlying parks in Alaska or the Congaree National Park in the swamps of South Carolina largely have wilderness character, parks suffer near population centers, at least in some areas by mass tourism as the main valley of Yosemite National Park in central California.

History

First ideas to preserve the partially untouched nature was already formulated in 1832 by the painter George Catlin. He suggested the Great Plains " to get through certain far-reaching measures of the state as a magnificent park ." However, he saw the parks targeted by him primarily as a few residential areas for threatened in their habitat natives.

" What a beautiful model and very diverse area could preserve America as present and future generations of all countries! A park of the nation with humans and animals in their untamed and natural beauty. "

A first popularizing the respect of nature and of nature conservation goes back to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who was looking for spiritual edification in nature. Thoureau realized that protective measure for they were needed.

The time in the area of Yosemite living John Muir, Emerson visited in 1871, then sat tirelessly and vehemently against loggers, sheep farming and the creation of protected areas. He wrote among other things:

"God has cared for these trees, saved them from storms and floods, but he can not save them from madmen it. Only Uncle Sam can do that "

Some small, but not federal agencies subordinate to protected areas such as the Yosemite Valley existed. As the first national park in the United States and also the world's Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872. The document cites the purpose of the area:

" As a public park or place of amusement for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. "

Further impetus was given the National Park movement by establishing the conservation organization Sierra Club by Muir and others in 1892. Washington finally acted because of many campaigns and appeals by the creation of Sequoia, General Grant and Yosemite National Park, probably because he thought she was "completely worthless area," agreed. In 1899 came the Mount Rainier National Park.

An important ally found the conservationists to Muir then President Theodore Roosevelt. He expanded the territory of the state forests by 53 million hectares, established a network of wildlife sanctuaries, and created 18 national parks.

Yet still there were no parks east of the Mississippi. Its foundation were several problems in the way. The eastern states were more densely populated than the west, and the culturally undeveloped areas were largely in private hands. It also seemed the landscapes of the East because of the absence of the impressive canyons and mountains of the West for less worthy of protection. 1916 bought John D. Rockefeller, Charles William Eliot and other 2400 acres of Mount Desert Island off the coast of Iceland Maine. The area was later expanded form to Acadia National Park. Rockefeller donated in the 20s and $ 5,000,000 for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park in the Appalachian Mountains.

• Maine
• 2,433,493 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 192 km ² dep1
• Founded January 19, 1929

• Utah
• 781 670 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 310 km ² dep1
• Founded April 12, 1929

• American Samoa
• 1,938 visitors ( 2002)
• Area: 36 km ² dep1
• Founded October 31, 1988

• South Dakota
• 936 030 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 982 km ² dep1
• Founded January 29, 1939

• Texas
• 306 641 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 3242 km ² dep1
• Founded June 12, 1944

• Florida
• 539 307 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 700 sq km dep1
• Founded June 28, 1980

• Colorado
• 175 406 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 124 sq km dep1
• Founded October 21, 1999

• Utah
• 1,017,681 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 145 sq km dep1
• Founded September 15, 1928

• Utah
• 378 001 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 1366 km ² dep1
• Founded September 12, 1964

• Utah
• 550 255 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 976 square kilometers dep1
• Founded December 18, 1971

• New Mexico
• 419 599 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 188 km ² dep1
• Founded May 14, 1930

• California
• 537 716 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 1009 km ² dep1
• Founded March 5, 1980

• South Carolina
• 134.045 visitors ( 2006)
• Area: 88 km ² dep1
• Founded October 18, 1976

• Oregon
• 451 322 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 741 km ² dep1
• Founded May 22, 1902

• Ohio
• 3,306,175 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 134 km ² dep1
• Founded October 11, 2000

• California
• 853 553 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 13,451 km ² dep1
• Founded October 31, 1994

• Alaska
• 404 636 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 19,121 km ² dep1
• Founded February 26, 1917

• Florida
• 61 765 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 249 km ² dep1
• Founded January 4th 1935

• Florida
• 1,181,351 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 5660 km ² dep1
• Founded December 6, 1947

• Alaska
• 5,099 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 29,405 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• Montana
• 1,864,822 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 4100 km ² dep1
• Founded May 11, 1910

• Alaska
• 367 771 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 13,043 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• Arizona
• 4,326,234 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 4779 km ² dep1
• Founded February 26, 1919

• Nevada
• 79 944 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 312 km ² dep1
• Founded October 27, 1987

• Colorado
• 249 923 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 164 km ² dep1
• Founded September 13, 2004

• North Carolina, Tennessee
• 9,189,543 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 2109 km ² dep1
• Founded June 15, 1934

• Wyoming
• 2,606,492 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 1245 km ² dep1
• Founded February 26, 1929

• Texas
• 179 188 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 349 km ² dep1
• Founded October 15, 1966

• Hawaii
• 1,513,182 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 117 sq km dep1
• Founded July 1, 1961

• Hawaii
• 1,162,032 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 1309 km ² dep1
• Founded August 1, 1916

• Arkansas
• 1,570,072 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 20 km ² dep1
• Established in March 4, 1921

• Michigan
• 17,276 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 2182 km ² dep1
• Founded April 3, 1940

• California
• 1,219,379 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 3112 km ² dep1
• Founded October 31, 1994

• Alaska
• 23,754 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 14,616 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• Alaska
• 241 111 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 2436 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• California
• 598 205 visitors ( 2010)
• Area: 1869 km ² dep1
• Established in March 4, 1940

• Alaska
• 6,309 visitors ( 1999)
• Area: 6758 km ² dep1
• Established in March 4, 1940

• Alaska
• 4,906 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 13,881 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• California
• 1,250,000 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 430 km ² dep1
• Founded in August 9, 1916

• Kentucky
• 1,888,126 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 210 sq km dep1
• Founded July 1, 1941

• Colorado
• 498 333 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 210 sq km dep1
• Founded June 29, 1906

• Washington
• 1,312,415 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 954 km ² dep1
• Founded March 2, 1899

• Washington
• 1,000,000 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 2042 km ² dep1
• Founded October 2, 1968

• Washington
• 5,000,000 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 3697 km ² dep1
• Founded June 29, 1938

• Arizona
• 666 978 visitors ( 1999)
• Area: 379 km ² dep1
• Founded January 1, 1962

• California
• 393 219 visitors ( 2011)
• Area: 107 sq km dep1
• Founded January 16, 1908

• California
• 390,000 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 315 km ² dep1
• Founded October 2, 1968

• Colorado
• 3,187,889 visitors ( 2000)
• Area: 1074 km ² dep1
• Founded January 26, 1915

• Arizona
• 637 888 visitors ( 2002)
• Area: 354 km ² dep1
• Founded January 1, 1933

• California
• 965 170 visitors ( 2009)
• Area: 1635 km ² dep1
• Founded September 25, 1890

• Virginia
• 1,511,016 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 802 km ² dep1
• Founded December 26, 1935

• North Dakota
• 476 783 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 282 km ² dep1
• Founded November 10, 1978

• U.S. Virgin Islands
• 803 040 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 52 km ² dep1
• Founded in August 2, 1956

• Minnesota
• 235,000 visitors ( 2003)
• Area: 539 km ² dep1
• Founded April 8, 1975

• South Dakota
• 850,000 visitors (2003)
• Area: 115 sq km dep1
• Founded January 9, 1903

• Alaska
• 57 221 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 44,313 km ² dep1
• Founded December 2, 1980

• Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
• 2,835,651 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 8983 km ² dep1
• Founded March 1, 1872

• California
• 3,280,911 visitors ( 2004)
• Area: 3074 km ² dep1
• Established in October 1, 1890

• Utah
• 2,600,000 visitors ( 2005)
• Area: 579 km ² dep1
• Founded November 19, 1919

Resolved national parks

Other Protected Areas in the U.S.

The National Monuments have less protection than the state and national parks are generally small to very small protected areas.

National Historical Parks, National Historic Sites, National Memorials, and Battlefields include historical places, monuments and battlefields. Often the individual buildings or smaller regions that have a historical significance.

National Recreation Areas, Seashores and Trails are recreational areas, special lakes, rivers, coastlines, roads, and trails. Wild and Scenic Rivers are protected from massive interventions, their recreational and landscape values ​​are retained.

National Preserves would fulfill the requirements for designation as a National Park, but in them is mining, the extraction of oil / gas and mostly hunting allowed. Wilderness Areas are unaffected by human intervention. Visitors are allowed to move only on foot or possibly in the canoe and on horseback.

National Wildlife Refuges are nature reserves which are under the administration of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. There are also in the U.S. federal national forests ( National Forest ) that are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. In them, only small areas are usually designated as protected areas, most of the National Forests is commercially used by the forestry industry.

Others

In addition to the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the administrations of the Indian reservations and other federal and local institutions for the management of individual farms are responsible. The most famous of Indians managed park is the Monument Valley.

Addition to the list managed by the Federal Government, maintain the individual states designated as state parks nature reserves.