The Top Four National Parks in the United States

In 1872, Yellowstone became America's first national park. Yellowstone contains 2,219,823 acres of land. It was formed by volcanic pressure. Scientist called its powerful force geothermal activity. Poets and philosophers were amazed by its beauty. Some of them described it as a land of spouting water and iridescent gold.

Yellowstone was neglected in 1988 and a tragedy occurred. Wild fires swept across the land and destroyed it. In time the land healed, but fires are still a concern from time to time. Yellowstone was nicknamed "Old Faithful" because of its continuous display of water shows. It draws crowds of people each year. Yellowstone is one of the United States natural wonders.

Many parks are created through weathering. For example, Arches National Park was created in1929 by erosion. The arches of sandstone were carved out by water into different shapes and figures. The biggest of its arches is eighty-nine feet high and six feet thick. The park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. The arches created by millions of year of erosion, deposition, and other geologic events. The landscape here consists of contrasting colors and textures unlike any other in the world. It is located in Moab, Utah.and has 73,389 acres of land.

Crater Lake is an extreme wonder which was created from the collapse of a mountain. Mount Mazama collapsed over 7,700 years ago following an eruption. Crater Lake is 1,943 feet deep and six miles wide. It is located in Southwestern Oregon on the edge of the Cascade Mountain Range. The park has 160,290 acres of land. Large amounts of snow supply the lake with water. The lake is a breathless vision of blue. It is the seventh deepest lake in the world, but it is the deepest lake in the United States.

The Grand Canyon contains 1,218,375 acres in Northwestern Arizona. It is 277 river miles long, 18 miles wide, and one mile deep. They receive five Million visitors each year. These visitors come to hike, take a river trip, or to stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon. It became a national park in 1919. The Grand Canyon is one of the most studied geological landscapes in the world. It has a rich fossil record, vast variety of rock types, and numerous caves that contain archaeological and biological resources. The canyon is incised by the Colorado River which at one point is 6,000 feet deep.

National parks bring beauty to the world. We need to take care of the land and preserve our parks. National parks help make our world a better place for people and animals to enjoy.