On Friday, Yahoo! released a list of “The Nation’s Worst National Parks.” The National Park Service took some umbrage with any Park being designated “worst” … and released this photo response.
Death Valley National Park (located in California and Nevada) never disappoints with 3.4 million acres of desert and mountains — making it the largest national park in the lower 48 states. This gorgeous picture of the park was taken as a storm rolled in, giving more color and contrast to the Grapevine Mountains while churning sand creates the illusion of fog. Photo by Donna Fullerton. Posted on Tumbler by the US Department of the Interior, 1/30/15.
Swaying prairie grasses, forested hillsides and an array of wildlife — such as bison, elk, and prairie dogs — welcome visitors to one of our country’s oldest national parks and one of its few remaining intact prairies. Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota protects one of the world’s longest caves. Photo of the park’s Red Valley at dawn by Glen Fredlund. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/30/15.
The rugged beauty of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota draws visitors from around the world. The park’s striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds, and its 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live today. Photo by Harlan Humphrey. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior on 1/30/15.
At Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska, wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails and endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Pictured here is a beautiful mountain vista near Anaktuvuk Pass in the Brooks Range. Photo by Carl Johnson, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/30/15.
A hidden gem on the East Coast, Congaree National Park in South Carolina preserves the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States. Congaree provides a sanctuary for plants and animals (including otters), a research site for scientists and a place for visitors to explore wilderness amidst giant hardwoods and towering pines. Photo courtesy of Jacob Frank. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/30/15.
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Gates of the Arctic National Park
I’d have to disagree about Death Valley. I guess if one is not a fan of the desert, then it wouldn’t look very ‘pretty’, but once you get out into the park and see places like Telescope Peak or Bad Water, the Charcoal Kilns, not to mention The Artist’s Palate, the park is amazingly beautiful.
Right there with you, John. Each of these Parks are unique, and that’s a key reason for them to have protected status. I agree that every Park can’t be as spectacular as Yellowstone or Yosemite … but trying to rank the worst Parks, or even the best Parks, is like comparing chocolate to puppies to Frank Sinatra.