| s/y Nine of Cups U.S. National Parks, Monuments, Sites and Landmarks |
| Since 1916, the US National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of America's national parks. With the help of volunteers and park partners, they safeguard nearly 400 places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. Once we began visiting the US National Parks, Monuments, Landmarks and Historical Sites, we became addicted. They provide so much information about our country's history, culture and geography that it's absolutely amazing and inspiring. Our new goals: visit all the parks. And then revisit, because there's no doubt they're different each time. |
| American citizens, 62 years and older, are able to purchase a Senior Pass for $10 which allows the passholder and all occupants of the vehicle, free entry into all US National Parks. What a deal! Even without a pass, the $20 entry fee per vehicle is good for a week. Definitely not prohibitively expensive. |
| The 395 "official" units of the National Park Service are found in 49 States, the District of Columbia, and 5 Territories or Protectorates. The most in any one of these is the 31 units located in Washington DC. The 50th state -- the one without an official NPS unit -- is Delaware. Although Delaware was the first State in the USA, it will be the last to receive a National Parks site when and if it ever does. The actual classifications, and numbers, are as follows. International Historic Site: 1 (Saint Croix IHS, Maine/Canada) National Battlefields: 11 National Battlefield Parks: 3: National Battlefield Site: 1 (Brices Cross Roads NBS, Mississippi) National Historic Sites: 77 National Historical Parks: 41 National Lakeshores: 4 National Memorials: 29 National Military Parks: 9 National Monuments: 74 National Monument and Shrine: 1 (Fort McHenry) National Parks: 58 National Parkways: 4 National Preserves: 18 National Recreation Areas: 18 National Reserve: 2 National Rivers: 5 National Scenic Trails: 3 National Seashores: 10 National Wild and Scenic Rivers: 10 Other Parks: 11 (e.g. Catoctin Mountain Park) Note: This list changes fairly often and may already be obsolete when you read it. |
| Come along with us and share our enjoyment of these awe-inspiring places: |
| National Parks vs. National Monuments National parks are areas set apart by Congress for the use of the people of the United States generally, because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena. The principal qualities considered in studying areas for park purposes are their inspirational, educational, and recreational values. National monuments, on the other hand, are areas reserved by the National Government because they contain objects of historic, prehistoric, or scientific interest. Ordinarily established by presidential proclamation under authority of Congress, occasionally these areas also are established by direct action of Congress. Size is unimportant in the case of the national monuments. |
National Park Factoids...
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| We recommend: Ken Burns: The National Parks - America's Best Idea is a 6-episode PBS series on the history of the national parks. |