Economy got you down? Are you considering canceling vacations or looking for a cheaper alternative to expensive amusement parks? If you need to find a way to have a great vacation, but to do it while stretching your money as much as possible then take some time to look into the United States National Park System.
In the United States, the National Park Service controls and provides for the National Park System.
This agency was created by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 when he decided that it was necessary for the government to take some responsibility in protecting our beautiful national forests, deserts, mountains, lakes and canyons.
The purpose of this protection was to ensure that these areas would be available to visit for United State citizens far into the future.
The very first national park recognized was Yellowstone National Park located in northwest Wyoming and the first national monument, also located in Wyoming, was Devil's Tower.
Although the system started out small, that is not the case any longer.
This small government agency has now grown to the point where it oversees over 390 separate protected areas and employs almost 22,000 federal workers.
As a part of the 390 protected areas are almost 60 National Parks, ranging in size from 13,200,000 acres in Alaska, to national historic places that are smaller than .
02 acres.
There are national parks in over 50% of the states in the United States so chances are that no matter what part of the country that you live in, there is a national park somewhere nearby.
Maybe you live in the Four Corners area of the southwest, if so then you can visit Mesa Verde.
If you live in Northern California then check out Sequoia, Yosemite or Redwood.
If you live in Utah then try Arches or Zion.
Shenandoah is a short ride for anyone living near North Carolina and last, but not least, if you live in the United States at all you should make sure to see Yellowstone National Park.
In addition to their proximity, another great thing about the national parks is how affordable they are.
You can either pay a small entrance at each park, usually ranging from $5-$25 per vehicle, or you can purchase a yearly national park pass for $80 and avoid paying admission at all national parks.
We hope that this short article has motivated you to take some time to considering visiting at least one of our national parks.
If you like it can only be a short trip, lasting less than a full day, or you can spend more time, weeks even, backpacking and camping in the backcountry (permit required).
No matter what you decide, we wish you the best of luck.