Because of the COVID-19 in 2020, travel restrictions and lockdowns during 2020, attendance at the United States’ national parks. In fact, 66 of the 423 parks were completely closed for two months or longer. This decrease in visitors was more than 90 million visits fewer than those in 2019. Here, then, are some great national parks other than the marvelous Yellowstone with which so many are familiar:
Renown for its many waterfalls and great sequoia trees that are more than 1,000 years old, Yosemite National Park in California stuns visitors with its striking cliff faces, towering waterfalls and unique formations of rock. Even though the park is huge, most tourists visit within the eight-square-mile area of Yosemite Valley where renowned landmarks such as Half Dome and El Capitan can be viewed from great hiking trails. There are numerous tours available on both land and water.
Retaining remnants of the glaciers of the Ice Age, such as the towering Grinnell Glacier, this park borders Canada and Montana and has spectacular views. In the park that has a wide variety of wildlife, there are more than 700 lakes, waterfalls and mountain ranges spreading across more than a million acres.
In Maine, Acadia National Park offers rocky trails and old carriage roads taken by early settlers. There are harbor seals on bedrock off the coast and peregrine falcons screaming from the sky. Many trails and rustic roads for carriages wind around the trees and ponds. Tourists can bike, hike and horseback ride. The really adventurous can rock climb.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A 522,427-acre tract, this historic park witnessed many human settlers dating from the prehistoric Paleo Indians to the European settlers in the 18th century. The park’s name derives from the humidity and hydrocarbons produced by trees and plants that often produce an almost eerie haze imitative of smoke hovering over the range. One of the few free parks, this 522,427-acre park has a historic Cable Mill and gristmill. There is also an informative Visitor Center with wildlife exhibits, film and souvenirs. For a respite from the rugged outdoors, the quaint town of Bar Harbor, Maine, can be reached on nearby Mount Desert Island.