Stars of the Parks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dry Tortugas National Park

The Dry Tortugas keys lie about 70 miles west of Key West, making them strategically important as a means of monitoring shipping and other marine activity in and out of the Gulf of Mexico. The individual islands are very small, and they change due to wind and water erosion. The term "tortugas" ia Spanish for "tortoises", thought to have been bestowed on them in 1513 by Ponce de Leon, who observed sea turtles on them. The adjective "dry" was added because there is no water source and no permanent water formation like a lake or a river on them.

Within the area formed by the islands lies a deep water harbor used by mariners to anchor during storms or when they needed to resupply their fleets. Fort Jefferson was created to protect this harbor. Construction started in 1846 and continued until 1875. It was never completed, but it was used for its intended purpose during this period, and later as a prison.

Answer: Yellowstone National Park

Old Faithful is a cone geyser that erupts regularly, sending plumes of water more than 100 feet in the air, sometimes approaching 200 feet . Its mean eruption schedule depends on the duration of the previous eruption. A shorter eruption will result in an an average interval of 65 minutes until the next eruption.

A longer eruption results in an average interval of 91 minutes until the next eruption. More than a million eruptions of the geyser have been documented since 1871.

Answer: Yosemite National Park

El Capitan is a granite rock formation in California's Yosemite with a vertical face that has attracted climbers-and more recently, base jumpers-from around the world. The top of El Capital also can be reached by a hiking trail if rock climbing isn't your thing.

Answer: Glacier National Park

Going-to-the-Sun Mountain is a peak in the Rockies of Glacier National Park in Montana. One story goes that it was named by a hunting guide, James Willard Schultz, and his native American companion, Tail-Feathers-Coming-Over-the-Hill, in the winter of 1887-88, as they camped in sight of it.

There are also stories that the mountain was named by members of the Blackfoot tribe; this name for the mountain translates to "The-Face-of-Sour-Spirit-Who-Went-Back-to-The-Sun-After-His-Work-Was-Done Mountain".

Answer: Sequoia National Park

The General Sherman is the largest tree in the world when measured by volume. It's located in the Giant Forest portion of Sequoia National park. According to the National Park Service, the tree is 274.9 feet tall, and at ground level its circumference is 102 feet.

Although no one knows exactly how old it is, it's estimated to be between 2300 and 2700 years old. The tree was named in honor of Civil War General William T. Sherman.

Answer: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Mauna Loa is the largest of five volcanoes that make up the island of Hawaii, although not quite the tallest. Two of the volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kilauea, are part of Volcanoes National Park. The park is a popular destination for hikers and backpackers, as well as a valuable research site for scientists investigating the working of volcanoes.

In 1980 the park was named an International Biosphere Reserve;in 1987, it was also named a World Heritage Site.

Answer: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The Big Room is a cave chamber nearly 4000 feet in length and over 600 feet wide. At its tallest point it's over 250 feet high. Even given these impressive measurements, the Big Room is only the fifth largest such chamber in North America, and the 28th largest worldwide. One can tour the Big Room (and other famous rooms in Carlsbad) either on a self-guided tour or with a professional guide.

Answer: Death Valley National Park

Badwater Basin in what is known as an endorheic basin (also known as a closed or terminal basin) in Death Valley, California. Endorheic basins don't drain into a river, lake or ocean. Instead, the liquid that collects in the basin evaporates.
Badwater Basin does support a few life forms, including some insects and a type of snail, as well as a plant form known as pickleweed.

Although the lowest point in North America is found in Death Valley (282 feet below sea level), it isn't in Badwater Basin, but rather a few miles away from it.

Answer: Petrified Forest National Park

The Painted Desert in Arizona is partly found in the Petrified Forest National Park and along the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. The desert consists of badlands whose mineral components contain a variety of colors ranging from browns to reds to purplish colors. Francisco Coronado came through the area in the 1500s while he searched for the seven cities of Cibola, and gave the desert its name.

Answer: Grand Teton National Park

Holes, in the context of this question, are valleys rimmed by mountain ranges, so named by trappers and hunters in the 1800s. Jackson Hole is bordered by the Teton Range and the Gros Ventre Range, in northwestern Wyoming. Most of Jackson Hole is located within Grand Teton National Park.

It was named for a beaver trapper, Davey Jackson, who lived in the area in the 1820s. Yellowstone National Park is nearby, and there is a National Elk Refuge in the area as well.