U. S. National Parks of the West Quiz

Answer: Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef is probably the most overlooked of the five national parks in southern Utah. The most distinguishing feature of the park is the Waterpocket Fold. Its sheer cliffs reminded early travelers of an ocean reef, thus giving the park its name. Early Mormon settlers established Fruita along the Fremont River, and tourists can still pick fruit from the orchards there. Most travelers take the paved scenic drive to view the fantastic formations, but the more adventurous can enjoy wilderness hiking in the southern end of the park.

Answer: Arches

Arches National Park is one of three national parks within a few miles of each other in the Moab, Utah, area. There are more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches within the park as well as many other unique formations. The light on the red rocks at sunset provides unbeatable photographic opportunities that make the discomfort of the heat worth it.

Answer: Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. It is one of the most beautiful natural sites in the entire world. A visitor can see sheer granite walls, lush meadows, giant sequoias, and towering waterfalls all in a relatively small valley.

As a result, during the busy summer season it becomes extremely crowded. A smart tourist will visit as soon as the snows begin to melt in May or after the summer crowds give way to the only slightly less crowded days of early fall.

Answer: Crater Lake

Crater Lake is set in a dormant volcano called Mount Mazama, found in the same chain of volcanoes as Mount St. Helens. (Its final eruption occurred more than 7000 years ago.) Today, the lake is 21 square miles of intensely blue water surrounded by ridges that rise up to 2000 feet above its surface.

The park is located in a relatively isolated area of Oregon and receives heavy snow during the winter. As a result it is usually closes for the winter season in October.

Answer: (Waterton-) Glacier

Glacier National Park is the U. S. portion of the park; Waterton is the Canadian part. With hundreds of miles of hiking trails, beautiful lakes, rushing streams, and historic lodges, Glacier provides Montana with one of America's favorite vacationlands.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is only about fifty miles long but can take several hours to drive. Not only are you stopping at the numerous pull-outs to view the scenery, but traffic jams regularly occur due to an almost constant repair and construction schedule as well as natural obstructions such as herds of mountain goats!

Answer: Rocky Mountain

Located near Estes Park, Colorado, only about seventy miles from Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park is a spectacular mountain environment with abundant wildlife and hundreds of miles of hiking trails. Trail Ridge Road is the part of U. S. Highway 34 that traverses the park. More than eight miles of the road lie above 11,000 feet.

Answer: Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park, located in northern Arizona, is part of a massive gorge of the Colorado River. In addition to being a national park, the Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. It is the second most visited park (after Great Smoky Mountains) in the U. S. park system.

The two main visitor areas are the South Rim and the North Rim, but the South Rim is by far the more popular of the two. The El Tovar was originally one of the Harvey Hotels. The Phantom Ranch is a visitor accommodation nestled at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Answer: Carlsbad Caverns

More than 100 caves lying beneath the surface in southeastern New Mexico make up the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It was named a national park in 1930. Although visitors can explore designated areas of the caverns on their own, the best experience is joining a ranger guided tour.

In the 1960s an amphitheater was built to make it easier for tourists to watch the thousands of bats leaving the Bat Cave every evening.

Answer: Yellowstone

Yellowstone was the first national park in the world. This massive park, located mostly in northwest Wyoming but extending into Montana and Idaho, covers more than 3400 square miles. More than sixty percent of the geysers and hot springs in the world are found in Yellowstone.

The oldest and largest remaining bison herd (almost 5,000 head) lives in Yellowstone. In short, Yellowstone is a land of superlatives that should be on the bucket list of all Americans and visitors to the United States.

Answer: Zion

Established in 1919, Zion is the first of Utah's national parks. Visitors enjoy the rivers, the slot canyons, the waterfalls, the arches, and the abundant wildlife found in the park. The park is divided into two separate sections: Zion Canyon (by far the most popular section) and Kolob Canyons.