U.S. National Parks - Beautiful and Diverse Quiz

Answer: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

According to the National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was by far the most visited park in 2002, with over 9.3 million visits. A U.S. highway traversing the park (US 441), relatively close proximity to large populations and an absence of an admission fee are contributing factors. Grand Canyon N.P. had 4.0 million. Yellowstone had 3.0 million and Yosemite had 3.4 million.

Answer: Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park is named after Biscayne Bay, a marine park in southern Florida. 95% of its acreage is covered by water. Named after a giant cactus, Saguaro N.P. is in southeastern Arizona. California's Joshua Tree N.P. is named after the unusual, desert-dwelling Joshua Tree. Also located in California, Sequoia N.P. is named for the giant sequoia tree.

Answer: Acadia National Park

With an elevation of 1590 feet, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in Maine's Acadia National Park. From its easily accessible summit, one can witness spectacular views of the islands, sea and Eagle Lake below. The other three parks are more well known for their mountain scenery.

Shenandoah N.P. is in Virginia. Great Smoky Mountains N.P. is in Tennessee and North Carolina. Rocky Mountain N.P. is in Colorado.

Answer: National Park of American Samoa

The only U.S. National Park in the Southern Hemisphere, the National Park of American Samoa is located in three separate locations on three separate Samoan islands. It's known for its rain forest preserves, coral reefs, unique and exotic wildlife and white sand beaches. Everglades National Park is located in extreme southern Florida. Channel Islands National Park is located off the southern California Coast. Hawaii Volcanoes N.P. is on the island of Hawaii and is farther south than the southern tip of Florida.

Answer: Texas

This small and relatively lightly visited national park contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. It's located in the state's western panhandle near the Texas-New Mexico border.

Answer: Glacier National Park

In 1932, Alberta and Montana Rotary Club members convinced their respective federal governments to designate these two parks collectively as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park as a symbol of the two nations' strong and lasting friendship. The two parks contain some of North America's most spectacular mountain scenery.

The other three parks listed as choices also border, or nearly border, Canada. Voyageurs N.P. is in Minnesota. Isle Royale N.P. is a part of Michigan and North Cascades N.P. is in Washington.

Answer: Mammoth Cave National Park

Located in central Kentucky, the huge Mammoth Cave and the surrounding labyrinth of caves is the world's longest known cave system with more than 360 miles explored and mapped. Carlsbad Caverns N.P. is in New Mexico. Wind Cave N.P. is located in South Dakota. Shenandoah N.P. is in Virginia.

Answer: 17

Due their remoteness, Alaska's national parks are not among the country's most well known or heavily visited, but they DO contain some of America's most spectacular scenery. Among them are Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks. Alaska contains far more national park land than any other U.S. state.

Answer: Yellowstone National Park

President Ulysses S. Grant declared that Yellowstone was to be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Congress passed the act on March 1, 1872, making Yellowstone the WORLD'S first national park. (NOTE: Arkansas' Hot Springs Reservation was created in 1832, making it the oldest AREA currently in the National Park system, however, it wasn't designated as a National Park until March 4, 1921, making Hot Springs National Park the eighteenth U.S. National Park.)

Answer: Sequoia National Park

On September 25, 1890, California's Sequoia National Park was designated the USA's second national park. Just a week later, the adjacent General Grant National Park (now Kings Canyon) became the third.

Answer: Crater Lake National Park

Oregon's Crater Lake began about 7000 years ago when the Mt. Mazama volcano erupted, leaving a 6-mile wide crater, or caldera. Over time, the crater filled with water, forming the United States deepest lake and arguably the bluest and most beautiful. Wizard Island is a large island within the lake. Phantom Ship is a tiny island resembling a ship. With its unusual rock formations, Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Utah. Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park is known for its fossilized wood. Mesa Verde National Park is known for its archaeological cliff-dwellings and is in Colorado.

Answer: Rio Grande

At Big Bend National Park in Texas, the Rio Grande forms the U.S.-Mexico border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila. Big Bend N.P. is the only U.S. National Park bordering Mexico.

Answer: Hot Springs National Park

At 5550 acres, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas is the nation's smallest national park. Virgin Islands National Park checks in at 14,689 acres. Florida's Biscayne National Park is 172,924 acres. Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is 30,045 acres. For the sake of comparison, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is 521,490 acres and Yosemite N.P. is 761,266 acres.

Answer: 1

A recent addition to the National Park system, Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area was established in 1974. It was designated as a national park in 2000. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is noteworthy for a number of reasons... numerous, outstanding hiking trails... the scenic, winding and steeply-banked Cuyahoga River... and extremely close proximity to the Cleveland-Akron urban area.

Answer: Grand Teton National Park

Beyond the geographical features named in this question, Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park is best known for the spectacular and jagged Grand Teton (a mountain, elev. 13,770 ft.)

Answer: California

California is home to eight (or nine) national parks...Yosemite, Death Valley, Redwood, Lassen Volcanic, Joshua Tree, Channel Islands, Pinnacles, and Sequoia-Kings Canyon. (NOTE: The adjacent Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks were established at different times, but they are operated as a single entity, therefore, it's a matter of semantics whether they constitute one park or two.) Utah has five national parks. Colorado has four and Florida has three.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to the North Dakota badlands. He first visited the area on an 1883 hunting trip. He became involved in the area's cattle business and upon subsequent trips, he became concerned by the damage that was being done to the area environment and wildlife. During his presidency, Roosevelt established the U.S. Forest Service as well as dozens of national monuments, parks, wildlife refuges, and forests.

The area that sparked his environmental efforts is now a national park bearing his name. Badlands National Parks has a similar landscape, but is located in SOUTH Dakota. Kobuk Valley N.P. is in Alaska and Yellowstone National Park in located mostly in Wyoming, and partly in Idaho and Montana.

Answer: Denali National Park

Denali National Park is the most visited of Alaska's eight national parks, and is the home of North America's tallest peak, Mt. McKinley (20,320 feet). Dry Tortugas National Park is on a small group of islands about 75 miles west of Key West, Florida. Haleakala National Park is on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Although it's a part of Michigan, Isle Royale National Park is on a northern Lake Superior island and is much closer to Ontario and Minnesota than it is to Michigan.

Answer: Death Valley National Park

At 282 feet below sea level, Death Valley is the lowest point (in surface elevation) in the Western Hemisphere. Death Valley National Park is also the hottest and driest area in the U.S. Despite being located in a dangerous and hostile environment, Death Valley National Parks draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Zion N.P. and Canyonlands N.P. are in Utah. Great Basin National Park is in Nevada.

Answer: Olympic National Park

Yes, the United States mainland has rain forests. Although you won't find any monkeys or toucans, Olympic National Park in Washington has temperate rain forests. "Rain forest" is defined by amount of rain. Rainfall here can be from 140 to 170 inches (12 to 14 feet) per year. Olympic National Park's rain forests are very dense and are home to the Sitka spruce and western hemlock, some over 300 feet tall.

Thank you for taking this quiz. I hope you enjoyed it. Most answers contained within can be verified on the U.S. Park Service website (http://www.nps.gov/parks.html) and/or any United States map that shows national parks. I believe I gave all U.S. national parks at least a cursory mention in the questions or notes... Please let me know if I left any out... Addendum: Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park became the newest US National Park on September 13, 2004.