USA National Parks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alaska

If you've never been to Alaska, this park is of utmost beauty, in my eyes. It is located in the southern part of Alaska. We flew into Anchorage and took a rental car south to this beautiful area. We stopped at the visitor center just outside of Seward, Alaska.

We also took a wonderful nature cruise out of Resurrection Bay. We saw otters, eagles, jellyfish and so many beautiful animals. We were just a little late, in September, to catch the puffins, but if you time it right you can also see those cuties.

You can take a hike up to the glaciers. We took the hike to Harding Icefield where massive blue ice was mashed together to form beautiful glaciers. Always make sure that you let someone know where you are hiking to. Make sure that you bring along some bear spray. We didn't have any, but the rangers were kind enough to give us a canister of it.

President Carter signed the papers to make Kenai Fjords a National Park in 1980! By the way, the way to pronounce it is, "Keen eye".

Answer: Utah

This park was established in 1964. It is a massive 337,598 acres of canyons, mesas and beautiful views! The entire Moab area is just breathtaking. Actually, I could go a step further and say that the entire state of Utah is just amazing. I'll be forever grateful to President Johnson for making this a National Park.

Canyonlands is pretty much across the street from Arches National Park and it's easy to pick up two parks in one day, but if you have a jeep you'll want to explore here longer! You can go down into the canyons and camp down there. There are lots of springs to get water from. You will need to get a permit from the visitor center first! Another tidbit of information. This is where you can find the spot that "Thelma and Louise" flew off the cliff into the Snake River at the end of the movie.

Answer: Alaska

Some still call this Mount McKinley, but it's been renamed to Mount Denali in 1975. This is also the highest mountain in North America and one that I will never ever climb! The first group of hikers to climb to the peak were a group of four men in 1913.

McKinley National Park was established in 1917, of course now you can see the Denali National Park sign on the road going into the park. You can spot the peak from as far away as Anchorage on a clear day. We were lucky enough to take a plane on a clear day and see the peak! One of the moments I will not forget.

You can sometimes drive into the park, but stop at the Denali Visitor Center and find out just how far you can drive in. They normally don't allow you to drive all the way into the park. My suggestion is to take a bus tour into the park further. During 2020 I was lucky enough to travel quite a ways into the park, since the park roads were clear of snow and ice in September. We saw so much wildlife but my favorite was a grizzly bear eating berries.

Answer: California

Most people get to this national park by boat (or swim) in the Pacific Ocean. There are five islands, and yes, you really can visit all of them. You can also get a permit and backpack or camp on the islands. I was lucky enough to go camping on the island and the views were spectacular from the highest point. You can walk along the cliff edges looking down at the beautiful blue waters. There are even spots where you can rent kayaks and take tours where you can go by and through some of the caves.

Channel Island was established in 1980 and approved by President Carter, making it one of the newer national parks. Channel Island had been made a National Monument in 1938 by FDR. It appears that many national parks begin as national monuments only to be upgraded in later years.

If you do get a chance to head out to the islands, take a boat from Ventura, California and watch the seals and dolphins on the way out.

Answer: Utah

If you are in Utah you will be blessed with so many beautiful national parks. Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are almost across the street from one another. You will need a full day or more to do all the hikes in Arches. It appears that Delicate Arch is the most popular one. I also hiked to Landscape Arch and Devil's Garden, but my favorite view was when I was leaving the park. Everyone had their cameras waiting for the sun to set so they could capture the perfect sunset colors on the rocks. I saw an opportunity to take a shot the opposite way. The arch known as The Windows was just beautiful and empty. I sent my friends up there and got silhouettes of them in the arch. Of course we had to do the "Charlie's Angels" pose too.

Arches is one of the older national monuments, established in 1928 by President Hoover. President Nixon made it a National Park in 1971. Some say that there are over 2,000 arches in the national park, but I didn't see more than a half dozen. I guess I need to go back and explore that area some more.

Answer: Colorado

There are a lot of great sand dunes and you can see dunes in California, Michigan and even in the Sahara Desert, but in Colorado, President Hoover named the Great Sand Dunes as a National Monument in 1932. The area was changed to a national park in 2004.

These dunes are the tallest dunes in North America. While some people like to hike to the peak of the dune, I did not share in that. I do not like walking in the sand, especially over 600 feet up! There are multiple dunes in the area, Hidden and Star are both the two tallest and the most popular. If you do opt to take the dunes hike up, bring a sled and take the easy way down!

Answer: Colorado

The first time I visited Mesa Verde National Park I visited the Spruce Tree House and the Step House. When I returned I was able to visit the Cliff Palace, which was spectacular! You climbed ladders and walked up and down stone steps and entered into the time when Native Americans lived here!

President Theodore Roosevelt made Mesa Verde a National Park in 1906, but it was Richard Wetherill that actually found the area in 1889. The Puebloans left this area in about 1300 which means that it had been hidden for close to 500 years. Now in the 2000s it's in near perfect condition. This is why I love the national park foundation. It protects the past and saves it for the future.

If you do venture over to the park, please make sure that you go a little further and check out the Four Corners. You can place your hands and feet in four different states, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona! It's not the 'actual' place, but it does have a cool monument.

Answer: Colorado

Just outside of Denver, Colorado you can find this national park. You can also stand on the Continental Divide trail in the park. This park was set in place in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson. This is not a park that you can do in a day or even a week. There are so many trails and hikes and even five visitor centers. I only entered the Estes Park area on the east side of the park. Bear Lake was one of the hikes and I couldn't get over the beauty of the area. Mountains, streams, waterfalls and just so much nature.

Since this is such a popular national park they have set up shuttles to help people get around the park without having to drive and find a parking spot. There are also shuttles for those who want to go backpacking. They have a small fee but this is so much better than driving yourself. One of the best reasons to take the shuttle is you can look out the window and enjoy the view! Please make sure that you check the national park site to make your reservations.

Answer: Utah

Now we have come to my favorite park, or one of my top five I should say. Zion National Park is located right by the small town of Springdale, Utah. You can enter the 229 square mile park on two different sides. Actually, if you are backpacking down the Narrows hike, there is a third option too. You can spot beautifully colored rocks and sandstone in this park. The Virgin River comes right through the park and you can walk down to the river also. Some people enjoy putting their rafts in just outside of the park and let the current take them downstream. Zion was made into a national park in 1919.

I could talk about all the different trails in this park, since I have hiked most of them, but I want to pinpoint my favorite. The Narrows hike is a water hike. You should wear water shoes and use a hiking pole or stick. Plan on getting wet as you wade through the water. Most people start at the end/beginning and just walk a few miles in and out, but I started at the top of the trail and backpacked in the water. There are 12 camping areas along the trail to spend the night. Getting a permit is difficult but worth it. It's definitely a treat to wake up and walk in the water at 8 am to get the morning started. If you are interested in this hike and can get a permit, they offer shuttles to the beginning for a fee.

Answer: Utah

You won't see the beauty of Bryce Canyon from the front of the park. The key is to drive into this park and look out over Rainbow Point or Bryce Point overlook. You will be looking down over all sorts of rock formations and cliffs. My favorite rock formation is the hoodoos. A hoodoo is a piece of rock that has been worn down from weather, wind and time. They are simply beautiful to see and they are all over the Bryce Point overlook.

Just outside of Panguitch, Utah is where you can find this gem of a park. It was established in 1928 and has had over 2 million visitors. It also started as a national monument in 1923 but was quickly upgraded to a national park by in 1928. I used this opportunity as my first backpacking trip. I started on one side of the park and hiked the Under the Rim trail. It goes along the lower part of the park for over 31 miles. You will need to get a permit first from the visitor center, so they will know who's in the park, and plan on roughly 3 days to hike along the bottom. Unfortunately the best views are at the end of the hike at Bryce Point.

Answer: California

One of the most beautiful areas in the United States is the Sierra Mountains in California. You will be graced with so much beauty, from the highest mountains in the United States, to the long and majestic John Muir Trail. You will see waterfalls, deer, lakes and sometimes a bear or two in this area. Yosemite was made into a national park in 1890. John Muir had a lot to do with helping secure the national park status as well.

If you're a hiker you want to discover and conquer Half Dome, one of the most unique hikes in the United States. You need to apply and get a permit. They only allow so many people on the trail each day. I was lucky enough to get to the peak of this dome! You will use chains to try to help with safety. They also have boards that they place annually to help walk up the side of a rock wall. There's no other way to say it, but you are walking up the side of a mountain to the peak. My suggestion is to do this as a backpacking trip where you can wake up very early and pretty much have the chained area to yourself. If not you will be in a long line of people going up and down that dome.

Yosemite is also the start or ending of the John Muir Trail that takes you over the mountaintops for over 200 miles. The other side is Mount Whitney, which is the highest peak in California. You also will need to get a permit for this hike. A beautiful trail for sure!