From the Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon, many of our nation’s most amazing natural wonders can be found in national parks.
The National Park Service (NPS) has worked to preserve more than 84 million acres across the U.S. and its territories. This year, the NPS turned 100! It is celebrating a century of conserving the nation’s most beautiful and wild places. Festivities began with the launch of the Find Your Park campaign, which encourages Americans to explore nearby parks. Parks even offer free admission on certain dates.
Despite its age, the NPS is still going strong. Last year, more than 307 million people visited national parks—breaking the previous year’s record.