National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks by Jonathan Waterman

Absolutely everything memorable or historical that you would want to see is in here. The photos on those pages makes me wish I could be a bird and just fly through it so I could see it.Īlso, small plug for the pages in the way back because there is a list of park units, so National Battlefields, National Military Parks, National Historical Sites, Memorial Sites, Lakeshores, Preserves, Monuments, etc. Maybe because it's not that far from the Grand Canyon people kind of forget about it, but it looks stunning. Interestingly, I didn't know a lot about Zion National Park other than it existed, but after going through the pages and seeing the images- it has jumped to the top of my road trip list. Don't be deterred by the 'More National Parks at a Glance' because they are just as amazing as all of the others, they just aren't the first ones you think of when you think of a national park, which is maybe why it's worth spending more time on those because it might be your speed if you want to avoid crowds or prefer something off the beaten path. Not a problem, the book is divided into sections (Eastern Coast & Forest Parks, Central Plains/Lakes & Mountains, Desert Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Alaska & Hawaii, More National Parks at a Glance) so you can compare the major parks in the area. Maybe you aren't sure which park you want to go to but you know you want something in the central plains because it's close to you and you don't have a lot of time to spend driving. Each section is concise and to the point so if you are trying to narrow down a vacation for you or your family, it's rather easy to compare parks. Each park has a map, some basic geographic information, the history of the park, why it became a park, interesting information about the park, why you should see this park, and what you should do in the park. The book itself is incredibly organized so if you want to go to a specific park, you can find that park easily. but this book will get you a little closer.Īlso, if you don't finish this book without wanting to sing This Land is Your Landby Woody Guthrie, it's like I don't even know you. Just the awe of knowing you really are just a tiny speck on this planet and never in your lifetime are you going to see it all.

The pages are a great size that when it's an image of a person looking up as they hike through a valley, you can almost feel the emotional impact that you would have if you were right there. I can't hate it because the images in her warrant the extreme size because showing a photo of a mountain in a little 4x4 image doesn't do it justice. I do want to tell you about the book itself because it is huge. I hate always telling you how amazing the photographs are in these books because this is from National Geographic and their threshold is nothing short of amazing, always.

National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks by Jonathan Waterman