National Park Vignettes, Olympic to Zion
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Olympic National Park caps the forested peninsula and mountains of the same name. Judging from their proximity, you can image the Olympic Mountains are on the skyline from Olympia, Washington to Victoria, British Columbia.
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On historic Route 66 between Holbrook and Gallup, near the headwaters of the Little Colorado, Petrified Forest, the southern-most National Park of the Colorado Plateau, lies in a culturally-rich area, with Hopi, Navajo, Zuni and Apache cultures, among others, adding to the diversity.
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Pinnacles National Park lies in the Coast Ranges of California, above the Salinas River and Hwy 101, right next to the San Andreas Fault.
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On the forested Pacific Coast of Northern California, between Crescent City and Arcata, near the mouth of the Trinity River, Redwood National Park splits into a larger unit, south, and a smaller unit, north. Down Hwy 101, Avenue of the Giants is another important landmark in the world of the Redwoods.
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Overlooking Estes Park in Colorado’s Front Range, Rocky Mountain National Park sits on the Continental Divide, gives rise to the Colorado River, features a section of the Continental Divide Trail, and climbs to the 14,255 ft summit of Longs Peak.
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In the mostly-barren terrain of the Sonoran Desert, the two units of Saguaro National Park lie in opposite directions out of Tucson, Arizona.
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East of California’s San Joaquin Valley, in the Southern Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park adjoins Kings Canyon National Park, the John Muir Wilderness, and Giant Sequoia National Monument. The park holds the headwaters of the Kern River, a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, and Mt Whitney, the highest point in the 48 contiguous states. Death Valley National Park looms large in the desert to the east. Perhaps you can imagine the mountains of Sequoia National Park providing a snowy backdrop as workers pick ripe oranges around the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia.
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From the forested crest of the Blue Ridge Mtns, Shenandoah National Park overlooks Harrisonburg, Virginia and the Shenandoah River. Topping out at 4051 ft, the park features a section of the Appalachian Trail..
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Located in the undulating, non-forested terrain of Western North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is spread over three units along the Little Missouri River.
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On the south shore of Rainy Lake, just NW of Boundary Waters Canoe Area, in the low-profile glacial terrain along Minnesota’s border with Ontario, Voyageurs National Park features a blend of forest and water.
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On the southeastern slope of South Dakota's Black Hills, where forest gives way to open terrain, Wind Cave National Park is surrounded by other iconic American landmarks.
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From the Gulf of Alaska, inland to forested lowlands and ice-clad mountains, Wrangell-St Elias National Park & Preserve, bordered, west, by the Copper River, adjoins Kluane National Park, location of Canada’s highest point, Mt Logan. On the Gulf Coast, the 18,008 ft summit of Mt St Elias is just a few miles (11.5) from salt water.
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On the edge of the Colorado Plateau, Zion National Park lies on a stretch of the Virgin River, upstream from SW Utah’s largest city, St. George. (Just north of the park, Cedar City is in the Great Basin.)