10 Most Scenic National Parks in the United States - Part2

5. Denali National Park. Alaska.

Magnificent summit of Mount McKinley towering above the landscape is a landmark of the Denali National Park, Alaska. McKinley or Denali, which means "the great one" in the Athabaskan language, the highest mountain in the North America, is only one of many features that give the park its scenic beauty.

Denali Park is wild, dramatic, and vast. It is home to grizzly and black bears, moose, gray wolfs, foxes and lynx. Savage tundra covered with ferns, grasses and mosses stretches through the park. Only 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the park's ecosystem is sub-arctic, with cold winters, so the best time to go is summer, when the days are long and temperatures are warmer.

Fall in Denali National Park. By Alaskan Dude

Denali National Park. By heartonstick

Grizzly bear in Denali National Park. By Alaskan Dude

Mount McKinley. By mefdada

4. Yosemite National Park. California.

There must be a reason why over 3.5 million people a year visit the Yosemite National Park. It is the grandeur of the park that attracts crowds, tempting visitors with its spectacular cliffs and rocks, waterfalls, mountain streams, clear lakes, sequoia and oak groves and abundant wildlife.

The park that was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 contains five vegetation zones that are home to rare plants and diverse fauna: the black bear, mule deer, bobcats, marmots and chipmunks.

The park is an all-year destination, but to avoid crowds it is better not to go during weekends and public holidays.

Yosemite National Park. By irene

Yosemite National Park. By ground.zero

Fall in Yosemite National Park. By ground.zero

Yosemite National Park by Francois Roche

3. Zion National Park. Utah

The promenade of reddish and white colors captured in Navajo Sandstone formation constitutes the beauty of the Zion National Park, the first national park established in Utah (1909). Navajo's rocks form the Zion Canyon, the main feature of the park. The canyon is 15 miles (24km) long and it can be viewed from the bottom (in contrast to Grand Canyon). Crystal streams, amazing rock formations and diverse plants can be seen along a 6 mile long road that leads into the canyon.

The Zion is home to a broad collection of plants, birds (289 species), mammals (such as the mule deer and mountain lions) as well as reptiles.

It is also an all-year destination, but spring and fall is perfect for hiking and strolling around.

Zion National Park. By Wolfgang Staudt

Eroded rock formation along Mount Carmel Highway. Zion National Park. By vteen

Zion National Park. By Alaskan Dude

Zion National Park. By ReneS

2. Glacier National Park. Montana.

Glacier National Park is often called the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem" or "Backbone of the World". It is an intact land of lakes and mountains where hundreds of plants and animal species have their kingdom.

In 1932 Glacier Park and the neighboring Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada were declared the first International Peace Park. The parks cooperate in research and wildlife management.

The park has several hundred lakes, of which only 131 have been named, and two hundred waterfalls. The site is covered with 1,132 plant species from amazing trees to wildflowers. The park is also home to the grizzly bear and the Canadian lynx - the world's threatened species.

Glacier National Park. By stuck in customs

Lake MacDonald, Glacier National Park. By Plassphoto

Glacier National Park. By JP Shooter

Glacier National Park. By backpackphotography

1. Yellowstone National Park. Wyoming. Montana. Idaho

People have been fascinated by the exceptional beauty and unique natural phenomena of Yellowstone National Park for centuries. In 1872 it became the world's first national park, and since then it has been attracting thousands of visitors each year (which strongly worries environmentalists).

Among distinctive features of the park are hot springs and around 300 geysers. The park houses the world's largest active geyser - Steamboat Geyser that is able to throw water more than 300 feet (90 m) into the air.

What's more, Yellowstone Park is a land of mountains ranges, lakes, waterfalls, deep canyons, wild forests and abundant wildlife. Among most prominent representatives of the park's fauna are the endangered gray wolf, lynx, and grizzly bears as well as the bison, elk, moose, mule deer and many many others...

Upper section of Lower Falls, Yellowstone National Park. By Savannah Grandfather

Grand Prismatic Spring , the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. By Alaskan Dude

Clepsydra Geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. By Zaniac

Elk. Yellowstone National Park. By NDomer73

Bisons. Yellowstone National Park. By jmenard48

They're like the Taj Mahal of India or the Eiffel Tower of France. When in the US, you simply feel compelled to visit one of those. Adore their wildlife and marvel at their beauty to your heart's content, but respect their rules and appreciate their uniqueness because the chances are slim that nature will produce such stunning beauty once again.