_If you could stretch the Grand Canyon into a single straight line, none of us would survive the resulting earthquake._ His humor is sometimes hit or miss, but that one was pretty good.
Just a fun aside, Theodore Roosevelt was crazy about creating national parks, to the point where the Congress limited the number he could create. Being so creative, he simply named large areas "national monuments". There are then, 128 "national monuments", along with our national parks.
He really kickstarted the conservation movement in America. Along with trust busting, getting the Panama Canal built, and creating the FDA. One of our greatest presidents.
They also limited him from creating national forests, and on the night before that legislation was supposed to take effect, he (with advice from Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the US Forest Service) added 16,000,000 acres of forest to the list of National Forests, with numerous government clerks working late into the night to complete the paperwork. These 22 forests are known as "The Midnight Reserves." Which sounds a bit like something from the Revolutionary War.
He was a horrible, horrible person! He OWNED GUNS!!! And he killed helpless animals with them!!! Oh, the horror of it all!! I nearly swoon from thinking of it!!! And worst of all, he was a DEMOCRAT!!! Oh my! ;-)
As someone who used to live in the Yellowstone area, we love to hear the different ways people pronounce our thermal features, since people visit from all over the world. Just to let you know the American pronunciation of the word geysers is “guy-sirs”. A geezer is an old man! Love your videos!. 😘
Lawrence also got the term contiguous correct. I cringe with cheechakos say 'the states'. We've been a state since 1960! Although, I have to admit that from what I've seen of the lower 48, we might as well be another country.
I think the National Park system is one of the things that Americans should be most proud of. From the popular, easily accessible ones like Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountain, to the little visited and more remote ones like Gates of the Arctic and Great Basin, each and every National Park is an absolute gem.
There is a US Army base just south of Death Valley called Fort Irwin. It has one of the more extensive training areas in the entire US military, The National Training Center (NTC). Fort Irwin has a total area of 2,579.77 km² (996.055 sq mi), with only 0.3277 km² of this area has water. Of that total, the census-designated place (CDP) only covers an area of 7.1 square miles (18.3 km²). NTC is where we go for desert training. The training area is situated along the southern border of Death Valley. I had the pleasure (or misfortune) to visit NTC 5 times during my 8 years in uniform. Depending where you are in the "sandbox" you can see the lights of Las Vegas at night, but no one would dare to try to venture there, the distances are deceiving out in the desert.
I used to be a backcountry guide in Yellowstone. I’ve seen parts of the park that less than .001% of visitors get to see, because you have to walk several miles to see them. Yellowstone is absolutely breathtaking, and completely unique. All of Alaska is also amazing, though my heart belongs to Yellowstone, Grand Targhee, and the Tetons.
The largest park in the contiguous US is not a national park but a state park: the Adirondack Park in New York State. It is as large as Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Everglades National Park and the Great Smokies National Park COMBINED. Adirondack Park and Catskill Park (also in New York state) are the only parks in the US protected by a state constitution. It may also be the only park that has a chair named after it. 😀
They have also been around longer than the national park system in it's entirety. In fact the national government borrowed alot from the NYS parks system to create the national park system. The shameful thing is both parks are overlooked due to being state parks, they are basically giant versions of the Great Smokey Mountains and Acadia without all the people
thedungeondelver I read somewhere (so long ago that I’ve forgotten the specifics of when and where) that manatees are the genesis of the belief in mermaids. I’m skeptical, but it’s an interesting theory.
I don't know which if either of the countries you are from, but there is also a bit of a difference in how the entire thing is conceptualized. In the UK, the parks are mostly owned by private owners, either residents or trusts. There are still private houses and farms and towns in the Lake District. They are more a mixture of rural/natural areas that are managed to stay that way. In the US, national parks are owned by the federal government, and with the exceptions of service center areas and rangers, no one lives in most national parks. (Probably a dozen people are going to comment with exceptions to this). So US national parks are usually totally natural/wilderness areas. Someone might read this and think I am being a braggart, like a "typical American", but I think both types have their advantages. Obviously, for history and culture, UK parks are excellent, and it is nice to see the harmony of human settlements and nature. But in most US national parks, once you go in...you are in a different world. Its just you and the natural world, seemingly.
@@glowingfish there's certainly a difference in history behind the creation and the US had opportunities to designate their parks that weren't available in the UK. There's, of course, exceptions to every rule and private land within park boundaries which, depending on the state, is very similar in accessibility to UK parks or can be effectively treated as private property with no trespassing allowed (and I wouldn't test that if a sign is posted, great way to get yourself shot). As you noted, though, very rare and not worth much discussion. All that being said, the National Parks are typically not the most remote and natural wilderness areas you'll find in the US. They're flooded with tourists and, while easy enough to get away from most with a 100 yard hike, there's still plenty of people around and can feel like the Disney park of nature at times in how curated the experience can be. The network of national forests and WMA's is where we really start to set ourselves apart. The map of these areas overlapping each other and abutting national parks effectively increases the true wilderness areas well beyond anything comparable in the UK. Heck, last night I camped at a spot easily 5 miles away from any other person and went off trail for a couple of miles further to explore a trout stream and found myself crawling through a temperate rainforest thicker than I've seen on any TV shows where they're impressed by how impenetrable the jungle they're in is. I know of places where I could go and never be found, but still be within an hour's hike of a road. We're lucky to have so much public land and that the timing worked in our favor to preserve it. Why did the youtube algorithm bring me here?
@@wta1518and that doesn't even get into the various State Parks, the Adirondack State Park in NY covers 1/5 of the state and almost all of the mountain range of the same name. It is protected by the state constitution starting in 1892, the primary driving factor was the environmental devastation from the logging industry causing economic harm to NYC by silting in the harbor. The park is unique for being 52% private land, but due to strict regulations this doesn't undermine the protection of the park. (It's basically impossible to do any heavy development within it, and these communities existed first)
When you talked about Death Valley you missed being able to see the lowest point in the park, Bad Water Basin (-86meters) from Telescope Peak. Bad Water being the lowest place in the US. Also missed Scotty’s Castle.
Ive never been to Death Valley California , but I've been to Death Valley Clemson University South Carolina to watch the Tigers play football . There is a piece of stone from Death Valley California called Howard"s Rock in the Clemson Stadium that the football team rushes by and touches before home games . The LSU Tigers whooped us this year , but rest assured the Clemson Tigers are ready to play as soon as things are straightened out .
You mentioned several parks, all in Alaska, that I was not aware existed. My favorite Park? Each National Park has something special. Thank you for sharing.
The National park I want to see first after quarantine is Rocky Mountain National Park. I live about 30 minutes away and the mountains are where I go to restore my soul.
I keep meaning to go there. I have lived in Illinois for over 50 years and still have not been. Go figure, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Denali... sure but the thing right in your backyard so to speak keeps getting put off.
I went to Rocky Mountain National Park in November 2018 and it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen! There was over 2 feet of snow which is double the most I've ever seen before.
The Rocky Mountains are magnificent!! Indescribable peace I found there. My father gave me an everlasting love of the Rocky Mountains having vacationed there with my mom and sister as well as myself every year until he passed away. I was 17 then, almost 40 years. Went again for my honeymoon. Would like to go more but life gets in the way.
FYI: the largest park in the "lower 48" is Adirondack State Park. It's over 9,000 sq miles, 1/5 of NY State. I'm sure it would have been part of Teddy Roosevelt's national park system if it hadn't already been a state park. It's a great place to visit!
@@MichaelLawrence-dv3dn Surprisingly, it's not a state park as it is not entirely owned by the state. NY owns about 45% of the land while private interests own 55%.
I spent 9 months working in Washington state back in the early 2000s in and around Seattle, Tacoma, and Bremerton. I had been there 2 months before I caught my first glimpse of Rainier. When I finally did, even being 70 miles away from the the summit at the time, it still felt like I was looking straight up at it. Totally amazing.
Adirondack State Park in New York State is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States and is greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined.
@@chargindave70not really, sure its 50% private land but look at it on satellite imagery sometime. A lot of that land is intentionally kept wild by the land owner, and the Adirondack Park Association places strict regulations on all development. The park isn't 50% greater LA, you can't even build a Walmart in it. The park is 1/5 of NYS maintained almost like a garden, fully accessible for all kinds of recreation like snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, canoeing, star gazing, hunting, camping, fishing, ect. The park is literally better than any national park.
It's pretty amazing. Before you get there you think, "I'm gonna see some really big trees." Then you get there and you realize they are actually skyscrapers made of wood.
I was just there last year. Go during the middle of the week, there are fewer people. It's an amazing experience no matter what, because while the tree size is nearly indescribable, the feeling you get while wandering among them is kind of a cozy, warm feeling. They are enormous, but they aren't oppressive, so you come out feeling like you just left a good friend's house after a nice long chat and some grilled chicken.
Kentucky is very over crowded, and they're all related to their cousins. Please for your own safety stay clear. California is a much better state to visit and move to.
Mammoth Cave Park here in Kentucky is 82.63 sq miles and is the longest cave system known in the world. And Berheim Forest is 15,625 acres just 25 miles south of Louisville (pronounced lu-uh-vul).
Been watching your videos for a while. I really appreciated the humor in this one. And thanks for educating an American about some national parks I hadn't heard of! Keep up the great work.
The thing I love about Yosemite is that it's basically got something for every level of hiker. There's easy trails that still have beautiful views, there's intermediate trails that can even take you to the top of Half Dome because of the much easier to climb back side with its cable railing leading the way up the curved part of the dome, and for the truly extreme there's the very vertically flat front face of Half Dome that some insane people have even done without rope. I love the place.
@@bobdole4916 My favorite hike in Yosemite is the Mist Trail. In May 2019, at age 60, I hiked to the top of both Vernal Fall (for those who don't know, it's the intermediate goal along the Mist Trail) and Nevada Fall for the 7th time. I have hiked to the top of just Vernal Fall an additional 8 times. The difference reflects how much more often I had time for a half-day hike vs the full day required for Nevada Fall. On one Mist Trail hike years ago, I hiked past Nevada Fall all the way to Bunnell Cascade, for a 14-mile day hike. I never did Half Dome and I respect those who have made it to the top. My second favorite hike in Yosemite is Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin, which I have done five times. Another favorite is Wapama Falls (four times). I am fortunate to live close enough to Yosemite, King Canyon, Sequoia, and Pinnacles National Parks to visit them as day trips, or to stay longer when I choose. BTW, I have visited Yosemite about 200 times in my life. It's still not enough. Besides Yosemite, my other favorite national park is Yellowstone. Unfortunately, I have only visited three times. I like both parks for different reasons and I can't pick one over the other. As best I can remember, I have visited the following US national parks: Glacier Bay, Mt. Ranier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Channel Islands (visitor center only), Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Sajuaro, Shenandoah, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Badlands, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smokey Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Haleakela, and Hawaii Volcanoes. I have also visited a bunch of National Monuments, National Historic Sites/Parks, and National Military Parks. For most of these visits I was with my wife (and kids when they still lived at home), and some (e.g. Shenandoah, Great Sand Dunes, and Sajuaro) I squeezed into a business trip. Next year we are taking our oldest grandson on a trip to see the national parks in the Four Corners area: Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands, etc. Also, a huge shout-out to Canada for their national parks along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. We have visited Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay and were impressed by all five. All are beautiful and Banff and Jasper are huge.
Let us not forget Craters of the Moon National Park, roughly the size of Rhode Island. A beautiful desert park where the astronauts of Apollo 13 learned about lava flows in preparation for their trip to the moon.
@@ruthmeow4262 If you really want to see the middle of nowhere, Idaho, check out the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It's one of the most remote areas in the lower 48.
I can say this...Europeans appreciate the US national parks. Our family visited Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Death Valley national parks in July 2019. By my estimate, 75% of the people I came into contact with at Kings Canyon and Sequoia and 95% of those at Death Valley were from Europe. While at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, I had a conversation with a gentleman from the UK. I asked what brought him to Death Valley and his response was that there just wasn't anything like it where he was from.
Daily Mail: Thinks anything on TH-cam is public domain. Cairngorm: Sounds like a Star Trek alien. Geysers: We pronounce them “guy-zers”. I watched it to the end of the beginning of the end.
Having grown up in California, the Redwoods are a favorite and the entire Mendocino area is great. But now I live where My. Ranier watches over all comings and goings.
Thank you for these videos. Even as an American it actually in reverse helps me learn more about my good brothers in England, and the home country. I've heard people who live in other parts of the world struggle sometimes to understand how big North America really is. This also helps with that.. The sheer sizes of some of these national parks are bigger than some countries.
I've been to Death Valley National Park five times since 2006 (and I live in Boston), it is one of the most interesting places I have ever been to. Its scenic beauty is utterly breathtaking and constant, and its cultural history is absolutely fascinating. There is so much to do and see there, I still have things to do and will visit again.
It’s the most visited national park in the United States! I moved from one hour’s distance, to two hours distance from it, so I practically never go anymore for a weekend hike ☹️
GSMNP is my back yard with the Blue Ridge Parkway is my front yard. I’ll admit, I’m prejudiced as have traveled to quite a few of the National parks and various state parks. There’s a lot to be said for all our outdoor spaces.
I was always fond of Teton National Park just south of Yellowstone. Living only 45 miles away I visited it many times. On the east side of the park the views are incredible, but one should take the horse back ride up to Jenny Lake. The waterfall there is awesome and Jenny Lake is unbelievably clear. In the summer one can take the gondola ride to the top of the hill and sit on a gently slopping hillside while watching paragliders floating about several thousand feet below your feet. One must be careful doing this for sunburn is very easy and can be severe due to the altitude of around 12,000 feet. Perhaps the best view is from the west side. In the winter one can ride to the top of the Grand Targhee ski area where the very highest mountain peaks in the Tetons are up close and in your face. Words cannot describe how spectacular the view is from there.
Here's an idea for you: You could talk about the two John Muir Trail's - the 134 mile one across Scotland and the 211 mile one (much of which is also coincident with the 2650 mile long Pacific Crest Trail) from Yosemite NP to Mt. Whitney.
My brother in law is a mountain guide in the highlands and he has climbed Ben Nevis many times. The first time he came out to see us and saw Mt Hood he was in awe at the sight of it and at 2.5 Ben Nevises, it isn’t even in the U.S. top ten peaks. Hopefully on one of his trips we will be able to make the time to climb it.
I was so happy to see this. I live very near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. My profile pic is a sunrise over the Wrangell Mountains. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth, even if our winters make Chicago's seem a bit tropical....
@@mushroomsteve They really are. Nine of the highest 16 peaks in N America are here. The park which also encompasses an area in Canada and together is the largest park in the world. The area I live in is the spawning ground of the Copper River Red Salmon. It's a good life,. :-)
Idahoan here. I really love Glacier in Montana. Also Waterton Lakes in Canada. Yellowstone, of course, is amazing. Crater Lake and Zions are awesome too. Still, Ive been to Scotland once, including the Caingorns--and that place is magical too. Grateful we have such preserved spots.
They amount of public lands here in America is something I truly love. The National Park, National forrest, wilderness area, state parks, etc makes the area involved in you list the more impressive. Little ol Yosemite here in California is flanked for hundreds of miles by other park jurisdictions with varying rules on usage. South of tioga pass in Yosemite there is no road over the Sierra Nevada mountains until you get to Isabella Walker pass 160 miles south straight line. It is so wonderful to have these lands to enjoy I particularly love the wilderness areas where no motorized equipment may be used.
I’ve lived in Alaska most of my life and haven’t been to most of the national parks in Alaska. ! Probably because you can’t get to most by road, so it can be a bit expensive. But I feel so fortunate that I live in the most beautiful state in the Union. Maybe I can explore some of these parks I’ve never been to this summer since I doubt we’ll get many tourists coming this year.
Growing up in Alaska, I only visited Denali once. I'd love to take a cruise through Southeast AK and see Glacier Bay, but unless you have specific business in Juneau/Sitka/etc, you could easily never visit that part of the state.
You should take the opportunity to check some out. A lot have great boat tours. You can't get very far into Wrangell-St Elias by vehicle, but there is some access. It's a bit of a drive and you should never try to get an RV up the last 35 miles or so into Kennicott. If you go through Slana you will need to have 4 wheel drive to get very far up the Nabesna Rd. There's a few stream crossings that will float you away during wet weather. Don't forget to file a travel plan with the Park Service. That way they'll know to go looking if you are overdue coming back.
@@jptogaming I live in Anchorage and the closest one on this list is about 240 miles north (Denali). You can get there by road. Wrangell St. Elias is about the same distance, but northeast and also you can get to by road. I've been to Denali, and come close to Wrangell St. Elias but not in the park. All the other parks on this list you can't get to by road. Has to be by boat or plane! Glacier Bay is about 500 miles southeast , Katmai is about 250 miles south, Gates of the Arctic is about 600 miles north. Kenai Fjords wasn't on this list, but it's the closest to Anchorage. About 120 miles south. It's beautiful. As are all the State Parks that surround us too. You could spend your whole life just traveling around Alaska :)
@@ja8ames Yeah, that's pretty much me too. Denali a couple of times. On a road trip to Valdez we skirted Wrangell St. Elias but didn't go in. Being from Alaska you know how expensive it is to travel off the road system. Usually cheaper to travel to the lower 48, so we miss out on our state! I'd love to go to all these parks, but the one I'd pick if I could just choose one is Katmai.
I actually went to Winston Churchill high school! We had a parliament instead of a student council.... very random but the mountain being named Churchill made me bring it up
I live 20 miles from Glacier National Park in Montana...BEAUTIFUL! It's such a wonderful place...maybe not as big as others, but amazing. I can see it from the deck.
I wanted to visit it back in 2011 on a road trip, but it wasn't open in mid-May. Still too much snow on the roads. Saw a bit of the southern part of Montana, though. I think it was from North Dakota to Billings where my GPS informed me that my next turn was more than 600 miles ahead.
Sadly enough, I stand at the gateway to Yosemite, yet have not yet tested its strength or merit. I shall then sally forth once this scourge has been eradicated, or other wise curtailed, and meet my fate in its midst. Great video. Thanks much for keeping us sane.
I'm amazed at how little I knew about my own country's national parks. I used to live in Chicago area and I don't remember a park being there!! This was cool. Thank you!
The diversity of Yellowstone is amazing, been there two years in a row and would have gone again this year. Amazing place to see and the wildlife and natural wonders are spectacular.
As a former Michigander, I love the national parks there. Of particular note are Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the Keewenaw Historical park near my Alma Mater. None so grandly large, but each extraordinarily beautiful and fascinating.
Thanks for Sharing. FYI, I up to recently worked as Ranger in Everglades National Park. I worked in Florida Bay that goes along next to the Keys. Most folks don't know about 1/3 of Everglades is also Marine/Ocean that is designated as under wilderness. Also, 95 percent of Everglades is also designated wilderness. I no longer work with Everglades but now with US Forest Service. Here is the actual boundary, your map of Everglades wasn't accurate. Also, side note, Administratively Everglades is Superpark with Byscane, Big Cypress, and Dry Tortugas also part of Everglades. images.app.goo.gl/PTTxYfDzGbf2mPqZA
I have also heard that the Everglades is the only place in the world where you can see Alligator AND Crocodile habitat together! Also Denali was originally named Mt Mc Kinley after the president, by it's discoverer. I believe in the 1990's it was renamed Denali by the US Geologic place names, which defines and standardizes the names and spellings on US maps. They usually choose the name used by the native people nearby. At 20,000 feet, it's the highest mountain in North America.
@@davidmarquardt2445 Totally. For the American Crocodile, South Florida is its northernmost range. You can find Crocodiles as far north as West Palm Beach and Ft Myers. Though most of them are found in the southern tip of Florida between Homestead to Naples and in Keys. That said, Crocodiles, like saltwater. Alligators on the other south Florida is its southernmost range and they like freshwater. If you go to a place called Flamingo in Everglades National Park you can see them side by side because that were freshwater mixes with the saltwater of Florida Bay.
I've always considered Everglades National Park, Big Cypress and Fakahatchee Strand to be one big park. Especially when the State has Jane's Scenic Blvd open so I can use it as a shortcut to get over to Big Cypress & take advantage of my ORV passes.
Being an Alaskan it's really nice that I can drive for 4 to 15 hours to see the parks up here. That being said you really don't get how big this state is until you live up here for a few years and decide to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks to hit the hot spring and realize that you just spend 6 to 8 hours in your car.
A friend who was raised in Hull rode with me through the Bighorn Mountains (Bighorn National Forest) on US 14--he was beyond gobsmacked! We thought what we saw just from the highway was more mind-boggling than what we saw in five days in Bozeman and the previous day in Yellowstone. We also drove past Devil's Tower. I just saw that Hull and Grimsby are just up the estuary from each other, so... How come I can understand you just fine while I can't understand a word he says?
@MA GA , yes. USVI NP, with most of it on St. John Island, plus Coral Reef and Buck Island Reef Nat'l. Monuments; and Nat'l. Park of American Samoa. There's also a Nat'l. Historic Site in San Juan, PR. You can read more about them by going to Wikipedia. Guam doesn't have any NPS units.
@@maga6252 , I just thought of something after I posted below. This is a link to a list of every one of the 400+ NPS units by state: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_United_States_National_Park_System_official_units
I'm a fan of Congaree National Park because I grew up with it almost in my back yard. It's a type of old-growth forest and is the largest of its type left in the US.
I loved going to Wind Cave National Park and having them tell us that it was the 7th largest cave system in the world, but only the 2nd largest in the county (Jewel Cave National Monument, 3rd largest in the world).
my favorite national park that i've been to is badlands national park. my sister was doing an internship there and i got to visit, normally it a bunch of grey, but after rain washes the surface layer of eroded dust away, my god it is spectacular to see. got there a week after a rain storm, such striking colors, no words or pictures can do it justice. and i got to say i enjoyed it more then the grand canyon
It’s “guy-zer” Lawrence , but that’s ok. Yellowstone is now so hot that you can’t get anywhere near the features there like the mud pots and geysers. And getting more active all the time. Just in the last ten years.
At 2:44, the name of those things are "People of Walmart". Actually, I'm going to apologize to those Manatees. I shouldn't have insulted those big, friendly creatures.
You have to see Sequoia, trees 5000 years old, 400 feet tall (130 m) , 50 ft in diameter (15 m) , I will never forget Sequoia, if its not on your bucket list... it should be
Sorry, these numbers are incorrect. U.S. national parks 84 million acres or 340,000 sq miles. UK national parks about 20 million acres or 17,000 sq miles. Not sure why you would give these numbers. All you have to do is Google it.
@@tccharleston8669 Unless Jay means the area of England as a whole? Which works out at 32,220,800 acres; the UK as a whole equals 59,921,280 acres, which would be nearer the 50mln acres figure [shrug].
Glacier national park may not be one the large list, but for its stunning going to the sun road and mini glaciers... all the bears and other wildlife. It by far is one of the best places I have ever visited.
My dear sir,,, you have elided over the other park systems. yes, we have national parks,,,, we also have national forests, lands controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Monuments, Nearly every state has its own forest service and state park system. I have a river permit for June (Wanna go ?) for the Salmon River in Idaho. The river length that I will be paddling is short of 200 miles,, and nearly the entirety is in National Forest. You'd be welcome. And as to social distancing,,, except for the few you paddle with,, 6 feet could,, and may be the same as 6 kilometers. I have paddled western rivers and at times,, I am certain,, the next closest light bulb was more than 25 miles,, the nearest other human, perhaps just as far.
Politically Correctly renaming Mt. McKinley to Denali, gives us a mountain named "mountain". I have heard people saying Denali Mountain, yes, Mountain Mountain.
I don't know enough Koyukon Athabaskan to translate it exactly, but only part of the word Denali means mountain. It also means the tallest/biggest. It's like the many rivers with names that end with 'na. Na means river. So when you say Tanana River (or any of the others) you are actually saying _______ river river.
_If you could stretch the Grand Canyon into a single straight line, none of us would survive the resulting earthquake._
His humor is sometimes hit or miss, but that one was pretty good.
I think that's the best one he's nailed that I've seen. A great misdirection joke.
That one certainly got a chuckle from me!
He's definitely got some top tier dad jokes up his sleeve
@@thanksfernuthin similar to "if you were to take all your blood vessels and stretch them end to end you would be dead"
@@mrexists5400 , now THAT's funny! In fact, I laughed until I stopped! No, I really did.
Just a fun aside, Theodore Roosevelt was crazy about creating national parks, to the point where the Congress limited the number he could create. Being so creative, he simply named large areas "national monuments". There are then, 128 "national monuments", along with our national parks.
He really kickstarted the conservation movement in America. Along with trust busting, getting the Panama Canal built, and creating the FDA. One of our greatest presidents.
Dude was so into hunting that he became a conservationist XD.
@@maximaldinotrap Most serious hunters who hunt the right way are.
They also limited him from creating national forests, and on the night before that legislation was supposed to take effect, he (with advice from Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the US Forest Service) added 16,000,000 acres of forest to the list of National Forests, with numerous government clerks working late into the night to complete the paperwork. These 22 forests are known as "The Midnight Reserves." Which sounds a bit like something from the Revolutionary War.
He was a horrible, horrible person! He OWNED GUNS!!! And he killed helpless animals with them!!!
Oh, the horror of it all!!
I nearly swoon from thinking of it!!!
And worst of all, he was a DEMOCRAT!!!
Oh my! ;-)
They're called Manatees. They are very docile, as opposed to the english white rabbit which can rip your head off
Unless you say Ni!
John Bowers Or you have the Holy Hand Grenade.
Until he meets the fearsome Jack Rabbit.
@@comput3rman77 of Antioch.
Look at the Bones!
As someone who used to live in the Yellowstone area, we love to hear the different ways people pronounce our thermal features, since people visit from all over the world. Just to let you know the American pronunciation of the word geysers is “guy-sirs”. A geezer is an old man! Love your videos!. 😘
I thought he said gay-sirs
That's a bad description of the American pronuncation. 90% of people I've met pronounce it with a Z sound. Gai-Zer
@@ConeJellos It basically sounds the same.
Who remembers jelly stone, yogi bear and boo boo?
Is that a pick-a-nic basket?
I AM SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR.
"Hey there, Boo Boo!"
There is actually a franchise set of campgrounds in the U.S. called Jellystone Parks. Complete with the cartoon characters represented
I’m a personal friend of Ranger Smith!
As an Alaskan, I really appreciate it when you say “the lower 48.” 😊
Hawaii feels left out
I know. As soon as I heard him say "lower 48" I giggled. Man did his research. haha
Lawrence also got the term contiguous correct. I cringe with cheechakos say 'the states'. We've been a state since 1960! Although, I have to admit that from what I've seen of the lower 48, we might as well be another country.
Extra point for not calling Denali "Mount McKinley" too.
Do us a favor. Split into two states so Texas is the third largest state. Maybe that would make them shut the hell up.
I think the National Park system is one of the things that Americans should be most proud of. From the popular, easily accessible ones like Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountain, to the little visited and more remote ones like Gates of the Arctic and Great Basin, each and every National Park is an absolute gem.
There is a US Army base just south of Death Valley called Fort Irwin. It has one of the more extensive training areas in the entire US military, The National Training Center (NTC). Fort Irwin has a total area of 2,579.77 km² (996.055 sq mi), with only 0.3277 km² of this area has water. Of that total, the census-designated place (CDP) only covers an area of 7.1 square miles (18.3 km²). NTC is where we go for desert training. The training area is situated along the southern border of Death Valley. I had the pleasure (or misfortune) to visit NTC 5 times during my 8 years in uniform. Depending where you are in the "sandbox" you can see the lights of Las Vegas at night, but no one would dare to try to venture there, the distances are deceiving out in the desert.
I used to be a backcountry guide in Yellowstone. I’ve seen parts of the park that less than .001% of visitors get to see, because you have to walk several miles to see them. Yellowstone is absolutely breathtaking, and completely unique. All of Alaska is also amazing, though my heart belongs to Yellowstone, Grand Targhee, and the Tetons.
Cairngorms sounds like a measurement. How big is Saturn? Answer: 3 million Cairngorms
Or a temperature unit. The sun burns at 5.7 million degrees Cairngorn.
Saturn is actually 9.4 million Cairngorms. I’m completely serious, by the way.
I thought that was "killicams", or some such? ;-)
So true 😂
Unit of measurement like golf balls?
The largest park in the contiguous US is not a national park but a state park: the Adirondack Park in New York State. It is as large as Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Everglades National Park and the Great Smokies National Park COMBINED. Adirondack Park and Catskill Park (also in New York state) are the only parks in the US protected by a state constitution.
It may also be the only park that has a chair named after it. 😀
I was there years ago, it's beautiful!!!
You had me at “chair”
I grew up in the Adirondacks and seeing those rolling mountains from a mountaintop is an amazing sight.
They have also been around longer than the national park system in it's entirety. In fact the national government borrowed alot from the NYS parks system to create the national park system. The shameful thing is both parks are overlooked due to being state parks, they are basically giant versions of the Great Smokey Mountains and Acadia without all the people
The largest national park is Canada.
@ 2:44
THAT IS A MANATEE AND THEY LOVE YOU. NOW APOLOGIZE TO HER AND HER CALF.
*_APOLOGIZE, I SAID_*
thedungeondelver
I read somewhere (so long ago that I’ve forgotten the specifics of when and where) that manatees are the genesis of the belief in mermaids. I’m skeptical, but it’s an interesting theory.
@@maryrosekent8223 Indeed, and they're the most adorable of animals. I love them
Mary Rose Kent with enough rum anything could look like a mermaid 😉.
@@pjschmid2251 Especially when you've been out to sea a long, long time.
It was an example of subtle humor. If you stop shouting, you might learn to recognize it.
Europeans: Haha, Americans use football fields as a unit of measure
Laurence: hold my ale
I am actually quite surprised that the UKs largest National Park actually measures up with some respectable size next to the USA's.
It does comprise quite a substantial chunk of the Scottish Highlands. It covers about 5.8% of Scotland.
I don't know which if either of the countries you are from, but there is also a bit of a difference in how the entire thing is conceptualized. In the UK, the parks are mostly owned by private owners, either residents or trusts. There are still private houses and farms and towns in the Lake District. They are more a mixture of rural/natural areas that are managed to stay that way. In the US, national parks are owned by the federal government, and with the exceptions of service center areas and rangers, no one lives in most national parks. (Probably a dozen people are going to comment with exceptions to this). So US national parks are usually totally natural/wilderness areas.
Someone might read this and think I am being a braggart, like a "typical American", but I think both types have their advantages. Obviously, for history and culture, UK parks are excellent, and it is nice to see the harmony of human settlements and nature. But in most US national parks, once you go in...you are in a different world. Its just you and the natural world, seemingly.
@@glowingfish there's certainly a difference in history behind the creation and the US had opportunities to designate their parks that weren't available in the UK. There's, of course, exceptions to every rule and private land within park boundaries which, depending on the state, is very similar in accessibility to UK parks or can be effectively treated as private property with no trespassing allowed (and I wouldn't test that if a sign is posted, great way to get yourself shot). As you noted, though, very rare and not worth much discussion.
All that being said, the National Parks are typically not the most remote and natural wilderness areas you'll find in the US. They're flooded with tourists and, while easy enough to get away from most with a 100 yard hike, there's still plenty of people around and can feel like the Disney park of nature at times in how curated the experience can be. The network of national forests and WMA's is where we really start to set ourselves apart. The map of these areas overlapping each other and abutting national parks effectively increases the true wilderness areas well beyond anything comparable in the UK. Heck, last night I camped at a spot easily 5 miles away from any other person and went off trail for a couple of miles further to explore a trout stream and found myself crawling through a temperate rainforest thicker than I've seen on any TV shows where they're impressed by how impenetrable the jungle they're in is. I know of places where I could go and never be found, but still be within an hour's hike of a road.
We're lucky to have so much public land and that the timing worked in our favor to preserve it. Why did the youtube algorithm bring me here?
@@glowingfish There's a reason why the US NPS is one of the best in the world.
@@wta1518and that doesn't even get into the various State Parks, the Adirondack State Park in NY covers 1/5 of the state and almost all of the mountain range of the same name. It is protected by the state constitution starting in 1892, the primary driving factor was the environmental devastation from the logging industry causing economic harm to NYC by silting in the harbor. The park is unique for being 52% private land, but due to strict regulations this doesn't undermine the protection of the park. (It's basically impossible to do any heavy development within it, and these communities existed first)
"subsequently regurgitated with oddly identical wording by the Daily Mail"
Laurence throwing SHADE
Daily Mail owned by the moron Murdock family... (can we say fox news.)
Doesn’t the daily mail Owe u money for that kind of plagiarism Lawrence?
Ah, the Daily Mail, what a pinnacle of journalistic integrity.
Right up there with the National Enquirer! They're both models of honesty and great reporting. ;-)
@@keeristdiablo540 Which is why it's fondly called The Daily Fail.
Cadwaladr ya the pinnacles which is the same as the soviets with capitalism
As a native Chicagoan I laughed waaaaaaay harder than I should have at your Clark and Lake joke. Great intersection, great city, great video.
When you talked about Death Valley you missed being able to see the lowest point in the park, Bad Water Basin (-86meters) from Telescope Peak. Bad Water being the lowest place in the US. Also missed Scotty’s Castle.
I've been to Death Valley and Bad Water is really incredible. I wish he touched on it more, too. Pictures do not do that place justice!
Heather Bray I agree, I was there on Memorial Day many years ago and it was already pushing 110F.
Ive never been to Death Valley California , but I've been to Death Valley Clemson University South Carolina to watch the Tigers play football . There is a piece of stone from Death Valley California called Howard"s Rock in the Clemson Stadium that the football team rushes by and touches before home games . The LSU Tigers whooped us this year , but rest assured the Clemson Tigers are ready to play as soon as things are straightened out .
Marble Canyon is a great hike there, but not in the warm months.
@@victorwaddell6530 How odd. What is the story behind that? There used to be borax miners in Death Valley. Any connection?
You mentioned several parks, all in Alaska, that I was not aware existed. My favorite Park? Each National Park has something special. Thank you for sharing.
The National park I want to see first after quarantine is Rocky Mountain National Park. I live about 30 minutes away and the mountains are where I go to restore my soul.
I keep meaning to go there. I have lived in Illinois for over 50 years and still have not been. Go figure, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Denali... sure but the thing right in your backyard so to speak keeps getting put off.
I'm on the east coast, NC. But I've always wanted to see the great sand dunes national park.
Granby? My parents live literally across the road from the park.
I went to Rocky Mountain National Park in November 2018 and it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen! There was over 2 feet of snow which is double the most I've ever seen before.
The Rocky Mountains are magnificent!! Indescribable peace I found there. My father gave me an everlasting love of the Rocky Mountains having vacationed there with my mom and sister as well as myself every year until he passed away. I was 17 then, almost 40 years. Went again for my honeymoon. Would like to go more but life gets in the way.
FYI: the largest park in the "lower 48" is Adirondack State Park. It's over 9,000 sq miles, 1/5 of NY State. I'm sure it would have been part of Teddy Roosevelt's national park system if it hadn't already been a state park. It's a great place to visit!
To be honest, with many of the parks I've visited, I'm not sure whether they were State or National, offhand.
YES! Adirondack park is amazing and gorgeous. I believe it’s one of the oldest parks in the country.
Yeah, people assume NY=NYC when in reality most of the state is woodland. The Adirondacks are really underrated.
@@ja8ames it's a state park
@@MichaelLawrence-dv3dn Surprisingly, it's not a state park as it is not entirely owned by the state. NY owns about 45% of the land while private interests own 55%.
Looking out my bedroom window and I see Mt Rainier with the entrance 35 miles up the street.
I don't have a view of Rainier from my home but I do get to see her, the Olympics and Cascades as I drive around the area. I never grow tired of it.
I get to see the three sisters to the east and My. Hood to the north.
Use to live only a few minutes away from Rainer but moved away several years ago...miss it so much
I spent 9 months working in Washington state back in the early 2000s in and around Seattle, Tacoma, and Bremerton. I had been there 2 months before I caught my first glimpse of Rainier. When I finally did, even being 70 miles away from the the summit at the time, it still felt like I was looking straight up at it. Totally amazing.
My buddy is from there, he laughed in my face when I called my east coast hills, "mountains".
Adirondack State Park in New York State is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States and is greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined.
Thank you! and everybody forgets about it!
Too bad it’s not a national park...
They forget us because we are a state park. Nothing to see here just 6 million acres, 1/5 of NY state in the blue line.
there is a lot of private land, so there is a lot of development, so that's why we us folks out west dont really care
@@chargindave70not really, sure its 50% private land but look at it on satellite imagery sometime. A lot of that land is intentionally kept wild by the land owner, and the Adirondack Park Association places strict regulations on all development. The park isn't 50% greater LA, you can't even build a Walmart in it.
The park is 1/5 of NYS maintained almost like a garden, fully accessible for all kinds of recreation like snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, canoeing, star gazing, hunting, camping, fishing, ect.
The park is literally better than any national park.
I am really wanting to see the Red Wood Forest and walk among ancient giants.
Same here. I'd also love to visit Sequoia National Park and immerse myself among the Wellingtonias
It's pretty amazing. Before you get there you think, "I'm gonna see some really big trees."
Then you get there and you realize they are actually skyscrapers made of wood.
I was just there last year. Go during the middle of the week, there are fewer people. It's an amazing experience no matter what, because while the tree size is nearly indescribable, the feeling you get while wandering among them is kind of a cozy, warm feeling. They are enormous, but they aren't oppressive, so you come out feeling like you just left a good friend's house after a nice long chat and some grilled chicken.
It's definitely worth it.
@@ellencameron3775 I imagine the piney, cedar-like, woodsy aroma of those forests surpasses even the best cologne.
In Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest is throughout the state and breathtaking.
I always tell people that The Red River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places on Earth
Mammoth Cave, too. Longest cave in the world, I think.
Mammoth Cave! Towards the top of my "bucket list".
@@mushroomsteve Yes, it's the longest. It's got at least 40 miles of caves. One of the tours is a 4 mile hike.
Kentucky is very over crowded, and they're all related to their cousins. Please for your own safety stay clear. California is a much better state to visit and move to.
I saw the title out of the corner of my eye and thought it said, "Britain's Largest Dwarf Parks." Now I'm disappointed there aren't any dwarf parks.
Cant get the picture out of my mind , it would be well worth a visit
The dwarf parks are famous for their snow which is very white.
There's a Goblin Park if that helps at all.
trickygoose2
Ba-dum bum tss!
apparently they're all dwarf parks :p
/ jk
"Gay-zers"... I think that's another word you can add to your different pronounciation video...
Gyay-suhs
Guysers
The other day I heard a Britisher call them "Geezers", which made me think there might be a bunch of old guys like me running around Yellowstone.
I was doing something else and just passively listening and I almost got whiplash when he said it
Guy-zers 🙂
Mammoth Cave Park here in Kentucky is 82.63 sq miles and is the longest cave system known in the world. And Berheim Forest is 15,625 acres just 25 miles south of Louisville (pronounced lu-uh-vul).
That is just the lazy man's pronunciation....
Loui...ville
Okay, fully onboard with “David Attenborough’s spare bedroom.”
Been watching your videos for a while. I really appreciated the humor in this one. And thanks for educating an American about some national parks I hadn't heard of! Keep up the great work.
As a Californian, I love and utilize Yosemite as much as I possibly can.
The thing I love about Yosemite is that it's basically got something for every level of hiker. There's easy trails that still have beautiful views, there's intermediate trails that can even take you to the top of Half Dome because of the much easier to climb back side with its cable railing leading the way up the curved part of the dome, and for the truly extreme there's the very vertically flat front face of Half Dome that some insane people have even done without rope.
I love the place.
For me, Yosemite outshines The Grand Canyon 🌲🌿🌲🌿❤️❤️🌲🌿🌲🌿
@@bobdole4916 My favorite hike in Yosemite is the Mist Trail. In May 2019, at age 60, I hiked to the top of both Vernal Fall (for those who don't know, it's the intermediate goal along the Mist Trail) and Nevada Fall for the 7th time. I have hiked to the top of just Vernal Fall an additional 8 times. The difference reflects how much more often I had time for a half-day hike vs the full day required for Nevada Fall. On one Mist Trail hike years ago, I hiked past Nevada Fall all the way to Bunnell Cascade, for a 14-mile day hike. I never did Half Dome and I respect those who have made it to the top. My second favorite hike in Yosemite is Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin, which I have done five times. Another favorite is Wapama Falls (four times).
I am fortunate to live close enough to Yosemite, King Canyon, Sequoia, and Pinnacles National Parks to visit them as day trips, or to stay longer when I choose. BTW, I have visited Yosemite about 200 times in my life. It's still not enough.
Besides Yosemite, my other favorite national park is Yellowstone. Unfortunately, I have only visited three times. I like both parks for different reasons and I can't pick one over the other.
As best I can remember, I have visited the following US national parks: Glacier Bay, Mt. Ranier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Pinnacles, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Channel Islands (visitor center only), Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Sajuaro, Shenandoah, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Badlands, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smokey Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Haleakela, and Hawaii Volcanoes. I have also visited a bunch of National Monuments, National Historic Sites/Parks, and National Military Parks. For most of these visits I was with my wife (and kids when they still lived at home), and some (e.g. Shenandoah, Great Sand Dunes, and Sajuaro) I squeezed into a business trip. Next year we are taking our oldest grandson on a trip to see the national parks in the Four Corners area: Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands, etc.
Also, a huge shout-out to Canada for their national parks along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. We have visited Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay and were impressed by all five. All are beautiful and Banff and Jasper are huge.
Let us not forget Craters of the Moon National Park, roughly the size of Rhode Island. A beautiful desert park where the astronauts of Apollo 13 learned about lava flows in preparation for their trip to the moon.
I figured it was only a matter of time before the US established a national park on the moon... 😊😊😊
@@heronimousbrapson863 Since it is in the middle of nowhere Idaho, driving there feels like you are on a trip to the moon.
National monument, not a national park, but an amazing place.
@@ruthmeow4262 If you really want to see the middle of nowhere, Idaho, check out the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It's one of the most remote areas in the lower 48.
I’ve visited the UK twice, and visited The Lake District each time. It’s so beautiful 😍 I love it so much.
I can say this...Europeans appreciate the US national parks. Our family visited Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Death Valley national parks in July 2019. By my estimate, 75% of the people I came into contact with at Kings Canyon and Sequoia and 95% of those at Death Valley were from Europe. While at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, I had a conversation with a gentleman from the UK. I asked what brought him to Death Valley and his response was that there just wasn't anything like it where he was from.
Daily Mail: Thinks anything on TH-cam is public domain.
Cairngorm: Sounds like a Star Trek alien.
Geysers: We pronounce them “guy-zers”.
I watched it to the end of the beginning of the end.
seriously "gay-sers" stopped me in my proverbial tracks
wearetheNormalOnes It’s better than David Attenborough saying GEE-sers. That really makes me cringe.
As a geezer I hate it, but I hate everything. Get out of my garden!
@@josephcote6120 😂
wearetheNormalOnes, maybe Laurence is just being inclusive and doesn’t want to be called homophobic.
Having grown up in California, the Redwoods are a favorite and the entire Mendocino area is great. But now I live where My. Ranier watches over all comings and goings.
I've spent many a short vacation in/around Fort Bragg. The drive up and down Hwy 1 just makes it better.
Thank you for these videos. Even as an American it actually in reverse helps me learn more about my good brothers in England, and the home country.
I've heard people who live in other parts of the world struggle sometimes to understand how big North America really is. This also helps with that.. The sheer sizes of some of these national parks are bigger than some countries.
You mean the UK, not England
I've been to Death Valley National Park five times since 2006 (and I live in Boston), it is one of the most interesting places I have ever been to. Its scenic beauty is utterly breathtaking and constant, and its cultural history is absolutely fascinating. There is so much to do and see there, I still have things to do and will visit again.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park is my favourite!
Shenandoah in VA is also breathtaking
@Megan We live just on the boarder of the park, on the Tennessee side.
It’s the most visited national park in the United States! I moved from one hour’s distance, to two hours distance from it, so I practically never go anymore for a weekend hike ☹️
GSMNP is my back yard with the Blue Ridge Parkway is my front yard. I’ll admit, I’m prejudiced as have traveled to quite a few of the National parks and various state parks. There’s a lot to be said for all our outdoor spaces.
@@Oldleftiehere Yes we live in Townsend Tennessee. Very close to the park, but not that close to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I was always fond of Teton National Park just south of Yellowstone. Living only 45 miles away I visited it many times. On the east side of the park the views are incredible, but one should take the horse back ride up to Jenny Lake. The waterfall there is awesome and Jenny Lake is unbelievably clear. In the summer one can take the gondola ride to the top of the hill and sit on a gently slopping hillside while watching paragliders floating about several thousand feet below your feet. One must be careful doing this for sunburn is very easy and can be severe due to the altitude of around 12,000 feet. Perhaps the best view is from the west side. In the winter one can ride to the top of the Grand Targhee ski area where the very highest mountain peaks in the Tetons are up close and in your face. Words cannot describe how spectacular the view is from there.
Here's an idea for you: You could talk about the two John Muir Trail's - the 134 mile one across Scotland and the 211 mile one (much of which is also coincident with the 2650 mile long Pacific Crest Trail) from Yosemite NP to Mt. Whitney.
My brother in law is a mountain guide in the highlands and he has climbed Ben Nevis many times. The first time he came out to see us and saw Mt Hood he was in awe at the sight of it and at 2.5 Ben Nevises, it isn’t even in the U.S. top ten peaks. Hopefully on one of his trips we will be able to make the time to climb it.
I was so happy to see this. I live very near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. My profile pic is a sunrise over the Wrangell Mountains. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth, even if our winters make Chicago's seem a bit tropical....
Before I found out about Wrangell-St. Elias, I thought Mt. Foraker was the second highest mountain in the United States. Those mountains are enormous.
@@mushroomsteve They really are. Nine of the highest 16 peaks in N America are here. The park which also encompasses an area in Canada and together is the largest park in the world. The area I live in is the spawning ground of the Copper River Red Salmon. It's a good life,. :-)
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado will always hold a special place in my heart. Went there every summer growing up.
Arches, Zions, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Goblin Valley and Dinosaur National Monument.
All very fabulous, and I’ve been to some of them. But this vlog was about the large ones.
Utah. Beautiful state.
You have to see the Dino Wall at least once.
Hello fellow utahn.
Zions is a bank. Zion is the park
Idahoan here. I really love Glacier in Montana. Also Waterton Lakes in Canada. Yellowstone, of course, is amazing. Crater Lake and Zions are awesome too. Still, Ive been to Scotland once, including the Caingorns--and that place is magical too. Grateful we have such preserved spots.
Laurence, this was so interesting! Great research! I learned something new today! Thank you for educating me about my own country!
They amount of public lands here in America is something I truly love. The National Park, National forrest, wilderness area, state parks, etc makes the area involved in you list the more impressive. Little ol Yosemite here in California is flanked for hundreds of miles by other park jurisdictions with varying rules on usage. South of tioga pass in Yosemite there is no road over the Sierra Nevada mountains until you get to Isabella Walker pass 160 miles south straight line. It is so wonderful to have these lands to enjoy I particularly love the wilderness areas where no motorized equipment may be used.
I’ve lived in Alaska most of my life and haven’t been to most of the national parks in Alaska. ! Probably because you can’t get to most by road, so it can be a bit expensive. But I feel so fortunate that I live in the most beautiful state in the Union. Maybe I can explore some of these parks I’ve never been to this summer since I doubt we’ll get many tourists coming this year.
Growing up in Alaska, I only visited Denali once. I'd love to take a cruise through Southeast AK and see Glacier Bay, but unless you have specific business in Juneau/Sitka/etc, you could easily never visit that part of the state.
Denali is well worth the visit if you can make it on a clear day.
You should take the opportunity to check some out. A lot have great boat tours. You can't get very far into Wrangell-St Elias by vehicle, but there is some access. It's a bit of a drive and you should never try to get an RV up the last 35 miles or so into Kennicott. If you go through Slana you will need to have 4 wheel drive to get very far up the Nabesna Rd. There's a few stream crossings that will float you away during wet weather. Don't forget to file a travel plan with the Park Service. That way they'll know to go looking if you are overdue coming back.
@@jptogaming I live in Anchorage and the closest one on this list is about 240 miles north (Denali). You can get there by road. Wrangell St. Elias is about the same distance, but northeast and also you can get to by road. I've been to Denali, and come close to Wrangell St. Elias but not in the park. All the other parks on this list you can't get to by road. Has to be by boat or plane! Glacier Bay is about 500 miles southeast , Katmai is about 250 miles south, Gates of the Arctic is about 600 miles north. Kenai Fjords wasn't on this list, but it's the closest to Anchorage. About 120 miles south. It's beautiful. As are all the State Parks that surround us too. You could spend your whole life just traveling around Alaska :)
@@ja8ames Yeah, that's pretty much me too. Denali a couple of times. On a road trip to Valdez we skirted Wrangell St. Elias but didn't go in. Being from Alaska you know how expensive it is to travel off the road system. Usually cheaper to travel to the lower 48, so we miss out on our state! I'd love to go to all these parks, but the one I'd pick if I could just choose one is Katmai.
"...canned granyon..." Being a fan of spoonerisms, I got a good chuckle out of this one.
I actually went to Winston Churchill high school! We had a parliament instead of a student council.... very random but the mountain being named Churchill made me bring it up
I live 20 miles from Glacier National Park in Montana...BEAUTIFUL! It's such a wonderful place...maybe not as big as others, but amazing. I can see it from the deck.
Who else a tree, floating end up, just wandering around the lake.
I wanted to visit it back in 2011 on a road trip, but it wasn't open in mid-May. Still too much snow on the roads.
Saw a bit of the southern part of Montana, though. I think it was from North Dakota to Billings where my GPS informed me that my next turn was more than 600 miles ahead.
Check out the NY State Adirondack Park - 6 million acres.
Largest state park in NY and USA
@@andrewkosmowski3985 - Largest park in the continental US - National or State.
Unfortunately hardly anyone ( this includes most Americans ) outside of New York understands New York is more than just New York City.
Todd Taylor
Even many New Yorkers don’t know this 🤣
@@toddtaylor316 that's because no one cares about the rest of new York except for the people that live there
Sadly enough, I stand at the gateway to Yosemite, yet have not yet tested its strength or merit. I shall then sally forth once this scourge has been eradicated, or other wise curtailed, and meet my fate in its midst. Great video. Thanks much for keeping us sane.
The shot at the daily mail was my favorite part 😂
You would be surprised how many people think daily mail is a credible news source.
I grew up in Colorado, and am pretty partial to Rocky Mountain National Park. Absolutely gorgeous.
If you get a chance, check out the Adirondack park in Upstate NY. It is 6 million acres of beauty.
I'm amazed at how little I knew about my own country's national parks. I used to live in Chicago area and I don't remember a park being there!! This was cool. Thank you!
The diversity of Yellowstone is amazing, been there two years in a row and would have gone again this year. Amazing place to see and the wildlife and natural wonders are spectacular.
As a former Michigander, I love the national parks there. Of particular note are Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the Keewenaw Historical park near my Alma Mater. None so grandly large, but each extraordinarily beautiful and fascinating.
Since you are in Illinois you should drive to Shawnee National Park. It is great for hiking.
Tina Dowds, correction--Shawnee National Forest, part of the US Forest Service, not the National Park Service. But, yes, it's pretty.
You are a cool dude. I’m a Texan and you’ve been to more parks in the US than I have. Bless you and your grin inducing channel.
Thanks for Sharing. FYI, I up to recently worked as Ranger in Everglades National Park. I worked in Florida Bay that goes along next to the Keys. Most folks don't know about 1/3 of Everglades is also Marine/Ocean that is designated as under wilderness. Also, 95 percent of Everglades is also designated wilderness. I no longer work with Everglades but now with US Forest Service. Here is the actual boundary, your map of Everglades wasn't accurate. Also, side note, Administratively Everglades is Superpark with Byscane, Big Cypress, and Dry Tortugas also part of Everglades. images.app.goo.gl/PTTxYfDzGbf2mPqZA
I have also heard that the Everglades is the only place in the world where you can see Alligator AND Crocodile habitat together! Also Denali was originally named Mt Mc Kinley after the president, by it's discoverer. I believe in the 1990's it was renamed Denali by the US Geologic place names, which defines and standardizes the names and spellings on US maps. They usually choose the name used by the native people nearby. At 20,000 feet, it's the highest mountain in North America.
@@davidmarquardt2445 Totally. For the American Crocodile, South Florida is its northernmost range. You can find Crocodiles as far north as West Palm Beach and Ft Myers. Though most of them are found in the southern tip of Florida between Homestead to Naples and in Keys. That said, Crocodiles, like saltwater. Alligators on the other south Florida is its southernmost range and they like freshwater. If you go to a place called Flamingo in Everglades National Park you can see them side by side because that were freshwater mixes with the saltwater of Florida Bay.
I've always considered Everglades National Park, Big Cypress and Fakahatchee Strand to be one big park. Especially when the State has Jane's Scenic Blvd open so I can use it as a shortcut to get over to Big Cypress & take advantage of my ORV passes.
Being an Alaskan it's really nice that I can drive for 4 to 15 hours to see the parks up here. That being said you really don't get how big this state is until you live up here for a few years and decide to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks to hit the hot spring and realize that you just spend 6 to 8 hours in your car.
A friend who was raised in Hull rode with me through the Bighorn Mountains (Bighorn National Forest) on US 14--he was beyond gobsmacked! We thought what we saw just from the highway was more mind-boggling than what we saw in five days in Bozeman and the previous day in Yellowstone. We also drove past Devil's Tower.
I just saw that Hull and Grimsby are just up the estuary from each other, so... How come I can understand you just fine while I can't understand a word he says?
There are also National Forests ...we made a lot of wonderful camping memories with our now-grown sons in nearby Hoosier National Forest.
We were actually planning on -storming- visiting the gates of the arctic when we went to Alaska this summer, but now sadly we might not make it...
Well done! You definitely did your research. As an Alaskan, we invite you up to see our wonderful parks! Forget the lower 48 lol
Dude, right off the bat, you messed up. We don't have any aubergines here, only eggplants! 😂😂
Yeeeeaaaah, but that doesn't sound much like "evergreen".
@@LostinthePond LMAO ... True, could've used Drunk ass teens.... We have a lot of those in our National Parks around June!!!! 😂😂😂😂
I've traveled to Yellowstone Park 30 years ago! It was so breathtaking my beautiful! Also saw Mount Rushmore!
National parks are really awesome.
Abby C, oh totally, for sure, dudette! LOL All kidding aside, they really are. We have a lot to be proud of re. our country's natural beauty.
I think this guy has a really good, sarcastic sense of humor. I love it. And I appreciate the intelligence.
Can't forget that the US also has national lakeshores and seashores.
Are there any national parks or monuments on any of 'the territories' like the U.S. Virgin Islands etc.?!
@MA GA , yes. USVI NP, with most of it on St. John Island, plus Coral Reef and Buck Island Reef Nat'l. Monuments; and Nat'l. Park of American Samoa. There's also a Nat'l. Historic Site in San Juan, PR. You can read more about them by going to Wikipedia. Guam doesn't have any NPS units.
@@maga6252 , I just thought of something after I posted below. This is a link to a list of every one of the 400+ NPS units by state:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_United_States_National_Park_System_official_units
Sometimes when I’m driving along our Gator Alley (I-75), I love to stop at the rest stops in the Everglades, just to watch the wildlife.
Hi Laurence!!!!
David Cantwell Hi David 👋
David Cantwell Hi David 👋
Hi David 👋
Hi Coco, Hi ImpeachedPort, Hi Moises, Hi Lia !!!!
I'm a fan of Congaree National Park because I grew up with it almost in my back yard. It's a type of old-growth forest and is the largest of its type left in the US.
I thought the hottest ever air temperature was recorded during a debate in the U.S. House of Representatives?
The temperature wasn't recorded, it was just voiced XD
Maybe not the hottest, but the most voluminous.
Any presidential address by any president is nothing but hot air.
Outstanding presentation and particularly enjoyable commentary!
Here is a mimo for you good sir look at the king ranch in texas the largest ranch in texas is bigger than London
I have been to many nat'l parks but you taught me about several new ones I've never heard of! Thank you.
I can’t wait to get back to “
Zion” or “Bryce Canyon”
Aaron Brown Bryce is nice but I can imagine settlers going from the vast desert into beautiful Zion and thinking they entered the promised land!
I live less than an hour away from both.
I loved going to Wind Cave National Park and having them tell us that it was the 7th largest cave system in the world, but only the 2nd largest in the county (Jewel Cave National Monument, 3rd largest in the world).
Yellowstone is not known for its gay sirs, San Francisco is. Personally I prefer the National Forests over the National Parks.
My assisted living facility is known for its' gee zers!
Lmao its gay sirs?? 🤣🤣🤣
Its geysers boo booo
Yeah, Wildernesses are better than the Parks and you can hunt there.
my favorite national park that i've been to is badlands national park. my sister was doing an internship there and i got to visit, normally it a bunch of grey, but after rain washes the surface layer of eroded dust away, my god it is spectacular to see. got there a week after a rain storm, such striking colors, no words or pictures can do it justice. and i got to say i enjoyed it more then the grand canyon
It’s “guy-zer” Lawrence , but that’s ok. Yellowstone is now so hot that you can’t get anywhere near the features there like the mud pots and geysers. And getting more active all the time. Just in the last ten years.
In a video elsewhere on TH-cam a British fellow pronounces the word "geezer.":)
Susan Orr is correct. The volcanic water squirting spring is a "guy-zer", while a "geezer" is an old fart like me! LoL
Most of us Limeys say "geezer". (And at least in London, a "geezer", spelt (or spelled) like that, is any man, not just an old one.)
Phil Ramsden geezer in the USA is also an old fart. But a geyser is a guy-zer
I live in Alaska and drive through Denali national park frequently. It still beautiful, even after more than 50 years.
America: Our national parks are bigger than Cairngorn!
Canada: Hold my Molson.
I lived next to Denali Nat. Pk. for years. What a wonderful place.
At 2:44, the name of those things are "People of Walmart".
Actually, I'm going to apologize to those Manatees. I shouldn't have insulted those big, friendly creatures.
You have to see Sequoia, trees 5000 years old, 400 feet tall (130 m) , 50 ft in diameter (15 m) , I will never forget Sequoia, if its not on your bucket list... it should be
America's national parks: ~52 million acres
England: ~50 million acres
Dude
Sorry, these numbers are incorrect. U.S. national parks 84 million acres or 340,000 sq miles. UK national parks about 20 million acres or 17,000 sq miles. Not sure why you would give these numbers. All you have to do is Google it.
Sweet
@@tccharleston8669 Unless Jay means the area of England as a whole? Which works out at 32,220,800 acres; the UK as a whole equals 59,921,280 acres, which would be nearer the 50mln acres figure [shrug].
Glacier national park may not be one the large list, but for its stunning going to the sun road and mini glaciers... all the bears and other wildlife. It by far is one of the best places I have ever visited.
My dear sir,,, you have elided over the other park systems. yes, we have national parks,,,, we also have national forests, lands controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Monuments, Nearly every state has its own forest service and state park system. I have a river permit for June (Wanna go ?) for the Salmon River in Idaho. The river length that I will be paddling is short of 200 miles,, and nearly the entirety is in National Forest. You'd be welcome. And as to social distancing,,, except for the few you paddle with,, 6 feet could,, and may be the same as 6 kilometers. I have paddled western rivers and at times,, I am certain,, the next closest light bulb was more than 25 miles,, the nearest other human, perhaps just as far.
I love hiking canyons , Im thinking to retire in Las Vegas.
Just so you know, pronounced:
Care-n-Gorms
Scots ga-lick
It makes my toes curl when folk say gay-lick 😨
You've got to be the most stereotypically British narrator on TH-cam and I love it.
And it’s sad that our people don’t appreciate our own country.
I'm American and I learn soooooo much on your channel. Thanks
Politically Correctly renaming Mt. McKinley to Denali, gives us a mountain named "mountain". I have heard people saying Denali Mountain, yes, Mountain Mountain.
Yes I have read this in a National Geographic article.
England has a number (at least 3) rivers called Avon. Avon (afon in Welsh) is the Old English word for "river" so they are all called "River River".
I don't know enough Koyukon Athabaskan to translate it exactly, but only part of the word Denali means mountain. It also means the tallest/biggest. It's like the many rivers with names that end with 'na. Na means river. So when you say Tanana River (or any of the others) you are actually saying _______ river river.
I've never heard of half of these parks... Wow. Thank you