National parks and reserves in North America

Our planet is a unique place in space. It is the home of millions of forms of life, the main among which is rightly considered a person. But on a reasonable being, the wonders of nature do not end. How many wonderful places can be found on Earth, but how many have not yet been known! Each continent has its own sights. North America is one of them. People try to protect such places from their own pernicious influence and create protected areas. National parks and reserves in North America are quite diverse. The traveler will find here mountains, forests and deserts.

Grand Canyon

In Arizona, there is a huge cleft 400 kilometers long. It was formed by the rivers Walpai and Colorado. They diligently wove the canyon for many millions of years, receiving support from the wind, which also actively participated in its creation. Reserves of North America can be proud of such an object. It was discovered in 1540 by settlers from Europe, but the native population knew about it much earlier. The Indians lived inside caves, which in the canyon are many. Interesting is that this is the biggest canyon on earth. He survived 3 geological eras, and considering that there were only 4 of them, this is a great achievement. Tourists have long taken a fancy to the southern part of this place, but the northern one is visited less often. The rest of the canyon is difficult to reach, and a man stays there very seldom.

Yellowstone National Park

Parks and reserves of North America can boast one more of the mysterious places - this is Yellowstone. It became the first national park in the world, which was founded in 1872. The park is located in three US states - Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. World glory brought him geysers and picturesque places, which do not mind travelers from all over the world. The highest geyser in the world, called "Steamboat" is located right here. Also tourists are attracted by Mammoth springs and a sleeping volcano - the Yellowstone caldera. If this volcano decided to wake up, it would destroy the whole of North America. In the meantime, this is one of the most beautiful places in the US, which must be visited.

Yosemite Park

Reserves of North America have a special charm, because the nature here is simply unrepeatable. This can be proved by the Yosemite National Park. It is located in California, on the slope of the Sierra Nevada Ridge. It has many beautiful places that attract tourists so much. About 2,600 rivers carry their waters in this area, in addition, they are formed by a number of very large waterfalls, the largest of which are Yosemite (742 m) and Snow Creek (652 m). But this is not the end of Mother Nature's miracles. The biggest solitary granite cliff on earth is also here - it's El Capito. There are many more things to see while cruising around Yosemite, but you can not miss giant sequoias, as they are not found anywhere else on our planet.

Carlsbad Caverns

The nature reserves of North America amaze not only landmarks, but also underground ones. These include the Carlsbad Caverns. This park is located in the state of New Mexico, namely in the mountains of Guadalupe. It consists of a system of karst caves, which due to mineral formations have extraordinary beauty. In total there are 80 caves, the total length of which is 12 km. The uniqueness of this place also lies in the fact that it has become home to a multitude of bats. There are about 1 million of them. The park is open all year round, so you can visit it at any time, except Christmas. Tourists themselves can descend into caves, and can comfortably ride an elevator.

Banff - Canadian National Park

Reserves of North America are located throughout the continent, including Canada. The oldest in this country is Banff Park. It was founded in 1885 in the province of Alberta. It is the third largest protected park in the world. This mountainous area, which has a large number of ice fields, glaciers and dense coniferous forests. The history of the creation of Banff is very complex, as there was a constant struggle between the development of infrastructure and the preservation of nature. In the 90s, the court still recognized that the changes should not damage the environment. This Canadian park is one of the most wonderful places to visit by tourists throughout North America. The unique nature of the Rockies attracts with its landscapes and a lot of unforgettable entertainment.

Wood Buffalo

The largest national park in Canada is Wood Buffalo. Its area is about 44 thousand km ² . Such dimensions allow it to be considered one of the largest parks on a world scale. It was founded in 1922 in the provinces of the Northwest Territory and Alberta. The popularity of the park was brought by the fact that the largest herd of wild buffalo in America lives here. They number about 2500 individuals. Of rare birds here live pelicans and American cranes. Another property of the reserve is the widest internal delta of the river in the world, which is formed by the rivers Peas River and Athabasca.

Mexican Reserve Shel-Ha

National reserves of North America are called upon to protect nature not only on the mainland itself, but also in coastal zones. Ecological Park Shel-Ha in Mexico is a vivid representative of coastal national parks. In the distant past it was the seaport of the Maya Indians. In modern times, it became a reserve with beautiful grottoes and bays, in which there are huge turtles, manatees and dolphins. This is a kind of natural aquarium, which will be a paradise for any tourist. It originated in a natural cave, which is fed from both sea and fresh water. This gives an extraordinary transparency to the bay, without hindering nature lovers from viewing the underwater world in all its beauty. The park is very friendly to its visitors. Here you can go diving, swim with dolphins and turtles, lie on the beach and eat at one of the many cafes that serve a special dish - fried cactus.

Thus, the reserves of North America surprise us with their diversity and beauty. Of course, there are many more than listed, but it takes a very long time to investigate them all. Visiting at least one of these parks, you can never forget the beauty of this wildlife.