The most beautiful natural sites to discover Parcs nationaux américains

Located only a few minutes from visitor center, Sulphur Works is one of the smallest geothermal areas in the park (but also the most accessible, visible from the sidewalk!). It combines both mud-mud and fumaroles, which escape from the suffering. Clay minerals, volcanic rocks and warm acid water give the earth almost irréelles colours ranging from yellow to red.

9 M deep canyon covered with ferns. The site recalls the prehistoric time so that several scenes from the film Jurassic Park were shot here.

A 40-meter waterfall of the Tower Creek, framed by eroded volcanic summits, it was described from the earliest voyages of Europeans to the Yellowstone region. His idyllic framework inspired many artists, including Thomas Moran, whose paintings presented to Congress played a decisive role in the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Trails lead to scenic platforms at the top and bottom of cataract and near to Undercliff Springs in the Yellowstone River canyon. The Narrows is the narrowest passage of the Yellowstone River Gorge with the Calcite Springs, whose gypsum and limestone deposits cover the canyon wall (petrified tree remains).

Upper Geyser Basin covers a surface of about 10 km ², over 180 of the 200 (250) geysers of the park, including the largest and most impressive of the park, and many hot springs. A circuit, the Geyser Hill Nature Trail (starting at the Old Faithfull Full Geyser, approx. 2.5 km), allows you to admire the main geysers and other attractions. The five largest geysers are regularly submitted by the staff: Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, Old Poli.

North-west of the Old Faithhole River, on the other side of the Firehole River, the Giantess Geyser, which runs irregularly up to 60 meters high for periods up to 36 hours, is reached. Nearby you can see the Boakettle boil water (kettle) and Geyser Sponge (sponge), which owes its name to the shape of its crater. Isolated, isolated, Solitary Geyser. Beyond the Desert Sponge, northwestern, Geysers Lion Group, Lioness, Big Club and Little Club.

The main road leads to Liberty Pool, Sawmill Geyser and Spasmodic Geyser. A path crossing the Firehole River allows you to go to Crested Pool and Castle Geyser, probably the oldest active source of the park.

The main trail then obtains to the Grand Geyser (jet of 60 meters high), which communicates with the close Turban Geyser. Later, Beauty Pool and Chromatic Pool are in turn. Then we cross the Firehole River again to reach Inkwell Springs near Giant Geyser, broken crater. Farther away, the Grotto Geyser, whose dome has several niches almost to man's height, leads to water jets.

Next, the trail runs along the bank of the Firehole River and leads to Riverside Geyser (on the other shore) that spreads its jet into the stream and then beyond another bridge to the Fan and Mortar Geysers, connected by underground; Later, the Morning Glory Pool is a tinted basin of the most tender colors, named because of its resemblance to the ipomée (morning glory) flower.

Of Jackson Lake Dam until southern Moose. Elk and bison meat in grasslands along the river. The bison also eat in the carpets of wormwoods on the benches above. Sea eagles with white head, osprey and large herons build large nests of visible branches of the river. Beavers mooses and eat willows lining the waterway.

Teton Park Road runs along the feet of Teton Range from Moose to Jackson Lake Junction.

Open spring in the fall (but it can be closed in case of snow), the famous US 34 road breaks the park and links Estes Park on the east side to the city of Grand Lake on the west slope. 77 kilometers long, this is the highest paved road in the United States that reaches an altitude of more than 3,700 meters at its highest point. It follows a path borrowed by the Amerindians for thousands of years. The road is known for its splendid panoramas, the observation of wildlife and alpine vegetation whose rare and beautiful tundra.

This massive grey rocky outcrop stands far away from the panoramic road of the park and other rocks. High of 475 metres, it is a volcanic formation of original. It is easily visible from the US 163, between Kayenta and park entrance of Monument Valley.

Its name comes from its impressive depth. The distance to which the objects are visible in its abysses is truly amazing. The tone overseas blue of its deep transparency under the light of the sun and its walls similar to coral in formation offer a rare and magical spectacle.

Le Black Sand Basin forms a plain with countless petrified trees, particularly beautiful. L'Emerald Pool, sparkling and green, in which grow coloración algae.

A sandy path takes you to the foot of two large arches that join in a point.

Park your car in the small parking lot to walk the path to the Crystal Forest. It offers one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park. The circuit runs a loop of less than 1 mile. About 2 miles to the north, on the Petrified Forest Road, is another impressive forest of petrified trunks, the Jasper Forest.

Mammoth's hot springs are the main attraction of the district. Their characteristics are very different from other thermal zones present in the park. Large deposits of travertine (calcium carbonate) give a wide variety of shapes, always spectacular and sometimes magnificent. This décor is constantly evolving, flows and positions from sources that are constantly varying. Don't miss the Minerva Terrace, one of the nicest with its monumental marches with beautiful white colours. Later, the Jupiter Terrace, such impressive size but with complex colours and irregular forms. Canary Spring owes its name to its yellow colour due to the presence of specific sulfur and bacteria. Finally, the White Elephant suggests the back of a huge white elephant.

It is a huge rock in equilibrium on the edge of the road, the remains of a very old ark.

Atlatl Rock is one of the first outstanding formations from the west entrance of the park. Atlatl was a primitive weapon of hunting designed to propel arrows. The huge rock mass that is circumvented by a loop of approximately 2 miles is covered with 4 000-year-old petroglyphs. Some scenes represent this ancestor of the bow that gave his name to the place. A campsite of 43 pitches is located at the foot of Atlatl Rock.

A 4 hectare hike in an incredible cactus "garden" in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert. Here grows the Teddy bear cholla, a cactus with a fluffy teddy bear look, hence its name - be careful, in reality, its spines are very sharp! From January to May, many species of cactus in this area flower, giving the desert an unreal and colourful face. Beware of children on these cactus-lined trails!

Fiery Furnace, the "Burning Furnace", is a complex labyrinth with high sandstone edges where it is very easy to get lost. Twice a day the Rangers organize a guided tour. This 3-hour popular hike sometimes requires hands help to sneak into narrow holes or narrow cornices. He's more sure to take a ticket two days in advance at visitor center.

An agglomerate of rocks tight against each other sculpts the silhouette of a camel.

Like an open window on the north of the valley flanked by Elephant Butte and Cly Butte, North Window offers a privileged view of East Mitten Butte. Note that you have to walk about five minutes on a road not accessible to cars to reach this point of view.

These impressive geological formations, with their colour gradients, owe their name to their similarity to the Amerindian tipis. They have been forged over thousands of years, with floods and strong gales. They are made of layers of sandstone and clay. We drive along the Petrified Forest Road to the Tepees.

North of Vancouver, the WA 503 road leads to the edge of this forest, one of the oldest in the United States and the largest wild blueberry field in the world! It surrounds Mount St. Helens, so you will have to cross it to visit it. Follow WA Highway 504 to Johnston Ridge Observatory, you're there! The 360° (free) view of the horseshoe crater of the St. Helens volcano is unforgettable and spectacular from the peak reached by a small path from the esplanade.

The eruption of the Grand Geyser, the largest foreseeable geyser in the world, takes place every 7 to 3 hours. Classic geyser fountain, a gigantic water column springs from a large basin into powerful gusts. The rash lasts on average from 9 to 12 minutes and consists of one to four gusts reaching sometimes 60 ¾ meters.

To view the lava flow, or sink lava, you must park and walk the marked trail on foot. We walk on a stretch of hardening lava, quite impressive. At the end, on the right, there is a huge cloud of smoke caused by the flow of lava from puuoo into the ocean. Most of the time you can see only the cloud and no lava. You must come before sunrise or at night to distinguish color from lava. In any case, and even if it's very tempting, you should never walk away from marked trails! The soil is unstable and boiling: it was fatal to many curious imprudent. Finally, before leaving, it is recommended to call the park standard to know exactly where the lava sink is: volcano is active and changes in trajectory occur daily. It's a question of luck, actually… if ever, when you stay on Big Island, you hear that the casting is particularly easy to observe, because we know that generally enough, you have to go to the park soon because it may not last.

Bypassing the west of Olympic National Park, we arrive in this beautiful rainforest (virgin forest). At the beginning of the H Rain Forest Visitor Center, many trails go to the discovery of the forest. A small 1,2 km loop trail, the Hall of Mosses, allows to discover the magic of the places: trees like désarticulés puppets seem to be guided by the passage into a humid environment in the green mile where an ice stream flows. You can easily imagine a world of fées bells in the surroundings. The Roosevelt elk lives in that part of the park where Spruce Nature Trail passes (2 km). The H River Trail (27 km) leads to the Blue Glacier and Mont Olympus.

The dams of Elwha and Glines Canyon were built in 1913 and 1927 without the development of a passage for fish, as required by law. Since then, thousands of salmon could no longer reach the Elwha Valley. In 1992, the United States Congress passed a law ordering the destruction of these dams. In doing so, Lake Aldwell disappeared in 2012 and Lake Mills in 2014. This is the largest project of this kind in the history of the United States. The goal? Ensure that the five species of Pacific salmon return to the Olympic National Park in Droves to reproduce. The landscapes of the Elwha River have changed dramatically in recent years. The national park teams revégétalisé the sédimenteuses areas left empty by the missing lakes.

There are many pleasant walks along the Elwha river. Also see, the Madison Falls, a pretty waterfall 5 minutes walk from the parking lot.

Long before the first pioneers came to their slopes, the Great Smoky Mountains were known to the Cherokee Indians. They called him sha-kon-o-hey (the land of blue smoke) because of the blue haze that constantly floats on the horizon.

It was with the help of private funds ($ 5 million was donated by John Rockefeller Jr.), added to the $ 15 million provided by the US government, and with a significant mobilization of the residents of Tennessee and North Carolina, that the park was created on June 1934. It was finally inaugurated by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940. It was declared Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and then classified as UNESCO World Heritage in 1983. It covers a mountainous area ranging from 267 to 2 025 m (at the peak, the Clingmans Dome) and whose area reaches 2 110 km ². It houses 400 species of vertebrates (200 birds, 66 mammals and 55 fish), 5 000 plant species and 100 kinds of trees… Its forest is just one of the oldest in the world.

With over 10 million visitors each year, it is the most visited of all U.S. national parks. The main entries are in Cherokee (North Carolina) and Gatlinburg Tennessee. Between the two, the U.S. 441 (or Newfound Gap Road) passes through the park and gives access to many trails and viewpoints, such as the Rockefeller Memorial, which offers a beautiful view of the park from the Newfound Gap Pass (1 538 m) on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Roaring Fork, Cataloochee, Elkmont, Oconaluftee and Cades Cove, a valley west of the park that houses pioneers and preserved churches, are other points of interest in the park.

The park has four visitor reception centres. Two are located near Gatlinsburg and Cades Cove, in the part of the Tennessee side park, the third on the border of the two states (Clingmans Dome) and the last near Cherokee, North Carolina. Please note that a free email booklet is available for smartphones on the park website.

This rock in the shape of a human skull is one of the favourite landmarks of Joshua Tree hikers. Also accessible by car by asphalt road, on Park Blvd.

Pretty approximately one hour excursion in the heart of the wild flowers. But beware, you do not have the right to gather wanting.