Did you know that the network of national parks in the United States has more than 400 sites? Among them are national parks, architectural monuments, historical battlefields, picturesque rivers and even the White House. Each of the fifty states has its own national park. The first national park in the United States was Yellowstone Park, a unique national park created in 1872. At that time, there was no agency in the United States that would manage national parks and architectural monuments and be responsible for their preservation. Therefore, in 1916 the US government created the National Park Service. This independent agency is dedicated to preserving for present and future generations national parks and landmarks that are of historical and cultural value. A national park can only be created if the US Congress passes a law to that effect. Today, the US national park system includes not only national parks, such as Yellowstone, but also nationally significant architectural monuments and military historical monuments. For example, many national parks are battle sites from the Civil War or Revolutionary War. The most famous parks in this category include Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania - the site of major Civil War battles - and Appomattox Court House National Historic Park in Virginia. Monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington are also part of our national park system. Perhaps the most famous natural park in the United States is Grand Canyon in Arizona, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The U.S. National Park Service has more than 20,000 employees who maintain these parks. They are helped by almost two million volunteers who collect data for the information service, remove garbage, and conduct excursions. Many national parks have visitor centers that offer educational materials and exhibits. Large parks, such as Yellowstone, have hotels. Nearly 280 million people visit US national parks every year. The federal government spends nearly three billion dollars maintaining and promoting them as part of American culture and national heritage.
Almost on the border of the United States and Mexico lies the Anza Borrego National Park. Its territory covers 2,400 square kilometers and is part of the Sonoran Desert, stretching in the southwestern part of the North American continent. Anza Borrego Park is the second largest nature reserve in the United States.
Every year, in the spring, the desert is transformed, and numerous types of flowers bloom here. Thousands of people from all over America come to the park to admire this amazing spectacle. The degree of lushness and strength of flowering in this desert is directly related to the amount of precipitation that fell during the winter. After heavy rains, the desert blooms profusely and for a long time, completely covered with colorful meadows of flowers. Well, if there was little precipitation or it fell late, the flowering is not too strong, and in some places the desert does not bloom at all.
The blooming desert consists of three parts, in each of which you can find different types of plants. For example, in the lower, sandy part of the desert, desert lilies and verbena, evening primrose and other herbaceous plants bloom. In the middle, rocky desert there are numerous flowering cacti, and if you climb to the highest mountainous part, you can see blooming yucca and agave.
Universal Studios Hollywood
One of the most interesting places in Los Angeles is the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. The park is entirely dedicated to feature and animated films created by the film studio of the same name.
The main pride of the park is its stunning shows. For example, a show dedicated to the film “Waterworld” offers to watch the battles of jet skiers, accompanied by shootouts, extreme stunts and a series of explosions, which by the end of the show destroy a good half of the scenery.
There are also many attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood. The pavilion, dedicated to the film "Earthquake", offers its visitors to experience real underground points with a force of 8 points. The Jurassic Park pavilion allows you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the film and see walking dinosaurs.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is located in the western Sierra Nevada, in the state of California. The magnificent landscapes here with a huge number of lakes, forests, meadows and mountains are somewhat reminiscent of the panoramas of the Alpine mountains.
The picturesque valley is divided into two parts by the Merced River, whose magnificent banks have inspired many artists and photographers. And in the very center of the valley there are quarries up to half a mile deep, at the bottom of which thousand-year-old glaciers sparkle.
It is believed that the first Europeans appeared in the western Sierra Nevada in the 1830s, and more detailed study of these territories began 20 years later. The excitement erupted in the mid-19th century when gold was discovered at the foot of the Sierra Nevada hills. Many thousands of gold miners poured here in an endless stream in pursuit of profit and in search of luck. As a result, a war broke out with local Indian tribes, which, however, was stopped after a few years. Gradually, the economic development of the valley and the development of tourism infrastructure began.
Inspired by the incredible beauty of Yosemite and alarmed by the powerful pressure of industrial development of the valley, politicians and public figures approached the US Congress with a proposal to give it official status.
And on June 30, 1864, President Lincoln signed a decree conferring the status of a national treasure not only on Yosemite Valley, but also on the Mariposa Grove with its unique giant sequoias.
Highland Park Police Station
The Highland Park Police Station is located on York Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The site is the oldest in the entire city - it operated from 1926 to 1983, and now operates as a museum. The site is listed on the National Register of Cultural and Historic Places.
The Highland Park site building was built in 1926 at a cost of $100,000 thousand. Throughout his tenure, his staff solved many high-profile cases, such as the capture of Robert Grogan, Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi. All of them were dangerous criminals and repeat offenders, which is why such high-profile cases are still depicted in the station museum.
The station now houses the Los Angeles Police Museum. There are exhibits here that are directly related to police work. These are photographs, uniforms, badges, patrol cars, paddy wagons, cartridges and shell casings.
Pacific Park Amusement and Amusement Park
Pacific Park is located on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California. This is the only amusement park on the West Coast of the United States that is located directly on the pier.
With all the variety of attractions presented in Pacific Park, its main attraction is the 45-meter Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel, powered by solar energy, which offers beautiful views of Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean.
Construction of the park began in 1916, and at that time it was called Pleasure Pier. The park quickly became one of the main attractions of Santa Monica, but several decades later, due to lack of funding, it became quite dilapidated, and the city authorities were already seriously thinking about demolishing it. However, the city community opposed this decision, as a result of which a campaign was launched in the mid-seventies to return the park to its former glory. At first, concerts were held here to attract the public, then several nightclubs and restaurants were built, and only in 1996, when the old attractions were restored and several new ones were built, the park was again ready to welcome everyone.
Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park
Six Flags Magic Mountain is one of the largest amusement parks in the United States, located in Valencia, Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles. It is named after the company that owns the park, whose name, in turn, reflects the history of Texas and the six states that ruled this state (Confederate States of America, United States of America, Republic of Texas, Spain, France, Mexico).
The park has been operating since 1971. Here, on the territory of one square kilometer, there are more than forty attractions, about half of which are roller coasters (which the Americans themselves call “Russian coasters”). Depending on the steepness of the climb, they are divided into red, yellow and green. As you might guess, red ones are the most extreme, and green ones are the simplest ones, which are suitable even for children. For the most experienced thrill-seekers there is a special surprise: the new generation X2 coasters, such as Goliath or Deja Vu - the seats here rotate around their axis, while visual, sound and tactile effects are added.
The number of attractions is growing every year, and a new coaster called Full Throttle (loosely translated means something like “Full Extreme”) is scheduled to open in mid-2013, which, according to the administration, will become the highlight of the Six Flags Magic Mountain park.
Sequoia National Park
Every year, Sequoia National Park welcomes more than a million tourists from around the world who want to see the giant forest of centuries-old redwoods with their own eyes. In the specially protected area of the park, you can see for yourself how big the trees really are and even try with a group of friends to grasp the eight-meter diameter trunk.
The Forest of Giants is the most accessible area of the park. You can climb to a height of 1800 meters by jeep, bus or on foot along convenient walking paths. Five of the largest trees on the planet grow here. The most famous of them is the General Sherman Tree at its base with a diameter of 11.1 meters. The bark of sequoias is fibrous and very unusual to the touch: when touched, the palm seems to sink inward, remaining dense and solid. Some trees have been living here for one and a half thousand years, and this is absolutely not the limit; the average age of the giants is about four thousand years.
Another interesting attraction of the park, which uses an example to compare the insignificance of man in front of nature, is the Log Tunnel. Once upon a time, one of the sequoias fell in the arch and blocked the road. It was completely impossible to remove it due to its enormous size, so it was decided to make a tunnel directly through it. The passage, three meters high and five meters wide, has become a favorite adventure for motorists who guide their vehicles through such an unusual obstacle.
Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park
Knott's Berry Farm is an amusement park in California, owned by the food production company of the same name. It covers an area of 65 hectares and is one of the most visited parks in California - with 3.5 million people a year.
At one time, the site of this park was home to Knott's Berry Farm, which translates as Knott's Berry Factory, owned by American farmer and entrepreneur Walter Knott. Starting around 1920, his family sold berries, fruits, canned goods and pies on the side of the 39th highway - much the same as they do in our villages. Probably, Walter's wife turned out the pies just right, because over time this small business began to expand, and in 1934 the Knott family opened a roadside cafe, where the specialty was fried chicken legs. Soon the cafe turned into a fairly large restaurant, which became so popular among tourists that it simply could not always accommodate everyone.To prevent the visitors waiting in line from getting bored, the enterprising Walter Knott built a small amusement park next to his restaurant. He could hardly have imagined then that this park will grow to such a scale.
Now the popularity of Knott's Berry Farm is in many ways comparable to Disneyland - here you can find a lot of attractions and entertainment for every taste. In addition to all kinds of entertainment for children, events for adults are also held here - corporate events, private anniversaries and wedding ceremonies.
Beverly Gardens
Beverly Gardens is a beautiful city park that stretches along Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Its length is 3.1 km. It was opened in 1911 as a green space separating the residential and commercial areas of the city. This place is famous for its diversity of vegetation - here you can find century-old cypresses, ficus trees, as well as a variety of succulents, roses, cacti and palm trees. Also in Beverly Gardens there are sculptures and gazebos for relaxation, equipped with benches.
The park is divided into 22 sections, each of which performs a specific function. City festivals and fairs are often held in the central part of the park; it is always crowded. You can often meet artists here who want to depict the beauty of Beverly Gardens on their canvases. The ancient historical fountains, dating back to the beginning of the 18th century, deserve special attention. According to statistics, about 50,000 tourists and locals visit this place on weekends.
Griffith Park
The largest park in Los Angeles is called Griffith Park. Its area is 1,722 hectares, which is why it is often called Central Park.
Griffith Park is located in the Los Feliz area, in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains. It includes a botanical garden, a zoo, attractions, a Greek amphitheater, museums, oak groves for horseback riding, hiking trails and 4 golf courses. The Griffith Observatory also operates here. The world's most famous "Hollywood" sign is located just outside the park fence. This place is one of the most heavily guarded sites in the city.
The park owes its existence to Griffith Jenkins from Wales. While still a teenager, he came to America and made a very successful investment in the mining industry. In 1882 he purchased Rancho Los Feliz. One day he decided that since Los Angeles was an outstanding city, it needed a decent park. On December 16, 1896, he allocated 3,015 acres of his land to the city, with the condition that a public park be built on it. This is how he gave back to the place where he flourished.
Scenes of The Birth of a Nation were filmed in Griffith Park in 1915, and many films have since been filmed here. The park has become a favorite vacation spot for tourists from all over the world and local residents.
Balboa Fun Zone
Balboa Fun Zone is a small amusement park located outside of Los Angeles, California. This park was created in 1936, now almost nothing remains of it. The attractions at Balboa Fun Zone have been rebuilt and updated several times. The old Ferris wheel was demolished, and in 1972 a new, more modernized one was erected not far from it.
In 2005, the Balboa Fun Zone park was acquired by Newport Harbor, after which the Maritime Museum was opened on its territory. Currently, the park continues to delight tourists and city guests. Here you can enjoy your favorite sweets, relax on the beach or play arcade games. If you wish, you can rent a bicycle or take a boat ride to the nearest Catalina Island.
Also on the territory of the Balboa Fun Zone there is a huge number of shops, restaurants and bars. If you and your family decide to relax, then you can’t imagine anything better and more varied than relaxing in this amazing park. This place is one of the few where you can relax in the coastal area. You can get here by boat or car.
Eco-park
Eco-Park is located near the center of Los Angeles, through which the road to Hollywood passes. Long before Hollywood became synonymous with the film industry, the Eco Park area known as Edendale was the center of film production on the West Coast, with good air and bright sun three hundred days a year - ideal conditions for the creation of beautiful films.
Eco Park is one of Los Angeles' oldest neighborhoods, incredibly diverse and culturally rich, dating back more than a century. The spirit of Eco-Park is imbued with the creativity of artists and meetings of representatives of modern subcultures.
The desire of Los Angeles to win the right to an environmentally friendly existence from the modern rhythm of life - this is the reality of everyday life in the metropolis. And today the city is famous for its Eco-Park with an azure lake and picturesque hills that it is surrounded by. Despite the proximity of Eco-Park to the noisy road to Hollywood, when you enter its territory, you can feel like a resident of a quiet town, and not part of a modern, rumbling metropolis.
Balboa Park
Balboa Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. It is located near the business center of San Diego in California. The park includes fifteen different museums, several picturesque gardens and many architectural monuments.
One of the most interesting places in Balboa is the Aerospace Museum, which houses a huge collection of aircraft (both replicas and originals). Walking among thousands of exhibits, you can trace the entire world history of the development of aircraft construction - from the Wright Brothers' bookcases to models of Mars rovers.
A must-see when visiting Balboa is the local zoo. Under ideal conditions, many species of animals are kept here.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in the most sparsely populated part of California. The territory of this significantly small reserve is represented by a mountainous volcanic landscape and several valleys. Among other US national parks, it stands out for its atypical landscapes and terrain.
The thousand-kilometer Cascade Mountain belt is remarkable for its dormant volcanoes. They are active and can wake up at any moment. Lassen Peak last erupted in May 1914. During the eruption, it completely changed the surrounding landscape for many kilometers around, completely destroying all vegetation. A mountain more than three thousand meters high actually tore apart from the inside, littering everything around with fragments of rock, ash and lava flows. Now the volcano is dormant and recovering, ready to wake up at the most unexpected moment.
In the valley of active volcanoes, the most popular place for camping and overnight stay is Summit Lake. All hiking trails and climbs originate here. After a cycle of eruptions, nature is gradually recovering, but always in the most unexpected and seemingly safe place you can stumble upon cracks and gaps from which hot sulfur vapors are escaping, frozen lava flows that incredibly preserve the imprints of human traces, old destroyed craters, at the bottom of which only ash. Near Emerald Lake and Bumps Health is a hot springs valley.
Redwood National Park
There are plenty of places in California that amaze tourists with their alien landscapes. And while Death Valley is the most popular, there is another national park that was the filming location for the final two Star Wars episodes. Redwood National Park attracted the director not with its desert landscapes and Martian mountains, but quite the opposite. The planet Endor appeared among the green forests of huge redwoods.
Redwood Park was established on an area of 23,500 hectares by decree of President Lyndon Johnson on October 2, 1968. To avoid intensive logging and protect ancient trees, three national parks were united - Jededee Smith, Del Norte and Prairie Creek. A little later, realizing that this was not enough and that erosive soil destruction was already beginning on private lands due to clearing, it was decided to add another 400 hectares of Redwood Creek to the park.
Sequoia is recognized as the tallest tree on Earth. Some specimens reach 150 meters in height and about 10 meters in diameter. They grow very slowly, and in some parts of the park there are groves that are more than 1,500 years old. But besides the giants, there is something to see in the park. It is home to 400 species of birds, including the incredibly rare bald eagles, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is located within the city and is surrounded by fragrant flowers and dense greenery of majestic trees. It is not difficult to get to it from anywhere in the city. The park is especially noteworthy and interesting because on its territory there are playgrounds and sports grounds for both children and adults. Tourists and townspeople have a fun time among the dense greenery, and in specially designated areas you can organize a picnic.
MacArthur Park is an area of entertainment and active recreation, where more than 80 species of shrubs and various plants grow. For lovers of romance, there is the opportunity to rent a boat and sail on the blue surface of the lake.
Despite the peace and tranquility that reigns in the Park, the history of the man after whom it is named is associated with participation in numerous military campaigns. Douglas MacArthur - American general, commander of the Philippine Campaign of 1942, commander in chief of the United States during the Korean War and during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The rich history of the name MacArthur Park and the harmony that reigns at the present time - this is what a novice traveler and history connoisseur can truly pamper himself with.
Joshua Trees National Park
Joshua Tree Park is located approximately two hours from Los Angeles. The park was founded in 1936 on the initiative of local Mormons. In their opinion, the rare trees growing there are similar to the image of Jesus Christ raising his hands. It took another 60 years for the park to receive national status.
However, the main attraction of the park is not the trees at all, but a chic desert complex where 700 species of plants grow, including dozens of varieties of cacti. Picturesque boulders are scattered throughout the park, which every self-respecting tourist tries to climb.
It is noteworthy that one of the albums of the famous rock band U2 is named after Joshua Tree Park.
Fort Ross State Historic Park
Fort Ross is located on the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Russian River. It is a national park that contains a preserved residential building and a reconstructed wooden fortress of Russian settlers who arrived here in 1812.
The fort was founded in northern California by the Russian-American Company for the extraction and trade of furs. It was the southernmost Russian settlement in America. The walls of the fort were built from solid logs, with watchtowers at the corners, following the example of Russian kremlins. In 1841, the fort and surrounding lands were sold to Mexican citizen and landowner John Sutter.
Yosemite Falls, California, USA
Travel notes, day 6
Sequoia Park bursts into my personal ranking of the most beautiful places on the planet! And immediately takes first place. Simply amazing place. Yesterday I was there for the first time. Before that I looked at the photographs, but they were somehow not impressive... And yesterday I looked at it all with my own eyes! It is difficult to imagine a forest of trees whose trunks reach 12 meters in thickness and 90-95 meters in height. Giant sequoias are the largest living organisms on the planet! Real giants!
01. I went to Sequoia Park on the weekend, there were a lot of people, so there were no rooms in hotels near the park. We had to stop in a small town 100 km from the park. But on a budget. The closer to the park, the more expensive the hotels. If a good hotel 100 km away can be rented for 5,000 rubles per day, then in the park a similar one will cost 12-15 thousand! The road to the park goes through endless fields of fruit trees. Oranges, grapes, strawberries and other fruits are grown here. 
02. Car with dogs in the parking lot! There is an announcement on the glass: the air conditioner is working, and you don’t have to worry about the health of the dogs. 
03. Prices for food in a village supermarket. There are problems with food in the park, so I advise you to buy food in advance. Those who travel in large groups have real picnics. There are many grilling areas in the park. You can buy a folding mini-grill for $7 and fry yourself a steak right in the park! I bought already cooked pork ribs. They are made in the backyard of the supermarket) The ribs were wrapped in foil, I put them under the back window of the car, and they stayed hot in the sun for 3 hours. 
04. Every store and every gas station sells coffee. 
05. Alcohol for every taste! America now has a simply gorgeous selection of excellent beer. And, of course, Californian wine, where would we be without it! 
Later, in the park, the sheriff will stop me when I decide to move a couple of bottles of beer from the trunk into the cabin to cool off.
- Sir, do you have beer in your hands?
- Yes, beer.
- Why did you take it?
- Just so that it doesn’t heat up in the trunk.
- Have you been drinking today?
- No.
-Can I see the salon? - looks into the salon, all the bottles are closed.
- Better put the beer in the trunk so it doesn’t tempt you!
06. Greetings from the Motherland! 
07. Steaks are grazing 
08. Entry to the park by car costs $30. But I was lucky: this weekend marked the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service. In honor of the holiday, admission to all parks was free! Nice) 
09. Road. Sequoia Park is located high in the mountains, so you will have to wind your way along serpentine roads for an hour. The road is narrow, single lane. If some slow driver starts to slow down, he quickly gathers his tail behind him. 
10. There is a drought in California now. Many trees have dried up, and sometimes it seems like autumn has arrived. 
11. Road to the park 
12. There are a few boring sights and views along the way. 
13. And here it is, Sequoia Park! Fantastic spectacle. 
14. In the photo it looks like an ordinary fallen tree. 
15. But this is a giant sequoia! 
16. A person seems small against her background. Falling is the most common cause of death for these giants. The soil here is soft, and when a lot of snow accumulates on the crown of the sequoia in winter, it falls. Giant trees lie like the corpses of some ancient monsters. 
17. Without a person, it is not clear that each trunk is several meters thick. 
18. It’s more clear this way. 
19. The forest here is very beautiful. It looks like you might meet a dinosaur) 
20. This is the largest tree in the world! Sequoiadendron General Sherman. 
21. The largest and heaviest living organism on Earth! General Sherman weighs about 1900 tons. This old man is more than two thousand years old. 
22. Everyone takes pictures with him. There is a short queue. You can't get close to the tree. By the way, in the neighboring Kings Canyon National Park there is also General Grant, it is smaller. 
23. Giants 
24. It should be noted here that in Sequoia National Park it is not the sequoias themselves that grow, but the giant sequoias, or sequoiadendrons. They are lower (maximum 90-95 versus 110-115 meters), but much thicker and more massive (up to 12 meters versus 7). 
25. There are many paths in the park. There are routes for the disabled - for example, like this asphalt path. And there are completely wild paths. 
26. There is a legend that the word “sequoia” itself is nothing more than the name of the famous Cherokee leader who lived in the 19th century. And, like any legend, it is impossible to confirm. It is more likely that the Austrian scientist Stefan Endlicher named the genus of trees after the Latin word “sequī” (“to follow”), having discovered the dependence of the number of sequoia seeds on the number of scales of the cone. 
27. By the way, in California itself, the common sequoia is known as “redwood,” but sequoiadendrons, as you may have guessed, are called “giant sequoias.” 
28.
29. Usually the trunk of a giant sequoia is bare, and the crown is only at the top. The tree quickly gains height, and then only grows in width. It looks unusual. Typically, pine or spruce thins evenly towards the top, while sequoia looks like a thick stick with a cap at the top. The lower branches usually burn in fires or die due to lack of sun. This tree stands at the edge of the forest, so there are branches all over the trunk. 
30. But more often than not, only the top. It looks like this. 
31. The bark of the giant sequoia, by the way, is soft, similar to rotten wood.
32. I'm a panda! 
33. This is a tunnel in a fallen sequoia tree as tall as a man. 
34. As I already wrote, there are different types of trekking trails. The best part is that there are almost no people on the dirt trails. 99% of park visitors prefer not to go further than 100 meters from their car. So if you like to walk, you will be in splendid isolation all the time! 
35. Walk through the forest of giants
36. Some redwood trees are burning. But this is rare. Usually a fire does not harm them, but, on the contrary, helps. Young sequoias grow well on scorched earth. Other trees do not bother them. So the fire is rather a benefit for the redwoods. 
38. Within Sequoia National Park there is a grove of sequoiadendrons known as the Giant Forest. Several trees that grow here are among the ten largest in the world. In addition to General Sherman, these are Washington, the President and Lincoln. Washington was recently struck by lightning, and now only half of it remains. But if trees are not disturbed by people and disasters, they can live for over 3000 years. 
39. Visual comparison of heights. Here you can see that the sequoiadendron is just as tall as the Statue of Liberty, and the ordinary sequoia is even taller. 
40. The museum has an interesting donation box. It is transparent and has sections with the names of different states and continents. People compete to see who throws in the most money) Motivates people to donate. 
41. A few words about infrastructure. Like any American park, there is everything for a normal holiday. There are parking lots everywhere, navigation, toilets in all parking lots. Normal full toilets with washbasins, soap, hand dryers, etc.
42. There are picnic areas everywhere. These are tables with benches and places for grills or fires. Come with your own food and have lunch) 
43. Despite the fact that I arrived on the weekend, there were places. 
44. Shuttles run between main points. It happens that the parking lot is full of cars, then you park in a free one and take the bus. 
45. Drinking fountains and taps with drinking water for filling bottles are everywhere. 
46. And of course, everything is just perfectly clean. Sequoia Park is very cool, I recommend it! 
48. I planned on this day to stop by Yosemite and see it, but due to the closure I had to make a big detour and change the route. 
49. In Yosemite, all the hotels were occupied; there were only a few places left in the most expensive local hotels.
50. There was no choice. Either go down to the nearest town, or fork out some cash. 
51. Chose the second option.
52. This simple room in the park costs 25,000 rubles per night. 
53. Nothing special. 
54. Bathroom 
55. Another plus of American hotels is that many of them have self-service laundry facilities. Washing costs a dollar and a half and drying the same. For 3 dollars you can wash all your junk) Convenient! 
56. The pool is open until the last client.
57. And this is a small sequoia) I need to buy it: I’ll plant it in Moscow and let it grow! 
Tomorrow I’ll tell you about Yosemite Park!
What could be better than visiting national parks? Wonderful landscapes, diversity of flora and fauna and unforgettable experiences. Tourism lovers have already visited quite a lot of breathtaking places, one of such places is Yosemite National Park.
Information about the park and its location
It is located in the United States of America, California and covers approximately 3081 square kilometers. This park won the status of “World Heritage” back in 1984. The “untamed” nature of this park covers no more or less than 89% of the entire territory. This figure is impressive. Flora and fauna are quite diverse. Thanks to its landscape and nature, the park is visited by about three million people every year. If you get to it from Los Angeles, it will take about 6 hours, and if you leave from San Francisco, it will take 3.5 hours.
Ponds, glaciers and waterfalls
The park is famous for its huge number of waterfalls and ponds. The Tuolumne River begins somewhere on the mountain slopes. She created river canyons that reach depths of 900 or even 1200 meters. All the water in the northern part of the park flows in this river. The Merced River also begins in the mountains, but flows from the southern upper reaches.
Yosemite Falls is the largest in North America. In addition to it, there are also a huge number of waterfalls:
1. Waterville is the lowest of the waterfalls in the park, but no worse than the others. Its height reaches 90 meters.
2. Vernal is also not particularly tall. Its height is 96 meters.
3. Nevada is located in the upper reaches of the Merced River. Its highest point reaches 180 meters.
4. Horse tail - quite a funny name. He took a place on the eastern slope of El Capitan (mountain). Its height is approximately 650 meters.
The list could take quite a long time, but it’s better to see once than to read 100 times.
There are also glaciers in the park. The largest of them is Lyell. All glaciers in this park are located in the shade for a long period of time. The park's glaciers are not remnants of the Ice Age. Due to global warming, most glaciers have either disappeared or lost about 75% of their entire surface.
Park opening
Today it is still not clear who was the first to see Yosemite Valley. Some say it was Joseph Reddeford Walker. In 1833, in the cool autumn, he and his team went hunting. Passing the Sierra Nevada (the area of the park), he and the hunters were the first to approach the very edge of the valley and reached the small forest of Tuolomni.
Until 1848, everyone believed that a certain part of the Sierra Nevada, where the park is located, was the edge of a populated area of Europeans, merchants and hunters. The year 1848 is famous for the discovery of a place near the base of the mountains where gold was found. Due to the desire to get rich, visitors began to destroy the nature of the park.
Today the park is so famous that there are a lot of visitors there every single day. Although they don't go very far and just stop in Yosemite Valley, those who are there for the first time want to see more. Indeed, there is something to see there, there is something to photograph. The memories of this trip will remain for a long time.
California has such a huge number of national and state parks and recreation areas that, having lived here for 4 years, we still haven’t visited. In general, California is an amazing state, it has the most diverse nature: you can lie in the sun on the beach, or in an hour you can climb the mountains and already go skiing. Why isn't it heaven?
In California, they attach special importance to nature and take care of it. If you go to national parks like Yosemite, Sequoia, or any forests with hiking trails, you will see signs everywhere that you cannot leave the trail so that people do not trample down the plants. Everywhere you can find signs on the road that for throwing out garbage the fine is 500-1000 dollars. And they will definitely fine you if they catch you, so few people litter.
As a rule, no plants, flowers, or pine cones should be removed from parks or forests; this is also written about everywhere.
It is also prohibited to make fires in the forests, only in designated picnic areas; you cannot come with tents to the forests, unless it is a special tent site. In general, they make sure that the forests remain as they are now, and that people cause minimal damage to them.
I found some information about the parks on the Internet:
And all this, not counting the city parks, which you can’t even count here; probably, within a radius of 5-10 miles you can definitely meet a couple. And all these parks are equipped with free picnic areas with grills (in fact, I have never seen here where you have to pay for an equipped picnic area), water, toilets, there are lawns, flowers, and perfect cleanliness everywhere. Entrance to the parks is always free, sometimes you need to pay 3-5 dollars for car entry. But if you don’t want to pay, you can always park your car behind the park and go there for free.
Here is a regular park (Craig Park in Brea), of which there are hundreds.
Another surprising thing is the huge number of ducks, geese and other birds in all parks where there are ponds, and there are ponds in 95% of all parks. And these are not just ducks or geese - these are huge, well-fed and very arrogant creatures. I don’t think that even in some villages it is possible to fatten such fat geese. I wonder if anyone has ever caught even one duck from the park to eat? It will probably never even occur to Americans. But, as a Ukrainian, of course, I was interested in this question, but hundreds of ducks and geese can’t just walk around the park unattended without anyone catching them, and I asked this question to my American friends (I think they laughed in their hearts) me), to which they responded calmly: “But that’s forbidden.” That says it all)))
Ducks even fly into the pools of ordinary houses and settle down there. What exactly is wrong with this? They are also citizens and can use all the resources) One such couple lives in our pool for the second spring.
In addition to ideal lawns, picnic areas, ponds and jogging paths, many city parks are also equipped, I repeat, with free sports facilities: tennis courts, fields for American football, European football, squash, basketball, there are a large number of turnstiles, etc. .d.
And again, this is all in perfect condition. Many, for example, paid Ukrainian courts do not reach the level of their free American brothers.
One such park (La Mirada Park), which is a couple of miles away from us and has 15 floodlit tennis courts that are open until 10 pm, is one that we often visit to enjoy a game of tennis.
