NATIONAL PARKS

National Park Trivia: Yosemite

Photo 1: Yosemite Valley

Photo 2: The Merced River runs through the Yosemite Valley

Photo3: Yosemite Falls drops 2, 425 feet from the upper falls to the lower falls, making one North America's tallest waterfalls.

Park Q & A:

1. Who helped create Yosemite? Abraham . Lincoln declared Yosemite a forest reserve in 1864. It was then established as a National Park on October 1, 1890.

2. What is Yosemite known for? It’s granite cliffs, and sequoia trees and waterfalls. North America’s tallest waterfall, named Yosemite Falls, resides in the park with a cascade stretching 2,425 feet. The sequoia trees, similar to redwoods, are massively tall trees that grow up to 300 feet during their 2,000+ year life span.

3. What kind of animals are common in Yosemite? Mountain lions, black bears, and mule deer can all be found in Yosemite. There are also Yellow- bellied marmots and over 400 other species of animals.

4. Where is Yosemite located? California. Yosemite is East of San Francisco in central California. The closest town is Mariposa, California.

5. What kind of terrain can be found in Yosemite? Yosemite has several granite peaks along with woods, lakes, and meadows. One of the most photographed peaks in Yosemite is Half Dome. Half Dome is 8,842 ft. tall and was formed by glaciers many years ago. On a separate mountain is Mt. Lyell and at 13,114 feet tall, it is the highest point in the park.

6. How many people visit the park? An average of over 3.7 million people visit the park each year. The park has become one of the most visited National Parks in America.

7. What mountains are near? Yosemite lies within the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the western slope. The size of the park is about the size of Rhode Island.

8. Who discovered Yosemite? Native American tribes were inhabitants of this area for at least 3,000 years. As gold-diggers went west in pursuit of gold, a doctor named Lafayette Bunnell is believed to have named it Yosemite.

9. How did people get there? When the Transcontinental Railroad came into the area in the late 1860’s, stagecoach roads were built to bring people up to Yosemite. Roads were built and now cars and buses are able to bring people to the park. These is now an energy efficient bus shuttle system that can transport the thousands of daily tourists throughout the park.

10. Who was instrumental in preserving this area? was an advocate of preserving this area for the future. He was witness to sheep and cattle overgrazing and also to the loggers who were harvesting the huge Sequoia trees. He brought President Teddy Roosevelt out for a camping trip in Yosemite in 1903 and soon afterwards, the park was turned over to the federal government for protection and preservation for all future visitors.

Photo 4 El Capitan in Yosemite

National Park Trivia: GRAND CANYON

Photo 1 The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Photo 2 The South Rim View of Grand Canyon

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Grand Canyon? Native Americans first inhabited this area, using the canyon bottom by the river as their living space. In 1540, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, along with his Spanish soldiers and Hopi Indian guides came upon the canyon but retreated when they didn’t reach water. Then in 1776, two Spanish priests came as missionaries to the Hopi Indians but left after a short time. Then there were trappers and other explorers, including John Wesley Powell.

2. What is Grand Canyon known for? It is considered one of most spectacular gorges in the world as it is carved out over one mile deep by the Colorado River.

3. What kind of animals are common in Grand Canyon? Mountain lions, bighorn sheep and mule deer can all be found in Grand Canyon, along with many other animals. Elk are popular and unique to this area. Condors can often be scene here as well. Scorpions and rattlesnakes enjoy the warmth and hikers are cautioned to be alert to them.

4. Where is Grand Canyon located? In the northwest corner of Arizona, close to the borders of Utah and Nevada.

5. What tragic incident charged the world of air travel? In 1956, two passenger airplanes both flying from Los Angeles to Chicago were given permission to fly into the Grand Canyon airspace to get a better view of the canyon. Those two planes crashed, killing everyone on board. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was created to increase safety in the air.

6. How many people visit the park? An average of over 5 million people visit the park each year!

7. How big is the Grand Canyon? It is 277 miles long and 4 to 18 miles wide, depending on where you are. It is just over a mile deep.

8. Who explored the River and Canyon? John Wesley Powell led the first river expedition in 1916. He was the first to name it the “Grand Canyon”. Previously it had been known as the “Big Canyon” or the “Great Canyon”

9. What River flows through the Grand Canyon? The Colorado River. It is believed that the river had been flowing over 17 million years of the river and has eroded the rock into what it is today.

10. When did it become a National Park? In 1919, becoming our nation’s 17th national park. Many people consider it be one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Theodore Roosevelt visited often.

Photo 3 An elk at Grand Canyon

National Park Trivia: Bryce Canyon

Photo 1 Hoodoos are the pillars of rock left from erosion at Bryce Canyon

Photo 2 the arches at Bryce Canyon

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Bryce Canyon? Several Indian tribes are thought to have lived in the area but most recently was the Paiute Indians. Mormon scouts were sent out to evaluate the livability of the area. Then Scottish immigrant Ebenezer Bryce and wife Mary was sent by the Mormon church in 1873 to settle land. Ebenezer’s carpentry skills came in useful as in addition to their home, he built a road to retrieve wood and a canal to irrigate crops and water his animals. Soon other settlers called the area “Bryce Canyon”. Between drought, overgrazing and flooding, Bryce moved his family to Arizona in 1880.

2. What is Bryce Canyon known for? It is actually not a canyon but rather is known for “hoodoos” which are red, orange and white rocks formed from years of frost, erosion and weathering.

3. What kind of animals are common in Bryce Canyon? Mule deer are the most popular, however, many animals and birds can be found in Bryce Canyon, including elk and pronghorn. The three endangered species found and protected in Bryce are the Utah prairie dog, the California condor and the Southeastern Willow Flycatcher.

4. Where is Bryce Canyon located? In southwestern Utah, about 50 miles north of Zion National Park.

5. What is another popular activity? Star gazing. The night sky has a magnitude night sky of 7.4, making it one of the darkest in North America. There are 7,500 stars visible with the naked eye. 2,000 visible stars are common in other areas. There are stars viewing activities sponsored by the Park.

6. How many people visit the park? An average of over 1.5 million people visit the park each year. It is open year round for activities and hiking.

7. How big is Bryce Canyon? It is 55 square miles. The Rim Road is 18 miles long.

8. Who helped build the roads? The Civilian Conservation Corps completed the Rim Road in 1934. This road runs through the park and is still used today.

9. When did it become a National Park? On June 8, 1923, Bryce Canyon became a national monument under President Warren Harding. In order to protect the borders and land of Bryce, it became a National Park on February 25, 1928 and renamed Bryce Canyon National Park

National Park Trivia: Arches National Park

Photo 1 Balanced Rock at Arches National Park

Photo 2 Arches National Park Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Arches? Several Indian tribes did live in the area until about 700 years ago. Spanish missionaries and the Mormon Elk Mountain Mission were short lived due to the lack of water. Tourism peaked an interest again when the railroads came to the area.

2. What is Arches National Park known for? It has over 2,000 natural sandstone arches.

3. What kind of animals are common in Arches National Park? Because it is so hot here, most of the animals are nocturnal, coming out in the cool of the night, including mule deer, cottontail rabbits and bighorn sheep. Lizards are very common as they scurry about, avoiding tourists.

4. Where is Arches National Park located? Near Moab, Utah.

5. Do the arches ever fall? Yes. Since 1977, 25 arches have collapsed.

6. How many people visit the park? About 700,000 people per year. With the arid temperatures and little rainfall, walking off path is prohibited. But there are plenty of paths for the visitors.

7. How big is the Arches National Park? It is 119 square miles.

8. What films were made here? In 1965, The Greatest Story Ever Told and in 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

9. When did it become a National Park? On Aril 12, 1929, it became a National Monument. On November 12, 1971, it became Arches National Park.

Photo 3 Arches National Park

National Park Trivia: Crater Lake

Photo 1 Phantom Ship Island on Crater Lake in Oregon

Photo 2 Wizard Island at Crater Lake

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Crater Lake? John Wesley Hillman in 1853 while looking for a Gold Mine cabin. Later, it was William Steele who worked hard to establish this as a national park. He had read about this lake as a school boy when his lunch was wrapped in a newspaper that had an article about Crater Lake.

2. What is Crater Lake known for? It’s clear water and the depth of the lake.

3. Are there fish in this lake? This lake has no inflow or outflow. The only water feeding into this is from the weather. Because of that, fish are not native however six species were introduced between 1888 and 1941. Of that six, only two have survived. Fishing is encouraged and no licenses is needed and you can catch as many as you can. Artificial bait is required as that do not want any other species introduced into the lake.

4. Where is Crater Lake located? In south central Oregon.

5. How deep is the lake? 2,148 feet. This is the deepest lake in the United States and the 9th in the world.

6. How was the lake formed? By a volcano about 7, 700 years ago. The mountain collapsed and formed the lake.

7. How big is Crater Lake? It is six miles long and 5 miles wide. There are 21.8 miles of shore line.

8. Does it snow here? Yes. They average 533 inches per year or 44 feet. It doesn’t usually melt until mid-July. In 1932-33, there was 879 inches of snow.

9. Does the lake freeze? Not usually due to the Pacific Ocean weather patterns. The last time it completely froze over was in 1949 and in 1985 the ice coverage was 95%.

10. When did it become a National Park? After 18 years of petitioning the government, Crater Lake became a National Park in 1902 as the fifth oldest national park.

Photo 3 Crater Lake: one of the bluest!

National Park Trivia:

Photo 1 Giant Sequoia Trees

Photo 2 General Sherman Tree is the largest tree in the World!

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Sequoia? Hale Tharp was the first European to settle in the area. He hollowed out a sequoia tree that had fallen for a home. John Muir would often visit. The house can still be seen today in the park.

2. What is Sequoia known for? It’s large trees that are as tall as a 26 story building.

3. What is the name of the highest mountain peak in Sequoia National Park? Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 United States. It tops out at 14,494 feet.

4. Where is Sequoia National Park located? Near Visalia, California in the south Sierra Nevada.

5. What is the name of the largest tree? General Sherman. It is estimated to weigh 6,000 TONS. It measures (it grows every year so some of these numbers change) 274.9 feet tall from the base. The first branch height is 130 feet above the base. The circumference at the ground is 102.6 feet.

6. Do Sequoia trees lose their leaves in the fall? No. However, they may have a discoloration, particularly younger trees.

7. How old are the Sequoia trees? It is estimated that they can run between 1,800 and 3,000 years old!

8. What natural event helps control the growth of sequoias? Fire. Sequoias have adapted to not only survive fire but also depend on it. Fire clears and fertilizes the ground under those sequoias, leaving the soil ready to accept the seeds that fall. And the seeds from the sequoia opens the sequoia cones and the seeds fall onto this nature prepared soil. The National Park system uses natural fires as well as planned burns.

9. Why was the park formed? To protect the large sequoia trees. Lumbermen were coming to cut the trees and a group of conservationists realized they needed to be protected. The U. S. Calvary troops was assigned to protect the parks from 1891 until 1913 when the first administrator of the park was appointed. Three years later, the was created and they took responsibility for the park.

10. When did it become a National Park? Sequoia became the second national park on September 25, 1880.

National Park Trivia: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Photo 1 Active hot bed in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Photo 2 This lava rock was created with a volcano 27,000 years ago. The smaller rocks were created with a volcanic eruption in 1915, making them very “young rocks”.

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Lassen? Native Americans were here long before Danish guide and blacksmith Peter Lassen settled in the area in the 1830s.

2. What is Lassen known for? It’s the largest plug dome volcano in the world. (A plug or lava dome is a circular mound resulting from lava from a volcano.) It is also one of the few places in the world that has four examples of volcanoes: plug dome, shield, cinder cone and strato.

3. Are there still signs of geothermal activity? Yes. There are active geothermal areas in the park, which dispel a noxious odor similar to rotten eggs.

4. Where is Lassen Volcanic National Park located? In northeastern California, in the southern Cascade Mountain range. It is near Redding and Susanville, California.

5. When was the volcano last active? In May 1914 and ending in 1921. The major eruption was in 1917 as it threw lava and created a new crater and rocks. No one was injured although homes were lost.

6. What is the elevation of Lassen Park? The highest elevation of the park is 10,457. The 29-mile road around the park reaches an elevation of 8, 512 feet. This is the highest road in the Cascade Mountains.

7. How many visitors does Lassen Park have? About 400,000 people per year. The National Park service counts the number of cars with an in road counter at the park entrances. Buses and non-visitor cars are subtracted and a person- per-vehicle of 3 determines this number.

8. Can another volcano happen? Yes, it could. The United Sates Geological Survey monitors with seismographs and monitoring instruments and evaluations. The National Park Service has a plan in place should they need to evacuate due to an impending eruption.

9. When did it become a National Park? In 1907, President Theodor Roosevelt designated two parks: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument. The two were then combined and the surrounding area was added to become Lassen National Park on August 9, 1916.

Figure 3 Lassen Peak

National Park Trivia Zion National Park

Photo 1 Sharp and high cliffs are prevalent in Zion National Park

Photo 2 Zion National Park

Park Q & A:

1. Who first discovered Zion? Native Americans were here long before the Mormons came to the area in 1858.

2. What is Zion known for? Its cliffs and canyons with the reddish and tan Navajo Sandstone. It differs from the Grand Canyon in the fact that in Zion you are in the canyon and look up.

3. Where is Zion National Park located? In southeastern Utah, near Springdale, Utah.

4. Do the rocks ever fall? Yes. In 1995 there was a landslide occurred as a result of heavy rain and in two hours, the river washed out the only exit road. 450 guests and employees of the Zion Lodge were unable to leave until a temporary road was completed 24 hours later.

5. How many visitors does Zion Park have? Zion is one of the most visited parks. In 2014, 3.2 million visited the park.

6. What unique feature can be found on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway? A 1.1-mile tunnel. It has 6 large windows cut out of the cliff that is made of sandstone. During construction, rock taken from the tunnel was dumped through the windows to the canyon. It was the longest tunnel in the US at the time.

7. Can trucks go through the tunnel? Yes but the height restriction is 13.08 feet high and 7.83 feet wide. The tunnel keeper stops traffic when oversized vehicles go through. There is also a flashing light that bicyclists turn on before entering the tunnel to warn vehicles they are there. When they reach the other side, they turn off the flashing light.

8. When did it become a National Park? In 1909, President Howard Taft named the area a National Monument under the name of “Mukuntuweap National Monument”. However in 1918, the name was changed to Zion, the name used by the Mormons. The US Congress changed it to the status of a national park in 1919.

National Park Trivia Redwood National Park

Photo 1 Redwoods. At the end of the ! is a person standing by the tree to give you perspective on how tall these redwoods are!

Photo 2 Although not located in the Redwood National Park, this drive through Redwood tree gives perspective on its size.

Park Q & A:

1. What is Redwood Park known for? The tallest trees in the world.

2. Where is the Redwood National and State Parks located? Along the northern coast of California. The California State Parks and the National Park Service co-manage this park.

3. How many trees were originally? There were 200,000 of “old growth” trees in California in 1850. With the arrival of lumbermen and gold miners, the trees were harvested for building in San Francisco and other areas on the west coast areas. 4. When did protection come for the redwoods? By 1920’s the “Save-the- Redwoods” League had made preservation efforts. In 1968, the Redwood National Park was formed but by then almost 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged.

5. How tall do redwoods grow? The tallest tree is 379.1 feet. Only the giant sequoia has more mass.

6. How old are the redwoods? They live an average of 500 to 700 years but have known to be have some living to be 2,000 years old.

7. Where do they get water? The coastal fog provides at least 1/3 of their water. Redwoods grow mostly 1-2 miles from the coast but never more than 50 as they depend upon the fog which remains on the coast and not inland.

8. Have there been any movies filmed in the Redwoods? Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as well as The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

National Park Trivia Mount Rushmore National Park

Photo 1: Mount Rushmore in South Dakota

Park Q & A:

1. What is Rushmore National Monument known for? The giant granite sculptures of four US Presidents

2. Where is the Mount Rushmore National Monument located? Near Keystone, South Dakota

3. Who designed Mount Rushmore? Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln.

4. What four presidents are on Mount Rushmore? George , Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

5. When were the faces carved? The project started in 1927 and the faces were completed in 1939.

6. How tall are the faces? 60 feet

7. When did it become a National Monument? Congress did so on March 3, 1925 under President Coolidge.

8. What did they use to get the rock cleared? 450,000 tons of rock was blasted off using dynamite.

9. How many visitors visit Mount Rushmore? Over 2 million per year.

Photo 2 The night lighting of Mount Rushmore is a popular event for many visitors.

(Disclaimer: all photos have been taken by the writer of this article)