National park puzzles make an enjoyable and educational present for anyone who appreciates travel or nature alike. This vintage nature jigsaw boasts 1000 pieces and measures 27″x 19″.
Experience the breathtaking beauty of Bryce Canyon National Park through this 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle! Featuring vibrant hoodoos, flowing rivers, and towering bluffs – you will never be able to resist Bryce Canyon’s captivating scene!
Sol Duc Falls
Sol Duc Falls is one of the Northwest’s most photogenic waterfalls and makes an excellent focal point for any hike through the Olympic Peninsula’s temperate rainforest. Cascading 48 feet down into an underground river canyon and dissecting into up to four channels depending on water volume before continuing downstream, Sol Duc River cascades 48 feet through narrow, rocky formations into narrow ravines before cascading swiftly downstream.
A series of small wooden footbridges span the raging river, adding an air of adventure to this hike. The path winds through an old-growth forest populated by Douglas Firs, Western Hemlocks, and Sitka Spruce trees that create a stunning backdrop to Sol Duc Falls. Once across the third bridge, the sounds of crashing water grow louder until Sol Duc Falls finally comes into view with offshoot trails leading to multiple viewpoints of this stunning cascade.
Olympic National Park’s iconic waterfall is an absolute must-see, making its short out-and-back trail quite busy at times. To avoid crowds, try arriving early or on an off-season weekend weekend to beat out any potential delays.
From the parking lot, follow the trail to the falls for an enjoyable walk that affords stunning views of Sol Duc River’s rushing current and its canyon below. When at the falls, keep an eye out for salmon leaping upstream at Salmon Cascades!
Lover’s Lane trail can add another level of intrigue and challenge, providing a more difficult but rewarding hike than Sol Duc Falls and ideal for families or novice backpackers alike. The loop traverses lush forest trails lined with ferns, banana slugs, and huckleberries, creating an almost other-worldly setting reminiscent of childhood magic!
Native American culture tells a legend of two dragons living separately in different areas of the rainforest, unaware of each other until one day when they came face-to-face on a ridge separating the Elwha and Sol Duc valleys. After a fierce battle between them both, both eventually realized they were evenly matched and shed hot tears of regret for having fought so intensely against one another, sobbing hot steamy tears down the mountainside, which now feed both Elwha and Sol Duc Valleys with healing waters from these tears that run down into both valleys from both valleys!
Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the Olympic Peninsula’s most iconic landmarks and magical settings, not to mention one of its most magical spots. Not the typical tropical jungle-y rainforest that people imagine when they hear “rainforest,” this temperate one features Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock trees with thick beards of moss and ferns, creating a lush, green floor beneath your feet – not forgetting herds of Roosevelt Elk roaming freely through these woods, world-class salmon fishing rivers nearby and miles of trails leading through this unique place!
This rainforest in Florida receives over 140 inches of annual precipitation, making it the wettest forest in the contiguous United States. These conditions create a magical setting hard to capture in photos: lush grounds covered with ferns and greenery while trees draped with over 130 species of mosses and lichens create a magnificent scene that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve for good reason!
At Hoh Rain Forest, you’ll discover more than just mosses and ferns; there are also various other kinds of plants, including wildflowers of all colors. Three great trails to experience this stunning environment include Hoh River Trail, Hall of Mosses Trail, and Spruce Nature Trail – as well as nurse logs, which have been transformed from fallen trees into vibrant spots where new growth thrives and small mammals live.
It is well worth the two-hour drive from Port Angeles or less than an hour from Forks to reach this exquisite spot, where every moment spent in its rainforest will leave an indelible mark on you. Parking lot capacity restrictions may necessitate waiting a short while before entering, but once inside this breathtaking natural environment, every minute spent here will prove worth every second spent exploring its depths.
Hoh Rainforest, situated within Olympic National Park, is an area of old-growth temperate rainforest that boasts some of the world’s highest biological diversity and was designated by UNESCO World Heritage as both a biosphere reserve and a World Heritage site. Home to Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, and coastal Douglas-fir trees, as well as Coast Redwoods and bigleaf Maple trees, its diversity makes this an unmissable site!
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park offers mountain enthusiasts a mountaineering paradise with its rugged, jagged peaks and glacier-carved lakes, as well as its historic district of weathered buildings made by Mormon homesteaders in the 19th century. There is also an abundance of wildlife, large and small, in Grand Teton–herds of bison roam grassy fields while yellow-bellied marmots give off warning calls of potential predators. Situated near Jackson in northwest Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park, which it shares one visitor pass.
The Teton Range emerges without foothills from Jackson Hole Valley’s flat expanse and towers imposingly over a nearby town. Grand Teton stands tallest at 13,770 feet; twelve other peaks within its ranks reach 12,000 feet or higher – seven of these belonging to Avalanche and Cascade canyons make up its Cathedral Group.
This dramatic terrain offers an abundance of activities and experiences for outdoor enthusiasts to explore, from wildlife watching and mountain biking to skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Outdoor enthusiasts can discover hundreds of miles of trails for exploring by foot or bike; Jenny Lake and Jackson Lake provide ideal waters for boating, fishing, and water-skiing activities.
History of Yellowstone National Park’s establishment and expansion is an exciting tale of American wilderness, western versus Eastern politics, and human tenacity. Congress first created Yellowstone in 1929, expanding it through presidential proclamations in 1943 and 1950, along with John D. Rockefeller donating 35,000 acres.
An experience at the park would not be complete without taking in Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake, two pristine waters offering recreational activities ranging from relaxing 10-mile scenic floats to thrilling white water rafting trips offered by local outfitters on the Snake River. Both lakes boast mountain views, breathtaking wildlife, and vibrant wildflower blooms in summer while in winter, becoming hubs of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing activity – wheelchair and stroller-friendly pathways wind their way around Jenny Lake’s shores and offer stunning mountain vistas along with interpretive displays!
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is world-renowned for its geothermal features, mountains, canyons, and breathtaking waterfalls – not to mention free-roaming herds of grizzly bears, wolves, and bison! While tourists abound at Yellowstone’s iconic landscape, with enough planning, you could create your own space all your own!
Yellowstone National Park was one of the 63 National Parks established by America. It was established as an American national park through the passion and curiosity of dedicated individuals in American trappers from the early 1800s who began returning home with tales of an area where geysers hissed and bubbled, as well as colorful hot springs with bubbling geysers dotting its landscape. Although these claims were initially disbelieved as delusional by Congress – which had never seen it firsthand – Congress took action in 1872 to safeguard Yellowstone from private development by protecting it from personal development by legislation that Congress had never even visited this region itself!
Yellowstone National Park continues to captivate visitors today, with its majestic mountains, glaciers, canyons, and iconic geological features still stunning viewers. But Yellowstone’s importance goes well beyond just natural attractions; its founding principles have inspired parks worldwide.
Yellowstone National Park embodies the philosophy of protecting places for everyone to enjoy, yet its history holds some troubling features. For instance, its wilderness status disregards Native American tribes that lived there prior to Yellowstone being created as a national park; current policy in Yellowstone “is an insult to all those forced from our homelands,” said Shane Doyle of Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation who spoke with Smithsonian Magazine about it.
