Do you love to go camping?
Are you the adventurous type?
I'm Bob from world5list and after I tell you about these 8 national parks you'll more than
likely never want to go home again.
8 Crater Lake
If you haven’t heard of Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon it’s a must-see
destination with an important mystery called Crater Lake.
The water is deep blue, seems endless and is also the deepest lake in America and one
of the deepest on the planet.
It’s surrounded by breathtaking cliffs standing almost 2,000 feet high and smack dab in the
middle sits an island created by a volcano.
The forests that surround this lake are centuries old, but Crater Lake National Park is also
home to Rogue River and Oregon Cave.
The weather from July through mid-September is mild with little precipitation making it
an opportune time to visit the area.
So, if you want to make the most of your trip come then, but if you’re more of an adventure-seeker
the area is known for world-renowned cross country skiing.
This is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places to see and Native Americans would have
witness the formation of Crater Lake 7,700 years ago after a violent eruption caused
a tall peak to collapse.
It’s fed continuously by both rain and snow making it keep its pristine and beautiful
form and color.
If you make it to the top of the Cascade Mountain Range you’ll be treated by the sight of
deep blue water and ancient trees hard to find anywhere else.
7 Ancient Fossils
With a name like Dinosaur National Monument you know you’ve hit a real gem when it comes
to amazing national parks.
It was established in 1915 when people were interested in protecting paleontological resources
and discoveries.
There are over 1,500 fossil bones on display in the newest exhibit halls called Quarry
Exhibit Hall.
The monument has tons of unique dinosaur fossils, some of which are now world famous like the
Stegosaurus ungulates.
This would have been a monstrous-looking, plant-loving dinosaur with plates on its back
and spikes on the tail.
You would also be able to see a Diplodocus longus, or long-neck dinosaur in the Morrison
Formation.
This is a layer of rock at the monument where you can walk around to see dinosaur fossils
still preserved.
Another one you’ll find there would be the Allosaurus jimmadseni, a carnivorous beast
with teeth that looked as sharp as knives.
In February 2010, a team of paleontologists actually found a new, large, plant-eating
dinosaur at the monument so it’s still a place which is used actively in the scientific
community when it comes to the study of paleontology.
It’s a place where visitors can learn all about dinosaurs while also getting exercise.
6 Devil’s Den Cave
Devil’s Den was bought by the current owners in 1993 and turned into a scuba diving paradise
in a prehistoric wonder.
The underground spring located inside of a dry cave is home to extinct animal fossils
dating back up to 5 million years ago
It was formed by a karst window where the roof over a subterranean river had collapsed
exposing water to the surface.
The water sits at a constant 72 degrees fahrenheit, and in the cold weather you can see the steam
rising from it which is where it got its name Devil’s Den since the small opening below
appeared to early settlers as if it was a chimney smoking from the depths of hell.
Before the 1990’s, when it was turned into a dive site anyone interest would have had
to squeeze inside a tiny hole to reach the water below, but the new owners widened the
entrance to make it open for the public.
Once visitors enter they will find four underwater passages which are called chambers.
In these you can find all kinds of relics from the past including extinct species and
other animal remains like mastodons, ground sloths, camels, horses, dire wolves, bog lemmings,
Florida spectacled bears and sabertooth cats.
There were also human remains discovered dating back to 7,500 BC so if you’re a fan of both
history and scuba diving this might be a great place to explore in the near future.
5 Haunted Hawaii If you follow the beautiful and rugged Puna
coastline you’ll eventually discover MacKenzie State Park on Red Road . The park is a remote
13-acres named after Albert J. MacKenzie--a forest ranger dedicated to his work who died
in 1938.
MacKenzie planted many of the tall ironwood trees still standing in the park and you can
see breathtaking views of the ocean and rocky cliffs.
Lava flowed from Kilauea volcano in underground channels which drained out into the ocean
decades ago and there’s still a large lava tube cave near the park pavillion.
This beautiful park has a dark past, shrouded in mystery it was built in the late 1850s
by prison convicts during the height of sugar plantations.
Most of the workers were plantation workers who had commited crimes.
The park at the time was extremely isolated and the workers had no access to clean drinking
water so they were killed off one by one by starvation or disease.
No records were put in place to say where these men were buried, but it was most likely
somewhere in the park.
If you believe in ghosts than this would be the perfect haunt.
Visitors who have camped overnight report seeing a large campfire with sounds of people
cooking and talking but when they get close to the fire it seems to get farther and farther
away and then suddenly just disappear.
The local fishermen also tell of eerie sights when working in the late evening hours near
the park.
At night many have witnessed what appears to be mysterious fireballs bouncing and rolling
along the surf until they disappear into the sea caves of the cliffs.
And some have talked about tiny flickering green lights in the sky that almost appear
to be fireflies, but these aren’t native to tropical Hawaii and when they get closer
the lights disappear.
4 Grand Prismatic Spring
Yellowstone National Park is famous for containing one of the largest fields of geysers and we’ve
all heard of Old Faithful.
It’s been photographed and seen by millions of visitors, but there’s another interesting
mystery contained inside the famous national park called Grand Prismatic Hot Springs.
This is very well the most photographed and instagram-worthy thing to catch a glimpse
of at Yellowstone with its massive size and crazy color scheme.
It ranges in color from orange, to yellow and than a green ring which turns to a deep
blue because of the waters in the spring.
It gets this multi-color effect because of rare bacteria living in the cooler water.
These microbes also helped NASA search for life on other planets and have led to medical
and advances in the scientific community, this includes sequencing the entire human
genome.
For something so small it’s extremely special and spectacular that it exists in a place
like Yellowstone.
It’s deeper than a 10-story building and the water travels 121 feet from a crack in
the earth to reach the spring’s surface.
It’s also one of the largest springs in the world placing third it’s bigger than
a football field with a 370 foot diameter.
So if you’re really trying to impress your friends and family on social media find an
opportunity to check out this colorful spring at Yellowstone.
3 Havasupai Falls If you love enchanting blue-green waterfalls
that seem to be pulled straight out of a book then Havasupai Falls in Arizona would be a
great place to visit.
It’s a major destination for tourists and any outdoor enthusiasts idea of paradise.
It’s hidden deep within the Grand Canyon and very difficult to make reservations for
the nearby campsite.
The hike is about 8 miles or more and the Havasupai people still live near the falls
in the Supai Village.
These people got their name which translates to the people of the blue green waters--it
seems pretty fitting if you ask us since they have inhabited the Grand Canyon since the
beginning.
The tribe was restricted to just 518 acres of land when Grand Canyon National Park was
established in 1919 and they once called 188,000 acres of the prestigious, untouched land their
home but now they’re secluded to a small reservation.
The area is also known for Havasu Canyon, which is now the home of the Havasupai Indian
Tribe known for its clear blue water and magnificent waterfalls.
The Havasupai have a long and interesting history and they believe the land they reside
on is sacred so visitors are asked to preserve and respect the Tribe, but if you want to
catch a glimpse of the wonderful waterfalls surrounding the area they would be happy to
guide you as most of them work in the tourist industry and have many amazing stories to
share.
2 The Narrows Zion Canyon is a sight to see located at the
Zion National Park in Utah, but it’s The Narrows which are some of the most intriguing
aspects of the park.
The Narrows are the narrowest section of Zion Canyon--it’s a fitting name if you ask us!
This gorge is one of the most popular parts of Zion National Park and makes for some pretty
spectacular photo opportunities.
If you’re an avid hiker than hiking along the Riverside Walk of the Narrows is great
for beginners or more advanced hikers.
In some areas the space is only 20 to 30 feet wide while the natural walls can be as tall
as 1,000 feet tall.
The most strenuous parts of the hike requires a 10-mile round trip hike that would take
all day or a sixteen mile downstream hike which takes one to two days to complete.
1 Hauntings at Yosemite National Park
If mysterious hauntings are more up your alley than Yosemite Park might be more your cup
of tea.
There are certainly a lot of stories about the canyon that peaked our interest.
One of the most notorious places near here is the former Ahwahnee Hotel--named after
a doomed tribe in the area.
It opened in 1927 near the Half Dome and at the time was viewed as one of the largest
and most luxurious hotels in the area.
It attracted tourists from all over the country, but now it’s become well-known for being
intensely haunted.
It’s not the hotels near Yosemite National Park that are haunted, but it’s believed
some of the landmarks are as well.
One of these ghosts is said to lurk in Grouse Lake and was first seen by Galen Clark in
1857--Clark also became one of Yosemite’s very first park rangers 10 years later.
The most famous story he told was of a strange experience as he was on a hike near the lake
he claimed he walked along the shores and then heard an unearthly, chilling wail that
stopped him dead in his tracks.
Clark was later curious enough to ask some of the Native Americans in the area if there
was an animal that made the noise nearby--but they told him it was the spirit of a tribal
boy who had tragically drowned there years ago and did not appreciate visitors.
It was claimed the spirit didn’t want anyone near the water and would attack anyone who
even set foot in the water.
The story even told of people being pulled into the lake and drowned by
the spirit.