Often referred to as “America’s best idea,” our national parks offer amazing adventure and fantastic sights, but those are off-limits just now, while the parks are closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But we can still experience the parks while we stay at home through webcams, videos and multimedia galleries.
Here are some of the parks waiting for your virtual visits:
A U.S. Patent Office clerk turned field nurse, Clara Barton was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross. Her life and legacy are celebrated at Clara Barton National Historic Site , the Glen Echo, Maryland house that was her home for the last 15 years of her life, as well as the national headquarters of the American Red Cross, a dormitory for staff and a warehouse for relief supplies.
The thermal waters of Hot Springs National Park have drawn visitors for centuries. Originally a site for American Indians to quarry novaculite, the area’s hot springs became a favored destination for those seeking health treatments.
Virgin Islands National Park features gorgeous sandy beaches and palms, marine life in underwater coral reefs, ancient petroglyphs and plantation ruins.
The final home of Alexander Hamilton, one of our nation’s founding fathers, Hamilton Grange National Memorial tells his story, from humble beginnings as an orphan in the Caribbean to the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury.
Formed by a volcanic eruption and collapse, Crater Lake National Park features the deepest lake in the U.S., and one of the top ten deepest lakes in the world.
As the capital of the 19th century whaling industry, a haven along the Underground Railroad, and the home of legendary figures such as Frederick Douglass and Herman Melville, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park preserves cultural resources within the “city that lit the world.”
The annual blossoming of the cherry trees on the National Mall and Memorial Parks is a reminder of the beauty of spring. Plantings of cherry trees began in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the people of the United States from the people of Japan.
Established in 1792, Paterson, New Jersey, was a planned industrial city from the minds of Alexander Hamilton and the Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturers. Mills along the Passaic River manufactured cotton, silk, steam locomotives, rolls of paper and airplane engines. The Great Falls at Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park are central to the park’s story as their power was the inspiration for Hamilton to establish the city in this spot.
Channel Islands National Park along California’s southern coast preserves a variety of natural and cultural resources. The islands’ remote location is home to unique animals, plants and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth.
A gift from the people of France to the U.S., Statue of Liberty National Monument is recognized globally as a symbol of freedom and democracy. A welcoming figure for the millions of immigrants who entered the country through New York from 1886-1924, the statue was immortalized in Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” later engraved on a bronze plaque affixed to the base of the statue.
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Watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt is one of Yellowstone National Park’s most treasured traditions. But Old Faithful is just one of 500 active geysers in the park, and one of six that park rangers currently predict.
Established in 1918 to preserve features associated with one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions ever recorded, Katmai National Park and Preserve protects thousands of years of human history. The park’s millions of acres serve as an important protected habitat for salmon and thousands of brown bears, which can be seen in high concentrations across the park.
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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.