Читать книгу America's National Parks At a Glance - Thomas Crochetiere Crochetiere - Страница 14

P.O. Box 579 Death Valley, CA 92328

760-786-3280

Death Valley National Park is the largest National Park in the lower 48 states and contains a diverse desert environment of salt flats, sand dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons and mountains. A group of settlers became stuck in the valley in 1849 while looking for a shortcut to the California gold fields. It was at that time they gave the valley the name of Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park has a history of mining operations and ghost towns. Several boom towns sprang up during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries but they were short lived as the gold and silver they were seeking became harder to find. The park is home to a variety of wildlife and plants that have adapted to the harsh desert environment. Death Valley National Park is the hottest and driest of the National Parks in the U.S. and is located in the Mojave Desert. The park is located in California and Nevada.

Devils Postpile National Monument

P.O. Box 3999 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

760-934-2289

Devils Postpile National Monument protects the Devils Postpile, an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60-feet high and display an unusual symmetry. Along with the 101-foot high Rainbow Falls and pristine mountain scenery, the formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt (basalt features a glassy matrix interspersed with minerals).

Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site

P.O. Box 280 Danville, CA 94526

925-838-0249

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site preserves the Monterey Colonial hillside home of America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill. Eugene O’Neill called his home the Tao House. O'Neill and his wife, actress Carlotta Monterey, showed their interest in Asian art, decor and thought while preparing the home. The ceilings were dark blue to copy the sky above with dark wood floors representing the earth below. The home also had Noh masks, Chinese guardian statues and Chinese lacquerware furnishings throughout the interior. Outside, Carlotta installed a garden in a zigzag pattern which Chinese tradition indicated would keep away evil spirits. They also planted several trees, including pine, almond and redwood.

Fort Point National Historic Site

Fort Mason, Building 201 San Francisco, CA 94123

415-556-1693

Fort Point National Historic Site is a masonry seacoast fortification located at the southern side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. This fort was completed just before the American Civil War by the U.S. Army to defend San Francisco Bay against hostile warships. From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point defended the San Francisco Bay following California's Gold Rush through World War II. The parks beautifully arched casemates display the art of 3^rd system brick masonry and interacts gracefully with the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Building 201, Fort Mason San Francisco, CA 94123

415-561-4700

Golden Gate National Recreation Area protects over 80,000-acres of 19 separate ecosystems and historically significant landscapes. The park chronicles 200-years of history, from Native American culture, to Spanish Empire frontier, to the California Gold Rush, and the evolution of American coastal fortifications and growth of urban San Francisco Bay Area. Other features of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are Alcatraz Island, Fort Point National Historic Site, Muir Woods National Monument and Presidio of San Francisco. Golden Gate National Recreation Area is America’s most visited park unit within the National Park Service.

John Muir National Historic Site

4202 Alhambra Ave. Martinez, CA 94553

925-228-8860

Muir Woods National Monument protects an old growth costal redwood forest, one of a few such stands remaining in the San Francisco Bay area and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The forest was named in honor of John Muir (naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States) after William and Elizabeth Kent had purchased the land to preserve its beauty and restful wilderness and donated it to the federal government to protect it from destruction.

Joshua Tree National Park

74485 National Park Dr. Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

760-367-5500

Joshua Tree National Park has two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave across the northern part and the Colorado (part of the Sonoran Desert) along the southern boundary. The Joshua tree is the iconic symbol of the park, as are the rock and boulder formations. The park can seem unwelcoming, even brutal during the heat of summer when, in fact, it is delicate and extremely fragile.

Joshua Tree National Park encompasses some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. The park welcomes climbers and bouldering enthusiasts and is truly a world-class climbing destination. Joshua Tree has many miles of hiking trails; ranging from short walks and nature trails to more moderate hikes to much more challenging hikes. Boasting some of the darkest nights in Southern California, Joshua Tree National Park offers many visitors the chance to admire the Milky Way for the first time in their lives.