first part National Parcs

White Sands

	Location: - in New Mexico, not too far from Arizona/California You can see: - a desert that consists of plaster (Putz) instead of sand - you can see white sand everywhere you look - 250 million years old area - yucca trees (in the middle of the desert) - rabbits, foxes, coyotes
	Access to the park: - by car Activities: - explore dunes on your own - take a tour - swim at Medano Creek Reasons to visit/ not visit: - Pro: rare view, unique - Con: hot, plaster sand can have bad impact on your health, but you can use protection

Mount Rainer National Park

Location:

- close to Seattle (Washington State)

You can see:

• Mount Rainer is a volcano

• elks, deer, chipmunks, mountain goats

• wildflowers, great flora

• Access to the park:

• by car/train

Activities:

• different hiking trails

• skiing

• swim in Carbon River

• have a volcano tour

Reasons to visit/ not visit:

• Pro: impressive and unusual volcano landscape, animals and activities

• Con: earthquakes can occur, volcano could erupt soon, rockslides

Grand Canyon National Park

Location:

• in Arizona, close to Las Vegas, Nevada You can see:

• beautifully shaped red stones (unique in the world)

• Colorado river on the ground of the Canyon

• climb up Mother Point and enjoy view (16 km wide)

• Mountain Lions, snakes, other animals

Access to the park:

• by car Activities:

• horseback riding

• helicopter ride

• hiking

• canoe tour

Reasons to visit/ not visit:

• Pro: impressive and unusual landscape, animals and activitie:

• Con: dangerous animals, too many visitors, expensive tours

Death Valley

	Location: California and Nevada, easy to reach from Las Vegas You can see: - the lowest, hottest and driest point in North America (85m below sea level, almost 50 degrees in July) - huge sand dunes in front of snow-covered mountains - salt lakes - mysterious stones in a dried mud bed with long tracks behind them (and nobody knows how they move)
	Access to the park: - by car Activities: - drive through breathtaking landscapes - walk in the dunes - visit a ghost town (former mining town) - take spectacular photographs -Reasons to visit/ not visit: - Pro: impressive and unusual landscapes - Con: can get very hot

Yellowstone National Park

Location: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (the park is 9.000 km2 big)

You can see:

• largest super-volcano on the American continent, UNESCO World heritage site

• 10.000 hot springs, 300 geysers

• impressive volcanic landscape

• many wild animals, e.g- grizzly bears, bison, wolves

Access to the park:

- by car or by bus

Activities:

• hiking (over 1.500 km of hiking trails on different levels)

• guided boat tours

• seminars and field trips led by rangers

Reasons to visit/ not visit:

• Pro: impressive nature, wild animals in their natural habitat

• Con: toxic gases, narrow streets

Great Smokey Mountains National Park

	Location: Tennessee and North Carolina
	You can see: - one of the oldest forests of the earth
	- beautiful mountain chains
	- the famous blue fog in the valleys
	- almost every species of animal or plant that live on the eastside of the US, including black bears
	-Access to the park:
	- by car
	Activities:
	- hiking (1300 km of trails)
	- driving scenic roads (over 600 km)
	- rafting on the Pidgeon River
	- watching wild animals like bears
	Reasons to visit/ not visit:
	- Pro: it's the most visited national park in the US; it's easy to reach from the east coast
	- Con: can get crowded