The mention of our national park system often evoke images of popular destinations such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, or the Great Smoky Mountains. National parks are considered as areas of great natural beauty which offers opportunities for hiking, camping, boating and other outdoor recreation. In fact, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act of August 1916, was not the main purpose of the National Park Service to provide recreational opportunities. The original intent was to “preserve landscapes and natural and historic objects and wildlife therein and to ensure the enjoyment of same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

The diversity of our parks system

Today, 390 units of the National Park, only 58 are designated as “national parks”. The classification system used by the National Park Service has 18 other names, including descriptive lists, such as lake shores, beaches and battlefields, and other securities that can not be fully classified due to diversity of resources within them.
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