Yellowstone is the world’s first national park. The temperatures here average around 80 degrees in July and 10 degrees in January. Approximately 5% of the park is covered by water, 15% grassland, and 80% forested. The park is over 3,000 square mile. There are hot-springs, geysers, and a ton of wildlife.

    Sequoia National Park was established in 1890. The park is home to 1,469 plant species. 48 different kinds of trees can also be found there, including the Giant Sequoia. Sequoia is home to the largest living thing on Earth… the General Sherman Tree. But you can hear about that later. In 2000, more than a million people visited the park. George W. Bush was the first president to visit Sequoia National Park while in office. This occurred in 2001.

Yosemite National Park

    Yosemite National Park is the size of Rhode Island. There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails that cross the green meadows of the park. There are a variety of animals protected here including black bears, mule deer, and a ton of birds. You can rock climb, hike, bike, horseback riding, camp, ski, and even snowshoe.

    Here in Estes Park, you’ll experience the breathtaking landscape of the mountains. You can enjoy the rich historical tours or just wing it on your own. Either way, you’ll never be able to see it all in one trip, but you can always go back for more.

    The Badlands are a great way to learn about our country’s history. It also helps us know about the geography of our country years ago. Did you know that the Badlands are really part of an ocean floor? It dried up billions upon billions of years ago. This would be a good thing to visit on your way to Mt. Rushmore, since it’s not an all day thing.

    Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a unique and spectacular landscape that was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

    These Bison are very popular in Yellowstone. They travel in herds except for the large males.  If you ever get caught in a traffic jam in Yellowstone it is probably because there is a herd of bison walking down the middle of the road.  Don’t blow your horn or they will ram your car. 

    We saw this mountain goat on the way to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. They only eat plants, grass, and berries.

    We found Moose in the Rocky Mountains.  They attracted a huge crowd because it is rare to see them.  The males and mothers can get agitated and protective, so it is best to stay within 50 feet of them.

    This is a chipmunk. The people in the West call them ground squirrels. We put a cooking pot outside to cool and later found a Ground Squirrel inside it! Be sure to keep your food insider… because you never know when something larger may come along.

    Rocky Mountain National Park Black bears are commonly brown or cinnamon colored. They’re smaller than average size are do to the regions short growing season and long winters. 

    Buck Mule Deer with velvet like antlers, band together before the “rut”. Feeding mostly at night, mule deer are the chief prey of mountain lions.

    Majestic big horn sheep symbolize the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains.  Although both sexes have horns, rams carry the massive spiraling horns used for head-on butting during breeding season.

    Coyotes are highly adaptable carnivores, consuming virtually anything. Their principle diet consists of small mammals and birds, and is supplemented with deer and elk carrion.

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