Prove Your National Park Smarts!

Try a little trivia and see how much knowledge you’re conserving from all those travels.

Yellowstone was the nation’s first national park. In what year was it established?

A. 1848, after the Mexican-American War.
B. 1872, after the Hayden Geological Survey.
C. 1901, after the election of Teddy Roosevelt.
D. 1933, after FDR signed the First New Deal.

Answer: B. Don’t be fooled by nature-loving Teddy. The history of national parks began well before his two terms as president and conservationist in chief

John Muir, the father of national parks, famously wrote: The mountains are calling and I must go.” Which national park’s mountains were calling?

A. Mount Rainier.
B. Grand Teton.
C. Rocky Mountain.
D. Yosemite.

Answer: D Follow the footsteps of John Muir into Yosemite’s mountains—and other national parks. That is unless other mountains are calling you.

Crater Lake National Park has the nation’s deepest lake. How deep does it go?

A. 788 feet.
B. 1,943 feet.
C. 5,387 feet.
D. 20,000 leagues.

Answer: B  Take it easy, Captain Nemo: Crater Lake only goes 1,943 feet deep. Which we still think is pretty far down for a lake with a volcano in it.

Sure, Alaska has the four largest national parks. (How very Alaska of Alaska.) But what’s the largest national park in the Lower 48?

A. Death Valley.
B. Yellowstone.
C. Everglades.
D. Badlands.

 Answer: A Death Valley be like, “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.” At 3.4 million acres, Death Valley reigns as king of the Lower 48. And speaking of those works, you’ll wanna see them. Rocks mysteriously move across the Mojave, and stars blaze at night. Just pick a season that isn’t summer

Mammoth Cave National Park got its name because …

A. It’s like … really big.
B. Wooly mammoth fossils were found there.
C. It’s the world’s largest cave.
D. The parking lot is YUGE

Answer: A  Don’t overthink this one. Mammoth cave is massive (ranking just behind the Son Doong Cave in Vietnam), and it’s a thrill for kids and adults alike.

The world’s largest living tree is found in Redwood National Park.

A. True.
B. False.

Answer: B If we’d said, “tallest living tree,” this statement would be true. Redwoods’ Hyperion is 380 feet tall, but Sequoia National Park’s General Sherman is the largest tree on earth at 52,000 cubic feet and 37 feet across.

Which national park receives the most visits each year?

A. Yosemite.
B. Grand Canyon.
C. Great Smoky Mountains.
D. Zion.

Answer: C  Year after year, the  Great Smoky Mountains top the list for attendance. Maybe it’s a gift of geography. Maybe it’s those jaw-dropping autumn views. Either way, check out Page 56 if you’re looking forward to falling.