National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States, 3rd Edition: 400+ Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Historic Sites, Scenic Trails, Recreation Areas, and Seashores

This is such a comprehensive guide to all our National Parks, if you do any traveling around America at all it allows you to see just how to get there and what you will see when you do.This is a newer addition and they do not produce this every year.I love to give this as a retirement gift but it would be a good gift for a graduate or anyone going to another state or who just likes to travel.

I really enjoy having this book and will read up on national parks I’m planning on visiting. I’ve used it to determine which NPs to go to and what I want to see when I get there. There’s quite a bit of background information on aspects of the Parks, too.

Beautiful book, I am in love with it. Good coffee table book and a great gift.

Love this book. The internet is nice but there is something about having a book that makes it feel... better. I am taking my kids camping and this will come in handy for years to come when planning trips.

Given as a gift, and appreciated. Incredible photos. What I expect from Nat Geo.

National Geographic’s National Parks of the U.S. is a great book! It gives well-written overviews of national parks, recreation areas, monuments, memorials, historic parks & sites, battlefield & military parks & sites, scenic & historic trails, and natural areas (preserves, seashores, lakeshores, rivers, & reserves) in the United States. The photos and maps are first-rate, and the information is well-organized by region and state. This book is best used as a place to do initial trip planning. For more detailed information about a specific park, it’d be better to seek out additional resources (such as that park’s website).I did not give this book five stars because it’s not as complete as it leads you to believe. This book covers only places administered by the National Park System. Yes, you’ll find info on all 63 national parks. But the book excludes dozens of recreation areas, monuments, memorials, historic sites, and trails that most of us would consider to be “national” — places like Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The reason? They are administered by an agency other than the National Park Service. (I’m looking at you Forest Service.) So even though a parkland might include the word “National” in its name, you might not find it in this book. I get it: any author or publisher has to “draw a line” around the subject matter to be included and then exclude everything else. Otherwise, the book could become too large and unwieldy. But I think most people who enjoy the outdoors are not overly concerned about who exactly manages the national park they plan to visit. And when a book about national parklands bills itself as “complete” but then excludes many large and important national areas (a partial list is coming up), then it’s a problem.Here is a list of some of the larger (> 100,000 acres) national recreation areas and monuments you will NOT find in this book:National Recreation Areas:• Flaming Gorge (WY & UT)• Hells Canyon (OR & ID)• Land Between the Lakes (KY, TN)• Mount Rogers (VA)• Sawtooth (ID)• Smith River (CA)• Spring Mountains (NV)• White Mountains (AK)National Monuments:• Admiralty Island (AK)• Basin & Range (NV)• Berryessa Snow Mountain (CA)• Canyons of the Ancients (CO)• Carrizo Plain (CA)• Cascade–Siskiyou (OR & CA)• Gold Butte (NV)• Hanford Reach (WA)• Ironwood Forest (AZ)• Misty Fjords (AK)• Mojave Trails (CA)• Mount St. Helens Volcanic (WA)• Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks (NM)• Río Grande del Norte (NM)• San Gabriel Mountains (CA)• Sand to Snow (CA)• Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains (CA)• Sonoran Desert (AZ)• Upper Missouri River Breaks (MT)• Vermilion Cliffs (AZ)

Bought this as a gift for my husband. We love discovering and visiting new places together. The pictures are gorgeous and we can't wait to visit all the places on this book!

Good information