CategoryOn the Cover

Covering nearly a million acres, Olympic National Park is known for its distinctly diverse ecosystems from temperate rainforests to glacier-capped mountains, not to mention its more than 70 miles of coastline. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

Acadia National Park is home to the highest mountains along the North Atlantic coast, including Cadillac Mountain, the U.S. mainland’s point of first contact with the rising sun most days of the year. Its landscape consists of woodland, desert, rocky beach and glaciated granite mountain. Its rich, varied biomes and habitats have made it one

Virgin Islands National Park occupies two thirds of St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The park’s 7,259 acres of terrestrial habitat feature mountainous landscapes and white sand beaches, but 40 percent of the park is under water, where sea turtles, manta ray, coral and mangroves alike find their home. —Prepared by the World

May 3, Soka Gakkai Day, is considered New Year’s Day in the SGI, a time when members stand up with fresh resolve to strive for peace and the happiness of all people. The cover photos of the sunrise across the U.S. leading up to May 3 signify a new dawn for everyone.

Haleakalā (House of the Sun), also known as the East Maui volcano, is a central feature of Haleakalā National Park. One of the world’s largest dormant volcanic craters lies atop Haleakalā’s 10,023-foot-summit. The juxtaposition of volcanic landscapes and subtropical rainforest makes for an unforgettable experience. The national park is also home to some endangered species

The Gateway Arch, nestled on the west bank of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, is named for the city’s role as the “Gateway to the West” during the U.S. westwardexpansion and celebrates the pioneers who helped shape the city’s history. The Gateway Arch National Park includes the Old Courthouse, where Dred Scott first sued

Located in Page, Arizona, within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation, Antelope Canyon consists of two sections. The upper canyon—elevated at about 4,000 feet with sandstone walls reaching 120 feet above the streambed—is referred to by the Navajo as Tse’bighanilini, which means “the place where water runs through rocks.” The lower canyon (pictured) is

Rocky Mountain National Park commands stunning views of its 415 square miles of land and mountain crests towering over 12,000 feet. It is also one of the highest national parks in the country, with elevations from 7,860 to 14,259 feet. The Continental Divide, a portion of which is reflected in Bierstadt Lake (pictured), runs approximately

Described as a “red-rock wonderland,” Arches National Park—located in southeast Utah, five miles north of Moab—is home to striking landscapes 65 million years in the making. This includes over 2,000 natural sandstone arches and massive balanced rocks.   The park’s crown jewel is Delicate Arch (see image), a 52-foot-tall freestanding arch widely celebrated as the

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve spans over 70,000 acres in West Virginia, protecting one of the oldest rivers in the Americas. The gorge can be traced back 500 million years to water draining from the slopes of the newly formed Appalachian Mountains. Because the river is so old, unique plant and animal species,

In the middle of the Tularosa Basin sits the world’s largest gypsum sand dune field, covering over 275 square miles of desert in New Mexico. Gypsum, a soft mineral left behind when water evaporates, rarely appears as sand. However, about 12,000 years ago, as the climate warmed, rain and snowmelt washed gypsum from the surrounding

Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for its crimson-colored rock spires called hoodoos. The park, situated on 35,000 acres in southwestern Utah, has more hoodoos than anywhere in the world. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, built between 1939 and 1943 in Washington, D.C., honors the third president of the United States. Covering 19.2 acres, the park centers on the white marble neoclassical monument that houses a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson. It honors the president’s ideals of beauty, science, learning, culture and liberty. —Prepared by the

Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, spans 1.5 million acres at the southern tip of Florida. The American alligator, the endangered leatherback turtle, Florida panther and West Indian manatee are among the diverse wildlife that make this wetland preserve their home. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

The diverse landscape of Coconino National Forest spans 1.8 million acres, ranging from southwestern desert to alpine tundra. It is also home to the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley of central Arizona, a rock art legacy from the Southern Sinagua people, who inhabited the region for a millennium. —Prepared by the World

Wrangell-St. Elias, the largest national park in the United States, spans 13.2 million acres, six times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Within its vast reach stand nine of the country’s 16 highest peaks. The Wrangell Mountains are volcanic, but only Mount Wrangell remains active. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

Mount Rainier, an active volcano, ascends 14,410 feet above sea level. Twenty-five centuries-old glaciers adorn this icon of the Washington landscape, making it the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

Known as the “Niagara of the West,” Shoshone Falls is a must-visit attraction located on the Snake River in Twin Falls, Idaho. At 212 feet tall and nearly 1,000 feet wide, Shoshone surpasses the height of the Niagara Falls. It is the largest natural waterfall in the United States. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff

Lake Superior certainly lives up to its name. At 31,700 square miles and with cold waters reaching depths greater than 1,300 feet, North America’s northernmost lake is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third largest by volume. Ten percent of the world’s surface fresh water is in this lake.

Spanning 3.4 million acres, Bridger-Teton National Forest is the largest intact ecosystem in the contiguous United States. Although well known for it’s larger mammals such as grizzly bears, moose and bighorn sheep, to name a few, the forest is also home to 355 species of birds. —Prepared by the World Tribune staff