An Introduction to the natural scenery of North America
Exploring Canada | Exploring the United States
The spectacular landscapes of Canada and the United States feature some of the most significant ecosystems on the Earth. The modern environmental movement arose in these two countries during the 19th century in response to increased industrialization, population, and degradation of the natural environment.
A watershed moment for environmental conservation came when the United States government established Yellowstone as the world's first National Park in 1872. Canada followed suit by establishing Banff National Park in 1885. Today, there are a bewildering number of parks and preserves all across North America which encompass a tremendous variety of natural landscapes.
Some of these places are easy to explore while others are extremely remote and difficult to get around in. Visitation to all of these parks has increased dramatically over the last few years and some of them are having problems coping with so many tourists. Preserving the ecological integrity of the parks while keeping them open to visitors will remain an ongoing challenge.
As the world shrinks and travel becomes easier, we can expect our outdoor sanctuaries to face more and more problems. By treading softly on the land and supporting initiatives which protect our environment, we can ensure that these special places remain special indefinitely.
The purpose of this web site � My goal here is simple; to provide the visitor with information and images on the various parks, national forest lands, and scenic drives that I have experienced during my travels in Canada and the US. I've tried to organize the site as intuitively as possible to make it easy for visitors to find the information and pictures that interest them. For the sake of simplicity, I have arranged the content according to State or Province, depending on whether the place in question is located in the US or Canada.
I welcome any feedback that you may have on the site. Obviously this web site is not a comprehensive inventory of every National Park or Scenic Drive in North America, nor does it aspire to do so - the content is specific only to those places I have explored first-hand. I do not include content on hikes or scenic drives that I personally have not undertaken. With that said, please enjoy the site and check back for additional content or subscribe to the RSS feed. � Dan Zachariah
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