National Park Service In The US

In 1872, the US government created the first National Park when it set aside a vast tract of territory for preservation under the Yellowstone Act. In 1916, it created the National Park Service under the Federal Department of the Interior. Since then, the National Park Service (NPS) has established governance over 284 sites containing 83.6 million acres (34 million hectares).

Some of the areas under the NPS are called National Parks, some are called National Monuments or National Historical Sites. They range in size from tiny areas that include a single historical building to the immense 13.2 million acre Wrangell St. Elias National Park in Alaska.

Nearly every National Park includes a visitor information center staffed by friendly courteous park rangers eager to help guests enjoy their visit. Most of them also include an array of facilities such as: roads, trails, parking lots, restrooms, snackbars, restaurants, hotels, camping sites, guided tours, horse or mule rides, and educational lectures. The quantity and quality of the visitor facilities vary from park to park. The most popular parks contain the widest assortment of facilities, but they often suffer from overuse. Some of the less popular parks offer only minimal facilities.

The National Park Service maintains a large web site that provides a lot of great information about each of the parks under their control: http://www.nps.gov The accommodations, camping, restaurants and other tourist facilities in each park are usually managed by an outside contractor, but reservation for most can be made on the Internet via links from the NPS web pages.

If you do not really want to rough it, you might consider a hotel.  You will find the lowest prices for hotels at http://www.standardvacationfinder.com If renting an RV, I might suggest CLICKING HERE!  I personal think you will be thankful that you did rent an RV!

If you plan on visiting more National Parks, then I suggest that you purchase a pass. 

National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass

Annual Pass - Cost $80
This pass is good for one year from date of sale. At parks with a per-vehicle fee, it covers the pass holder and accompanying passengers in a private vehicle. At parks with a per-person fee, it covers the pass holder plus three passengers (children under 16 years of age are admitted free).

Senior Pass - Cost $10
US citizens or permanent residents age 62 or older can obtain this lifetime pass only at a National Park. Like the Annual Pass, the Senior Pass covers the pass holder and accompanying passengers in a private vehicle at parks that charge a per-vehicle fee, and at parks with a per-person fee, it covers the pass holder plus three passengers (children under 16 years of age are admitted free). Senior Pass holders also receive a 50 percent discount on extra services such as camping, swimming and interpretive services.