National Parks Exploration Series

Nestled in the heart of America s great plains are contrasting tastes of a sacred land that beckons the visitor to enter the nation's mysterious and glorious West. A land of soaring pinnacles, deep canyons, hidden caves, national monuments and countless wildlife sanctuaries. It is also the place of the inglorious death of famed gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickok and the most sacred spot for the Lakota Sioux. These contrasting tastes of the West, one soaring, rich in forests and water and the other barren and deeply eroded, are brought together by a shared geology and history. They are the Gateway to the Great American West. They are the Black Hills and the Badlands.

There is no place like it on the planet. Commonly called the four corners region, it contains more National Parks and Monuments than anywhere else in the world.Go on a thrilling exploration that uncovers the geology of the Colorado Plateau and the forces that have shaped this marvelous landscape. Enjoy breath-taking aerial views as you soar over hundreds of acres of awe-inspiring beauty. Discover the mystery and wonder of the Grand Canyon first-hand through in-depth interviews with the park rangers and ground tours that take you through the park just as if you were there yourself. The Colorado Plateau spans more than the states of New York, Illinois, Georgia and Virginia combined. Amidst all that landscape is one special gift for the human soul. To understand the awe-inspiring beauty is present in this one particular region of the planet, this thrilling exploration that uncovers the geology of the Colorado Plateau and the forces that have shaped this marvelous landscape.

On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed into existence the world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park. The 2.2 million acres of wilderness is the only complete mid-latitude ecosystem left on the planet. It s the only remaining temperate ecosystem large enough to contain the entire collection of large predators and broad enough to contain their prey. Yellowstone National Park is home to the world s most amazing geysers and hot springs including Old Faithful and the largest volcano on the continent. Discover the mystery and wonder of Yellowstone through in-depth interviews with the park rangers. Enjoy the awe-inspiring beauty through aerial and ground tours of the first national park, Yellowstone.

A park that today covers over 500,000 acres of breath-taking beauty: lush highland meadows, glorious waterfalls, pristine mountain streams, the highest mountain tops in the Appalachians, the largest stands of old-growth forest in the eastern United States. Great Smoky Mountain National Park rests in the geographic province known as the Blue Ridge Mountains, named for their distinctive blue appearance when seen from a distance. The park covers over 500,000 acres of breath-taking beauty, filled with lush highland meadows, glorious waterfalls, pristine mountain streams, the highest mountain tops in the Appalachians, and to crown it all, it encompasses one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. Witness the richness and wonder in this vivid exploration of the Great Smoky Mountains as you soar over hundreds of acres of majestic beauty.