Holy Smokes!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

June

What's the name of this crowded and smoggy national park?

Chartered in 1934 and officially dedicated by FDR six years later, this park straddles the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Elevations in the park range from a low of 876 feet to a height of 6,643 feet. In fact, 16 mountains within the park exceed 6,000 feet.

Did you know:

-- This is America's most visited national park, averaging more than 9 million visitors a year.

-- It is also considered the most polluted national park, recording approximately 150 unhealthy air days between 1999 and 2003.

Glaciers Galore!

Glacier National Park

May

What is the name of this lake-studded, mountainous
national wonder?

Located in Montana on the U.S.-Canadian border, this park covers more than a million acres and includes parts of two sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains. It also contains more than 130 named lakes, 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals.

When I took the train out to Portland, Oregon, a few years ago, my seatmate (whose name I don't recall) detrained here, to spend a few days enjoying the pristine beauty of what is known as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem."

Did you know:

-- Water flows from this park into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans.

-- The only road in the park, called the Going-to-the-Sun Road, was completed in 1932 and is a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It stretches 53 miles across the width of the park.

Grand, Indeed

Grand Teton National Park

April

What is the name of this peak-studded national park?

Located in northwestern Wyoming, this park was established twice: in 1929, to protect its mountain peaks and the lakes surrounding the bases of the mountains; and again in 1950, to protect the valley floors and the Jackson Hole National Monument. It covers approximately 310,000 acres, including more than 200 miles of hiking trails.

Did you know:

-- It is located just 10 miles south of Yellowstone.

-- Sixty-one species of mammals and more than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the park.

-- It is the only national park to allow hunting, but only of elk.

Old Faithful's Home

Yellowstone National Park