The National Park Service's Mike Litterst shares great tips for visiting some of the nation's top sites for breathtaking views and deep history.
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00:00 There are national parks in all 50 states,
00:02 but there's a dozen of them just in
00:04 or just about anyway in the Washington
00:07 DC area. Which of those parks feature
00:09 presidents? Well, we've probably got the
00:12 the greatest concentration of presidential
00:13 theme national parks.
00:14 The one that you opened with the
00:17 Washington Monument.
00:17 Of course, the Lincoln Memorial,
00:19 the Jefferson Memorial,
00:20 Frederick Franklin Delano Roosevelt
00:22 Memorial and our most recent presidential
00:24 memorial is the Dwight D Eisenhower
00:26 Memorial. But you think about it,
00:28 all of Washington DC named after George
00:30 Washington is in some ways a memorial
00:32 to the nation's first president.
00:34 So cool to think about it that way.
00:37 And absolutely right.
00:38 Obviously now I have to ask you,
00:40 look, we need a little bit of a weather
00:42 tie into everything here at Accuweather.
00:44 And unfortunately some of our national
00:46 parks have been impacted by extreme weather.
00:48 Thinking about, let's say Yellowstone,
00:50 for example,
00:51 what is the latest on those parks?
00:53 Even Death Valley as well that have
00:55 had some damage in terms of flooding,
00:57 especially in the last year or two.
00:59 National parks across the country
01:00 are seeing impacts from weather,
01:02 even right here in Washington DC.
01:04 The the seawall that protects the
01:06 tidal basin and the famous cherry
01:08 trees has been sinking and been
01:10 subject to sea level rise in recent years.
01:13 It's going to undergo a major
01:15 rehabilitation starting later this year.
01:17 Yellowstone that you mentioned the 2022
01:19 flood that destroyed so much infrastructure
01:21 in the northern part of the park.
01:24 A temporary road was opened up
01:25 about a year and a half ago,
01:28 or in the process now of getting
01:30 public input to help for it to
01:33 select a permanent road alignment
01:35 and beginning environmental
01:36 compliance process and Death Valley.
01:38 Two storms in the last six months
01:40 have brought more than three and a
01:42 half inches of rain twice as much as
01:45 they they typically see in an entire
01:48 year and for the first time in a long
01:50 time there's actually a lake in a dry
01:53 lake bed and dry in Death Valley.
01:55 So the parks are certainly being
01:57 impacted by the changing climate.
01:59 Oh, so scary to think about
02:01 all that flooding too.
02:02 Alright for the people,
02:03 maybe on a happier note here for people
02:05 planning spring break or summer vacation.
02:07 Look, we already mentioned there's
02:08 a park in every single state and
02:10 even then some what are some national
02:12 parks that folks might want to consider
02:14 visiting as they head toward the warmer
02:16 months. Any tips, any advice here?
02:18 Well, certainly you know there
02:19 are the big ones.
02:20 Everybody knows the Yellowstones,
02:22 the 70s, the Grand Canyons,
02:23 but there are more than 425
02:25 national parks across the country.
02:26 Chances are there's probably one
02:28 very close to where you are right now.
02:30 You might want to download the
02:32 National Park Service app that
02:34 can help you choose one based on
02:36 your interest or where you're going to go.
02:40 Do some research before you go.
02:42 Get online either our social media
02:44 channels or NPS.gov the website.
02:45 Help make your plans that way.
02:47 If you're going to be visiting a lot of
02:50 parks, maybe think about getting the
02:52 America the Beautiful Pass which will
02:54 save you money in the long run.
02:56 And of course,
02:57 if you're traveling with kids,
02:58 look for the Junior Ranger program
03:00 when you go to a park.
03:02 Activities that you can do while
03:04 you're there and get a nice Junior
03:06 Ranger badge or patch when you're finished.