State Parks

Close relatives to the epic proportions of National Parks, the individual State Park systems are different only in that they are generally protected by local government bodies and can be maintained by entities below state level and often include county and city park entities. State parks are adored for their natural beauty, recreational conveniences and their environmental and cultural significance. Chances are wherever you live you are probably not far from one our country’s magnificent State Parks and that is what makes them so loveable. There are approximately 3,675 state park units in the United States and even that might be a conservative number.  This may surprise you, but in the United States a State Park can have an even older history than those of the national park service. State Parks can be thought of as the bloodline of the environmental resources for most of the states in the nation. In this regard, one of the oldest State Parks in the US is Georgia’s Indian Springs State Park which was identified in 1931 and before that was considered a Regional or Public Park.  State Parks became its own identification when the National Government decided that it had enough park units to maintain and felt it was necessary to make a distinction between a National and a State Park. It’s not always about the size, but generally often about the location and the resources and education it offers to the area that surrounds it.

State Park protected land

It really wasn’t until the 1930’s when State Parks were identified as they stand today. Before then, all park units were essentially ran and maintained on a National level. Today, both National and State Parks are preserved, protected and maintained by the National Parks Service team of committed environmental educators, scientists, archeologists, teachers, volunteers and rangers.  Most State Park entities included what’s known as protected areas. These very special and significant protected areas are locations which considered important on a state level for their environmental and cultural attributes. There are a number of examples of these protected lands in our State Parks, but generally they encompass everything from nature reserves to wildlife sanctuaries. Historic sites are considered “cultural landscapes” that are also protected on a State level, but do not fall under the category of being a protected area.

Convenient State Park locations

State parks often exist near major highways or they can exist in remote corners of the continent where a while variety of sites can be accessed with relative ease. State Parks are just like National Parks and offer an incredible glimpse into history, topography, culture and of course a birds eye view of our friends in the wildlife sanctuaries who share our planet and provide us with the ecosystem that keeps us all going.  State Park topography can include anything from everlasting forestlands to flat prairies and planes with rivers and lakes and cliffs for people to get breathtaking views of their planet. The compelling scenery, plant life and wildlife give our State Parks its charming nurturing appeal and they allow all of us to embrace the wonders of being part of a ever-widening collective of life.

Select a State