USA - Utah - Delicate Arch

DELICATE ARCH

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

Probably the best known of the arches in this area, Delicate Arch, is considered by many to be the symbol of Arches National Park. The arch is reached by a 1.5 mile hike and is especially beautiful at sunset.

Sent by Kathleen from Nevada, USA.

Delicate Arch is a 52-foot-tall (16 m) freestanding natural arch located in Arches National Park, near Moab in Grand County, Utah, United States. The arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on Utah license plates and a postage stamp commemorating Utah's centennial anniversary of admission to the Union in 1896. The Olympic torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch.

Because of its distinctive shape, the arch was known as "the Chaps" and "the Schoolmarm's Bloomers" by local cowboys. Many other names have been applied to this arch including "Bloomers Arch", "Marys Bloomers", "Old Maids Bloomers", "Pants Crotch", "Salt Wash Arch", and "School Marms Pants". The arch was given its current name by Frank Beckwith, leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, who explored the area in the winter of 1933–1934. Although there is a rumor that the names of Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch were inadvertently exchanged due to a signage mixup by the National Park Service (NPS), this is false (read more).

USA - South Dakota - Wind Cave National Park (3)

The cave passages are said to "breathe" because air flows in and out, making the air pressure inside the cave the same as outside. 

Sent by Kimberley from Utah, USA. 

This is my third postcard of Wind Cave National Park. The other two are here and here.

Wind Cave National Park protects two very different worlds - one deep within the earth, the other a sunlit world of many resources. Bison, elk, and other wildlife roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides of one of America's oldest national parks. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world (read more).

USA - California - Yosemite National Park (5)

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, a prominent granite dome located in Yosemite Valley, California.

Sent by Liz from San Diego in California, USA.

This is my fifth postcard of Yosemite National Park. The other four are here, here, here, and here.

Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. It stands at over 8,800 feet above sea level and is composed of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that solidified several thousand feet within the Earth. At its core are the remains of a magma chamber that cooled slowly and crystallized beneath the Earth's surface. The solidified magma chamber was then exposed and cut in half by erosion, therefore leading to the geographic name Half Dome.

The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome that has lost its northwest half, is just an illusion. From Washburn Point, Half Dome can be seen as a thin ridge of rock, an arête, that is oriented northeast–southwest, with its southeast side almost as steep as its northwest side except for the very top. Although the trend of this ridge, as well as that of Tenaya Canyon, is probably controlled by master joints, 80 percent of the northwest "half" of the original dome may well still be there (read more).

USA - Texas - Big Bend National Park (3)

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas includes the entire Chisos mountain range and a large swath of the Chihuahuan Desert. The park is a geological marvel evidenced in sea fossils, dinosaur bones, and volcanic dikes. Pictured here is the Santa Elena Canyon, carved by the Rio Grande. Floating down the Rio Grande is considered an international trip and a passport is required.

Sent by Yumiko from New Mexico, USA.

Big Bend National Park is a national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo. The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. Additional park activities include scenic drives, programs led by Big Bend park rangers, and stargazing.

The area has a rich cultural history, from archeological sites dating back nearly 10,000 years to more recent pioneers, ranchers, and miners. The Chisos Mountains are located in the park, and are the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a national park. Geological features in the park include sea fossils and dinosaur bones, as well as volcanic dikes.

The park encompasses an area of 801,163 acres (1,251.8 sq mi; 3,242.2 km²), entirely within Brewster County. For more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km), the Rio Grande/Río Bravo forms the boundary between Mexico and the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 118 miles (190 km) along that boundary.

Because the Rio Grande serves as an international boundary, the park faces unusual constraints while administering and enforcing park rules, regulations, and policies. In accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the park's territory extends only to the center of the deepest river channel as the river flowed in 1848. The rest of the channel and the land south of it lies within Mexican territory. The park is bordered by the protected areas of Cañón de Santa Elena and Maderas del Carmen in Mexico (read more).

USA - California - Kings Canyon National Park

KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK

The vast river gorge and immense sequoias in this Sierra Nevada mountain park are accompanied by several intense waterfalls and many lakes.

Sent by Jess from Ohio, USA.

Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The majority of the 461,901-acre (186,925 ha) park, drained by the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River and many smaller streams, is designated wilderness. Tourist facilities are concentrated in two areas: Grant Grove, home to General Grant (the second largest tree in the world, measured by trunk volume) and Cedar Grove, located in the heart of Kings Canyon. Overnight hiking is required to access most of the park's backcountry, or high country, which for much of the year is covered in deep snow. The combined Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail, a backpacking route, traverses the entire length of the park from north to south (read more).

USA - Utah - Bryce Canyon National Park

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Bryce Canyon National Park is named for one of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. Erosion has shaped colorful Claron limestones, sandstones and mudstones into thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles and mazes. Collectively called "hoodoos," these unique formations are whimsically arranged and tinted with colors too numerous and subtle to name. Ponderosa pines, high elevation meadows and fir-spruce forests border the rim of the plateau, while panoramic views of three states spread beyond the park's boundaries.

Sent by Mia from California, USA.

This is my second Bryce Canyon postcard. My first postcard is here.

USA - Missouri - Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park was authorized in 1935 to commemorate Saint Louis role in the westward expansion of the United States during the 19th century. The park honors Thomas Jefferson's vision of a continental nation, which was the inspiration for architect Eero Saarinen's soaring 630 foot stainless steel Gateway Arch. In addition to the Arch and the museum beneath it, the Old Courthouse, scene of the historic Dred Scott case, is a major landmark in the story of the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

Sent by Allison from Saint Louis in Missouri, USA.

Gateway Arch National Park is a national park of the United States located in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

In its initial form as a national memorial, it was established in 1935 to commemorate:

• the Louisiana Purchase and subsequent westward movement of American explorers and pioneers;
• the first civil government west of the Mississippi River; and
• the debate over slavery raised by the Dred Scott case.

The national park consists of the Gateway Arch, a steel catenary arch that has become the definitive icon of St. Louis; a park along the Mississippi River on the site of the earliest buildings of the city; the Old Courthouse, a former state and federal courthouse where the Dred Scott case originated; and the 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m²) museum at the Gateway Arch. It is the smallest national park in the United States at 192.83 acres (78.04 ha), less than 2% the size of the next-smallest, Hot Springs National Park.

The immediate surroundings of the Gateway Arch were initially designated the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial by secretarial order on December 21, 1935. The Gateway Arch was completed on October 28, 1965. The park is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) (read more).

USA - Arizona - Saguaro National Park (2)

SAGUARO National Park

ARIZONA

A land of mysteries. A dry desert teeming with wildlife and dense plant life. And always the saguaros with arms reaching toward the blue sky. A rugged terrain beckons visitors to explore and discover Saguaro National Park, a place to wander and wonder.

Sent by Adrienne from Nashville in Tennessee, USA.

My first postcard of Saguaro National Park is here.

USA - Kentucky - Mammoth Cave National Park (4)

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - Park Entrance Sign.

Sent by Keith from Kentucky, USA.

My other postcards of Mammoth Cave National Park are here, here, and here.

USA - South Dakota - Wind Cave National Park (2)

Wind Cave National Park was established in 1903, the 6th park among America's 59 National Parks. Located in South Dakota, the vast Wind Cave has over 142 mies of passages with chambers like Post Office, Jungle Gym, Elbow Room and Ginsu Alley. The cave's wall are rich in honeycomb-shaped calcite formations known as boxwork. Prairie grasslands and pine forests are home to bison, elk and pronghorn antelope.

Sent by Sharon from Chicago in Illinois, USA.

My first Wind Cave National Park postcard is here.

USA - Texas - Big Bend National Park (2)

The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. EST. 1944.

Sent by Karla from Alamo in California, USA.

This is my second postcard of Big Bend National Park. The first one is here.

USA - Nevada - Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park. NEVADA.

Sent by Kyrienne from Sacramento in California, USA. 

Great Basin National Park is a national park of the United States located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border. Established 39 years ago in 1986, the park is most commonly entered by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U.S. Routes 6 and 50 by Nevada State Route 487 via the small town of Baker, the closest settlement.

The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is known as the Basin and Range Province. The park is located about 290 miles (470 km) north of Las Vegas and protects 77,180 acres (121 sq mi; 312 km²).

The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known living non-clonal organisms; Lehman Caves; Wheeler Peak Glacier, below 13,063-foot (3,982 m) Wheeler Peak; and some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States (read more).

USA - South Dakota - Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park

SOUTH DAKOTA

You and your family will have a great exploring the many rooms in Wind Cave. The informative tour, offered a number of times a day by the National Park Service, is not fatiguing. In this card yu can see the interesting boxwork on the ceiling.

Sent by Karolyn who lives near St. Louis in Missouri, USA.

Wind Cave National Park is a national park of the United States located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established on January 3, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the sixth national park in the U.S. and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its calcite formations known as boxwork, as well as its frostwork. Approximately 95 percent of the world's discovered boxwork formations are found in Wind Cave.

Wind Cave is one of the best known examples of a breathing cave. The cave is recognized as the densest cave system in the world, with the greatest passage volume per cubic mile. Wind Cave is the sixth longest cave in the world with 168.02 miles (270.40 km) of explored cave passageways (as of 2025) and the third longest cave in the United States, though it is only the second longest cave in Custer County, South Dakota behind Jewel Cave. Despite the close proximity, no connection has ever been found between Wind Cave and Jewel Cave and most geologists believe the caves are not connected. Above ground, the park includes the largest remaining natural mixed grass prairie in the United States, as well as the southern terminus of the South Dakota Centennial Trail (read more).

USA - Michigan - Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale National Park was established in 1940, the 23rd among America's National Parks. The park is a remote island cluster in Lake Superior, near Michigan's border with Canada. Isle Royale is the largest island's in Lake Superior measuring over 45 miles in length and 9 miles at its widest point. It's a car-free wilderness of forest, lakes and waterways. The island is accessible only by boat or floatplane.

Sent by Nicole from Ohio, USA. 

Isle Royale National Park is a national park of the United States consisting of Isle Royale, along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in Michigan.

Isle Royale is 45 mi (72 km) long and 9 mi (14 km) wide, with an area of 206.73 sq mi (535.4 km²), making it the fourth-largest lake island in the world. In addition, it is the largest natural island in Lake Superior, the second-largest island in the Great Lakes (after Manitoulin Island), the third-largest in the contiguous United States (after Long Island and Padre Island), and the 33rd-largest island in the United States.

Isle Royale National Park was established on April 3, 1940, then additionally protected from development by wilderness area designation in 1976, declared a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1980, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 as the Minong Traditional Cultural Property. The park covers 894 sq mi (2,320 km²), with 209 sq mi (540 km²) of land and 685 sq mi (1,770 km²) of surrounding waters.

The park's northern boundary lies adjacent to the Canadian Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area along the international border. With 25,894 visits in 2021, it is the seventh least-visited National Park in the United States (read more).

USA - Maine - Acadia National Park - Boulder Beach

BOULDER BEACH

This famous beach in Acadia National Park in Maine, USA is strewn with egg shaped stones smoothed by the relentless erosive actions of pounding waves.

Sent by Daniel from Massachusetts, USA.

My other two Acadia National Park postcards are here and here.

Boulder Beach is great for shooting with a ND filter as the waves create a soft, milky flow. Be careful though a getting to the beach some effort. You are walking on rocks and boulders and the footing is very unsteady. After scrambling down a steep incline, However slow and steady and the effort will be worth it. It can get pretty crowded so go early and stake your spot (read more).

USA - Arizona - Petrified Forest National Park (3)

Petrified Forest National Park.

Petrified wood is made of a dense quartz material that resists erosion. This dense quartz, along with small quantities of other substances, replaces the original wood of the log and creates the rainbow color seen within the petrified wood.

Sent by Jane from Arizona, USA.

My other two Petrified Forest National Park postcards are here and here.

USA - Washington - North Cascades National Park

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK

Glaciers, waterfalls, alpine lakes, and conifers are found in this gorgeous patch of wilderness in the Evergreen State of Washington, but the mountains themselves take center stage.

Sent by Mandy from Tacoma in Washington, USA.

Less than three hours from Seattle, an alpine landscape beckons. Discover communities of life adapted to moisture in the west and recurring fire in the east. Explore jagged peaks crowned by more than 300 glaciers. Listen to cascading waters in forested valleys. Witness a landscape sensitive to the Earth's changing climate. Help steward the ecological heart of the Cascades (read further).

USA - California - Lassen Volcanic National Park

LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK

Sulphur vents, mud pots, and lava rocks remind visitors of Lassen Peak's ruptured past and continued activity, contrasting wildflower meadows, forests, and alpine lakes in this California park.

Sent by Peggy from Monterey Bay, California, USA. 

Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to steaming fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to shape the land (read further).

USA - Alaska - Lake Clark National Park

Lake Clark National Park was established in 1980, the 47th among America's National Parks. Alaska's Lake Clark is 4 million acres of stunning beauty where volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, and mountain reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes. The local people still depend on the land and water. The park is not on the road system; therefore, access is primarily by small aircraft.

Sent by /CaptivatingApple from USA. 

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a land of stunning beauty. Volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage, and craggy mountains reflect in shimmering turquoise lakes. Here, too, local people and culture still depend on the land and water. Venture into the park to become part of the wilderness (read further).

USA - Utah - Zion National Park (3)

RED ARCH MOUNTAIN

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

Gigantic red sandstone monument known as the Red Arch Mountain, towers above the meandering Virgin River.

Sent by CAJW from Texas, USA.

My other two Zion National Park postcards are here and here.