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.

USA - New Mexico - Carlsbad Caverns National Park (2)

Located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southern New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains over 120 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down 265 million years ago. American Indians lived in the area twelve to fourteen thousand years ago; their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the park's boundaries.

Sent by Erica, a Postcrosser from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Thanks for getting the postcard stamped by the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

USA - Kentucky - Mammoth Cave National Park (3)

MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK - The 400-mile cave system in central Kentucky is the heart of this park wth underground treasures including the stunning Frozen Niagara - named so because it looks like a waterfall.

Sent by Karen, a postcrosser from Ohio, USA.

USA - Florida - Everglades National Park (2)

Everglades National Park / Florida

Sent by Gen from Punta Gorda in Florida, USA.

Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee,  American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.

An international treasure as well -  a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty (read further).

USA - California - Yosemite National Park (4)

Greetings From Yosemite National Park.

Sent by Irene from California, USA.

Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra.

First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more (read further).

U.S.A. - California - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park (2)

Sequoia National Park
Land of Giants, Sequoia National Park
The establishment of Sequoia National Park in 1890, even in its much smaller form, was a major first step in securing the giant trees and wondrous landscape for future generations. Several annexes and boundary expansions since that time have succeeded in protecting more of the area, but complete success will depend upon our appreciation and protection of the park into the future.

Sent by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Three Rivers, California.

U.S.A. - California - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (1)

SEQUOIA AND KINGS NATIONAL PARKS, CALIFORNIA
The twin national parks of Sequoia and Kings Canyon are located on the southern end of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. Elevations range from 1,700 feet at Ash Mountain to 14,495 feet at Mount Whitney's summit. Within these parks are found the largest groves of giant sequoia trees and also the largest individual sequoias.

Sent by Sequoia & Kings National Parks, Three Rivers, California.

Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California, in the United States. It was established on September 25, 1890. The park spans 404,063 acres (631.35 sq mi; 1,635.18 km²). Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the contiguous 48 United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level. The park is south of and contiguous with Kings Canyon National Park; the two are administered by the National Park Service together.

The park is famous for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, one of the largest trees on Earth. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five out of the ten largest trees in the world. The Giant Forest is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's General Grant Grove, home to the General Grant tree among other giant sequoias. The park's giant sequoia forests are part of 202,430 acres (81,921 ha) of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Indeed, the parks preserve a landscape that still resembles the southern Sierra Nevada before Euro-American settlement. (read further)

U.S.A.- Florida - Dry Tortugas National Park

DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK
Fort Jefferson, largest of the 19th century American coastal forts, is the central feature of the seven Dry Tortugas islands in the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles of Key west Florida. The park is famus for its bird and marine life, as well as  for its legends of pirates and sunken ships. Dr. Samuel A.Mudd, who set the broken leg of President Lincoln's assassin, was imprisoned here for several years until he was pardoned in 1869.

Sent by Staff of Dry Tortugas National Park.

Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park in the USA about 68 statute miles (109 km) west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago's coral reefs are the least disturbed of the Florida Keys reefs.

The park is noted for abundant sea life, tropical bird breeding grounds, colorful coral reefs and legends of shipwrecks and sunken treasures. The park's centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal fortress. Fort Jefferson is the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, and is composed of over 16 million bricks. Dry Tortugas is unique in its combination of a largely undisturbed tropical ecosystem with significant historic artifacts. The park is accessible only by seaplane or boat and averages 60,000 visitors each year. Activities include snorkeling, picnicking, birdwatching, camping,scuba diving, saltwater fishing and kayaking. (read further)

U.S.A. - Alaska - Kobuk Valley National Park

ALASKA
Base of a white spruce in midnight sun, Little Kobuk Sand Dunes, Kobuk Valley National Park.

Sent by Bernadette, a postcrosser from New Jersey, USA.

Kobuk Valley National Park is in northwestern Alaska 25 miles (40 km) north of the Arctic Circle. It was designated a United States National Park in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. It is noted for the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and caribou migration routes. The park offers backcountry camping, hiking, backpacking, and dog sledding. There are no designated trails or roads in the park, which at 1,750,716 acres (2,735.49 sq mi; 7,084.90 km²), is approximately the size of the state of Delaware. The park is entirely above the Arctic Circle.
No roads lead to the park. It is reachable by foot, dogsled, snowmobile, and chartered air taxis from Nome and Kotzebue year-round. The park is one of the least visited in the National Park System. (read further)

U.S.A. - California - Redwood National & State Parks (2)

Redwood National & State Parks
Big Tree
Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, California
Height 304-ft., diameter 21.6-ft., circumference 68-ft., estimated age 1,500-years. It is one of the largest and most easily accessible trees of the Coast Redwoods.

Sent by Francis from Oregon, USA.

U.S.A. - Texas - Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park
The Chisos Mountains were born of volcanoes, and erosion has left jagged peaks of lava and ash. The usually plaid Rio Grande patiently carries the Chisos, bit by bit, to the Gulf of Mexico, more than 800 miles away.

Sent by Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals.

The park covers 801,163 acres (1,252 sq mi; 3,242 km²). It is larger than the state of Rhode Island. Few other parks exceed this park's value for the protection and study of geologic and paleontologic resources. A variety of Cretaceous and Tertiary fossilorganisms exist in abundance. Archaeologists have discovered artifacts estimated to be 9,000 years old, and historic buildings and landscapes offer graphic illustration of life along the international border in the 19th century.

For more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km), the Rio Grande/Río Bravo forms the international boundary between Mexico and the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 244 miles (393 km) along that boundary. The park was named after the area, which is bounded by a large bend in the Texas-Mexico border (see map at right below).

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 land south of that channel, and the river, lies within Mexican territory. (read further)