12 Oldest National Parks

Above, Lower Yellowstone Falls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Did you know that there were 12 national parks in the United State in existence before the formation of the National Park Service?

Yes, this is true. Do you know which ones?

In case you don't, the Huffington Post has an article on the 12 oldest national parks.

They begin with:

The USA’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, is 145 years old this year. As a testimony to the kind of protection that national park status brings, Yellowstone remains one of the best wildlife habitats in the country. Not only are there both grizzly and black bears, here you can also find wolves, bison, elk, moose, several species of deer, mountain goats and mountain lions. 

Here are the 12 oldest national parks in the USA, all of which existed before the National Parks Service was formed in 1916.

To see what the other 11 national parks are, go here.