ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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If you've ever camped in the wilderness, hiked to the top of a mountain, or run frantically [Man roasting marshmallows]

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from a ferocious and honey-crazed black bear... [Man running from a bear]

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…chances are you've probably spent time in one of America's National parks.

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Or else you live in a really interesting subdivision. [Sign for 'Bear Creek']

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Officially-designated National Parks haven't always been a thing. [National park locations shown on a map]

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They’re actually the product of the National Park Service, which was created with the purpose

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of protecting American landforms and bodies of water. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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Mostly from…Americans, sadly enough. [Girl next to tree that has 'Casey was here' carved into it]

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The very first National Park to be established by the National Park Service very well might

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be the most famous one of them all...

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Yellowstone National Park.

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Like Jellystone Park, but with fewer stolen picnic baskets.

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Yellowstone was officially created in 1872 with the purpose of protecting the land for

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[Yellowstone park location]

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future generations to enjoy.

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Assuming Yellowstone's volcano doesn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed any time soon… [Volcano smoking next to a bed]

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The National Park Service was created by President Woodrow Wilson, who worried that, without

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official protection…

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…it wouldn't be long before America ran out of natural beauty for visitors to admire.

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That’s not counting Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, of course. [Woodrow Wilson giving a speech]

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Preserving land for tourism isn't the only thing the National Park Service does.

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They also assist in scientific research. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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National parks give scientists access to protected land where climate, biomes and ecosystems [Scientists watch a bear poop]

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can be observed. [The scientists look amazed and write notes]

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The NPS also helps cities and towns protect their own historic landmarks so that tourists

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can enjoy them.

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Whether it's San Francisco's Alcatraz Island and its famous Alcatraz Prison… or Mark [Picture of Alcatraz]

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Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri…or the world’s largest donut in Inglewood,

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California…

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… the NPS will preserve it all.

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Okay, maybe not the donut. [Stop sign appears over the giant donut]

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National Parks can be found across the country in all four regions of the United States.

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There’s Yellowstone in the West, Big Ben National Park in the South, Apostle Islands [The parks locations are shown]

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National Lakeshore in the Midwest, and Arcadia National Park in the North.

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So the next time your family wants to start planning the next vacation, why not suggest [Kid pointing at the map of national parks]

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a nearby national park instead of something cliché and crowd-heavy, like a cruise or

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Disneyland?

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You don’t need a Fast Pass to observe nature…

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And if you go down a waterfall that's pretty much like flash mountain... [Boy jumping off a waterfall]

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