"By the Act of March 1, 1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and placed it "under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior." The founding of Yellowstone National Park began a worldwide national park movement. Today more than 100 nations contain some 1,200 national parks or equivalent preserves.

In the years following the establishment of Yellowstone, the United States authorized additional national parks and monuments, many of them carved from the federal lands of the West. These, also, were administered by the Department of the Interior, while other monuments and natural and historical areas were administered by the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture. No single agency provided unified management of the varied federal parklands."

Humans have an innate drive to be in nature. The importance of national parks not only leans into the extreme benefits for the environment and wildlife but also benefits human lives. Spending even a few minutes outside between work periods has been scientifically proven to improve people's ability to focus on their work and have a more positive attitude as well as their general mental health and wellbeing. Having the chance to go to a national park and be fully immersed in nature for an extended period of time can have major benefits.

I have had the chance to visit about 15 National Parks in the United States and when I get the chance I will most definitely be going back to very many of them. The time you spend in a national park is filled with so much awe and greatness because of the amazing natural beauty of the area. The park I am planning on going back to first will be Yosemite National Park in Northern California. The hikes I had the chance to take there were some of the most spectacular. Climbing next to waterfalls and reaching the tops to overlook the expansive valleys below was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget.