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• Park Cape Krusenstern National Monument For 5,000 years, native people have hunted and fished the shores of the Chukchi Sea, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Trapped in the layered beach ridges, anthropologists have discovered evidence of human life that pre-dates the pyramids. Today, this remote stretch of land is home to the Inupiat, who still hunt seal for food, oil and hides. The national monument encompasses 70 miles of the shifting Chukchi shoreline. Experienced backcountry visitors can hike the wild beaches, watch waterfowl and wildlife, fish, and sea kayak.
• Park Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitors can only get to the remote beaches on these barrier islands by taking a boat to one of the park’s five ferry landings. Aside from a few historic buildings, including the park’s checkered lighthouse, the beaches are wild and undeveloped, with little company, aside from shorebirds, marine animals and more than 100 wild horses that roam the islands. The park offers an idyllic setting for beachcombing, fishing, birdwatching, lighthouse climbing and touring historic villages dating back to Colonial times.
• Park Capitol Reef National Park This park protects a grand and colorful geologic feature known as the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile wrinkle in the Earth's crust known as a monocline that extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to Lake Powell. The park also preserves the unique natural and cultural history of the Fremont people who lived throughout Utah and adjacent states from 700 to 1300 AD. The park features petroglyphs, pictograms and artifacts of the Fremont people, as well as a wealth of layered sandstone rock formations, multicolored mesas and buttes, and sweeping, colorful desert views in all directions.
• Park Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designated as the first national water trail, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail follows the historic routes of the English explorer’s voyages between 1607 and 1609 on the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the York, James and other rivers. Following Smith’s original maps and journals, the trail spans 3,000 miles in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.
• Park Capulin Volcano National Monument The Capulin Volcano last erupted more than 60,000 years ago. From a vent in the earth, pressurized magma exploded into the air, raining lava rock, fire and ash onto the local population of mammoth, bison and short-faced bears. The cinder cone that remains now rises 1,000 feet above the valley floor. The park's visitor center holds exhibits about the volcano and the geologic and human history of the region. Capulin is one of several volcanic peaks in the area, and the only one that still has a visible crater. The rich soil supports a thriving ecosystem of plants and animals, including wild turkey, mule deer and black bear.
• Park Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site An author, songwriter and poet, Carl Sandburg wrote about the hopes, dreams, struggles and triumphs of everyday Americans. He won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for a biography of Abraham Lincoln and the other for a collection of his poems. The son of Swedish immigrants, he spent his life exploring and defining what it means to be an American. He revered the working class, which he considered to be the backbone of the nation. Sandburg's home, named Connemara by a previous owner, sits on 264 lush acres, criss-crossed by five miles of trails, and still inhabited by three breeds of goats favored by Mrs. Sandburg. Visit Connemara to learn more about Sandburg’s writing and drink in the quietude of western North Carolina.
• Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park Deep beneath the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico is a labyrinth of more than 300 limestone caves, carved over 250 million years ago.
• Park Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Known as “the Father of Black History,” Carter G. Woodson was a scholar, author, educator and journalist who dedicated his life to documenting and promoting stories of the African American experience.
• Park Casa Grande Ruins National Monument The Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona features the "Great House" of the Gila Valley's ancient Hohokam people — one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America. The structure’s purpose remains mysterious despite extensive archaeological excavation. Walk around the Casa Grande structure and wander the desert landscape that surrounds the site to expose yourself to the mystery of America’s ancient human history.
• Park Castillo de San Marcos National Monument This monument on the East Coast of Florida commemorates the fierce clashes between European powers over the spoils of the New World. St. Augustine, Florida, was the northernmost point of a vast Spanish empire that included Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. In the late 17th century, Spain built Castillo de San Marcos to defend the city against both pirates and British forces. The castle withstood an attack by the English in 1702 that left the rest of St. Augustine burned to the ground. Although the fortress was eventually claimed by England and later America via treaty, it was never taken by force. Today the bastion's history is told via weapons demonstrations, ranger talks and detailed museum exhibits.
• Park Castle Clinton National Monument Originally serving as a fort during the War of 1812, Castle Clinton has had a rich and colorful history. Known in later years as Castle Garden, the site became an entertainment venue, serving as a music hall, theater, opera house and aquarium — and, for more than 30 years before the opening of Ellis Island in the 1890s, it served as the entrance point and processing station for millions of new immigrants to the United States.
• Park Castle Mountains National Monument From the sweeping vistas atop towering Hart Mountain to the rocky canyons and sandy washes of the valley floor below, Castle Mountains National Monument celebrates the spirit of adventure, inspiration and sense of wonder evoked by the California desert.
• Park Catoctin Mountain Park Visitors to Catoctin Mountain Park find streams replete with native trout; forests of maple, hickory, ash, oak and cherry trees; and air alive with the sounds of birds, chipmunks and other wildlife. The park’s beauty is a triumph of nature’s ability to heal: the area was devastated by logging and agriculture during the 18th and 19th centuries. Catoctin Mountain is also the site of the presidential retreat, Camp David.
• Park Cedar Breaks National Monument Millions of years of erosion created this spectacular amphitheater, which measures three miles across and half a mile deep. The park features colorful arches, spires, pinnacles and hoodoos, and Native Americans called this area the "Circle of Painted Cliffs." The rim of the canyon features subalpine forestland of ponderosa pine and quaking aspen, as well as meadows that burst with wildflowers each summer.
• Park Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park commemorates the rich heritage of the Shenandoah Valley and the Cedar Creek Civil War battlefield where two future presidents — Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley — served.
• Park César E. Chávez National Monument This national monument honors one of the most important U.S. labor and human rights leaders of the 20th century. César Chávez co-founded the United Farm Workers of America in 1962, the first agricultural labor union in the nation.
• Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves five Chacoan "great houses" where people from various clans congregated to trade goods, share ideas and celebrate events a thousand years ago. The structures demonstrate the high skill of the Chacoan people, with sophisticated architecture and construction methods. Explore the nine-mile park road and backcountry trails by day; after dark, the park's night sky program offers the chance to view the stars from this sacred and special place.
• Park Chamizal National Memorial For years, the Rio Grande marked the U.S.-Mexican border between El Paso and Juarez. When flooding and other natural processes changed the course of the river, it created land disputes between the neighboring nations that went unresolved for more than 100 years. The Chamizal National Memorial is dedicated to preserving the spirit of cooperation and diplomacy that resulted in the 1963 treaty between the two countries ending the boundary issue. It is one of just two national park sites in the United States that commemorates a peaceful solution to an international boundary dispute.
• Park Channel Islands National Park Sometimes referred to as the “Galapagos of North America,” these five islands serve as critical habitat for a variety of vulnerable and recovering animals, including the island night lizard, the threatened Scripps's murrelet, the snowy plover and the park’s distinctive island fox, found nowhere else in the world. The nutrient-rich waters and kelp forests surrounding the park nurture a surprising diversity of marine life as well, including dolphins, whales and exotic-looking starfish. Only accessible by boat or plane, visitors can explore the islands' isolated trails, rocky beaches and pristine coves in relative solitude.
• Park Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Charles Pinckney's home near Charleston is preserved today to tell the story of this "forgotten founder's" life and role in the creation of the United States Constitution. Pinckney was an 18th-century politician and Southern plantation owner who first gained recognition for rejecting the Articles of Confederation, a precursor to the U.S. Constitution, in 1783. This national historic site in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, preserves Pinckney’s former home at Snee Farm, interprets his life and the lives of all the farm’s past inhabitants, including enslaved men and women, and interprets the early history of the United States and the Gullah culture of the descendants of enslaved people of the region.
• Park Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument Colonel Charles Young lived a remarkable life, overcoming racism and injustice to become a respected military officer, park steward and inspirational leader.
• Park Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area This national recreation area offers extraordinary opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in the suburbs just north of Atlanta, Georgia. The park preserves 48 miles of river and more than 50 miles of hiking trails that span 15 parcels of land along the river's banks. Boaters can paddle or tube the river, which varies in difficulty from calm conditions to class II rapids. The recreation area also offers excellent trout, bass and catfish fishing and scenic spots to picnic along the water.
• Park Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Originally built to transport coal, lumber, grain and other agricultural products, the 184.5 miles of this historical park showcase American transportation history while providing a beautiful place for visitors to hike and bike along the waterway.
• Park Chickamauga And Chattanooga National Military Park This site is the nation’s oldest and largest military park. Among towering oaks, more than 600 monuments and markers invite visitors to pause and reflect on the costly battles waged here over the course of several months in 1863. Union and Confederate forces fought here for control of Chattanooga and, ultimately, nearly all of Tennessee; though Confederates claimed an initial victory at Chickamauga, Federal forces eventually overtook Confederate troops and pushed them back into Georgia. In addition to the cannons, monuments and markers, the park’s historic cabins, living history program and extensive museum collection allow visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the events that took place here more than 150 years ago.
• Park Chickasaw National Recreation Area This National Recreation Area in Oklahoma features springs, streams and lakes which attract swimmers, anglers and boaters alike. Six campgrounds and forest trails also provide for great family outings.
• Park Chiricahua National Monument This national monument in southern Arizona is a fantasy world of extraordinary rock sculptures created by the forces of nature over millions of years. Visitors can experience these hoodoos and other geologic wonders, enjoy mountain views, and see some of the rich animal and plant diversity in the park by exploring the eight-mile paved scenic drive and 17 miles of hiking trails, among other attractions.
• Park Christiansted National Historic Site This historic site provides a unique perspective into life under Danish colonial rule in St. Croix. The park's seven waterfront acres feature historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a military fort, a custom house and a warehouse from the city's past as a major sugar producer and exporter. Visitors can learn about the role this city played in the international slave trade; more than 100,000 enslaved Africans arrived and were auctioned at the city's wharf over the course of 115 years.
• Park City Of Rocks National Reserve Located in south-central Idaho, City of Rocks has some of the country’s best rock climbing, with more than 700 identified routes through exceptional scenery. The pinnacles, fins and domes in the park are as high as 700 to 800 feet and as ancient as 2.5 billion years old.
• Park Clara Barton National Historic Site Clara Barton founded the Red Cross in 1881 after serving as a teacher, a patent office clerk and a Civil War nurse in a long career devoted to helping others. Her home served as the headquarters for the Red Cross and a storehouse for disaster relief supplies. Visitors can see 11 rooms that have been restored to their 19th century appearance and learn more about the life of this trailblazing humanitarian.
• Park Colonial National Historical Park Colonial National Historical Park contains several sites of critical importance in the history of America. Historic Jamestown is where the story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas actually happened, and where the roots of American government first took hold. Yorktown Battlefield was the site of the Colonial victory over British forces in the American Revolution, and where visitors can still view some of the original earthworks constructed by George Washington’s troops. These two sites are linked together by the 23-mile long scenic Colonial Parkway, specifically designed to limit the impacts of the roadway on the surrounding landscape.

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