Cliff Palace Mesa Verde NP Photo by USGS.gov

Mesa Verde National Park protects world-famous cliff dwellings and other works of the Ancestral Puebloan people. The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings are the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

Mesa Verde was established June 29, 1906 and designated as a World Heritage Site September 6, 1978.

Total Acreage: 52,485, Federal: 52,215, Nonfederal: 269.

Bumpass Hell at Lassen Volcanic NP Photo by NPS

Lassen Volcanic National Park was created to encompass Lassen Peak, which erupted intermittently from 1914 to 1921. Lassen’s active volcanism includes boiling springs, steaming fumaroles, mud pots, and sulfurous vents.

Lassen Volcanic NP was proclaimed as Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone National Monuments May 6, 1907; made part of Lassen Volcanic National Park when established Aug. 9, 1916.

Total Acreage: 106,372, Federal: 106,368, Nonfederal: 4.

Hawaii Volcanos National Park Picture by NPS

Hawaii Volcanos National Park includes erupting volcanoes, rare and endangered plant and animal communities, and prehistoric sites.

Hawaii Volcanos National Park was established as part of Hawaii National Park August 1, 1916; and renamed Hawaii Volcanos National Park on September 22, 1961. Hawaii Volcanos NP was designated a Biosphere Reserve 1980 and a World Heritage Site December 10, 1987.

Total Acreage: 333,086, all federal.

Great Sand Dunes National Park Photo by NPS

Great Sand Dunes National Park has the tallest sand dunes in North America, these dunes developed as southwesterly winds blew ancient alluvial sediments from the San Luis Valley toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Great Sand Dunes National Preserve contains the entire surface watershed and primary topographic features interacting with the Great Sand Dunes, ranges in elevation from 8,000 to over 13,000 feet and includes life zones from desert to alpine tundra.

Great Sand Dunes NP was proclaimed Great Sand Dunes National Monument on March 17, 1932.and was redesignated as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve September 24, 2004.

National Park Acreage: 42,983, Federal: 40,430, Nonfederal: 2,553. National Preserve Acreage: 41,686, Federal:41,676, Nonfederal: 10.

Great Basin National Park Picture by NPS

Great Basin National Park’s major features include a remnant icefield on 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, an ancient bristlecone pine forest, 75-foot limestone Lexington Arch, and the tunnels and decorated galleries of Lehman Caves.

Great Basin NP was proclaimed as Lehman Caves National Monument on January 24, 1922; and transferred from the Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, on August 10, 1933, finally it was made part of Great Basin National Park when established October 27, 1986.

Total Acreage: 77,180, all federal.