When Yellowstone National Park was founded on March 1, 1872, it became not only the first national park in the country, it was the first such entity in the world. Over the next 140 years, additional parks were added from coast to coast as a direct result of citizen voices demanding that special places to be preserved for everyday Americans and visitors from around the world. In the words of writer and historian Wallace Stegner, the national parks are 'the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.' In this book, each of the system's 59 parks are explored through dynamic photos that reveal the landscape, plants, animals, and history that make them unique - along with the challenges scientists and rangers face in preserving these pristine wild spaces for generations to come.