National Parks: Take A Tour Of Their Past Through Vintage Photos
Coronavirus has changed many Americans' summer travel plans, and while some people feel comfortable enough to hit the road, others are planning staycations or opting for virtual sight-seeing instead. To ease the travel itch and transport you back in time, we've compiled a collection of cool retro photos of America's national parks.
Yosemite National Park
This antique photograph features one of the most beautiful landmarks in America's national parks: the Wawona Big Tree, located in Mariposa Grove, the largest giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park.
Smoky Mountain National Park
This picture was taken of the Cable Mill at Cades Cove landscape in Smoky Mountain National Park during the fall. The water mill in the picture is still operational and used for recreational purposes.
Yosemite National Park
This scanned film with grain features Badger Pass ski lodge in Yosemite National Park in 1950. California is home to some of the most popular ski resorts in America.
Yosemite National Park
This antique photograph features Glacier Point at Yosemite Valley in California, which has much more to offer than beaches and Disneyland.
Yosemite National Park
This vertical black and white photograph was taken in Yosemite Valley circa 1920.
Grand Canyon National Park
This antique photograph features Buffalo Bill and his party at Point Sublime in Grand Canyon National Park.
Yosemite National Park
This black and white print scan depicts Yosemite National Park at dusk.
Yosemite National Park
This antique photograph features Artist's Point in Yosemite Valley.
Crater Lake National Park
This image shows roads leading to Crater Lake National Park near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Grand Canyon National Park
This antique photograph was taken at Echo Cliffs in Grand Canyon National Park, a destination every American should visit in their lifetime.
Yosemite National Park
Originally named the Sapphire Pool, the spot in this antique photograph taken in Yosemite National Park is now called Biscuit Basin for the biscuit-shaped deposits that have formed around it.
Grand Canyon National Park
This antique photograph was taken at the New Hance Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. America's national parks are full of amazing hiking trails for beginners and experienced hikers alike.
Mammoth Cave National Park
This antique photograph was taken at Giant's Coffin in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky — home of one of the coolest caves in the world.
Yellowstone National Park
America's national parks have plenty of strange natural wonders. This photograph shows a crater of Periodical Hot Lake and Leaf Formation in the Limestone Series of Yellowstone National Park.
Grand Canyon National Park
A Native American seated on the edge of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, in a photo taken between 1910 and 1925.
Grand Canyon National Park
A photo of a mule train and tourists on horseback in Arizona's Grand Canyon in 1920.
Yellowstone National Park
A horse-drawn coach passing through an arched gateway at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Shenandoah National Park
This 1935 photo shows the post office at Nethers inside Virginia's Shenandoah National Park.
Crater Lake National Park
A photo taken in Crater Lake National Park near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Grand Canyon National Park
An antique photograph of one of America's top natural wonders: the Grand Canyon.
Yellowstone National Park
An antique photograph of Golden Gate in Yellowstone National Park.
Mount Rainier National Park
A man taking in the gorgeous mountain scenery of Mount Rainier and Pyramid Peak in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Tourists wearing vintage fashions visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Mt. Rainier National Park
A 1922 photo of the rugged Cowlitz Glacier in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Visitors pose for a photo in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, one of the most underrated small towns in America.
Glacier National Park
A rocky ridge partially covered with snow and glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park, home to plenty of majestic mountains.
Glacier National Park
A 1941 photo of the Many Glacier Hotel on Lake Sherburne in Glacier National Park, Montana.
Devils Tower National Monument
An antique photograph of Devils Tower of Vitrified Rock, a movie location you can actually visit and the namesake feature of Devils Tower National Monument.
Mammoth Hot Springs
An antique photograph of the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces in Yellowstone National Park, a truly mesmerizing sight.
Mount Rainier National Park
This image from 1926 shows photographers in an ice cave in Paradise Glacier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
Mount Rainier National Park
In this photo taken between 1911 and 1920, a group of men and women climb Paradise Glacier in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
Mount Rainier National Park
Visitors make a hazardous crossing of Cowlitz Glacier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, in this photo taken between 1900 and 1910.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
An antique photograph of the French Broad River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Yosemite National Park
An antique photograph of visitors taking in the amazing view from Glacier Point in Yosemite Valley, California.
Yellowstone National Park
President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace Coolidge look at bears outside the Roosevelt Lodge in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park
A woman leans over a geyser at The Punch Bowl in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Yellowstone National Park
Women play in the snow at Yosemite National Park in this photo taken between 1903 and 1906.
Glacier National Park
A photograph of the Glacier National Park entrance in 1914.
Mesa Verde National Park
Tourists at cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, one of the most amazing man-made marvels in America.
Yosemite National Park
An automobile driving on a road through a tunnel carved out of a tree in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park.
Mount Rainier National Park
Horseback riders on the trail of Indian Henry's in Washington state's Mount Rainier National Park.
Crater Lake National Park
A photograph showing a group of people relaxing in a boat in the middle of Crater Lake with the cone in the background.
Glacier National Park
Cars drive through Montana's Glacier National Park, one of the most underrated parks in America, in this 1941 photo.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Visitors take in a beautiful sunset in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in July 1950.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
One of the most difficult national parks to visit, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is accessible today thanks to the road infrastructure built between 1915 and 1931.
Gateway Arch National Park
Originally known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, part of Gateway Arch National Park in Saint Louis, was constructed between 1947 and 1965 and dedicated in 1968.
Yellowstone National Park
This photo taken near the turn of the century documents President Theodore Roosevelt's western tour in which he visited Liberty Cap in Yellowstone National Park.
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and visitors wouldn't be able to take in its beauty without roads to access the park's scenic features. This picture depicts national park roads being created near Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon.
Badlands National Park
This photo depicts a 1936 United States Resettlement Administration work camp located in a Badlands National Park extension in South Dakota.
Shenandoah National Park
This photo from the 1920s shows an old-fashioned car cruising through Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, one of the best places to see autumn leaves in the country. Can't get enough of the vintage photos? Here is a collection of retro beach photos from back in the day.
Updated June 26, 2020, at 2:10 p.m.: Due to a reporting error an earlier version of this slideshow incorrectly stated the Rocky Mountain National Park extended to Canada. Those slides have been removed.