THESE NATIONAL PARKS HAVE BEAUTIFUL SOUL & IMPACT NOW

As we finish up our weeklong exploration of the beauty in U.S., National Parks, today, we are featuring 2 Parks that have a special significance, both physically and spiritually. One, Glacier National Park, is radically changing, as our planet undergoes climate change. The other, Chaco Culture National Park, is an extraordinary sacred land. Check them out below.

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK -- MONTANA

Glacier National Park is the place the should probably be at the top of your places to visit -- as soon as possible. Not only is it exceptionally beautiful and therefore worthy of any bucket list, but soon, the glaciers will be gone.

Only about 25 glaciers remain of the 150 that existed in 1850. By 2030, glacier regression models forecast that 100% will be gone.

So go, check out the glaciers! And check out the Park’s massive mountain peaks. Take a canoe, rowboat, kayak, or motorboat on it pristine alpine lakes. Hike along your choice of over 700 miles of trails. Meet up with some wild animals.

Connect with a beauty that is changing as we speak. And take some action to impact our collective challenge with climate change.

CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK -- NEW MEXICO

While a number of U.S. National Parks occupy lands that were especially important to Native Americans, the Chaco Culture National Historic Park, in northwestern New Mexico, is a place that is centered around sacred ancestral homelands.

This Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with more than 4,000 prehistoric archeological sites belonging to the Hopi and Pueblo people. Chaco contains the most extensive site of historic pueblos in the American Southwest.  

Some of ancient ruins are particularly impressive due their size and complexity. For example, Chetro Ketl, an Ancestral Puebloan great house and archeological site It’s a giant structure, spanning over 3 acres, including 400 rooms.  

It is estimated that it took over 500,000 man-hours to build, using about 26,000 trees, and 50 million sandstone blocks. Construction on Chetro Ketl began c. 990 and was largely complete by 1075. 

Chaco has a significant environmental credential as well. The Park was recently . recognized as an International Dark Sky Park because its remote location allows it to be relatively free of light pollution, making it a fabulous place for stargazing.

Chaco is one of only 3 other U.S. National Parks with this designation. The others are Canyonlands National Park, Great Basin National Park, and Death Valley National Park. Check out the International Dark Sky Association for more places around the world.

The Chaco Night Sky Program presents astronomy programs, solar viewing, and stargazing by telescope from April to October.

Read more about Beautiful Parks in 10 Gorgeous New Books Celebrating the Glory of National Parks Now, See 10 National Parks With the Most Beautiful Wild Animals Now, Forage & Feast On The Beautiful Bounty of Our National Parks Now, The Magnificent Art of US National Parks Now, 10 Super-Beautiful Lesser-Known National Parks to Visit Now and MB. .

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

Want more stories like this? Sign up for our weekly BN Newsletter, Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr. Join our BeautifulNow Community and connect with the most beautiful things happening in the world right now!

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Competition. 

IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Shan Lin. Courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior. Glacier National Park. Montana.
2. Image: by Garshna. Glacier National Park. Montana.
3. Image: by Mark Wagner. Overview of Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park. Montana.
4. Image: by Dave Sizer. Glacier National Park. Montana.
5. Image: by Steven Mullen. Glacier National Park - Grinnell Glacier Area. Montana.
6. Image: by John Fowler. Pueblo Pintado. Chaco Culture National Heritage Park. New Mexico.
7. Image: by Andrew Davidoff. Fajada Butte at Chaco Culture National Heritage Park. New Mexico.
8. Image: by David Mark. Chetro Ketl Ruins. Chaco Culture National Heritage Park. New Mexico.
9. Image: by JCTaylor. Chetro Ketl. Chaco Culture National Heritage Park. New Mexico.
10. Image: by Alex Headman. Chaco Stars. Star Trails over Chaco Culture National Heritage Park. New Mexico.
11. Image: by Chris Wonderly, of NPS. CanyonlandsNPS. Star Party. Canyonlands National State Park. Utah & Arizona.
12. Image: by John Fowler. Windows and Doors. Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico.
13. Image: by Pete Zarria. Big Walls. Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico.
14. Image: by  David Restivo, of NPS. Courtesy of GlacierNPS. Sunset on Lake McDonald. Glacier National Park. Montana.
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: by Kim Keating. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey. You Looking at Me? Mountains Goats in Glacier National Park, Montana.