By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

The world is full of many wonders — both natural and man-made — and many of these can be seen right in our backyards. On Aug. 25, the National Parks Service will turn 100 and is celebrating by offering free admission to all 412 national parks and monuments across the country Aug. 25 through 28.

According to the National Parks Service website, the formation of Yellowstone National Park on March 1, 1872, sparked interest in the worldwide national park movement. In the years following the establishment of Yellowstone, many national parks and monuments were authorized and administered mainly by the Department of the Interior, as well as the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture.

On Aug. 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act that would establish the a new federal bureau of the Department of the Interior that was responsible for protecting the then 35 national parks and monuments — which was named the National Parks Service. Since then, the NPS has established and overseen a total of 412 parks and monuments that preserve the history and natural wonders of the United States.

Recently, I took a trip to Yellowstone National Park, the home of astonishing natural phenomena like the Old Faithful geyser, Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Prismatic Spring, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake, the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet altitude in the country. Within this park, situated on a volcanic caldera, live populations of animals like elk, wolves, bison, moose, deer, swans, black bear, mountain goats and cougar, to name a few.

In addition to the natural wonders of Yellowstone, the park is also home to a rich history, being first inhabited by Native Americans and eventually being visited by pioneers and explorers who were moving west in the mid-1800s. The sights and history within the huge park made it, for me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would encourage anyone who is able to take the chance to visit it.

Although Yellowstone is awe-inspiring, it is not close and easy to get to from Upstate New York.

Luckily, in New York alone, there are 24 National Parks and monuments, including Governors Island, Saratoga National Historic Park, the Statue of Liberty, the Women’s Right National Historic Park in Seneca Falls, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo and Fort Stanwix in Rome.

If you get a chance Aug. 25 to 28 — why not take a trip to see the national parks or monuments in our back yard?

National Parks across the country continue the spirit of learning, fascination and awe in generations of people across the world. I encourage you to take the time to see what they have to offer.

To learn more about the National Parks Service and their centennial, go to nps.gov.