3 Fun Facts About US National Parks

Which U.S. President signed the act establishing the first national park in the United States?

Yellowstone National Park, the first national park, was established when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law on March 1, 1872.

In what year was the first national park in the United States officially established?

Yellowstone National Park was established by an act of Congress and signed into law on March 1, 1872, making it the first national park in the U.S. and widely considered the first in the world.

Before its designation as a national park, what was Hot Springs known as, being the first federally protected area for recreation in the U.S.?

Hot Springs was established as a federal reserve (Hot Springs Reservation) on April 20, 1832, making it the oldest area managed by the National Park Service, predating the formal concept of a 'national park' by decades.