Visit the USA: Why You Need to See the Beauty of U.S. National Parks

Dramatic skies over Canyonlands National Park in Utah

Tom Till

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The United States hasn’t been around long enough to amass a collection of historic sites like the great cathedrals of Europe or the ancient shrines of Asia.

But the USA makes up for what it lacks in history in untouched natural splendor. From snow-capped mountains to colorful coral reefs, rolling grasslands to monochromatic deserts, the USA boasts incredibly diverse landscapes. Theodore Roosevelt recognized that fact in the early 1900s when he established the U.S. Forest Service and protected about 230 million acres of public land during his presidency.

About the National Parks

Greg MacGillivray, president of MacGillivray Freeman Films, shares Roosevelt’s passion for the U.S. National Parks. The creator of such notable IMAX films as Everest and Dolphins feels that everyone should be able to experience the vast beauty of the National Parks, which is why he puts them in the spotlight in his latest giant-format film, America Wild: National Parks Adventure: Presented by Expedia and Subaru. We caught up with him during filming to ask him why he thinks people should visit U.S. National Parks.

America Wild: National Parks Adventure in 3D Short Trailer

View of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park

Experience

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“The fact that they are pristine and essentially the way that they were a thousand — maybe even a million — years ago makes it even more significant,” MacGillivray said. “It gives us a sense here in America (where we don’t have a lengthy history) of our own past and helps us understand where we’re going. It gives us a rooting in something that is forever.”

MacGillivray said the vastness of the U.S. National Parks makes them ideal for the giant-format filmmaking that is his specialty. We will be checking in with him and his team as they finish filming and prepare to bring the U.S. National Parks to a theater near you in 2016. Check back in with us here for behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the movie’s cast and crew.