US has several national parks scattered all across the country. These parks help the people know about the environment and different plant and animal species. The national parks also play important role in bringing people closer to the mother nature and know about the beauty of the environment. Here is a list of five greenest parks in the United States:
1. Discovery Green Park
Located in downtown Houston, the Discovery Green Park is of 12 acres and it has several green lawns, lakes and playgrounds. The buildings here are eco friendly because they are built using sustainable products. The building features LED light bulbs, which are powered by solar energy. This park was opened in 2008 and it is located at Avenida de las Americas. Hargreaves Associates, a well-known landscape architecture firm, has designed this park.
The park held its first event in 2008 in the form of inauguration of Houston Mayor Bill White. It opened on April 13 and it is estimated that almost a quarter-million people visited this park till June 30, 2008. It is estimated that the park welcomed 30,000 people on the opening day itself. In October 2009, it earned the LEED certification. The major attractions of this park are performance state named Anheuser-Busch Stage and a 2-acre lawn named Jones Lawn. It is operated by Discovery Park Conservatory.
2. Washington Park
Located in Portland, Oregon, the Washington Park has an area of more than 400 acres. This park has rich wildlife, including both plants and animals. The public urban park features a zoo and a forestry museum, besides a museum for children and a large rose garden. It has a well-maintained amphitheatre and archery range and comprises 159.7 acres of park land of the city. It also includes 64 acre of Oregon Zoo and Hoyt Arboretumâs 187 acre. In 1871, 40.78 acres was purchased by the City of Portland for $32,624 from Amos King. Charles M. Meyers was hired as park keeper in the mid-1880s. Meyers was a seaman with no experience in landscape designing, so he used his memories of the park which he had seen in Germany and other European nations to transform this park. This park was principally designed by John Charles Olmsted of Olmsted Brothers. John used to run Olmsted Brothers, which was a top-class landscape architecture firm of that time.
3. Astoria Park
The 59.96-acre Astoria Park is one of the greenest parks in the US. Located along New York Cityâs borough of Queens East River, this park is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and Hell Gate Bridge are located adjacent to this park, which boasts of the oldest and largest swimming pool of New York City. The outdoor pool is of 54,450-square-foot and it is planned by Robert Moses. This pool was used in 1936 and 1964 for the qualifying events of Summer Olympics. The park has six tennis courts, bocce courts and two well-laid playgrounds. The site had a trail before the arrival of European colonists. A small stream named Linden Brook flows under the southern portion of this park.
4. Denali National Park
Located in Alaska, the Denali National Park has an area of 6 million acres and it is one of the most beautiful and green parks of the US. This park was established in February 26, 1917. Nearly 1,178,745 people visited this green park in 2005. This park is governed by National Park Service. It got its name from the native Athabaskan language. When the park was established on February 26, 1917, it was named Mount McKinley National Park. In 1976, it was designated an international biosphere reserve. In 1980, the name of the park was changed to Denali National Park. Around 4,724,735.16 acres of this park are federally owned. A 2,146,580 acre Denali Wilderness was established on December 2, 1980, within the park. You can find several species of Alaskan birds and mammals in this park.
5. Glacier National Park
Located in Montana, the Glacier National Park provides climate-change education to the visitors. Many of the glaciers of this have shrunk substantially since 1850. The area of this national park is 1,013,322 acres. This park was established in May 11, 1910. In 2010, it welcomed 2,017,430 visitors. It is governed and operated by National Park Service and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.
