Remember Those Family Vacations? You Can Live Stream a National Park (This Week Only)
Remember when your parents packed up the station wagon (or car) and you set out on your annual summer family vacation, which inevitable was a trip to one of our great National Parks? Sandwiches were packed (and wrapped in wax paper, of course). Imaginary dividing lines between your siblings were drawn (and you better not cross over!). Arguments ensued over who got to sit on the hump (why did we think that was comfortable?). And your dad maybe smoked his cigarettes one after another zoning out the uprising in the backseat, while mom occasionally tried to calm things down. Oh, those were the days.
From Alaska to the Florida Keys, the United States has preserved and named 63 national parks for us to cherish. We could spend a lifetime making annual pilgrimages to these treasures and many people do. While there are hundreds of parks throughout our nation only 63 actually hold “National” in their nomenclature.
In honor of Earth Day and Earth Week celebrations, the streaming service Paramount+ has teamed up with the National Park Foundation for its first-ever official live stream. From April 22 to April 28 — sunup to sundown — you can check in on a new park daily.
Viewers will be able to live stream the national parks on Paramount+ and YouTube. The live streams also will be featured in the Paramount+ Earthly Adventures collection. Additional National Park Foundation content also will be added.
Today (Monday, April 22) you can visit Yosemite National Park in California — home of El Capitan, giant Sequoias and the tallest waterfall in North America. When we checked in, we heard birds chirping and insects buzzing, along with the faint voices of visitors in the background including someone asking, “Mom take your photo with me!”
Paramount+
The schedule for this week only (April 22-April 28) for live streams of our national parks is as follows:
Monday, April 22: Yosemite (California)
Best known for El Capitan, giant Sequoias and the tallest waterfall in North America.
Tuesday, April 23: Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina, Virginia)
A scenic byway spanning 469 miles through North Carolina and Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers stunning views of the Appalachian Highlands. In 2020, the United States added New River Gorge to its roster of national parks.
Wednesday, April 24: Bighorn Canyon (Montana, Wyoming)
The first designated area of its kind in the Missouri River Basin, Bighorn Canyon is home to forest, mountains, upland prairie, deep canyons, broad valleys, high desert, lakes and wetlands.
Thursday, April 25: New River Gorge (West Virginia)
The rugged waters of this ancient river provide solace to all those who seek its steady presence amongst the woods of West Virginia.
Friday, April 26: Everglades (Florida)
Just a one-hour drive from Miami, this park is home to one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, both tropical and subtropical.
Saturday, April 27: Death Valley (California)
At America’s lowest, hottest, and driest national park, adventurous visitors enjoy Death Valley for its many extremes and mysteries such as the sailing stones.
Sunday, April 28: Zion (Utah)
The Virgin River cuts through sandstone, widening and reshaping the canyons that define Utah’s first designated national park.