For all its technological advancements and feats of engineering, mankind has never come close to producing a structure or a setting that can compare with Earth's natural wonders. As humans work diligently to destroy it, the planet offers us thousands of awe-inspiring landscapes that demonstrate an incalculable value to anyone who visits them. The United States has designated 59 such locations as national parks — breathtaking wilderness areas preserved and protected from human development.

These lands are indescribably powerful, drawing in tens of millions of people a year from across America and around the world to soak in their splendor. They make us feel small. They make us feel proud. They make us consider the past, the present and the future. They make us mindful of our place on this planet. They make us better for having visited them. They are truly, as American writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner put it, "the best idea we ever had."