Places & Travel
MediumNational Parks Crossword
Category: Places & TravelDifficulty: Easy14 × 19
Thursday, September 10
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Enter one letter per square. Answers run Across or Down. Omit spaces and accents; any special spelling convention is stated in the clue. This is a freeform themed grid, so some letters are not crossed.
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About This Theme
This crossword is a tour of US national parks through recognizable landscapes and landmarks. Some answers are complete park names; others fill the blank in a name supplied by the clue. That difference is stated explicitly, so you can focus on the place rather than guess which words to omit. Think mountains, forests, desert rock and water. You do not need to have visited every park to find a way into the grid.
Clues
Across
- 4Florida national park protecting a vast subtropical wetland (10)
- 6Maine national park with much of its land on Mount Desert Island (6)
- 9Fill the blank: Oregon's ___ Lake National Park (6)
- 11Utah national park home to a canyon carved by the Virgin River (4)
- 12California national park home to Half Dome (8)
Down
- 1California national park named for a branching desert plant, two words (10)
- 2US national park home to Old Faithful (11)
- 3Alaska national park sharing its name with North America's highest peak (6)
- 5Arizona national park surrounding the Colorado River's immense gorge, two words (11)
- 7Washington national park containing the Hoh Rain Forest (7)
- 8California national park home to the General Sherman Tree (7)
- 10Utah national park named for its natural stone spans (6)
Answers and Explanations
After Your Solve
The clues use landmarks to give park names meaning. Half Dome points toward YOSEMITE, while the landscape around the Colorado River points toward GRAND CANYON. The blank-name clues keep long official names manageable without pretending the omitted words do not exist. This is a useful convention whenever a title is too long for a compact puzzle. After solving, choose one unfamiliar answer and look at the park's official page. A photograph of the feature in the clue can make the name much easier to remember.
- 4 acrossEVERGLADES
The park protects part of the Everglades ecosystem.
- 6 acrossACADIA
Acadia protects coastal Maine landscapes.
- 9 acrossCRATER
Crater Lake occupies a volcanic caldera.
- 11 acrossZION
The Virgin River shaped Zion Canyon.
- 12 acrossYOSEMITE
Half Dome is a Yosemite landmark.
- 1 downJOSHUATREE
Joshua trees are a recognizable feature of the park.
- 2 downYELLOWSTONE
Old Faithful is one of Yellowstone's geysers.
- 3 downDENALI
Denali names both the peak and the park.
- 5 downGRANDCANYON
The Colorado River runs through the canyon.
- 7 downOLYMPIC
Olympic includes rainforest and mountain environments.
- 8 downSEQUOIA
The tree is a giant sequoia.
- 10 downARCHES
Natural rock arches are a defining feature.
Further Reading
- Theme referencenps.gov
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