100 years of National Parks — PHOTOS
In this Nov. 17, 1998, file photo, a meteor streaks through the sky over Joshua trees and rocks at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert in this 30-minute time exposure. The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Reed Saxon/Associated Press)
In this Nov. 5, 2015, file photo, the West Prong Little Pigeon River flows over rocks dotted with fall foliage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn. The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Adam Lau/Knoxville News Sentinel via /Associated Press)
In this March 27, 1996, file photo, a mule train winds its way down the Bright Angel trail at Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. Around five million people each year visit the park, according to the National Parks Service. (Jeff Robbins/Associated Press)
In this March 25, 2011, file photo, rafts piloted by guides from Far Flung Outdoor Center of Terlingua, Texas, emerge from Heath Canyon, carved by the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park, Texas. The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th birthday on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Michael Graczyk/Associated Press)
In this Jan. 14, 2005 , file photo, a great egret sits on top of a dead tree in Florida's Everglades National Park, near South Bay, Fla., as a thunderstorm moves across the area. Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther, according to the National Parks Service. (J. Pat Carter/Associated Press)
In this Dec. 10, 2011, file photo, a lunar eclipse is framed within Turret Arch at Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. (Julie Jacobson/Associated Press)
In this Monday, July 22, 2013, file photo, hikers look up at a fast moving storm as it makes its way through Zion National Park outside of Springdale, Utah. Both Zion and Bryce were formed millions of years ago when the Earth's crust violently heaved, leaving behind stunning, unique arrays of rock formations. (Sandy Huffaker/Associated Press)
In this June 21, 2005, file photo, a stream in Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, captures some of the park's beauty. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast. (Pat Wellenbach/Associated Press)
In this September 2012, file photo, a cloud hovers over Mount Rainier at sunset in a view from Klapatche Park Camp at Mount Rainier National Park, Wash. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, according to the National Parks Service. (Drew Perine/The News Tribune/Associated Press)
In this Oct. 21, 1997 file photo, an autumn sunsets drapes El Capitan and the Yosemite valley with warm light in Yosemite National Park, Calif. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, according to the National Parks Service. (Ben Margot/Associated Press)
In this undated file photo, the sun sets as Mount McKinley casts its reflection on Reflection Pond at the west end of Denali National Park Road a few miles east of Camp Denali in Denali Park, Alaska. In August, 2015, the government changed the name of North America’s tallest peak from Mount McKinley to Denali. (Al Grillo/Associated Press)
In this Sept. 6, 2009, file photo, hikers make their way to Sunset Point from Thor's Hammer in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Both Zion and Bryce were formed millions of years ago when the Earth's crust violently heaved, leaving behind stunning, unique arrays of rock formations. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)
,FILE - In this January 2006, file photo, the sun rises over Crater Lake, Ore., in Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake lies in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Mount Mazama that collapsed 7,700 years ago, according the the National Parks Service. It is the deepest lake in the United States and is famous for its vivid blue color and water clarity. (Marc Adamus/The Register-Guard/Associated Press)
In this June 7, 2001, file photo, Brigitte Pentek, of Lewisburg, W.Va., uses binoculars to watch a gopher while waiting for her husband on one of the trails near Logan's Pass at Glacier National Park, Mont. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hiker's paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude, according to the National Parks Service. (Mark Sterkel/The Great Falls Tribune via Associated Press)
In this Aug. 3, 2011, file photo, tour participants stand in the rotunda area of Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky. With more than 400 miles of passageways explored, Mammoth Cave is by far the world's longest cave system. (Ed Reinke/Associated Press)
In this Feb. 24, 2016 photo, tourists take picture of wildflowers near Badwater Basin in Death Valley, Calif. A rare "super bloom" of wildflowers in Death Valley National Park covered the hottest and driest place in North America with a carpet of gold, attracting tourists from all over the world and enchanting visitors with a stunning display from nature's paint brush. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)
The U.S. National Park Service is celebrating 100 years of managing some of the nation’s most well-known parks, monuments and historic places.
The agency’s reach stretches coast to coast, from Acadia on the Atlantic to the Channel Islands in the Pacific. There’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
As the national parks system attracts greater numbers of visitors each year, the agency is facing key challenges ahead. One is a backlog of repairs that total nearly $12 billion. The other is reaching out to minority communities, who studies show don’t go to the parks, and getting them to visit — and care about preserving — America’s parks.
Centennial events scheduled for Aug. 25, 2016, include free mule-drawn boat rides at C&O Canal National Historical Park in Maryland, creation of a giant, living version of the park service emblem in Washington, D.C., a naturalization ceremony on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and an outdoor concert at Yellowstone National Park.
National parks across the country are offering free admission, birthday cake, ranger talks and other special events to mark the anniversary.
