On march 1, 1872 the first National Park in America was created at Yellowstone, being proclaimed a protected area by President Ulysses S. Grant. Over the course of the subsequent years, more areas of the United States were protected as national park land, which banned the molestation of the areas with development or encroachment. In 1916 the federal government created the “National Park Service” which was tasked with management of the growing number of National Parks. As of 2016 there are now 409 National Parks in the US and associated territories, and in August the organization will officially turn 100 years old. In celebration of this milestone, the National Park Service commissioned the services of Brand USA to produce a movie called “National Parks Adventure.” This 43 minute celebration of the beauty of America’s National Parks is narrated by Robert Redford, and will debut in theaters in mid February, being displayed in 400 IMAX and shown on giant screens in order to capture the sheer magnitude and magnificent beauty of these spaces.
Greg MacGillivray directed the short film, and was recently asked a few questions about the highlights of filming. When asked about the method he used in choosing the parks that would be featured, he answered that he obviously wanted to capture the most breathtaking and scenic areas of parks, but also wanted to include a few surprises that may have not been considered by many visitors. He mentioned that both Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior and also Capitol Reef in Utah are areas that were found to be of exceptional beauty but not as popular a choice as other National Parks. For this reason they were featured in the film.
Another interesting detail that MacGillivray mentioned when discussing the features of the film was an area known as Three Penguins in Arches National Park. While already known as one of Utah’s most beautiful open spaces, Arches itself holds many intriguing special features like this sandstone tower threesome that appears to resemble three penguins standing in a row. The sheer size and magnitude of the structures is breathtaking, and needs to be seen in person in order to be fully appreciated. While the technology and grand scale of IMAX will be sure to inspire viewers, the only better way to experience these kinds of areas is to see them in person.
The director mentioned in the interview that his favorite park of all was Bryce, which Bindlestiff Tours offers adventure excursions to on a regular basis to our patrons. He stated that the spires that Bryce is so well known for are one of the most inspiring landscapes that he has seen, which is a bold statement coming from a director who has been tasked with capturing the beauty of all of the National Parks in America.
While Bindlestiff Tours suggests that everyone who is interested in experiencing the majesty of the United States’ National Parks go to see the promotional film celebrating the 100 year anniversary, an even better plan would be to experience a few of them for yourself. Contact Bindlestiff Tours today to arrange your next adventure.