Geology of National Parks Learn more about 3D!
3D and Standard Photographic Tours Featuring Park Geology and Natural History
Click on a national park below to start an image tour.

Or, use a Location Map, Thumbnail Gallery index, or selected Subject index. Standard photography websites mirror the 3D image websites.
For more detailed information about park geology, check out the NPS's Geologic Resources Inventory website. 
Parks Parks of the Colorado Plateau (Four Corners) Region- Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (click on an image to visit a park) Park Thumbnail Images


Parks of the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington)
Pacific Northwest Parks


Parks on the Big Island of Hawaii
Parks of Hawaii


Desert Ecosystem Parks
Desert Ecosystems


Parks Underground
Parks with underground trails
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (Nebraska)
Arches National Park (Utah)
Aztec Ruins National Monument (New Mexico)
Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
Big Bend National Park (Texas)
Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona)
Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
Capulin Volcano National Park (New Mexico)
Carrizo Plain National Monument (California, BLM)
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah)
Chaco Culture National Historic Park (New Mexico)
Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona)
City of Rocks National Reserve (Idaho)
Colorado National Monument (Colorado)
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (Washington, Oregon, NFS)
Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
Death Valley National Park (California)
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (NJ, PA)
Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
Dinosaur National Monument (UT, CO) (historical and recent)
El Malpais National Monument (New Mexico)
El Morro National Monument (New Mexico)
Fire Island National Seashore (New York)
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (Powell Survey, 1871)
Fossil Butte National Monument (Wyoming)
Gateway National Recreation Area (NYC)
Sandy Hook, Breezy Point, Jamaica Bay
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Arizona, Utah)
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (California)
Golden Spike National Monument (Utah)
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Recreation Area (Utah, BLM)
Grand Coulee/Sun River Lakes (Washington State Parks)
Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Grand Tetons National Park (Wyoming)
Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Great Falls Park (Virginia)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
Hopewell Culture National Historic Park (Ohio)
Hotsprings National Park (Arkansas)
Hovenweep National Monument (Utah)
Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota)
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (Oregon)
Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park (Hawaii)
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Arizona, Nevada)
Lava Beds National Monument (California)
Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
Mojave National Preserve (California)
Mount Rushmore National Monument (South Dakota)
Mount Shasta (California, NFS)
Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (Washington, NFS)
Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah)
Navajo National Monument (Arizona)
North Cascades National Park (Washington)
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Arizona)
Olympic National Park (Washington)
Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
Pinnacles National Park (California)
Pipeston National Monument (Minnesota)
Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)
Point Reyes National Seashore (California)
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Hawaii)
Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site (Hawaii)
Rainbow Bridge National Monument (Utah)
Red River Gorge Natural Geologic Area (Kentucky, NFS)
Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
Scotts Bluff National Monument (Nebraska)
Sequoia National Park (California)
Sunset Crater National Monument (Arizona)
Walnut Canyon National Monument (Arizona)
Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
Wupatki National Monument (Arizona)
Yellowstone National Park (historic and recent) (Wyoming)
Yosemite National Park (historic) (California)
Zion National Park (recent & Powell Survey, 1872-3)
Other park-related resources: National Parks map
See the Map Index
Park Stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau - a resource guide to regional geologic units
American Indian Indians of the Southwest, 1871-1975: a 3D Image tour of Early Photography Taken During the U.S. Geological and Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian and the Powell Survey of the Colorado River Canyons.
Powell Survey Expeditions (1871-1872) of the Colorado River Canyons (original stereo photography)
Washington D.C. - Selected U.S. Capitol Buildings and National Memorial Parks
Geology of the New York City Region - visit 74 parks and areas of geologic interest in the NY-NJ-CN region

The 3D images are anaglyphs and require red and cyan 3D viewing glasses. These full-size images average 500 KB each and may be slow to download.

3D glasses

A search on the World Wide Web will yield many sites about anaglyphs and where to get 3D glasses. To learn more about how anaglyphs (3D images) are made, click here.

Historic stereo photography

Click here to see historic 3D photography of the Powell Survey Expeditions (1871-1872) of the Colorado River Canyons. Also see historic stereo images of American Indians of the Southwest, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.

 Colorado River near Phantom Ranch
Take a virtual hike or take a raft trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

National Parks by Topic (geology, biology, and archeology themes - with maps)

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming
Animals, Vegetables, Minerals
Animals, vegetables, minerals, and more!
Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming

National Parks and Physiographic Provinces

Learn about physiographic provinces and the regional geology of the United States. Most national parks and monuments preserve geologic features and landscapes that are representative of the larger physiographic regions where they occur.

Click here to download a larger version of the map (or click on the map).

A physiographic province is a geographic region with a characteristic geomorphology in which climate and geologic factors—over time—have given rise to a variety of landforms different from those of surrounding regions. 
 Map of the physiographic provinces of the United States (lower 48) showing the location of national parks, monuments, and other National Park Service sites.

Check out my first field guide I made at the age of 6 after a family trip to Yellowstone in 1964.

Additional parks and resources are added to this website as they become available.
All color photography on this website was taken by Phil Stoffer unless otherwise stated on the image caption text.
All images are "public domain."
URL: https://gotbooks.miracosta.edu/gonp/
Page Last Modified: 12/5/2024
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Pinnacles National Park, California Lsbs Beds National Monument, California Big Bend National Park, Texas Saguaro National Park, Arizona Joshua Tree National Park, California Great Basin National Park, Nevada Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Hawaii Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park, Hawaii Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, Hawaii Olympic National Park, Washington North Cascades National Park, Washington Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Crater Lake National Park, Oregon John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Park, Washington Grand Coulee regional parks, Washington Arches National Park, Utah Hovenweap National Monuments, Utah Capiton Reef National Park, Utah Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona and Nevada Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah Canyonlands National Park, Utah Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona Zion National Park, Utah Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona Colorado National Monument, Colorado Natural Bridges National Park, Utah El Morro National Monument, New Mexico El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico Navajo National Monument, Arizona Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming