#9 Everglades NP

Everglades National Park in Southern Florida, preserves North America's largest and most important wetlands. It is a small section of an ecosystem that used to encompass almost the whole Southern half of Florida, an area that has lost at least half of it's size due to spreading urbanization and draining for farmland. It is a prime birding and wildlife viewing spot and home to a very small number of the very endangered Florida Panthers. The highlight for me was seeing all the exotic birds, plus the alligators. The top picture is of the Pinelands area of the park. These small pockets have been especially hard hit by the eroding of this once pristine environment.

See more pictures here-(this is a park I intend to re-photograph while visiting my parents one of these years) These pics are from January of 2003, while on my way to Key West.

http://www.eriksmith.com/Florida03/evergladesNP.htm

#8 DeSoto NM

De Soto National Memorial, 5 miles (8 km) west of Bradenton, FL, commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of Florida and the Southeastern US. DeSoto's leagacy, like many of the early explorers, is checkered with abuse of the native population spurred on by greed.

See More of my pictures from January 2003 here-
http://www.eriksmith.com/Florida03/DesotoNM.htm

#7 Father Marquette NM

Father Marquette National Memorial in located near the straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. This memorial commemorates Marquette & Joilet's 17th century exploration on the Great Lakes area. Marquette is also responsible for establishing the nearby town of St. Ignace, as well as the town of Sault St. Marie, where the Soo Locks are now located. This is technically not a National Park, but it is an affiliated area.

See more pictures here- http://www.eriksmith.com/UP02/fathermarquetteNM.htm

#6 Pictured Rocks NL

Located on the Lake Superior shore in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, my home state, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a popular place to take boat tours to view the rocks from the water. The park is also home to numerous waterfalls and hiking trails. This formation is called Miner's Castle.

Here are the pictures from the summer of 2002, the last of my three visits to this park-
http://www.eriksmith.com/UP02/PicturedRocksNL.htm