Now National Geographic is launching a yearlong celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service that has worked to protect them for a century. 

The Power of Parks, as the series is being called, will explore the breathtaking parks that are strewn all across the world - and the challenges that come with preserving them. 

Yellowstone, along with the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon, had already been declared national parks and monuments before the National Park Service was created in 1916.

But it became apparent that there needed to be an agency specifically entrusted with managing, expanding and defending the country's natural wonders, David Quammen writes in an introduction to the magazine's series. 

Because the National Park Service wasn't only about protecting the magnificent curves of the canyons and the breathtaking peaks from development or technology, it was also to ensure any tourist, American or otherwise, had access to the natural wonders of the United States.

But at the end of the day National Parks offer us more than a family vacation destination, or that perfect Instagram picture. 

'They help us imagine,' writes Quammen. 'They carry a glimpse of the past into the present.' 

'And - if our revolve holds and our better wisdom prevails - they will carry that into the future.'   

(dailymail.co.uk)