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Photos: IMAX Showcases National Parks’ Astounding Beauty
Get a riveting tour of 30 of the country's national parks in the new IMAX film "National Parks Adventure," which opens Friday (Feb. 12). Actor Robert Redford narrates the film, which follows a number of adventurers, including a mountaineer, photographer and artist. The film also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Parks Service. [Read the Full Story on the National Parks Film]
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Mist creates an eerie, yet captivating view of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Yosemite National Park
The sun showers El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks in Yosemite Valley with rays of light. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Ice Cave in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan offers scenic excursions, such as this ice cave, for cross-country teams. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
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Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon at sunrise. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Ron Goodman.Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Grand Teton National Park
The sunrise shines gently on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: David Fortney. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Glacier National Park
At Glacier National Park, Montana, blue sky and statuesque mountains reflect on St. Mary’s Lake. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: David Fortney. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Devils Tower National Monument
In the Black Hills of Wyoming, the magnificent Devils Tower National Monument rises nearly 1,300 feet (396 meters) into the skies above. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Three Penguins in Arches National Park
Reaching the top of the Three Penguins in Arches National Park, Utah, is a feat to be proud of. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Bryce Canyon National Park
Sunrise creeps and crawls through the hoodoo rock formations at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Brown Bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve
At Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, brown bears lazily (or ingeniously) wait for salmon. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Brad Ohlund. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Grand Canyon National Park
In Arizona, the Colorado River winds lazily through the Grand Canyon. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Prairie Dog
Around Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, prairie dogs thrive in a protected habitat. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Rising 4,737 feet (1,443 m) above the Merced River on the floor of Yosemite Valley in California, Half Dome stands majestic and imposing. (Copyright Dmitri Fomin)
Blue Geyser in Yellowstone National Park
Steam rises from the Sapphire Pool in Yellowstone National Park's Biscuit Basin. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Brad Ohlund. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Bryce Canyon National Park
The red, steep slopes of this national park in Utah offer fantastic geometric scenery. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Sequoias in Yosemite National Park
At Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, California, great sequoia trees grow tall and strong. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Geyser in Yellowstone National Park
The Great Fountain Geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Brad Ohlund)
Yellowstone National Park
The first established National Park, Yellowstone contains two-thirds of the world's geysers, including Clepsydra Geyser. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: Brad Ohlund. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Arches National Park
This national park, known as Arches National Park, in Utah contains over 2,000 arches. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: David Fortney. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
Sunset at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park offers stunning views of the country. (Courtesy of MacGillivray Freeman Films. Photographer: David Fortney. Copyright VisitTheUSA.com)
Laura is the managing editor at Live Science. She also runs the archaeology section and the Life's Little Mysteries series. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU.