The Measure of Wonder

I'm Jason Epperson, and, on this episode of the America's National Parks Podcast, we embark on a journey not through trails and vistas, but through a comparison of scales, juxtaposing the colossal features of America's national parks with the man-made marvels that dot our skylines and histories. We invite you to see these natural wonders through a new lens, one that scales down the immense to the comprehensible. Join us as we uncover the unseen giants among us, revealing the true scale of what it means to stand in the presence of nature's most magnificent creations.

In the verdant expanses of California, nature boasts its most grandiose trees, giant sequoias, and coastal redwoods. These ancient titans, standing as natural skyscrapers, reside within the serene realms of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Redwoods National Parks. Their existence is a marvel, a testament to the awe-inspiring complexity and resilience of the natural world. The giant sequoias, Sequoia dendron giganteum, and coastal redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, thrive in California due to the region's unique climate and topography. Giant sequoias are found on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, where the soil is rich, the winters are cold, and the summer days are dry.

These conditions, combined with periodic wildfires, are crucial for the reproduction of sequoias, as fire releases seeds from their cones and clears the ground for their growth. Conversely, coastal redwoods prefer the moist, fog-laden air of the Pacific Coast, extending from southern Oregon to central California. The fog provides a critical source of moisture during the dry season, allowing these trees to grow to staggering heights. These forests are not just collections of trees, they're living legacies. Some of these giants are over 3,000 years old, predating most of the world's civilizations, predating the rise of the ancient Greeks.

They have survived natural disasters, climate changes, and human activity, though we've put a good dent in them. Standing as silent witnesses to the passage of time, their immense longevity and durability make them invaluable for scientific research and environmental conservation. To truly grasp the enormity of these natural giants, let's compare them to a symbol of human achievement, the Statue of Liberty. Standing tall with her torch, the Statue of Liberty reaches a height of about 305 feet from the ground to the tip of the flame. In contrast, the tallest known coastal redwood towers into the sky at a staggering 379 feet, dwarfing Lady Liberty.

Imagine if a few were planted right next to her, or if she were hidden amongst the great forests of the West. It's one thing to admire the Statue of Liberty, a marvel of human engineering and creativity. It's another to, at the base of a giant, sequoia or coastal redwood, looking up at a living entity that has stood tall for millennia, a being whose very existence challenges the bounds of our imagination.

Amidst the arid landscapes of northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon carves a mile-deep gash through the heart of the Colorado Plateau, stretching over 277 miles from end to end. This colossal chasm, visible from space, is a profound lesson in geological history, revealing nearly two billion years of the Earth's evolution. through its layered bands of rock. The Grand Canyon's formation is a narrative of erosion, powered by the relentless force of the Colorado River. Over millions of years, the river has sculpted the landscape, carving deep into the plateau and revealing the stratified layers of Earth's crust.

Each layer tells a story, from ancient Vishnu's schist at the bottom to the relatively younger Kaibab limestone capping the rim. To comprehend the immense scale of the Grand Canyon, one might compare it to a human-made structure known for its grandiosity. Consider the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building in the world, reaching a staggering 2,717 feet into the sky. This architectural titan would be dwarfed if you placed it at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, which plunges to depths of over 6,000 feet at its deepest point. You'd need to stand two Burj Khalifas on top of each other to come close but still not reach the rim.

And to think people hike rim to rim, heading all the way down to the river and back up the other side. Not for me. And that's just its depth. The state of Indiana stretches about 140 miles from east to west, at its widest point, almost exactly half the length of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is more than just a spectacle of size.

It's a mosaic of ecosystems, a refuge for endemic wildlife, and a cultural heritage site for Native American tribes who have inhabited the region for thousands of years. Its immense walls and vast expanses have witnessed the passage of time from the earliest explorers to the millions of visitors who stand at its rim each year.

Nestled in the southwestern corner of Utah, Zion National Park is a sanctuary of towering cliffs, steep canyons, and the serene beauty of the Virgin River. The park is renowned for its soaring rock formations, which rise dramatically from the canyon floor, presenting a stark contrast to the sky above. Zion is a bit different from the Grand Canyon, as you don't really gaze into its abyss when you arrive, rather you enter at the canyon floor. It's a truly breathtaking sight, but how tall are those cliffs really? Tall enough that rock climbers take two days to summit their sheer faces, opting to overnight in tents suspended off the side of the cliff walls.

Zion's iconic cliffs are composed of Navajo sandstone, sculpted by the forces of erosion over millions of years. This sandstone, known for its high iron oxide content, glows with hues of oranges, reds, and whites, changing with the light of day. The Great White Throne, reaching 2,400 feet above the canyon floor, and Angels Landing, with its summit at 1,488 feet above the Virgin River, are prime examples of this geological artistry. Their formation tells the story of ancient deserts, compacted sands, and the relentless work of water and wind. To grasp the scale of Zion's rock walls, one might look to something like the Empire State Building, a symbol of human aspiration, rising 1,454 feet into the New York skyline, about the same height as Angels Landing.

But you'd have to plop a Chrysler Building on top of the Empire State Building to get up to the Great White Throne.

In the heart of Colorado's San Luis Valley lies a landscape seemingly borrowed from another world, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This remarkable site is home to the tallest dunes in North America, a sea of sand at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. that also challenges our perceptions of scale. The dunes definitely feel like they don't belong in Colorado, or even North America, more like Northern Africa. They owe their existence to a unique combination of geological and meteorological conditions.

Sediments from the surrounding mountains have been carried by water to the valley floor for thousands of years. Here, opposing wind patterns trap the sand, piling it into dunes that rise over 750 feet from their base. The star of this sandy ensemble is the Star Dune, the tallest of them all. Imagine, if you will, surrounding Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota with these great sand dunes. Mount Rushmore stands around 500 feet high.

Impressive in its own right, but the President's eyes would barely be halfway up the dunes. The Great Pyramid of Giza would look like one of the smallest dunes. Just a bit of the Eiffel Tower would surpass the top of Star Dune. Walking upon the Great Sand Dunes offers an immersive experience into an environment that continually shifts and evolves under the forces of nature. Climbing these dunes is a journey through soft, yielding sands that challenge every step, rewarding the persistent with panoramic views that bridge desert sands and mountain ranges.

Deep in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, beneath the rugged landscape, lies a hidden world of wonder, Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This subterranean giant is a complex of more than 119 caves formed from limestone and sculpted by sulfuric acid, not merely water erosion. The grandeur of Carlsbad Caverns is not just in its vast chambers and intricate formations, but in the profound silence that echoes through its ancient halls. The centerpiece of Carlsbad Caverns is the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber so large that it could house six football fields. At over 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high.

at its highest point, the Big Room is one of the largest cave chambers by volume in North America. This underground expanse is adorned with stalactites, stalagmites, and an array of other formations that present a fantastical cathedral formed over millions of years. Let's consider it in relation to a modern architectural marvel, the Sydney Opera House. Known for its distinctive, sail-like design, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th century architecture. It has three venues and a capacity of 5,700 people.

You could fit at least two Sydney Opera Houses into just the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns. Venturing into Carlsbad Caverns is akin to stepping onto another planet. The path into the Big Room descends more than 750 feet below the surface, leading visitors through narrow passageways that open into the vast chamber's breathtaking expanse. The experience is surreal, a journey through time and elemental force, where every drip of water continues to sculpt the cave's features, ever so slowly, even today.

From the towering sequoias and redwoods of California to the deep chasm of the Grand Canyon, which dwarfs our tallest skyscrapers in bull scale in history, these comparisons between the natural and the man-made serve not only to illustrate the immense scale of these natural features, but also to highlight the unique value and irreplaceable beauty of the natural world. While human ingenuity has given rise to marvels of architecture and engineering, the works of nature, sculpted over millions of years, illustrate the power and artistry of the earth itself. Our national parks protect these wonders, ensuring that they remain untouched and available for future generations to explore. They remind us of our responsibility to preserve the natural world, not just for its beauty and the joy it brings to our lives, but for its crucial role in sustaining the ecosystems we rely on.

This episode of America's National Parks was hosted by me, Jason Epperson, enjoy the show, please consider leaving us a rating and a review. If you're new here, make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes delivered to your feed. If you're looking for photos and tips about visiting national parks, check out our America's National Parks Facebook group, and if you're interested in RV travel, we hope you'll also check out our RV Miles podcast and YouTube channel. Today's show was sponsored by Solo Stove. Use promo code PARKS20OFF to get $20 off your next purchase of $200 or more at solostove.com.