The concept of a national park – a natural environment protected by government – is generally considered to have started in America, with the world's first being Yellowstone National Park in 1870. They are awe-inspiring places with spectacular landscapes, fascinating wildlife and thrilling activities.

Click through the gallery as we step back in time to see what some of the world's best national parks used to look like...

On South Island, Fiordland National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world covering 4,600 square miles (12,000sq km). Its majestic scenery comprises fjords, waterfalls, limestone caves, lakes, mountains and forests. Its wild landscape means that human inhabitants have been limited but Maori visited to hunt and gather gemstones. This photograph shows Maori people in a boat on George Sound. Today, the George Sound Track is considered as one of the park’s toughest hikes. 

Established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a national park to “preserve the works of man”, Mesa Verde was the first of its kind. The park preserves the archaeological sites that were built by the Ancestral Puebloans. There are more than 4,700 sites here, with more yet to be found. This photograph from 1890 is of Cliff Palace, the most famous and largest cliff dwelling in the national park, which was inhabited for 700 years.

Discover more secrets and mysteries of Mesa Verde

Bewitching Yosemite National Park in central California is one of America’s most popular national parks and has welcomed tourists since the mid-19th century. Established in 1890, it was the third national park in America. It still dazzles visitors with its jaw-dropping nature – it’s home to El Capitan, the world's tallest granite monolith, and one of the tallest waterfalls in North America, Yosemite Falls. This man in 1901 is taking in the view of another granite landmark in the park, Half Dome.

Tourists started visiting Mount Buffalo National Park in the 1880s and its gorge was reserved as a national park in 1898. The park boundaries have been enlarged since then. In Victoria’s High Country, visitors come to enjoy the national park’s snowy alpine scenery in winter; and to hike, canoe, swim and rock-climb on its rock formations and cliffs when the weather is warmer. Its pretty waterfalls are a top attraction and this picture shows people exploring near waterfalls on horseback in 1901.

The oldest and biggest national park in Wales, Eryri was designated in 1951, originally using its English name Snowdonia National Park. Many visit to climb to the highest point in Wales, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), but there are plenty of gentler walks too as well as medieval castles, lakes and adrenaline-inducing attractions. One walk is through the pretty village of Betws-y-Coed and over the bridges across the Llugwy River, as pictured here in the early 20th century.

This national park in western Canada lies on the homeland of the Metis people and the traditional territory of many First Nations. However, when it became a national park in 1927, many people in these communities lost their long-standing connection with the land. This photograph shows a canoe on Kingsmere Lake in 1913 before the park was established. This large stretch of open water is still a popular spot, with seven backcountry camping grounds next to it.

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A dream destination for hikers, Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park, which is north of Oslo and Bergen, has more than 250 mountains as well as sparkling mountain lakes. Unsurprisingly, given the monoliths it's home to, its name means ‘home of the giants’. This picture from 1914 shows a man looking out over Gjende Lake, more than 60 years before the area was given national park status in 1980. There are hikes to suit all abilities here as well as biking, dog-sledding and winter sports to enjoy when temperatures drop.

In Japan, there are three categories of natural park – national parks, quasi-national parks and prefectural natural parks. The striking Tojinbo cliffs, pictured here in 1920 with tourists lounging on them, are part of the Echizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park in Fukui. These cliffs are a Natural Monument and Place of Scenic Beauty and are constantly evolving due to sea erosion. View them from the sea or hike along a 2.4-mile (4km) trail along their top. You'll be rewarded with views over the Sea of Japan.

Yoho National Park sits on the western and central slopes of the Canadian Rockies, in southeastern British Columbia. Visit to see its soaring peaks, glaciers and waterfalls, plus its fossils at the Burgess Shale, which are more than 500 million years old. Its alpine landscape is a place for skiing, snowshoeing and spotting wildlife such as mountain goats. It’s a popular spot for hikers too and has been for decades, as this picture of two women near Wiwaxy Peaks in 1928 shows.

The landscape in Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park ranges from towering mountains, deep fjords and dramatic glaciers to spruce and birch forests and pretty flowers. It’s home to wildlife including eagles, Arctic foxes and reindeer too. A big draw to the park is the Svartisen glacier, the largest glacier in northern Scandinavia and the second largest on mainland Norway. The group of tourists pictured here visited it in 1929.

As its name suggests, Death Valley National Park is America's hottest, driest and lowest national park. It wasn’t designated as such until 1994 as its desert conditions weren’t considered as ones to treasure. However, it is home to a diverse mix of flora and fauna, from bighorn sheep and kangaroo rats to wildflowers and desert holly. The man in this photograph is sitting on one of its surreal rock formations in 1930. These formations are constantly being reshaped due to erosion.

Spanning the Abruzzo, Lazio and Le Marche regions in Italy, this large national park is home to the highest mountain in the Apennines – Corno Grande. There are also pretty towns and villages to visit, centuries-old chestnut trees, a botanical garden and a deer park. In the winter, skiers tackle the trails in one of its ski resorts and have for decades, as shown in this picture from 1930.

Banff was Canada’s first national park established in 1885 and the flagship of the nation’s system. At the heart of the Canadian Rockies, visit for show-stopping mountain scenery. You’ll also be able to soak in its hot springs, ski, skate or fat bike in winter or, when it's warmer, take to the water on one of its beautiful lakes. This picture from the 1930s shows rowing boats lined up ready to be enjoyed against a mountain backdrop.

New Zealand’s oldest national park, Tongariro, is home to three active volcanic mountains and has attracted visitors who admire its vast nature since around the time it became a national park in 1894. Its Ngauruhoe Volcano is the largest and most active cone in the complex and last erupted in 1975. Here visitors are watching it erupt in 1931. 

Then and now: the world's landmarks a century ago and today

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was America’s first. It sits on top of a dormant volcano and is home to around half the world’s active geysers. It’s a fascinating place to explore with sites such as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone plus buffalo, wolves, elk and grizzly bears to view. Unlike the tourists in this photograph from 1935, you should never approach the wildlife here or feed them.

See more incredible historic images of Yellowstone through the decades here

Known for its Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, Westland Tai Poutini National Park is on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. The landscape is a picture-perfect combination of forests, snow-capped mountains, lakes, beaches and wetlands. This photograph of hikers climbing the Franz Josef glacier was taken in 1935, 25 years before the national park was established. You can still walk to the glacier or join a guided walk to climb it yourself.

The Serengeti National Park is a bucket-list destination for many travellers due to its wildlife. It’s home to more than 3,000 lions, leopards, giraffes, rhinoceroses, cheetahs and more than 350 bird species. It’s perhaps most famous for its annual wildebeest migration, which was first referenced by visitors in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The national park was established in 1951, 16 years after this photograph of a young lioness was taken. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

The Uluru and Kata Tjuta rock formations are two of Australia’s most famous landmarks and more than 250,000 people visit every year. The Anangu people have lived here for thousands of years and, while they are now recognised as the traditional owners of the park, it took more than 35 years of campaigning following the formation of Uluru National Park in 1950 (then called Ayers Rock). This tourist in 1935 has parked at the base of Uluru, before it was a protected area.

There are 15 national parks in the UK and the largest in England is the Lake District National Park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s home to 12 of the largest lakes in England and also features plenty of mountains to climb, pretty villages to explore and woods to stroll through. This hiker is looking out over Loweswater, Crummock Water and Buttermere from Honister Crag in the Northern Lakes in the 1930s. The national park wasn’t established until two decades later in 1951.

Kruger National Park is one of the most popular places to visit in South Africa as it’s home to an impressive array of wildlife, including more than 500 types of birds and 147 mammals. Established as a national park in 1926, tourists head here today to try and spot the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. This visitor from Sheffield in England is looking at a sign in 1948 warning him that he might meet elephants on the road – that'd be one ticked off his Big Five list.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaii's southeastern shore, is home to two active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kilauea. Impressively, Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world. This photograph from the 1950s shows a tourist reading a warning notice by the rim of Halemaumau, the volcano’s most active vent which collapsed in 2018. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park wasn’t established until 1961 – before this, it was part of Hawaii National Park.

Discover the fascinating stories behind the names of America's national parks

The Wadi Rum Protected Area is in the southern part of Jordan. Its otherworldly desert landscape has starred in numerous films, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Lawrence of Arabia. Expect soaring sandstone cliffs, natural arches, valleys and canyons, plus petroglyphs and inscriptions demonstrating 12,000 years of human occupation. There are lots of ways to explore the area, such as by Jeep or camel. This tourist in the 1950s is being shown around the glowing sands on horseback.

Gran Paradiso National Park in the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy was established in 1922 as the country’s first national park. Its emblem is the ibex, a creature that faced extinction at the end of the 19th century but was protected here. Its team of rangers is one of the oldest in the world, having started 200 years ago as gamekeepers for the king. In this picture, a park ranger is keeping a watchful eye over his section of the park in the 1950s.

Originally called Kazinga National Park when it was founded in 1952, Queen Elizabeth National Park was renamed two years later following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Famous for its tree-climbing lions, but also home to almost 100 species of mammal and more than 600 types of bird, the national park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Uganda. Mweya Safari Lodge, pictured here in 1954, is at the heart of the park with the backdrop of the dramatic Rwenzori Mountains. 

Created in around 1079 by William the Conqueror for the pursuit of the ‘beasts of the chase’ (red, roe and fallow deer and wild pig), the New Forest in southern England is a patchwork of woodland, coastline, farmland, wet and dry heath, and bogs. This means that it has a diverse mix of wildlife, from wading birds and bats to thousands of ponies who roam free. One of these is pictured here in 1955, along with a sign warning drivers to watch out for animals. This was taken 50 years before the New Forest was designated a national park in 2005.

Jasper is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Drive around its awe-inspiring lakes, glaciers, snow-topped mountains, waterfalls and hot springs. Or get your blood pumping on a mountain bike adventure, hike, or while skiing in winter. The park is home to the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies, Maligne Lake. It's backed by mountains that look like they’re from a fairy tale, as you can see in this photograph of two people drinking in its scenery in 1956.

In the south of Germany, near the border with Austria, Berchtesgaden National Park is the only national park in the German Alps. It’s a fantastic place to go hiking, as this photograph taken from the peak of Jenner Mountain in 1957 shows. It’s the core of the Berchtesgaden UNESCO biosphere reserve, having been designated a national park in 1978. On a visit, look out for wildlife including golden eagles, bearded vultures, red deer and pine marten.

Only established in 2008, the enormous Vatnajokull National Park is a new kid on the block. Its geological history is unique – it’s been formed by the conflict between fire and ice and features volcanoes and glaciers. Seven out of the 10 central volcanoes in the park are under the ice cap of the Vatnajokull glacier. Due to its special natural characteristics, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. A popular attraction in its Eldgja area is the Ofærufoss waterfall, pictured here in the 1960s. 

Less than a two-hour drive or train journey from Sydney, the Blue Mountains is the most visited national park in New South Wales. Its headline attraction is the Three Sisters rock formation but there are also cascading waterfalls, Aboriginal history to discover and lookouts with knock-out vistas. A spectacular view can be taken in from its Scenic Skyway, Australia’s first cable car. It’s pictured here two years after it opened in 1958. It was replaced in 2017 by a new Swiss-made cabin.

This photo shows people on horseback wading across the River Dove in Dovedale, Derbyshire in the 1960s. Thirty years earlier, a campaign was launched to make the valley of Dovedale Britain's first national park. However, it wasn’t until 1951 that the Peak District was created, and given that title instead. The Peak District National Park has stretches of wild moorland, towering peaks and handsome villages with cosy pubs to explore. Dovedale, the River Dove and its stepping stones are still a popular and much-photographed spot within the national park today.

Now discover the world's most beautiful national parks