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The National Parks: About the Series

Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales – from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska – The National Parks: America's Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people.

People from every conceivable background – rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs – were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.

Watch this epic story that's a century long and a continent wide when it airs this fall on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD.


Photos from the series

Episode descriptions

Amidst grizzly bears, buffalo, antelope, alligators and egrets... upon glaciers, geysers, lakes and deserts... encountering nature in its most beautiful and extreme, The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

» Download an episode guide

  • Episode 1

    “The Scripture of Nature” (1851-1890)
    The astonishing beauty of Yosemite Valley and the geyser wonderland of Yellowstone give birth to the radical idea of creating national parks for the enjoyment of everyone; John Muir becomes their eloquent defender.

  • Episode 2

    “The Last Refuge” (1890-1915) (Episode Two)
    A young president, Theodore Roosevelt, becomes one of the national parks’ greatest champions; in Yellowstone, a magnificent species is rescued from extinction; and in Yosemite, John Muir fights the battle of his life to save a beautiful valley.

  • Episode 3

    “The Empire of Grandeur” (1915-1919) (Episode Three)
    In John Muir’s absence, a new leader steps forward on behalf of America’s remaining pristine places; a new federal agency is created to protect the parks; and in Arizona, a fight breaks out over the fate of the grandest canyon on earth.

  • Episode 4

    “Going Home” (1920-1933) (Episode Four)
    As America embraces the automobile, a Nebraska housewife searches for peace and inspiration in park after park, while a honeymoon couple seeks fame and adventure in the Grand Canyon; and the future of the Great Smoky Mountains becomes caught in a race with the lumbermen’s saws.

  • Episode 5

    “Great Nature” (1933-1945) (Episode Five)
    In the midst of an economic catastrophe and then a world war, the national parks provide a source of much-needed jobs and then much-needed peace; the park idea changes to include new places and new ways of thinking; and in Wyoming, battle lines are drawn along the front of the Teton Range.

  • Episode 6

    “The Morning of Creation” (1946-1980) (Episode Six)
    A stubborn iconoclast fights a lonely battle on behalf of a species nearly everyone hates; America’s “Last Frontier” becomes a testing ground for the future of the park idea; and in unprecedented numbers, American families create unforgettable memories, passing on a love of the parks to the next generation.

An enduring partnership: Ken Burns and WETA

Ken Burns and THE WAR - A WETA Extra

A video message from
Ken Burns

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his more than 20-year partnership with WETA.
Watch video clip »



For more than 20 years, WETA has partnered with Ken Burns to bring his landmark documentaries to the nation via public television.

We at WETA are immensely proud of our ongoing collaboration with Ken Burns and his Florentine Films colleagues. For two decades, this partnership has brought a host of beautifully crafted, critically acclaimed films illuminating America’s stories to a nationwide audience. These projects perfectly reflect WETA’s mission: to create and broadcast compelling, educational programming of great quality and integrity in service to the public.

Among Ken Burns’s many collaborations with WETA was the powerful 2007 film THE WAR, The Civil War, Baseball, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, Mark Twain, JAZZ, and Horatio’s Drive. Ken Burns and writer and producer Dayton Duncan share an abiding passion for history, and as a team they have created extraordinarily successful films. It is a tremendous pleasure to work with them and their colleagues at Florentine.

WETA is even now working on the next film project with Ken Burns and projects are being planned up to a decade beyond. It is with pride that together we serve the American public with remarkable films of tremendous educational value that illuminate the nation's history.

Thank you for watching, and thank you for your support.

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