I recently finished watching the DVD version of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea
(ad) from Netflix. First of all, there were many parts that would have looked much better in HD, but alas Netflix doesn’t have the Blu-ray version. I had also been thinking this would be more of a tour of the parks, forgetting that this was a Ken Burns film. It turns out to be a thorough history of the parks, which was interesting for the most part. Trying to place yourself in the America that still had unclaimed wilderness is challenging, though I guess you can still see that in a trip to Alaska. As to whether national parks are “America’s Best Idea” … I would say that’s a massive exaggeration, but “one of the best ideas” might qualify.
I’d love to see some of these places in person!
