Today happens to be the 100th birthday of the foundation of the US National Park Service. Ever since the first US national park was founded in Yellowstone in 1872, numerous other parks have mushroomed into what is now the National Park Service, founded by the then president Woodrow Wilson. The NPS now protects 412 areas that span 84 million acres in the North America region.
Google could therefore have chosen no better day to unveil their interactive tribute to these national parks: The Hidden Worlds Of The National Parks. This immersive tour takes viewers into five specific US national parks, complete with gorgeous visuals backed by narration done by US park rangers themselves.
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From the breathtaking 360-degree view from the edge of a cliff formed by the Hawaii volcanoes to a dive beneath the lush tropical reefs of the Dry Tortugas in Florida, it is an audio-visual experience for any nature lover, and an especially compelling tour of some of the most beautiful locations on our planet that kids would enjoy.
Each of the video tours starts with a brief introductory video that explains the national park you are about to ‘head’ into, before launching into the 360-degree experience. During the video, there are clickable hotspots that appear at regular intervals, enabling you to launch into related segment that let you experience the park in a different way: for example, viewing the same scenery at nightfall with the ability to click through visible star constellations, each of which have their own guided explanations.
For best results, view this website using a 4Mbps+ broadband connection and on a large screen or VR headset.
