33 stunning pictures of US national parks

With everything from vast deserts and gorgeous beaches to sprawling mountain ranges, America is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world - and nowhere is that more evident than in the national parks.

The US National Park Service oversees 401 areas throughout the US and US territories and has nearly 300 million visitors each year.

In honor of National Park Week, which runs through April 26th, we found some spectacular pictures of national parks, monuments, seashores and heritage areas around the country that will make you appreciate how beautiful the US really is.

Anmargaret Warner contributed to an earlier version of this post.