Take a Tour of 5 U.S. National Parks with Googles New 360-degree Exhibit
To celebrate Thursdays 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service, Google has launched The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, an interactive on-demand documentary that utilizes the latest 360-degree video technology to give viewers short private tours of five U.S. National Parks, as seen through the eyes of the park rangers who know them best.
If you cant visit the parks in person this year, this free offering from Google is a perfect alternative.
The U.S. National Parks are full of wonders, but most people dont get the chance to visit in person, Google's Nick Carbonaro said in a blog post. While nothing beats the real thing, for this months 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service, we wanted to see if we could use Googles technology to help share the parks with everyone.
Hidden Worlds presents two special video tours for each of five featured parks. Some of the options will let you experience what its like to:
Descend 750 feet underground into Southern New Mexicos Carlsbad Caverns to fly with thousands of bats.
Go scuba diving in the shallow waters of the Dry Tortugas and explore a reef created by a windjammer shipwreck.
Take a helicopter ride over the steaming lava flow of the Klauea Volcano in Hawaiis Volcanoes National Park.
Gaze at constellations in the night sky over the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.
Climb 30 feet down into the icy crevasse of a glacier at Kenai Fjords.
Viewers can access the virtual tours using Googles Arts & Culture app on Apple iOS and Android devices or by going to g.co/nationalparks.
The U.S. National Parks Service is also offering free admission to all of its parks, monuments, and historical sites starting today through Sunday. If you cant get to a park this weekend, the Hidden Worlds online tour is a great alternative. Set aside an hour to experience all five tours.
In the meantime, you can watch a behind-the-scenes clip of the making of the Hidden Worlds Expedition:
Christopher Tkaczyk is the senior news editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ctkaczyk.
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