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NATIONAL PARK QUARTERS
The coins release order is dictated by the order in which the honored sites came under the direct control of the federal government. As such, the Hot Springs National Park Quarter was the first to be released as the site was granted federal protection on April 20, 1832. Conversely, the last coin to be released in the program will be the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter, scheduled for 2021, with that site only being established on November 6, 1998.
All of the sites are honored on the reverse (tails side) of the fifty-six quarter dollars issued in the series with a design emblematic of that location. The obverse (heads side) of each coin will contain the same design, a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This image of Washington was initially used on the circulating 1932 quarter dollar and was designed by John Flanagan. The same portrait has been used on the quarters ever since 1932, with some modifications occurring in 1999 as part of the 50-State Quarter series.
El Yunque National Forest Quarter – The El Yunque National Forest Quarter honors a site in Puerto Rico that is special because it is the sole tropical rain forest featured in the United States National Forest System. Even though the forest is small, it boasts a tropical climate all year long, and an assorted bio system like no other forest in the United States.
El Yunque National Forest also contains the Luquillo Mountains. This range rises 3,500 feet above sea level and makes up much of the forest. It has been recorded that these mountains can receive up to 200 inches of rainfall in the higher elevations.
Spaniards may have given the El Yunque National Forest its name when they first visited the island. Many thunderstorms roll through the forest with the thunder said to sound like a hammer hitting an anvil, which is Yunque in Spanish. Others believe the name may have come from the locals that lived on the island who called the area "Yu-ke".
Chaco Culture National Historic Park Quarter — The Chaco Culture National Historical Park Quarter honors the site in New Mexico where, a thousand years ago, a culture of Pueblo people thrived even though the living conditions were difficult.
Eventually the residents in this region abandoned the dwellings built here and moved on. No one knows for certain why this occurred.
More recently, much of the area was put off-limits to the public due to erosion. The National Park Services is actively working with descendants of the Pueblo people to conserve what remains of the historic structures found there.
Acadia National Park Quarter — The Acadia National Park Quarter honors a site in Maine where both Native Americans and European settlers have called home. The Native Americans had lived there for centuries before it became one of the first areas to be settled by immigrants from Europe.
The park itself was established as Sieur de Monts National Monument on July 8, 1916. Additional protections were added to the area when it became a national park in 1919.
Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. is largely responsible for the current infrastructure of the park as he personally funded it including miles of carriage trails and several structures.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarter – – Honoring a national park located on the "Big Island", or the island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarter.
Hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity has created this national park, which is still growing today. The volcano known as Kīlauea continues to spew molten lava that expands the size of the island as it flows into the ocean and creates rock.
Along with offering an up-close glimpse into an active volcano, the park also provides awareness on how the islands were created. It is also a popular tourist spot, garnering over one million visitors a year.
Denali National Park Quarter — The Denali National Park Quarter honors the park located in Alaska featuring Mount McKinley. Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in North America, which fits the name Denali perfectly as it means "the high one".
The Denali National Park hosts over one million visitors per year which is amazing when one considers the rugged terrain and location of the park. Only the first 15 miles of the main road within the park is accessible to private vehicles, with the remaining road reserved for concessionary busses. This is probably for the best as only a small portion is paved.