Nearly a decade in the making, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, is a six-part, twelve-hour documentary series from Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. Filmed at some of nature's most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — it is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

A Film by
KEN BURNS

A Production of Florentine Films and WETA-TV

Written by
DAYTON DUNCAN

Produced by
DAYTON DUNCAN
KEN BURNS

Supervising Film Editor
PAUL BARNES A.C.E.

Episode Editors
PAUL BARNES
ERIK EWERS
CRAIG MELLISH

Cinematography
BUDDY SQUIRES
with
ALLEN MOORE
LINCOLN ELSE
KEN BURNS

Co-Producers
CRAIG MELLISH
JULIE DUNFEY
DAVID McMAHON

Associate Producers
SUSANNA STEISEL
AILEEN SILVERSTONE

Coordinating Producer
PAM TUBRIDY BAUCOM

Narrated by
PETER COYOTE

Voices
ADAM ARKIN
TOM BODETT
PHILIP BOSCO
TRINA CARMODY
TIM CLARK
KEVIN CONWAY
ANDY GARCIA
MURPHY GUYER
TOM HANKS
DEREK JACOBI
GENE JONES
JAMES KYSON LEE
JOHN LITHGOW
JOSH LUCAS
CARL LUMBLY
AMY MADIGAN
CAROLYN McCORMICK
ALBERT McFADYEN
YUMI MIZUI
CAMPBELL SCOTT
LEE STETSON
MARCUS LOVELL SMITH
GEORGE TAKEI
JOHN TRUDELL
SHO WADA
ELI WALLACH
SAM WATERSTON

YO-YO MA
appears courtesy of Sony BMG Masterworks

Funding provided by
General Motors
Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
Park Foundation, Inc.
Public Broadcasting Service
National Park Foundation
The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Bank of America

Premieres Sunday, September 27, 2009
Second National Broadcast. January/February 2010