The parks are definitely something to enjoy and respect.
I highly recommend two books:
Desert Solitare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Solitaire
Death, Daring and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National Parks
https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/NPSBooks/farabee.htm
This is good too:
The National Parks: America's Best Idea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_National_Parks:_America%27s_Best_Idea
This is good too: