Would you list Denali National Park on your Top 10 list of national parks?/NPS
Recently, a website that will go unmentioned put together a list of "the nation's worst national parks." While that list was soundly, and justifiably, ridiculed and dismissed, it brings to mind this question: What are the nation's best national parks? If you were to compile a Top 10 list of national parks, which would you include on it?
Would Yellowstone be on everyone's list? How about Acadia, or Canyonlands, or Denali?
So tell us, travelers, what does your Top 10 list of national parks look like?
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Comments
Tough list to make, but today these would be my ten favorites. (Might look different tomorrow):
Theodore Roosevelt
Olympic
Congaree
Acadia
Virgin Islands
Rocky Mountain
Death Valley
Isle Royale
American Samoa
Redwood
Will I get my hand slapped if I am of the philosophy that the word "park" is only an unimportant and artificial label and that many less "important" places deserve to be on a top ten list?
So, knowing I am at risk of punishment, here is my list:
Yellowstone
Zion
Hovenweep
Natural Bridges
Golden Spike
Pipe Spring
Great Basin
Death Valley
Apostle Islands
Devils Tower
Okay, you can slap me now.
Lee, no hand-slapping here, though I do note a peculiar geologic layout to your choices;-)
I've given up on "Best & Better."
What, one of the 7 Natural Wonders in the world doesn't rate:)?
I am with trailadvocate on this, I to like them all.
Yosemite
Zion
Glaicer
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Death Valley
Olympic
Arches
Denali
Honorable Mention: Bryce, Acadia, Canyonlands
My List has two parts five I have been to and five on my bucket list;
Yellowstone/Grand Teton
Zion
Glacier
Great Smokies
Rocky Mtn.
Bucket List;
Yosemite
Acadia
Big Bend
Biscayne
Katmai
For me at the moment it is:
Glacier
Grand Teton
Olympic
Yosemite
Yellowstone
Bryce Canyon
Zion
Acadia
Crater Lake
Arches
I've been to around 2/3rds of the different National Parks, but haven't been to any in Alaska, so i'm sure some of those would be here. I think i'd also have Dry Tortugas on this list, when I finally get around to seeing the coral reefs there with my own two eyes.
But, here's my list.
Glacier - by far and away the best place i've ever been to. The scenery is suburb, it contians all of it's native wildlife before the Euroman encroachment epoch, is not overdeveloped to death, and scrambling up those peaks is AN experience. It doesn't matter which peak, any of them - and you will see the park in it's grandeur by looking over it. I've been to it many times, and I never once have been bored with any of my experiences there.
Olympic - I was struck by this place, because it's got spectacular mountains, spectacular rainforests with large old growth trees, and a wild coastline that is very wild and primitive. I lucked out one year by catching this place during the peak of the wildflower bloom on hurricane ridge, and it stood out to me as one of the most beautiful scenes on Earth. So much to explore, you could spend a long time doing it.
Capitol Reef - By far the best park in the southwest in my opinion. Especially the remoter backcountry - such as cathedral valley, and the remote slot canyons found in the southern part (crowds? What crowds?) It's truly a gem of geological wonders. Get off the main road, and you'll have large stretches of this place, where it's just you, the yote's and the lizards. This place is not for the "i need a paved road" crowd.
Yellowstone/Grand Tetons/Beartooth Wilderness/Absoraka Wilderness/Jeb Smith Wilderness - It's the eptiome of the Rocky Mountain experience, especially the backcountry when you leave the roads behind. I can't just include Yellowstone here, because I also found many similar experiences within the Greater Yellowstone, and don't exactly need to be within the park boundary to find grand experiences. But the Greater Yellowstone is an experience. I truly miss having this place being just a few hours drive down the road.
Sequoia - While the trees are impressive, it was the mountainous maze within the backcountry that captivated me. In terms of mountainous National Parks, only Glacier would I rank higher.
Channel Islands - i've only been to Santa Cruz, and only spent 3 long days, and 4 nights on it, but during the time I spent here, I wanted to see a lot more of this place. Very interesting place. Just go during early spring or after the rains when everything is blooming and fresh. The sea life surrounding these islands is also spectacular. I'm sure scuba diving here would be mindbogglingly awesome. We saw Whales, numerous seals, and thousands of dolphins, tons of starfish along the rocky shoreline not far from the kelp beds. I plan on going back here, and going to some of the other islands.
Canyonlands - Utah's second best National Park. The White Rim trail is just a gem. Everyone should attempt a portion of it once in their life. Heck, the other parts of the park are amazing too.
Great Smoky Mountains - Well, i've spent more time in this park than any other. So, i'm biased, but the amount of life in the temperate rainforests is quite stunning. While everyone seeks out black bears, etc in Cades Cove. I'm not a huge fan of those areas, because of the crowds. instead I find the insects, amphibians, and flora of this place truly remarkable and more fascinating. The AT through the park is stunning. The heath balds are also grand, especially when the heath shrubs, like Rhododendron, Azaelas, and Mountain Laurel go into bloom in late may - mid june. That's probably my favorite time of year, and its quite stunning, and exemplifies why this place is set aside as a biological gem. Sure, the mountains are bigger in the west, but the flora and wildlife is in greater abundance here.
Congaree - the other park from the Eastern half that is a gem and not on many peoples radar. Massive trees, and a lot of wildlife and bizarre species of birds, and insects that you just don't find in the dry interior west. It's a turtle mecca too. You need lots of slow moving water and muggy hot humid temps for these sort of creatures to thrive, and Congaree has loads of it . Regardless, it's not a massive park, but it's definitely a unique place that protects a habitat that is getting increasingly more and more rare under the tune of the anthropocene epoch. I plan on exploring more of this place over the years.
Great Basin - It's walking in those morraine fields with the ancient bristlecones that makes this place stand out. You can find more interesting mountains elsewhere, but this place is very interesting. It also has a remote feeling to it, compared to many other parks, plus who would guess there's a glacier in the higher reaches of Nevada.
Bryce, Petrified Forest, Crater Lake and Mt Rainier could also be switched into or out of the bottom 5, if I spent more time in those.
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Parks i'm meaning to get to: Gates of the Arctic, Dry Tortugas, Acadia, Lake Clark, Haleakala.
It's hard to see so many lists without North Cascades on them, and as well I'm one of the lucky ones who has been to NPSA [American Samoa] and it is a beautiful visit.
Have to limit it to national parks, or I'd never be able to get it down to 10. Hard enough even that way. In alphabetical order:
Acadia
Death Valley
Denali
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Great Smoky Mountains
Hawaii Volcanoes
Theodore Roosevelt
Yellowstone
Zion
My 1/50 of a dollar:
1. Arches
2. Great Basin
3. Crater Lake
4. Mt. Rainier
5. Glacier
6. Yellowstone
7. Yosemite
8. Grand Canyon
9. Carlsbad Caverns
10. Isle Royale
Assuming the crowds can be avoided:
Yosemite
Glacier
Yellowstone
Grand Canyon
Glacier Bay
Mt. Rainier
Olympic
Virgin Islands
Rocky Mountain
Grand Tetons
I've been to 28. I hope to add 12 more through this year. So far, Glacier, Capitol Reef, and Badlands are high on my list. Death Valley, Yosemite, and the Yellowstone area would have to be included. But I reserve judgement until I see them all...
GREAT SMOKY MTS, YELLOWSTONE, BIG BEND, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, ZION, SHENANDOAH, ARCHES, CAPITOL REEF, CARLSBAD CAVERNS, OLYMPIC
In no partucular order:
Yosemite
Olympic
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Zion
Yellowstone
Grand Teton
Sequoia
Acadia
Great Smokey Mountain
HM: Capital Reef; Congaree, Everglades
My top ten:
Mesa Verde. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, North Cascades, Grand Canyon, Zion, Acadia, Everglades. Big Bend, Gates of the Arctic.
Rick
I have traveled extensively... and I am trying to visit all 406 units of the service. Every unit offers something different, from Natural to Cultural, recreational to iconic. I tried to pick my favortites in a way that reflect this range. Here it goes (in no particular order):
Experiencing Nature
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve - Simple becuase it is the largest, it is challenging, and after visiting it for 25 years it still has something new to offer. It is just to darn big to ever see! Beautiful.
Death Valley National Park - Absoultely stunning in it's subtle diversity. I spent a week visiting most of the popular areas, and I still barely scratched the surface. I was amazed by all the beautiful places to experience nature, with a little work.
Historical Experience
Antietam National Battlefield - I spent a couple of weeks touring the Civil War battlefiels as part of my daughters high school project. Gettysburg set a stage for me, but Antietam delivered the message and lesson of the cost of war in an eerie and unforgettable manner. I still feel deeply disturbed and impacted by the sense of war/violence I felt. It is good to not forget.
Linclon Memorial - Nothing stands as a true testiment to how far we have come as a country in our respect for each other as the Lincoln Memorial. I still get goose bumps every time I stand in the same place that Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when he gave his speach. The video in the visitor center that shows how many other struggles in our nations history started in the same place. Lincoln's words on the walls inside the momument always make me stop and reflect... and I always feel like I can be a better person when I leave those halls.
Recreation
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - There are many places in Utah to enjoy the sheer beauty of color country, but when I want to recreate in the boundaries of a national park, there is no place like here. It can be a little crowded, and perhaps a little loud, but if I want serenity in my recreation, there are other choices. Boating through the channels is absoultely amazing. I can not think of any other national park that offers as many places to get a kayak into... and red rock to boot!
Golden Gate National Recreation Area - There are many things to do in San Francisco, but add this park to the mix, and you have a ton of really cool things to do all within biking distance of each other. It is one of my favortie places to go to just "hang out".
Cultural Experience
Hovenweel National Monument - It's really east to want to pick Mesa Verde National Park, because it is magical and large, but I am going to refrain and pick a tiny park off the beaten path. You go hear an you have the place to yourself! You can hear the culture and feel the presence of prehistory.
Historic Trail or Route
Route 66 hands down is one of the most amazing ways to get in touch with Americana. I pedaled the entire route from Chicago to Santa Monica. You really get a sense of America when you travel this route/trail.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail gives you a sense of the injustice of Native Americans. I was deeply moved and felt shame that our government forcible removed people from their homelands.
Did I get ten?