Which national/state park or protected area is your favorite?

39 comments

  1. Literally impossible for me to answer because it so much depends on my mood, the weather, and what activity (or lack thereof) I wish to participate in.

  2. Olympic National park in Washington is amazing. You could easily spend a month there just exploring around.

  4. I love every national park/ state park i have visited but grand canyon is extra special; it’s beautiful, and they let you be as stupid as you want to be (sit on the edge of the edge).

  8. I’m unconvinced Isle Royal can be beat as far as experiences go. It was such a great isolated hike, and the whole idea of it is just special.

    However, I haven’t through hiked any of the NPs in the Rocky mountains, I’ve only driven through them. While I have a long term trip to tackle the continental divide, most likely on a motorcycle, I can’t speak fully to what the offer yet.

    I’m excited for an upcoming trip Jeep trip through the Tall Grass Prairie / Flint Hills region, I actually find the plains quite beautiful, and grew up around the region, so it hits in a familiar comforting way. I’m sure it’ll be a hard sale for most.

  10. The Grand Canyon. It’s a place where I can feel the age of the earth; I feel a deep peace of mind to know it will be there long after I’m gone

  11. My favorite is heavily skewed by where I grew up, Chimney Bluffs is my personal favorite protected land near me, probably because that’s where I spent the most of my time outdoors.

  15. Fall Creek Falls state park in Tennessee. Not only is it gorgeous, but my grandfather helped map it out so it’s special to me.

  16. My favorite is Bear Mountain in New York. The views are amazing and it has a beautiful hotel.

  18. Red Rock State Park outside of Las Vegas. It isn’t the biggest or flashiest, but the scenic loop drive is absolutely gorgeous. Twenty minutes outside of Vegas and you are in a completely different world. (Plus I got married there, so it gets bonus points for that)

  19. Yellowstone is more famous in Wyoming but as a Californian, id say visit Redwood National and State Parks

  20. Cape Cod National Seashore.

    Why? I spent a lot of time here as a kid, and it is sentimental to me. Also, everyone else is going to say Yellowstone.

  25. National parks: Yosemite, Zion, Glacier, Olympic, and Glacier Bay.

    State parks/reserves: Big Basin, Humboldt Redwoods, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Salt Point, Montaña del Oro, Emerald Bay, Na Pali Coast, and Red Rock Canyon, to name a few.

  28. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The giant hunks of granite just plopped in the prairie make for such a unique experience

  33. Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. Located in southeast Wisconsin, Horicon Marsh has been formally recognized as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention of the United Nations.

  34. Caveat that I rarely hike/camp so my “experience” of these areas is basically what it was like to ride a motorcycle through them on asphalt.

    Grand Teton NP is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

    For a more specific answer: Riding from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Lee’s Ferry through the Vermillion Cliffs is practically a spiritual experience.

  37. I love Badlands National Park. Cresting the hill into the park and seeing the landscape open up before me was like landing on another planet. I planned to spend a few hours there and ended up spending more like 3 days. We actually had to move on to make our next stop without seeing everything we wanted to.

    Most people go west from Rapid City, SD to see Mt. Rushmore, but I highly recommend heading east instead if you’re strapped for time. (And honestly, I’d recommend skipping Mt. Rushmore entirely. It’s a rock with faces on it, and you can see it from the road. It’s not worth the $20 to get in.)

  39. I love many National Parks. I was blown away by Bryce Canyon. Love Zion, love all the other Utah parks, but Bryce was breathtaking.

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