What is your favorite national park and why?

30 comments

1. Gateway Arch is the best one, everybody should visit it and skip the others, especially if I’m planning on visiting it.

2. I would say Glacier. The prettiest place I have ever been, absolutely magical.

3. Yellowstone for the diversity of the landscape and the sheer amount of wildlife.

   Glacier might be the prettiest.

4. Olympic my beloved. Why? Because I’ve spent more time there than anywhere else.

5. I haven’t even been to a fraction of them yet. No sane way to say.

6. So far it’s the Grand Canyon. I went there for New Year’s this year and it was breathtaking. I’m going to Yellowstone and possibly Glacier this December.

7. For me it is the Smoky Mountains but that’s mostly for sentimental reasons, though it is gorgeous

   For just raw crazy beauty I’d have to say Arches or Canyonlands or Bryce of Capitol Reef.

   But you also have the classics like Yellowstone and Zion and Yosemite.

   I just can’t pick one.

8. kings canyon. i used to go up to hume lake for summer camp (also beautiful) but before we went my family would go hang out with the sequoias. they’re impossibly beautiful and you don’t know how big they are until you’re standing literally in endor.

9. how could I ever choose just one?

10. There aren’t many National Parks east of the Missisippi, so I have a favorite State Park. My favorite Wisconsin State Park is Wyalusing. It’s in the beautifull Driftless area on the western border. There are magnificent views of the convergence of the Wisconsin and Mississipi rivers. The hiking is fun with some small caves and dripping ‘waterfalls’. The trails, restrooms/showers, camping spots, concessions stand, Astronomy Center, and boat launch are all well taken care of, and all of the Park Rangers are friendly and knowledgeable.

    I have been to some National Parks, and while all the ones I have been to are beautiful, there is an overwhelming feeling of get in your car, drive to an area, look around or take a short hike, get back in your car. All this while battling all the other tourists trying to do the same thing. My State Parks give me the feeling of going there to experience the area, no rush, no driving around, so I honestly prefer them. (Except for Devil’s Lake State Park, that’s a tourist nightmare.)

11. Yellowstone, the natural beauty and geothermal features are unparalleled.

12. Hoh rainforest Washington State. Beautiful and cleanest water you’ll ever see.

13. Acadia because it’s the only one I’ve been to.

14. Everglades, I like seeing Alligators and Flamingos.

15. Haven’t been to many, but the ones I have been to, I’d say Mount Rainier in Washington was the best. I went there in June, which is peak blooming season for the immense amount of wildflowers around the park. The park is one giant forest with Mount Rainier in the center. Any picture you see of the mountain doesn’t do it justice. It’s so much different seeing it in person. You experience how big the mountain really is. If you ever visit, take a drive up to Paradise. It’s at the foot of the mountain and there you can get a huge close-up view.

16. St Johns/USVI in part because it is so different from the general imagining of national park beauty with protected tropical reefs instead of majestic mountains and forests. And it really needs to be explored by boat to get the most out of it.

    Dry Tortugas is a special mention as a pretty ideal “if things go to shit you could avoid the entire world for a bit” place. Plus a cool old fort!

17. Death Valley is so incredibly weird and unique, it’s in a class of its own

18. Carlsbad Caverns!

19. I live in the land of National Parks and my favorite, hands down is Grand Teton.

    I motorcycle tour and camp but don’t really hike or anything. Grand Teton is absolutely the most enjoyable for what I do.

    Plus… it’s gonna end up low on this list which means it isn’t overrun like Yellowstone. 🙂

20. Sequoia. The big trees are so quiet. The forest floor absorbs every sound. You feel utterly tiny (and if you get off the main trail for half a mile, pretty much actually alone.) the silence, the stillness, the scent. It’s humbling. (There’s wild strawberries too.)

    I probably actually love Yosemite best because I’ve been there the most and it reminds me of childhood, but lots of people love Yosemite, and for good reason, so I choose Sequoia.

21. Crater Lake. It’s not the largest but there is mot one person who won’t get lost for a moment staring into those deep blue waters. I certainly have and look forward to the best time I can. In the meantime it’s my desktop photo on my work laptop.

    Also have to mention Volcanos. The most unique sight at any national park I’ve been to by far is the orange glow from the depth of Kilauea crater.

22. Bryce Canyon – just looks cool

23. Oh god. I can’t choose one.

    Big Bend just feels so rustic and romantic

    Zion is breathtaking

    Rocky Mountain is fantastic any time of year, as long as you can ski

    Glacier is the shit you see on Costco TVs

    Grand Teton is iconic.

    I basically got married in Joshua Tree.

    The high Sierra in Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite is incredible.

    North Cascades is a dream.

24. I haven’t visited many, but Mount Rainier National Park is one of the most incredible places I have ever seen. The feeling of being smacked in the face by that magnificent mountain as we snaked our way up the road to Sunset is forever burned in my soul.

25. Acadia for me, it feels like my safe space. It’s the one I’ve been to the most and have actually camped in too. I’ve been to Shenandoah too and that one is a close second followed by New River Gorge, Congaree, Smoky Mountains, and then Hot Springs

26. Hawaii Volcanos. Because there’s a live volcano!

    Plus, the diversity of landscapes there is amazing.

27. Rocky Mountain

28. I grew up near Yosemite. You could see Half Dome on a clear day from my backyard. It’s like a second home.

29. I’ve taken my kids to about 10 of the big national parks. All 3 say Yosemite and Glacier tie for the best.

30. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. Giant Forest with the huge Sequoia trees is great but then there’s the Cedar Groves, which is different. Great hiking, the forest, so much to see and do.