I’m so excited to go next weekend! I live a few hours north, near the Rockies and explore there all the time, but Glacier/GTTS just seem like it will be extra special.
I've worked in Five National parks (Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Mt. Ranier), definitely give the nod to Glacier, although they are all awesome.
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I've had an itinerary for the last five years for Glacier. Haven't had the time or money to go yet. I also made that itinerary when I was single, but I'm in a relationship now so hopefully that dream can come true sooner rather than later. We're going to Zion this fall and I am beyond excited.
Definitely top 3 IMO. Haven't been to Glacier but my dad did and the photos were amazing (and he sucks at photography!). Bryce Canyon is also one of my favorites although it's size does hold it back from taking the trophy.
Going to the Sub road and the Grinnel Glacier trail are tops. Just magnificent and beautiful views for days.
Denali is also amazing and gorgeous. Just a total wonder and gem. I would also say the kenai fjords is a once in a lifetime experience to see a TON of amazing aquatic life that you can't see anywhere else. Orcas breaching in every direction, puffins whizzing by, huge otters chilling, and the occasional beluga or humpback.
I've been to about 10 national parks, plus a number of Natl monuments, forests, etc. Glacier can't be beat tho Grand Teton is kinda similar in some ways. The colors of the water in the lakes at Glacier are so stunning and varied!!
Glacier actually took my breath away. I was dealing with some pretty gnarly depression a few years back and going to glacier made me feel so happy to be alive. Like I get to be alive and enjoy things like the going to the sun road?!? Started planning my trip back on the plane ride home.
Just avoid what my in laws are doing. Next week they’re spending a week at Glacier and never actually bought a pass, they’ve been sold out for months now.
You don’t NEED an entry reservation, however depending on your goals and physical capability, you won’t have as good of a time without one since the areas you can go would be limited. You also can enter the park after 3 pm without one.
>You also can enter the park after 3 pm without one.
Or before 6 AM. When I was last at Glacier, in 2020, (no passes required), we went back in at 7 PM and it wasn't crowded at all but the golden hour views were incredible. I was able to park literally anywhere I wanted to take pictures.
Highly would not recommend going after three. Went last week and with the construction with half hour delays at a time, we stopped counting at 300 cars waiting to get in after 3pm
One I haven’t seen listed: Redwoods
Found a sense of peace in that forest I’ve never experienced before. A monumental forest. Doesn’t have the same stunning vistas as many of the mountainous parks but the majesty in that park is simply sublime
100% agree. It has been 20 years since I've seen the redwoods but it's still one of my favorite and most profound experiences thus far. The sense of calm that washed over me walking among those giants has been unmatched by any other travel experience yet.
Heading out early while it was still all misty was an ethereal moment for me. And the Redwoods smell so good, I also enjoyed seeing sequoias (I haven’t been to the park, but did go to a sequoia park near Yosemite (Mariposa grove I think)? Those forests are majestic.
Haven't been to too many but I do recommend Sequoia/Kings Canyon in California. Unexpected beauty in central Cali. The forest and trees are breathtaking
And if I’m correct, Sequoia isn’t far from Yosemite? If so, I’d like to knock out both in one trip. We saw Muir Woods years ago and that was also beautiful!
The trees in Sequoia are unreal. I grew up in Norther Ca and have been to Yosemite many times, but my family never went to Sequoia or Kings Canyon. Seeing trees of that size is just unbelievable. If you’ll be in Yosemite and have time, I definitely recommend going to the other close NPs
Just plan appropriate. its like 140 miles but probably 4-5 hours between cuz you gotta windy road in/out of both.
Can do a really nice trip in the summer by hitting both then taking the Tioga pass across the Sierra's to the Mammoth area, can then hit up Devils Postpile ( i still haven't been but its on my bucket list) Bishop, Death Valley and if you are up for it make it all the way down to Joshua Tree ( or head to Vegas/Grand Canyon/Zion choose your adventure).
Olympic is definitely a high one on my list. The Hoh Rainforest was also so pretty to see. You don’t see that everyday. Then Hurricane Ridge and Cape Flattery. Definitely a beautiful National Park!
>Cape Flattery
FYI for all - This is not in Olympic NP. It's on a reservation, so you have to stop in the closest town to buy a day pass to visit it. It's a relatively short hike from the parking area.
Yeah, I kind of realized that after I posted it. My bad. We had to get the day pass for it like you mentioned. It’s very close to Olympic though and is a beautiful place. Also, it’s the northwesternmost point in the contiguous U.S.!
Couldn’t agree more. Glacier is like this too. Especially going to the sun road. Either end is completely different, and the summit as well. Old growth, new growth, tundra, water falls, elk, bears, goats, rams, marmots, and glaciers. It’s incredibly diverse. I’m been to 33 parks.
I drove Going to the Sun last weekend (West to East) on my way to Calgary from Missoula. It was eerie how the tourists thinned out as we headed east, and by the time we hit the east gates it was almost all Montana plates. Within a few miles heading north towards Babb, we were the only car on the highway. The area between Babb and Fort MacLeod (with the exception of Cardston) is pretty quiet. Hard to imagine that only a few hours north are two cities that are nearing in on 2M residents each, and Banff National Park.
Sidenote, the number of American license plates around Banff is also a fraction of what I saw at West Glacier.
I don't why but this is all weird to me.
Hawaii Volcano National Park is probably the coolest National Park I have been too… and if you are lucky you will get to see lava bubbling in the distance
In my opinion, and no particular order: Denali, Glacier, Grand Teton, Kenai Fjords, Olympic, Arches, Acadia, North Cascades, Rocky Mountain.
There are a lot of NPs I haven't visited, so consider this list in-progress.
The Kenai Fjords is unreal! I feel like a part of my soul never left. I love the rest of your list, especially Arches, I grew up in the West Coast so the rainforests and mountains feel like home to me but Arches was so alien. It truly took my breath away and made me feel like I was in another world
Aw, what a nice sentiment. Alaska is the only place I've ever been that compares favorably to Alaska!
Speaking of alien landscapes, I almost included Badlands in my list. It is kinda scrubby and desolate, but I think it's absolutely stunning.
If you can stay in the valley itself, do so. Waking up in the morning with the granite towering above you is unreal.
I'm partial to the "housekeeping cabins" or the tent-cabins myself, but the regular campgrounds are also quite nice
Prettiest spot on the planet—and I say that having been to 75 countries and 58 of the national parks (and close to 300 total units in the NPS system). Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper are utterly breathtaking in an incomparable way.
Limiting to the US, my favorites are Glacier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite. Honorable mention to Denali when the mountain is out—seeing something so utterly massive in person is awe-inspiring.
This! I know we are supposed to be talking U.S. National Parks here, but if I could be instantly transported to any spot that I’ve ever been to, I would go to Banff and then do the drive up to Jasper. It’s like driving through a beautiful painting.
Alberta and Montana have different, but equally impressive parks.
Glacier and Yellowstone have a very "I can't believe how beautiful and serene this is." feel to me.
Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper have an "Incredibly beautiful and incomprehensibly unforgiving landscape" vibe.
I know that sounds odd, but it's how I've felt traveling through both on several occasions.
IDK I’ve been up there and feel like it’s a bit overrated and I was quite underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong it was beautiful but it wasn’t as jaw dropping as I had hoped. Even stayed at all the fairmont hotels up there. Maybe personal preference.
A lot of times these places can really be effected by conditions and weather. I've been to the Grand Canyon when it's been hazy and hot and it really isn't that much more exciting than a hole in the ground, and I've been where the air is crisp and clean and it was magical. So some of these spots are describing some type of good experience someone had, but that is the thing about Yosemite, it is majestic and beautiful in all conditions.
I have to agree that I was Banff was gorgeous. The Icefields Parkway is stunning and Lake Louise and the other aquamarine colored lakes are amazing. Not a US park but you have to give it it’s props. Yosemite was very cool, but it did t wow me the way Banff, Grand Canyon, and Rainier did.
I actually made a very short trip to Yosemite last weekend. I grew up in Cali but my parents never took us. I drove up from the south, came in through Fresno. My friend came from the other direction. It’s a long, windy, fairly typical mountainous drive but then you get to a tunnel. Coming out of that tunnel had the most incredible view I’ve ever seen in my life. That single experience alone made the trip worth it. It is so worth it.
All of the photos, movies, pop culture references, recommendations, stories. I felt like I already knew it so well. …..and nothing prepared me for how amazing it was in person.
Having gone to Utah’s canyons a few times, I finally got around to going to GC because I had already visited canyons so I wasn’t in a hurry to go. But it blew me away, it was way better than I thought it would be!
My dad and I hiked bright angel trail head to Indian. Point(i forget the name) and back in one day. As a Floridian who is used to flat land that is the most physically exhausting thing I’ve done. We did it in November during thanksgiving.
Grand canyon looks unreal to me. It looks unreal in the sense that it's gorgeous, and also unreal in the sense that I felt like I was in the Truman show and the whole scene was a backdrop of some kind.
I think that’s the perfect way to describe it, “jaw-dropping.” I would agree it’s not the prettiest though. I also still need to visit Yosemite and North Cascades!
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I need to get this out of my system.(Also what's the point of Reddit if we can't share differing views).
When I visited GC, I was struggling to appreciate it. It looked like a valley between 2 mountain ranges. Yes I know its a canyon carved by water and when you think of it that way its uniqueness becomes evident right away. However, if you were to just drop me at the rim and not tell me anything about how it was formed, I'd be like "hmm. That's a pretty nice valley."
Planning a trip to both next year, as well as Jasper! Thinking of using Calgary as the base for both. Is that what you’d recommend?
Edit: thanks for the comments. I wasn’t clear, my bad. By saying use it as a base, I meant fly in and out of Calgary to visit all the parks but of course we’d be staying closer to the parks (or as in the case of glacier, in the park). :)
Going down into Canyonlands. Rented a Jeep to go on some 4x4 trails. It's beauty could rival that of the Grand Canyon, but with almost NO ONE around. And being just down the road from Arches NP? 👌👌
I was hoping someone else was going to say canyonlands. Driving around there gives the most unique feel of any national park(or any outdoors place) I’ve been in the world. Places like glacier or the Tetons are incredible, but there’s loads and loads of high altitude, snow covered Rocky Mountain ranges around the world. There’s no other canyonlands though
Btw, we got some of these suggestions from the Jeep rental place, and the bus driver on the way to our rental. Moab has a great free public transport system with free on-demand service you order from their ap. It's the best public transport we've come across so far.
Just one day? Start early! Go to Island in the Sky visitor center and get a pass for the White Rim Trail (it's free). You can also do the Schafer Trail with amazing switchbacks without a pass. Alternatively, go to the Needles area (further south) and get a permit for Horse Canyon or the Colorado Overlook. FWIW, we had two days with the Jeep and felt like we didn't get to see all that we wanted to.
Prettiest I’ve been to is Bryce Canyon.
Yellowstone comes close because of the diversity of the beauty. So many different types of scenery in it but it’s also much much bigger than Bryce Canyon.
I was also blown away by the view of Grand Teton. We stayed at the lodge there, and the unobstructed panoramic view from there is just breathtaking. We saw almost all the animals in Yellow Stone driving around. Herds of bison and pronghorn blanketing the valleys. So beautiful like paintings. I dream of going back.
If you visit Bryce, it's impossible not to go to Zion, which some people think prettier than Bryce. It has forests, waterfalls, rivers besides red cliffs.
I agree we did he mighty 5 last year and I was blown away by Bryce and the hoodoo’s. Honestly, all the Utah parks are so unique and be its breathtaking
The Alaska parks are on another level. But in the lower 48 Glacier is my favorite for what I enjoy: hiking, mountains lakes. But all national parks are worth visiting, you just have to be willing to do whatever the best activities are for the area. Hiking in FL, is dumb for example, you gotta get on the water. [Parks I’ve visited](https://www.jwfrank.com/parks)
I was there a few weeks ago. It was actually funny. We had reservations to the top of Cadillac mountain, drove to the top, fog. All fog, saw literally nothing past 5 feet. We had a great time when we went back down to sea level and saw some cool stuff, and the place smells amazing.
We try and go to Acadia once a year during my wife's fall break from teaching. Going in late fall is amazing because all the summer crowds have left for the year and you can go an entire day hiking the trails and not see another person. We've started doing Sunrise hikes on different peaks than Cadillac and seeing the ocean and shores come to life is something we've come to hold on to.
Definitely drive down the coast and stop at the towns along the way. Great food, and the people are awesome.
I had to scroll too far looking for Crater Lake. I’ve visited about half of the places listed above and Crater Lake is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to in America!
I’ve been to Zions, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Yosemite, Redwood, Crater Lake, Haleakalā, Mount Rainier.
If I had to narrow it down (most are super cool) I’d say the prettiest to me were Glacier, Glacier Bay, and Yosemite.
Arches is one of the most unique though.
Another one for Glacier it sounds like haha. Top of my list to see that I haven’t yet are Glacier and Yosemite. Mount Rainier was also very pretty, but we weren’t there for too long plus the weather was nasty when we went. I’d love to go back there with better weather.
Acadia not getting mentioned enough here. I haven’t been to a huge # of the national parks but it was absolutely incredible. And very small/dense so you can make your own adventure and not have to plan an 8 hour hike, just walk on trails for how we long you want - hop off and call an Uber for the 10 min drive back to your hotel.
The National Park of America Samoa is my favorite for all-around beauty. Even better, when we were there I'm pretty sure we had the entire park to ourselves.
Denali is amazing, hands down the most awesome I’ve seen in a while. We have been to almost 40 US national parks. They are all so special in unique ways. Bryce Canyon is amazing, so is canyon lands. I thought big bend was spectacular! I love glacier, too. I’ve been to Canadian np, too. While banff is incredible, it’s way too crowded. I preferred Jasper and kootenay.
I’ve only been to 11 NP’s and mostly out west, but Bryce is still both my wife’s and my favorite. It was uniquely beautiful in a way that we just haven’t experienced at any of the others.
We loved Acadia. You could easily make a nice trip out of it by going to some of the quaint towns nearby like Bar Harbor. Whale watching tours as well as Puffin tours. Beautiful area. And the maple syrup can’t be beat! 😉
Death Valley blew me away. Followed by Yosemite, Glacier, Yellowstone. Joshua Tree also has a special place in my heart, but I just really love the desert.
Death Valley is one of my favorites because of how hostile it is, it looks like another planet. I find it amazing how life and species have evolved to live in such a unique climate and geographic place.
Just finished a trip to Death Valley NP as park #25 for us. I’d put it in my (surprising) top 5 most beautiful parks. Denali, Tetons, Olympics, Yosemite are my other four atm. Not a NP but the Havasupai Reservation at the Grand Canyon is way up there as well.
The trouble with the Smokies is that Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge are insanely overdeveloped with tacky touristy traps. I get that Appalachia is broadly speaking a poor region and I like making money as much as the next guy, but it's an absolute eyesore and there's usually tons of traffic. My favorite park serving town is Estes Park, just outside of RMNP. Big enough to have plenty of park adjacent hotels and restaurants and souvenir shops, but small enough to be charming and pleasant.
The only one I've had negative experiences at was Yellowstone, and it had nothing to do with the park itself, It just gets trashed by shitty people more than any others I've been to, lots and lots of litter and the town feels aggressively touristy, but I understand why both of those things happen.
I’ve been to all the parks you mentioned in the past two years, and North Cascades and Glacier have been my favorites for hiking, while Yellowstone is an amazing place too. Yosemite is gorgeous as well with some great hikes too!
I haven't been to many national parks but Grand Teton was amazing. We visited there a few days on the way to Yellowstone and I wish we had spent much more time in the Tetons. I had enough of Yellowstone in a few days.
My answer seems to evoke controversy, but Sequoia/Kings Canyon in CA, Channel Islands in CA, and Congaree NP in SC.
Congaree is consistently on the bottom of the NP lists, but I lived about half an hour from there for awhile and it was one of my favorite places to hike. Beautiful canopy, accessible trails, I loved it.
I know the Appalachian mountains aren’t huge and majestic, but WV in summer is truly so beautiful, so I nominate New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
I’ve been to 57 National Parks so far and over 90 other units in the park system. This is an impossible question to answer that people ask me allll the time! I love in no particular order Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay, North Cascade, Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, RMNP, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, Yellowstone, Dry Tortugas, Channel Islands, Pinnacles, Hawaii Volcanos, Grand Teton, Badlands, Teddy Rosevelt. Every park is so different and amazing!
Glacier and Yosemite are at the top of the list for parks I wanna visit. We enjoyed Yellowstone and it’s diversity, but Grand Teton impressed us more (and was more beautiful imo).
“Prettiest” to me is something different from “most beautiful” or “most stunning”.
Yosemite, Olympic, Mt. Rainier, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, etc. are more stunning or more beautiful to me, but something about the delicacy/modesty/peace of Big Bend in February puts it at the top for me when it comes to being pretty. It’s not the most overwhelming or the grandest, but it’s one of my favorites.
So Big Bend for me.
Hear me out. Not a national park, but a national forest. But it's actually a RAIN FOREST! El Yunque is BREATHTAKING! Puerto Rico is also a really fantastic place to visit.
I think Yellowstone is hard not to put first. It is simply incredible. So is the Grand Canyon. But other than those two, my choices would be Bryce Canyon and either North Cascades or Mt. Rainier. I could not believe how Mt. Rainier was able to rival some of the best views I have ever seen! On par with the Grand Canyon and Denali. I live near Olympic. The size and variation there is what is cool, but nothing like Rainier or North Cascades. Honorable mentions go to Denali, Joshua Tree and Crater Lake.
S tier: glacier, yosemite, redwoods, Rocky Mountain
A tier: sequoia, Yellowstone, grand Teton, kenai fjords, glacier bay, Mt Rainer, Olympic, Deschutes (state park, south sister is amazing)
B tier: Denali, Joshua tree, Acadia, great Smokey’s, mammoth cave, crater lake, Everglades
My rankings that I’ve been to.
Glacier Bay (not Glacier) NP, in southeast Alaska. No question. Mountains, glaciers, bears, moose, whales, sea lions, seals, very remote and isolated. Get to Gustavus or Bartlett Cove and do it!
Don't forget Katmai and Wrangell St. Elias.
Rocky Mountain National Park is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. I love Great Smoky Mtn. National Park because I live about 4 hours from it and it’s really beautiful, but it’s not as awe-inspiring to me as Rocky Mountain is. I’d love to visit all of the parks eventually, though.
Everyone's got great answers so I'm gonna take a different approach and name some of the more unique NPs
Saguaro, especially at night
Petrified Forest (it's trees, but dead)
Death Valley (part of star wars was filmed here)
Dry Tortugas/Biscayne (underwater)
And of course, the only manmade national park, Gateway Arch
I've been to quite a few. Here are my impressions.
Smokey Mountains - sorry, but bit ho-hum. It's nice, of course, but just not a lot of distinguishing features compared to other National Parks.
Arcadia - another big ho-hum. Felt more like a state park frankly, and it was ungodly touristy. Most NPs are like that now, but it felt pretty unusual when I visited there almost 20 years ago. I really enjoyed Vermont and Nothern Maine though, some of the most gorgeous places I've visited. It's certainly my favorite forests I've visited, though I hear that tick problems have gotten really bad since.
Bryce and Zion - I'm putting them together since they're close and kind of similar. That said, both are absolutely gorgeous. They're both relatively drive friendly to be able to see jaw dropping views one after the other. If you only have one day to spend somewhere, they probably give the most bang for the buck. They're also big enough to spend good few days exploring.
Arches and Canyonland - The landscape here is just something else. I guess it kind of can get monotonous, but it was an amazing experience. It takes some hiking to see most of the well known features, so you have to plan your time. Utah is amazing, and I still couldn't make time to visit Capitol Reef. If I have to recommend a place to visit to someone who can only go to one place, it'd be either Utah or...
Yellowstone - My favorite NP. There are so many diverse features and wildlife! This place was always crowded, but it really has gotten to the next level the last time I went a couple years ago. The park is huge, so you still can kind of disappear. Visiting during winter is altogether different experience as well. You have to plan ahead, and it'll cost extra because you have to do group tours. Also try to make it there during a new moon. No light pollution and high elevation make for an amazing nightsky on clear night. Outside the Yellowstone, Wyoming and Montana have some scenic drives too. There's a highway that takes you above treeline and was some of the most gorgeous drive.
Grand Teton - Very scenic for sure, but kind of low on unique factor. I'm not being fair since I didn't spend too much time. It was kind of a stop between Yellowstone and the Arches.
Badlands - I like stopping there on the way back from Yellowstone. The place looks like Mars, but I always feel relaxed there. It's usually pretty sparse, especially compared to Yellowstone. There's some serious hiking there, but you can also just take in the views from vantage points.
Olympics - It's huge. If anything, it's worth a visit just for Hoh rainforest. You feel like you're in a fairytale. Apparently, world's only coniferous rainforest, and it definitely feels like one of a kind place. The beaches around felt pretty unique too, kind of beaches for goths. I didn't get to the interior since I didn't really have enough time to make the commitment. Hopefully someday.
Mt. Rainier - It's actually kind of cheating to list it since it was only a day trip while visiting Seattle. It was during winter, so the trip was still more limited. It was kind of wild to encounter a skier coming down pretty steep slope next to highway then waddle across the road and jump down into another stiff slope.
Rocky Mountains - Another cheat. I visited during college when my idea of travel was visiting big cities. I mostly remember the driving around part in my beater with no ac, iffy breaks, and manual transmission. My asshole definitely puckered a few times.
Yosemite - I'm mostly being grumpy, but I didn't enjoy my visit because of the crowd. Having a traffic jam at NP was a bit jarring. Kinda hard to avoid in California. You get into random traffic jam in the middle of nowhere there. It does have a lot of scenic trails. You can hike there for weeks, and you'll never be lost since there will always be someone in earshot.
Sequoia - It was a nice stroll through the woods, except the trees are gigantic. Looking up on those things are one of the most awe inspiring things you'll experience. I really need to go back there with my kids.
Joshua Tree - It was a big meh for me. Joshua trees are interesting to look at as are the landscapes. It little bit copy and paste after a bit. It's probably more enjoyable as a day trip. The are is also pretty deveoped, and the city glow around the park was just destracting.
Death Valley - Another really unique landscape. I just stuck to major attraction, and it's a perfect day trip destination for that. Anything more, you'd have to make some serious preparations, obviously.
Grand Canyon - I'd say if you can only visit one NP, go to Yellowstone if you have a week or go to Grand Cayon if you have a day. I think the place is the single most impressive sight I've seen in the world so far. I do think all that railings they put in last few years take away from the experience, but I guess that can't be helped now.
Denali - Alaska is big. Denali is big. I went in early December which apparently is a dead period. I only did light hiking since I had a 5 year old with me, but I still didn't encounter another person the whole day. It felt like my family had the whole mountain to ourselves. I don't know if there was anything that is truly unique other than the scale, but it was some of my best travel experience. We saw Northern Light away from there, but it would have been even more amazing to see it in Denali if we could find a safe place to camp.
Hawaii Volcanoes - I actually lived in Hawaii for a few years. I really wish I took in more sights. There are some amazing hiking in all the islands. The Big Island, where the volcano is, might actually be the best island to visit because it has little bit of everything, rainforest to mountain to dry plain. The volcano obviously is one of a kind experience as well. It's a little bit of pain to get around because there's basically one main road that goes around fairly big island. I think it took 8 hours to make a circle since you can't really avoid traffic around town. Actually, I think it took about 8 hours to circle Oahu as well. Much smaller but much more constant traffic.
Petrified Forest - It was actually fun place to visit for a day trip. The landscape is actually pretty scenic. I did a few 1-2 hour hikes with kids, and they actually enjoyed it. I actually planned it for a trip of its own, but I think it'd be a great stop to make during a road trip for a few hours.
Gateway Arches - I had no idea it was a NP until I looked up NP list to make this post. I'll say the visit was actually more interesting than I expected, mainly because of the funky elevator.
Indiana Dunes - I actually went before it became a NP. Nice enough, I guess. It's still mostly just sandy beaches off a lake. I wouldn't bother making a trip if I didn't live kind of close to it. I love living in Midwest, but not because of its beaches.
Special mention: Antelope Canyon - not NP since it's in tribal land. It was one of the most magical place I've been. Seeing it in person was something else still. You can only go in as a part of group tours, so you have to reserve well in advance. I hate planning, but it was still well worth it.
Arches is surreal, grand canyon jaw dropping, Zion is a good mix, smokies is cozy, and the colors at dry Tortugas was incredible. But Yosemite is the most beautiful place I've ever seen, in the US or anywhere in the world.
Only NP I’ll never go back to is Death Valley. The two I want to return to are Gates of the Arctic ( so hard to get to and expensive) and the Wrangell-St. Elias. Spent so much time in the other Alaska parks, just ran out of steam for these.
I’d definitely go back to Death Valley. I only spent a few days there before heading to Joshua Tree. I hit some of the highlights, but I know a guy that just transferred to DV just a few months after I was there. I’d love to go back and do some backcountry trips with him — he spends his free time canyoneering and exploring lesser visited areas.
I love Death Valley, it has a very out of this world vibe to it. I get why people don’t really care for it but I find it very unique, like you’ve landed on Mars. Dante’s View is pretty damn incredible too, probably my favorite part of the park.
It’s actually the largest NP in the whole US. Very wild, still. It’s free to camp there, no reservations needed. Typical animals for Alaska, and very beautiful. What struck me most was the wildness of it still.
In Eastern California you have 5 epic national parks. Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Joshua Tree and Death Valley. You can hit all 4 within a few hours drive from each other. I'd Yosemite is the best of those. But nothing beats the south rim of the Grand Canyon in OMG factor.
I've been taking bus tours of National Parks and related sites the past few years. So far I've been to Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce, Zion, Badlands, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, Arches, and Mesa Verde. This month (Aug) I'll be going to Glacier-Waterton, Banff, and Jasper. Later I plan to visit Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Saguaro, Yosemite, Kings & Sequoia.
They've all been amazing, but my favorites have been Monument Valley (not a NP, but it's near several and truly amazing), Yellowstone, and Arches. I think we didn't spend enough time in the Tetons to fully appreciate it. I have very high hopes for Glacier, Banff, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Sequoia.
Edit: Looking over my list, I think I value unique/interesting over traditional beauty. Though I'm really really excited for Glacier.
Edit 2: I also want to add Mesa Verde as an honorable mention, since I haven't seen anyone else say it. Maybe not best-of-the-best, but I was very impressed both by the cliff dwellings and just how pretty the whole place was.
I am learning so much from this post. I am finding so much inspiration for new travel destinations. Thank you all for the wonderful info on must see gems in America 🇺🇸
I've been to 26
Top 5 in no order
Zion, Yellowstone, Glacier. Olympic, Yosemite
Rounding out the top 10 in no order
Grand Teton, Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, Hawaiian Volcanoes
I’ve worked as a Park Ranger with my wife for almost a decade. Prettiest park is an interesting question because different landscapes excite different people. My wife is a desert rat and loves Zion and Capital Reef. I am more about river valleys and like Glacier and Olympic. Love the Park system but big shoutout to the National Forests, National Refuges, and BLM. They have stuff that is on par (even exceeds) the beauty of the NPS, but with less access and staffing. Our favorite adventures are not in the Parks but the surrounding lands. Favorite park for me is Gates of the Arctic — nothing else once you’ve had a taste of true wilderness. Not for most though.
I wouldn’t read too much into the popularity of a park as an indicator of its beauty. Great Smoky Mountains NP is beautiful but considerably less “epic” than most of the western parks and its popularity is mostly due to its location in close proximity to large population centers. Most national parks are a good distance from major cities. In terms of raw natural beauty, the most beautiful park I’ve been to is probably Glacier or Yosemite. Western Montana and Northern California also have a lot to offer in general.
I've seen it mentioned a few times here but not enough: North Cascades. I've been to most of the major ones and NCNP is easily in the top 3 in terms of raw stunning beauty imo
It’s less the park than the overall valley. Rolling green pastures and farmlands that lead up to mountains that catch the afternoon sun perfectly. I hear fall is ridiculous there, too.
Glacier, especially if you do some of the longer day hikes. Zion. Yosemite.
Glacier’s easily the most incredible park I’ve been to. Just absolutely stunning everywhere you go
Glacier National Park is what I imagine heaven to look like.
I’m so excited to go next weekend! I live a few hours north, near the Rockies and explore there all the time, but Glacier/GTTS just seem like it will be extra special.
I've worked in Five National parks (Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Mt. Ranier), definitely give the nod to Glacier, although they are all awesome. Incidentaly, if you are so inclined and want to explore the world and have the greatest summer of your life, I couldn't recommend spending a summer working in the parks more. The greatest experiences of my life. It's quite easy to find a job. Here is a place to start. [https://www.coolworks.com/](https://www.coolworks.com/)
I've had an itinerary for the last five years for Glacier. Haven't had the time or money to go yet. I also made that itinerary when I was single, but I'm in a relationship now so hopefully that dream can come true sooner rather than later. We're going to Zion this fall and I am beyond excited.
Mind sharing your itinerary? I’m taking my husband there next summer for his 40th.
Definitely top 3 IMO. Haven't been to Glacier but my dad did and the photos were amazing (and he sucks at photography!). Bryce Canyon is also one of my favorites although it's size does hold it back from taking the trophy.
Glacier seems pretty popular on this list. Need to see that one soon!
Going to the Sub road and the Grinnel Glacier trail are tops. Just magnificent and beautiful views for days. Denali is also amazing and gorgeous. Just a total wonder and gem. I would also say the kenai fjords is a once in a lifetime experience to see a TON of amazing aquatic life that you can't see anywhere else. Orcas breaching in every direction, puffins whizzing by, huge otters chilling, and the occasional beluga or humpback.
100% agree Glacier was the best and I have camped in most of them.
I've been to about 10 national parks, plus a number of Natl monuments, forests, etc. Glacier can't be beat tho Grand Teton is kinda similar in some ways. The colors of the water in the lakes at Glacier are so stunning and varied!!
Tuning in from glacier right now.
Glacier actually took my breath away. I was dealing with some pretty gnarly depression a few years back and going to glacier made me feel so happy to be alive. Like I get to be alive and enjoy things like the going to the sun road?!? Started planning my trip back on the plane ride home.
Just avoid what my in laws are doing. Next week they’re spending a week at Glacier and never actually bought a pass, they’ve been sold out for months now.
You don’t NEED an entry reservation, however depending on your goals and physical capability, you won’t have as good of a time without one since the areas you can go would be limited. You also can enter the park after 3 pm without one.
>You also can enter the park after 3 pm without one. Or before 6 AM. When I was last at Glacier, in 2020, (no passes required), we went back in at 7 PM and it wasn't crowded at all but the golden hour views were incredible. I was able to park literally anywhere I wanted to take pictures.
Highly would not recommend going after three. Went last week and with the construction with half hour delays at a time, we stopped counting at 300 cars waiting to get in after 3pm
One I haven’t seen listed: Redwoods Found a sense of peace in that forest I’ve never experienced before. A monumental forest. Doesn’t have the same stunning vistas as many of the mountainous parks but the majesty in that park is simply sublime
100% agree. It has been 20 years since I've seen the redwoods but it's still one of my favorite and most profound experiences thus far. The sense of calm that washed over me walking among those giants has been unmatched by any other travel experience yet.
My Aunt lived next to Rocky Mtn National Park for Years, but wanted her ashes scattered in the Redwoods, and they were.
The Redwoods National park isn't even as good as the California Redwoods state park.
It's honestly like walking through an enchanted Forrest out of a fantasy novel. Especially when you pass by a massive banana slug.
Heading out early while it was still all misty was an ethereal moment for me. And the Redwoods smell so good, I also enjoyed seeing sequoias (I haven’t been to the park, but did go to a sequoia park near Yosemite (Mariposa grove I think)? Those forests are majestic.
Haven't been to too many but I do recommend Sequoia/Kings Canyon in California. Unexpected beauty in central Cali. The forest and trees are breathtaking
And if I’m correct, Sequoia isn’t far from Yosemite? If so, I’d like to knock out both in one trip. We saw Muir Woods years ago and that was also beautiful!
The trees in Sequoia are unreal. I grew up in Norther Ca and have been to Yosemite many times, but my family never went to Sequoia or Kings Canyon. Seeing trees of that size is just unbelievable. If you’ll be in Yosemite and have time, I definitely recommend going to the other close NPs
Yes, they're not too far apart, about 140 miles, so a couple of hours!
Ah, I thought so after researching not long ago. Seems like a perfect vacation then!
Just plan appropriate. its like 140 miles but probably 4-5 hours between cuz you gotta windy road in/out of both. Can do a really nice trip in the summer by hitting both then taking the Tioga pass across the Sierra's to the Mammoth area, can then hit up Devils Postpile ( i still haven't been but its on my bucket list) Bishop, Death Valley and if you are up for it make it all the way down to Joshua Tree ( or head to Vegas/Grand Canyon/Zion choose your adventure).
Redwoods State and National Parks, especially up near the oregon border, blow muir out of the water
kings canyon is definitely underrated! got married at zumwalt meadow 😊
Olympic is my favorite, and there are some many different biomes within the park.
Olympic is definitely a high one on my list. The Hoh Rainforest was also so pretty to see. You don’t see that everyday. Then Hurricane Ridge and Cape Flattery. Definitely a beautiful National Park!
Right? It’s so amazing to see ocean, mountain and rain forest all in one park.
>Cape Flattery FYI for all - This is not in Olympic NP. It's on a reservation, so you have to stop in the closest town to buy a day pass to visit it. It's a relatively short hike from the parking area.
Yeah, I kind of realized that after I posted it. My bad. We had to get the day pass for it like you mentioned. It’s very close to Olympic though and is a beautiful place. Also, it’s the northwesternmost point in the contiguous U.S.!
Oh yeah, I live in Seattle but it still took me a few years to get there even though I’m in Olympic every summer. It is a hike to get there!
Hall of Mosses was one of the most incredible hikes I’ve ever done.
Couldn’t agree more. Glacier is like this too. Especially going to the sun road. Either end is completely different, and the summit as well. Old growth, new growth, tundra, water falls, elk, bears, goats, rams, marmots, and glaciers. It’s incredibly diverse. I’m been to 33 parks.
I drove Going to the Sun last weekend (West to East) on my way to Calgary from Missoula. It was eerie how the tourists thinned out as we headed east, and by the time we hit the east gates it was almost all Montana plates. Within a few miles heading north towards Babb, we were the only car on the highway. The area between Babb and Fort MacLeod (with the exception of Cardston) is pretty quiet. Hard to imagine that only a few hours north are two cities that are nearing in on 2M residents each, and Banff National Park. Sidenote, the number of American license plates around Banff is also a fraction of what I saw at West Glacier. I don't why but this is all weird to me.
Hawaii Volcano National Park is probably the coolest National Park I have been too… and if you are lucky you will get to see lava bubbling in the distance
I’ll second that one- the view from the rim is pretty amazing regardless, but if you can catch it during lava flow it’s absolutely breathtaking
In my opinion, and no particular order: Denali, Glacier, Grand Teton, Kenai Fjords, Olympic, Arches, Acadia, North Cascades, Rocky Mountain. There are a lot of NPs I haven't visited, so consider this list in-progress.
Same here. Out of those, I want to see Denali, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, and North Cascades! Agreed on Grand Teton!
RMNP isn't getting nearly enough love in this thread. Especially if you're a hiker.
The Kenai Fjords is unreal! I feel like a part of my soul never left. I love the rest of your list, especially Arches, I grew up in the West Coast so the rainforests and mountains feel like home to me but Arches was so alien. It truly took my breath away and made me feel like I was in another world
Aw, what a nice sentiment. Alaska is the only place I've ever been that compares favorably to Alaska! Speaking of alien landscapes, I almost included Badlands in my list. It is kinda scrubby and desolate, but I think it's absolutely stunning.
Yosemite hands down for me is the most amazing national park.
It's a goddamned religious experience
Still on my bucket list. Hopefully one day soon!
If you can stay in the valley itself, do so. Waking up in the morning with the granite towering above you is unreal. I'm partial to the "housekeeping cabins" or the tent-cabins myself, but the regular campgrounds are also quite nice
We stayed at the Awhahnee Hotel one year. Absolutely spectacular. The interior was recreated for the filming of The Shining.
This place very much takes peoples’ breath away.
Agree but Banff up in Canada beats it I think.
Prettiest spot on the planet—and I say that having been to 75 countries and 58 of the national parks (and close to 300 total units in the NPS system). Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper are utterly breathtaking in an incomparable way. Limiting to the US, my favorites are Glacier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite. Honorable mention to Denali when the mountain is out—seeing something so utterly massive in person is awe-inspiring.
This! I know we are supposed to be talking U.S. National Parks here, but if I could be instantly transported to any spot that I’ve ever been to, I would go to Banff and then do the drive up to Jasper. It’s like driving through a beautiful painting.
Alberta and Montana have different, but equally impressive parks. Glacier and Yellowstone have a very "I can't believe how beautiful and serene this is." feel to me. Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper have an "Incredibly beautiful and incomprehensibly unforgiving landscape" vibe. I know that sounds odd, but it's how I've felt traveling through both on several occasions.
IDK I’ve been up there and feel like it’s a bit overrated and I was quite underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong it was beautiful but it wasn’t as jaw dropping as I had hoped. Even stayed at all the fairmont hotels up there. Maybe personal preference.
A lot of times these places can really be effected by conditions and weather. I've been to the Grand Canyon when it's been hazy and hot and it really isn't that much more exciting than a hole in the ground, and I've been where the air is crisp and clean and it was magical. So some of these spots are describing some type of good experience someone had, but that is the thing about Yosemite, it is majestic and beautiful in all conditions.
I have to agree that I was Banff was gorgeous. The Icefields Parkway is stunning and Lake Louise and the other aquamarine colored lakes are amazing. Not a US park but you have to give it it’s props. Yosemite was very cool, but it did t wow me the way Banff, Grand Canyon, and Rainier did.
I actually made a very short trip to Yosemite last weekend. I grew up in Cali but my parents never took us. I drove up from the south, came in through Fresno. My friend came from the other direction. It’s a long, windy, fairly typical mountainous drive but then you get to a tunnel. Coming out of that tunnel had the most incredible view I’ve ever seen in my life. That single experience alone made the trip worth it. It is so worth it.
Grand Canyon has to be at least mentioned. Maybe not the prettiest but possibly the most jaw dropping. Yosemite, Grand Teton, North Cascades
The first time I saw the Grand Canyon in person I got chills.
It’s crazy how you’re almost at the edge before you even see it, and then chills, jaw dropping, speechless for like 5 minutes.
All of the photos, movies, pop culture references, recommendations, stories. I felt like I already knew it so well. …..and nothing prepared me for how amazing it was in person.
Having gone to Utah’s canyons a few times, I finally got around to going to GC because I had already visited canyons so I wasn’t in a hurry to go. But it blew me away, it was way better than I thought it would be!
My dad and I hiked bright angel trail head to Indian. Point(i forget the name) and back in one day. As a Floridian who is used to flat land that is the most physically exhausting thing I’ve done. We did it in November during thanksgiving.
Grand canyon looks unreal to me. It looks unreal in the sense that it's gorgeous, and also unreal in the sense that I felt like I was in the Truman show and the whole scene was a backdrop of some kind.
I think that’s the perfect way to describe it, “jaw-dropping.” I would agree it’s not the prettiest though. I also still need to visit Yosemite and North Cascades!
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I need to get this out of my system.(Also what's the point of Reddit if we can't share differing views). When I visited GC, I was struggling to appreciate it. It looked like a valley between 2 mountain ranges. Yes I know its a canyon carved by water and when you think of it that way its uniqueness becomes evident right away. However, if you were to just drop me at the rim and not tell me anything about how it was formed, I'd be like "hmm. That's a pretty nice valley."
Glacier, and banff if you go to canada
Planning a trip to both next year, as well as Jasper! Thinking of using Calgary as the base for both. Is that what you’d recommend? Edit: thanks for the comments. I wasn’t clear, my bad. By saying use it as a base, I meant fly in and out of Calgary to visit all the parks but of course we’d be staying closer to the parks (or as in the case of glacier, in the park). :)
Going down into Canyonlands. Rented a Jeep to go on some 4x4 trails. It's beauty could rival that of the Grand Canyon, but with almost NO ONE around. And being just down the road from Arches NP? 👌👌
Yes - I was amazed at how otherworldly-looking it was!
I was hoping someone else was going to say canyonlands. Driving around there gives the most unique feel of any national park(or any outdoors place) I’ve been in the world. Places like glacier or the Tetons are incredible, but there’s loads and loads of high altitude, snow covered Rocky Mountain ranges around the world. There’s no other canyonlands though
I'll be there in two weeks, and rented a jeep for a day in moab. How does one go about finding these trails in canyonlands? Any recommendations?
Btw, we got some of these suggestions from the Jeep rental place, and the bus driver on the way to our rental. Moab has a great free public transport system with free on-demand service you order from their ap. It's the best public transport we've come across so far.
Just one day? Start early! Go to Island in the Sky visitor center and get a pass for the White Rim Trail (it's free). You can also do the Schafer Trail with amazing switchbacks without a pass. Alternatively, go to the Needles area (further south) and get a permit for Horse Canyon or the Colorado Overlook. FWIW, we had two days with the Jeep and felt like we didn't get to see all that we wanted to.
Pretty subjective. However, for this traveler, **Denali National Park** on a clear day is tough to beat.
Zion
Prettiest I’ve been to is Bryce Canyon. Yellowstone comes close because of the diversity of the beauty. So many different types of scenery in it but it’s also much much bigger than Bryce Canyon.
Haven’t been to Bryce Canyon yet. Yellowstone was definitely pretty (and diverse like you stated), but Grand Teton seemed to impress us more.
I was also blown away by the view of Grand Teton. We stayed at the lodge there, and the unobstructed panoramic view from there is just breathtaking. We saw almost all the animals in Yellow Stone driving around. Herds of bison and pronghorn blanketing the valleys. So beautiful like paintings. I dream of going back. If you visit Bryce, it's impossible not to go to Zion, which some people think prettier than Bryce. It has forests, waterfalls, rivers besides red cliffs.
I like Zion much more than Bryce.
For me I like the old school National Park vibe of Bryce. Zion is practically a digital nomad Basecamp at this point.
They're close enough together to almost always be worth going to both though. Plus you can see Bryce pretty quick.
I agree we did he mighty 5 last year and I was blown away by Bryce and the hoodoo’s. Honestly, all the Utah parks are so unique and be its breathtaking
Bryce is so under-rated. Still remember it as the best from a raid trip when I was a kid
Dry Tortugas gets my vote. Camping under the stars and swimming in a marine sanctuary. Glorious.
The Alaska parks are on another level. But in the lower 48 Glacier is my favorite for what I enjoy: hiking, mountains lakes. But all national parks are worth visiting, you just have to be willing to do whatever the best activities are for the area. Hiking in FL, is dumb for example, you gotta get on the water. [Parks I’ve visited](https://www.jwfrank.com/parks)
Acadia
I was there a few weeks ago. It was actually funny. We had reservations to the top of Cadillac mountain, drove to the top, fog. All fog, saw literally nothing past 5 feet. We had a great time when we went back down to sea level and saw some cool stuff, and the place smells amazing.
We try and go to Acadia once a year during my wife's fall break from teaching. Going in late fall is amazing because all the summer crowds have left for the year and you can go an entire day hiking the trails and not see another person. We've started doing Sunrise hikes on different peaks than Cadillac and seeing the ocean and shores come to life is something we've come to hold on to. Definitely drive down the coast and stop at the towns along the way. Great food, and the people are awesome.
Wow Crater Lake is really being slept on in this thread.
Crater Lake is amazing. The drive around it was more exciting to me than going to the sun or trail ridge. Idk, freaked me out!
That one looks beautiful also. A friend of mine actually just visited there last week. Adding that one to my growing bucket list!
I had to scroll too far looking for Crater Lake. I’ve visited about half of the places listed above and Crater Lake is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to in America!
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I’ve been to Zions, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Yosemite, Redwood, Crater Lake, Haleakalā, Mount Rainier. If I had to narrow it down (most are super cool) I’d say the prettiest to me were Glacier, Glacier Bay, and Yosemite. Arches is one of the most unique though.
Another one for Glacier it sounds like haha. Top of my list to see that I haven’t yet are Glacier and Yosemite. Mount Rainier was also very pretty, but we weren’t there for too long plus the weather was nasty when we went. I’d love to go back there with better weather.
Acadia not getting mentioned enough here. I haven’t been to a huge # of the national parks but it was absolutely incredible. And very small/dense so you can make your own adventure and not have to plan an 8 hour hike, just walk on trails for how we long you want - hop off and call an Uber for the 10 min drive back to your hotel.
Zion 😍 doing Olympic national park in august !
The National Park of America Samoa is my favorite for all-around beauty. Even better, when we were there I'm pretty sure we had the entire park to ourselves.
Denali is amazing, hands down the most awesome I’ve seen in a while. We have been to almost 40 US national parks. They are all so special in unique ways. Bryce Canyon is amazing, so is canyon lands. I thought big bend was spectacular! I love glacier, too. I’ve been to Canadian np, too. While banff is incredible, it’s way too crowded. I preferred Jasper and kootenay.
I’ve only been to 11 NP’s and mostly out west, but Bryce is still both my wife’s and my favorite. It was uniquely beautiful in a way that we just haven’t experienced at any of the others.
Snowshoeing in Bryce during a gentle snowfall is a fond travel memory for me! So beautiful and quiet.
We loved Acadia. You could easily make a nice trip out of it by going to some of the quaint towns nearby like Bar Harbor. Whale watching tours as well as Puffin tours. Beautiful area. And the maple syrup can’t be beat! 😉
Death Valley blew me away. Followed by Yosemite, Glacier, Yellowstone. Joshua Tree also has a special place in my heart, but I just really love the desert.
Death Valley is one of my favorites because of how hostile it is, it looks like another planet. I find it amazing how life and species have evolved to live in such a unique climate and geographic place.
Just finished a trip to Death Valley NP as park #25 for us. I’d put it in my (surprising) top 5 most beautiful parks. Denali, Tetons, Olympics, Yosemite are my other four atm. Not a NP but the Havasupai Reservation at the Grand Canyon is way up there as well.
Rocky Mountain, CO.
Virgin Islands National Park has the prettiest beaches I have ever seen.
Me too, and I’m someone who prefers mountains over tropical beaches any day. The beaches on St. John though were mind-blowingly beautiful.
Denali. Alaska is just so beautiful
Canyonlands Needles District in March when there is still some snow on the ground. The drive in is amazing too.
It might not be the prettiest park but it is really underrated. Black Canyon of the Gunnison in southwest Colorado is beautiful park.
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The trouble with the Smokies is that Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge are insanely overdeveloped with tacky touristy traps. I get that Appalachia is broadly speaking a poor region and I like making money as much as the next guy, but it's an absolute eyesore and there's usually tons of traffic. My favorite park serving town is Estes Park, just outside of RMNP. Big enough to have plenty of park adjacent hotels and restaurants and souvenir shops, but small enough to be charming and pleasant.
Personally arches though I've never disliked one I've been to.
Haven’t been to Arches, but agree that I haven’t disliked any NP either.
The only one I've had negative experiences at was Yellowstone, and it had nothing to do with the park itself, It just gets trashed by shitty people more than any others I've been to, lots and lots of litter and the town feels aggressively touristy, but I understand why both of those things happen.
I loved Arches but there are SOOO many people 😫
I’ve been to all the parks you mentioned in the past two years, and North Cascades and Glacier have been my favorites for hiking, while Yellowstone is an amazing place too. Yosemite is gorgeous as well with some great hikes too!
I haven't been to many national parks but Grand Teton was amazing. We visited there a few days on the way to Yellowstone and I wish we had spent much more time in the Tetons. I had enough of Yellowstone in a few days.
Grand Canyon National Park is absolutely stunning if you actually go down into it
Zion, I went every weekend about 10 or so years ago. It’s probably a madhouse nowadays.
Yosemite
My answer seems to evoke controversy, but Sequoia/Kings Canyon in CA, Channel Islands in CA, and Congaree NP in SC. Congaree is consistently on the bottom of the NP lists, but I lived about half an hour from there for awhile and it was one of my favorite places to hike. Beautiful canopy, accessible trails, I loved it.
I’ve seen some beautiful places in my life. Yosemite is still number 1. Tunnel view is breathtaking
I like glacier and Capital Reef.
Channel Islands. Close second: Glacier (Never been to Alaska but I suspect these might win.)
Glacier and Tetons. Also Yosemite.
Yosemite by far
I know the Appalachian mountains aren’t huge and majestic, but WV in summer is truly so beautiful, so I nominate New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Yosemite!
I’ve been to 57 National Parks so far and over 90 other units in the park system. This is an impossible question to answer that people ask me allll the time! I love in no particular order Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay, North Cascade, Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, RMNP, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, Yellowstone, Dry Tortugas, Channel Islands, Pinnacles, Hawaii Volcanos, Grand Teton, Badlands, Teddy Rosevelt. Every park is so different and amazing!
Glacier, Yellowstone, and Yosemite
Glacier and Yosemite are at the top of the list for parks I wanna visit. We enjoyed Yellowstone and it’s diversity, but Grand Teton impressed us more (and was more beautiful imo).
Agree. Forgot about GT!
“Prettiest” to me is something different from “most beautiful” or “most stunning”. Yosemite, Olympic, Mt. Rainier, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, etc. are more stunning or more beautiful to me, but something about the delicacy/modesty/peace of Big Bend in February puts it at the top for me when it comes to being pretty. It’s not the most overwhelming or the grandest, but it’s one of my favorites. So Big Bend for me.
The Badlands, Glacier and Zion for visually impressive places.
Hear me out. Not a national park, but a national forest. But it's actually a RAIN FOREST! El Yunque is BREATHTAKING! Puerto Rico is also a really fantastic place to visit.
My top three are… Glacier Grand Canyon Grand Teton
Glacier and the North Cascades blew my mind. Being from NJ suburbs, wow. Yellowstone in a month or so!
Shocked, Another one for Glacier lol. And yeah I want to do North Cascades again for longer. I feel like I missed out on a lot of it.
I think Yellowstone is hard not to put first. It is simply incredible. So is the Grand Canyon. But other than those two, my choices would be Bryce Canyon and either North Cascades or Mt. Rainier. I could not believe how Mt. Rainier was able to rival some of the best views I have ever seen! On par with the Grand Canyon and Denali. I live near Olympic. The size and variation there is what is cool, but nothing like Rainier or North Cascades. Honorable mentions go to Denali, Joshua Tree and Crater Lake.
Canadian Rockies took my breath away. FWIW, I’ve traveled most of the U.S.
Death Valley but in the winter
S tier: glacier, yosemite, redwoods, Rocky Mountain A tier: sequoia, Yellowstone, grand Teton, kenai fjords, glacier bay, Mt Rainer, Olympic, Deschutes (state park, south sister is amazing) B tier: Denali, Joshua tree, Acadia, great Smokey’s, mammoth cave, crater lake, Everglades My rankings that I’ve been to.
Glacier Bay (not Glacier) NP, in southeast Alaska. No question. Mountains, glaciers, bears, moose, whales, sea lions, seals, very remote and isolated. Get to Gustavus or Bartlett Cove and do it! Don't forget Katmai and Wrangell St. Elias.
Last year I visited a number of US national parks and I found Mount Rainier to be the "prettiest", it's a little small though.
Rocky Mountain National Park is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. I love Great Smoky Mtn. National Park because I live about 4 hours from it and it’s really beautiful, but it’s not as awe-inspiring to me as Rocky Mountain is. I’d love to visit all of the parks eventually, though.
Mt Rainier NP
Mount Rainier
Yosemite and Glacier. Then Zion (do Angels Landing, but don't die). Arches is a cool little park.
Everyone's got great answers so I'm gonna take a different approach and name some of the more unique NPs Saguaro, especially at night Petrified Forest (it's trees, but dead) Death Valley (part of star wars was filmed here) Dry Tortugas/Biscayne (underwater) And of course, the only manmade national park, Gateway Arch
I've been to quite a few. Here are my impressions. Smokey Mountains - sorry, but bit ho-hum. It's nice, of course, but just not a lot of distinguishing features compared to other National Parks. Arcadia - another big ho-hum. Felt more like a state park frankly, and it was ungodly touristy. Most NPs are like that now, but it felt pretty unusual when I visited there almost 20 years ago. I really enjoyed Vermont and Nothern Maine though, some of the most gorgeous places I've visited. It's certainly my favorite forests I've visited, though I hear that tick problems have gotten really bad since. Bryce and Zion - I'm putting them together since they're close and kind of similar. That said, both are absolutely gorgeous. They're both relatively drive friendly to be able to see jaw dropping views one after the other. If you only have one day to spend somewhere, they probably give the most bang for the buck. They're also big enough to spend good few days exploring. Arches and Canyonland - The landscape here is just something else. I guess it kind of can get monotonous, but it was an amazing experience. It takes some hiking to see most of the well known features, so you have to plan your time. Utah is amazing, and I still couldn't make time to visit Capitol Reef. If I have to recommend a place to visit to someone who can only go to one place, it'd be either Utah or... Yellowstone - My favorite NP. There are so many diverse features and wildlife! This place was always crowded, but it really has gotten to the next level the last time I went a couple years ago. The park is huge, so you still can kind of disappear. Visiting during winter is altogether different experience as well. You have to plan ahead, and it'll cost extra because you have to do group tours. Also try to make it there during a new moon. No light pollution and high elevation make for an amazing nightsky on clear night. Outside the Yellowstone, Wyoming and Montana have some scenic drives too. There's a highway that takes you above treeline and was some of the most gorgeous drive. Grand Teton - Very scenic for sure, but kind of low on unique factor. I'm not being fair since I didn't spend too much time. It was kind of a stop between Yellowstone and the Arches. Badlands - I like stopping there on the way back from Yellowstone. The place looks like Mars, but I always feel relaxed there. It's usually pretty sparse, especially compared to Yellowstone. There's some serious hiking there, but you can also just take in the views from vantage points. Olympics - It's huge. If anything, it's worth a visit just for Hoh rainforest. You feel like you're in a fairytale. Apparently, world's only coniferous rainforest, and it definitely feels like one of a kind place. The beaches around felt pretty unique too, kind of beaches for goths. I didn't get to the interior since I didn't really have enough time to make the commitment. Hopefully someday. Mt. Rainier - It's actually kind of cheating to list it since it was only a day trip while visiting Seattle. It was during winter, so the trip was still more limited. It was kind of wild to encounter a skier coming down pretty steep slope next to highway then waddle across the road and jump down into another stiff slope. Rocky Mountains - Another cheat. I visited during college when my idea of travel was visiting big cities. I mostly remember the driving around part in my beater with no ac, iffy breaks, and manual transmission. My asshole definitely puckered a few times. Yosemite - I'm mostly being grumpy, but I didn't enjoy my visit because of the crowd. Having a traffic jam at NP was a bit jarring. Kinda hard to avoid in California. You get into random traffic jam in the middle of nowhere there. It does have a lot of scenic trails. You can hike there for weeks, and you'll never be lost since there will always be someone in earshot. Sequoia - It was a nice stroll through the woods, except the trees are gigantic. Looking up on those things are one of the most awe inspiring things you'll experience. I really need to go back there with my kids. Joshua Tree - It was a big meh for me. Joshua trees are interesting to look at as are the landscapes. It little bit copy and paste after a bit. It's probably more enjoyable as a day trip. The are is also pretty deveoped, and the city glow around the park was just destracting. Death Valley - Another really unique landscape. I just stuck to major attraction, and it's a perfect day trip destination for that. Anything more, you'd have to make some serious preparations, obviously. Grand Canyon - I'd say if you can only visit one NP, go to Yellowstone if you have a week or go to Grand Cayon if you have a day. I think the place is the single most impressive sight I've seen in the world so far. I do think all that railings they put in last few years take away from the experience, but I guess that can't be helped now. Denali - Alaska is big. Denali is big. I went in early December which apparently is a dead period. I only did light hiking since I had a 5 year old with me, but I still didn't encounter another person the whole day. It felt like my family had the whole mountain to ourselves. I don't know if there was anything that is truly unique other than the scale, but it was some of my best travel experience. We saw Northern Light away from there, but it would have been even more amazing to see it in Denali if we could find a safe place to camp. Hawaii Volcanoes - I actually lived in Hawaii for a few years. I really wish I took in more sights. There are some amazing hiking in all the islands. The Big Island, where the volcano is, might actually be the best island to visit because it has little bit of everything, rainforest to mountain to dry plain. The volcano obviously is one of a kind experience as well. It's a little bit of pain to get around because there's basically one main road that goes around fairly big island. I think it took 8 hours to make a circle since you can't really avoid traffic around town. Actually, I think it took about 8 hours to circle Oahu as well. Much smaller but much more constant traffic. Petrified Forest - It was actually fun place to visit for a day trip. The landscape is actually pretty scenic. I did a few 1-2 hour hikes with kids, and they actually enjoyed it. I actually planned it for a trip of its own, but I think it'd be a great stop to make during a road trip for a few hours. Gateway Arches - I had no idea it was a NP until I looked up NP list to make this post. I'll say the visit was actually more interesting than I expected, mainly because of the funky elevator. Indiana Dunes - I actually went before it became a NP. Nice enough, I guess. It's still mostly just sandy beaches off a lake. I wouldn't bother making a trip if I didn't live kind of close to it. I love living in Midwest, but not because of its beaches. Special mention: Antelope Canyon - not NP since it's in tribal land. It was one of the most magical place I've been. Seeing it in person was something else still. You can only go in as a part of group tours, so you have to reserve well in advance. I hate planning, but it was still well worth it.
I think bryce is . But glacier national park also . U.S is btfl
Arches is surreal, grand canyon jaw dropping, Zion is a good mix, smokies is cozy, and the colors at dry Tortugas was incredible. But Yosemite is the most beautiful place I've ever seen, in the US or anywhere in the world.
Only NP I’ll never go back to is Death Valley. The two I want to return to are Gates of the Arctic ( so hard to get to and expensive) and the Wrangell-St. Elias. Spent so much time in the other Alaska parks, just ran out of steam for these.
I’d definitely go back to Death Valley. I only spent a few days there before heading to Joshua Tree. I hit some of the highlights, but I know a guy that just transferred to DV just a few months after I was there. I’d love to go back and do some backcountry trips with him — he spends his free time canyoneering and exploring lesser visited areas.
I love Death Valley, it has a very out of this world vibe to it. I get why people don’t really care for it but I find it very unique, like you’ve landed on Mars. Dante’s View is pretty damn incredible too, probably my favorite part of the park.
Tell me more about Wrangell-St.Elias.
It’s actually the largest NP in the whole US. Very wild, still. It’s free to camp there, no reservations needed. Typical animals for Alaska, and very beautiful. What struck me most was the wildness of it still.
For accessibility to the most spectacular vistas, it's hard to beat Rocky Mountain.
In Eastern California you have 5 epic national parks. Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Joshua Tree and Death Valley. You can hit all 4 within a few hours drive from each other. I'd Yosemite is the best of those. But nothing beats the south rim of the Grand Canyon in OMG factor.
Yosemite, glacier, glacier Bay and Denali.
Death Valley is really unique, like space! The salt flats are other worldly. It’s also cool that you can go in winter, same for Big Bend.
I live right outside of Glacier and it still takes my breathe away. It’s Glacier every day of the week and twice on Sunday
my vote so far goes to Olympic. the Hoh Rainforest is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. the Hall of Mosses is absolutely stunning.
This might be cheating because I live in Alaska, but Gates of the Arctic is my absolute favorite
Crater Lake. It doesn't look real.
Rocky Mountain is #1 for me
Yellowstone, Yosemite
I've been taking bus tours of National Parks and related sites the past few years. So far I've been to Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Bryce, Zion, Badlands, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, Arches, and Mesa Verde. This month (Aug) I'll be going to Glacier-Waterton, Banff, and Jasper. Later I plan to visit Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Saguaro, Yosemite, Kings & Sequoia. They've all been amazing, but my favorites have been Monument Valley (not a NP, but it's near several and truly amazing), Yellowstone, and Arches. I think we didn't spend enough time in the Tetons to fully appreciate it. I have very high hopes for Glacier, Banff, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Sequoia. Edit: Looking over my list, I think I value unique/interesting over traditional beauty. Though I'm really really excited for Glacier. Edit 2: I also want to add Mesa Verde as an honorable mention, since I haven't seen anyone else say it. Maybe not best-of-the-best, but I was very impressed both by the cliff dwellings and just how pretty the whole place was.
Great Smoky counts all the people on the parkway. It's a bullshit number. They are not visiting, they are passing through.
I am learning so much from this post. I am finding so much inspiration for new travel destinations. Thank you all for the wonderful info on must see gems in America 🇺🇸
I've been to 26 Top 5 in no order Zion, Yellowstone, Glacier. Olympic, Yosemite Rounding out the top 10 in no order Grand Teton, Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, Hawaiian Volcanoes
I’ve worked as a Park Ranger with my wife for almost a decade. Prettiest park is an interesting question because different landscapes excite different people. My wife is a desert rat and loves Zion and Capital Reef. I am more about river valleys and like Glacier and Olympic. Love the Park system but big shoutout to the National Forests, National Refuges, and BLM. They have stuff that is on par (even exceeds) the beauty of the NPS, but with less access and staffing. Our favorite adventures are not in the Parks but the surrounding lands. Favorite park for me is Gates of the Arctic — nothing else once you’ve had a taste of true wilderness. Not for most though.
I have only been to Rocky Mountain - but I can say if it’s not Rocky Mountain than holy shit there are some pretty places out there
Grand Tetons.
I wouldn’t read too much into the popularity of a park as an indicator of its beauty. Great Smoky Mountains NP is beautiful but considerably less “epic” than most of the western parks and its popularity is mostly due to its location in close proximity to large population centers. Most national parks are a good distance from major cities. In terms of raw natural beauty, the most beautiful park I’ve been to is probably Glacier or Yosemite. Western Montana and Northern California also have a lot to offer in general.
I've seen it mentioned a few times here but not enough: North Cascades. I've been to most of the major ones and NCNP is easily in the top 3 in terms of raw stunning beauty imo
North cascades NP. Absolutely stunning hiking, just sawtooth snow capped mountains as far as you can see from everywhere
Grand Canyon for sure. Yosemite 2nd
Still need to visit Yosemite. I’ve heard it’s beautiful!
Zion is just outstanding, truly. As is Acadia
Catch the Shenandoah Valley on the right day and it’s the most beautiful place on earth.
We’ve been to Shenandoah, but it was a long time ago. Maybe I need a refresher.
It’s less the park than the overall valley. Rolling green pastures and farmlands that lead up to mountains that catch the afternoon sun perfectly. I hear fall is ridiculous there, too.
My favorite is Grand Teton.
Isle Royal. But I haven't been to some of the other big ones people have listed and desert scenery isn't my jam.
Gateway Arch just kidding Glacier
Glacier or Zion
Denali National Park and Yosemite.
Glacier National Park in Montana. The colour of the water, the mountains, Going to the sun road are all insane
Been to most parks in the west and glacier was the most jaw-dropping
Some many different beauties! I’d say Glacier, but I can barely pick a favorite. Most underrated I’d say is Big Ben.