Your top list of our National Parks?

JCZ · Jun 16, 2013

What is your list of the top ten national parks that you've personally been to? And if you don't mind, please provide a brief description of why that park made that postion on your list? If you haven't been to ten, then just list your top five.

If you have photos that you'd like to post....we'd sure like to see them!

Of course I'm looking forward to everybody's replys but especially Seilers....mainly because I know that he's been to every national park in the country. Not even sure how many that is.....Tom?

Wendy · Jun 16, 2013

Are you looking for National Parks or any NPS sites ? Some of my favorite NPS sites are National Monuments.

Wendy

Bob Maxwell · Jun 16, 2013

I agree, Wendy.

JCZ · Jun 16, 2013

Go ahead Wendy, Bob.....shoot.

Steve N Dee · Jun 17, 2013

My top 5 would be:
Yosemite
Yellowstone
Mount Rushmore
Rocky Mountain
Sequoia

Can you tell I'm partial to mountains, trees and waterfalls. I'd also add Volcanos National Park in Hawaii, put you can't get there in an RV

Steve

Jeff · Jun 17, 2013

Bryce and Zion in Utah and Acadia in Maine for our list.

SeilerBird · Jun 17, 2013

I thought you would never ask ;D I have been to all 46 of the National Parks in the lower 48 and here is my top ten:

1 - Yosemite - When God made the Earth he made Yosemite last so he would have a place to go for a vacation.

2 - Grand Canyon - One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. End of story.

3 - Grand Tetons - Travel Channel lists it as the best National Park in North America to view wildlife.

4 - The Everglades - Birds, birds and more birds.

5 - Zion - The Narrows and Angel's Landing are two of the best hikes I have ever been on.

6 - Bryce Canyon - This place reminds me of a Disney animation.

7 - Yellowstone - Lots of animals and the geysers are amazing.

8 - Joshua Tree - Amazing desert park and virtually no one goes there.

9 - Death Valley - Amazing desert park and everyone goes there.

10 - North Cascades - Google it since you have never heard of it. That is why I love it so much. It is like a private National Park.

Chet18013 · Jun 17, 2013

Our all time favorite is Tent Rocks. The balancing rocks are everywhere and quite unique. This coupled with one of the best COE campgrounds at Cochiti Lake, the place is great, even if you have to share the campground with a few snakes.

Second is Bryce. The hoo-doos are fantastic and it's fun to explore the slot canyons in the surrounding area.

Canyon De Chelly is neat for the views from the rim and the restricted access has preserved the ruins.

Monument Valley is one of our favorite boondocking places where we can park the RV and watch spectacular sun rises out the front window. And then there's also he sunsets!

Yellow Stone is without equal.

Driving the back roads around Flaming Gorge is is an experience, especially if you have stopped and picked up all the BLM pamphlets about the local geology. You most likely will encounter some wild horses along the way.

Trailer traveler · Jun 17, 2013

Have not been to all the National Parks, but have been to 78 of the Park Service's facilities. Really hard to pick only ten because every one is unique and we have not been disappointed in any of them.
1. Yellowstone, been there over a dozen times over the years and worked there during summers while in college. The sheer size, diversity of wildlife and the thermal features are the attractions.
2. Glacier, the Going to the Sun Road.
3. Arches, Great rock formations, petroglyphs and hiking trails.
4. Bryce, hiking through the Hoo Doos.
5. Dinosaur, the Quarry, petroglyphs and fossils along the trails. Beautiful campground along the Green River.
6. Escalante Grand Staircase, this is a National Monument managed by BLM not NPS. It is huge and surrounds several great state parks like Kodachrome Basin. It is transected by the UT-12 Scenic Byway and surrounded by two National Forests.
7. Carlsbad Caverns, an awesome hole in the ground and the bats.
8. Capitol Reef, the rock formations, hiking trails and Fruita Campground.
9. Little Bighorn Battlefield, a humbling place to visit.
10. Gettysburg, another humbling place to visit.

Not a National Park so I did not put it on the top ten list, but Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville, UT is definitely worth visiting in my opinion. Also not a National Park; Monument Valley is a tribal park, but since they are their own Nation, I guess you could call it a National Park.

One of the Goblins:

docj · Jun 17, 2013

Trailer traveler said:
Have not been to all the National Parks, but have been to 78 of the Park Service's facilities. Really hard to pick only ten because every one is unique and we have not been disappointed in any of them.
1. Yellowstone, been there over a dozen times over the years and worked there during summers while in college. The sheer size, diversity of wildlife and the thermal features are the attractions.
2. Glacier, the Going to the Sun Road.
3. Arches, Great rock formations, petroglyphs and hiking trails.
4. Bryce, hiking through the Hoo Doos.
5. Dinosaur, the Quarry, petroglyphs and fossils along the trails. Beautiful campground along the Green River.
6. Escalante Grand Staircase, this is a National Monument managed by BLM not NPS. It is huge and surrounds several great state parks like Kodachrome Basin. It is transected by the UT-12 Scenic Byway and surrounded by two National Forests.
7. Carlsbad Caverns, an awesome hole in the ground and the bats.
8. Capitol Reef, the rock formations, hiking trails and Fruita Campground.
9. Little Bighorn Battlefield, a humbling place to visit.
10. Gettysburg, another humbling place to visit.

Not a National Park so I did not put it on the top ten list, but Goblin Valley State Park near Hanksville, UT is definitely worth visiting in my opinion. Also not a National Park; Monument Valley is a tribal park, but since they are their own Nation, I guess you could call it a National Park.

One of the Goblins:

Not to quibble at all, but #5 and 9 are national monuments, not parks, and #10 is called a national military park. They're all great places to visit, but since you had clarified #6 so I thought it was worth noting that these were not true "national parks".

COMer · Jun 17, 2013

I opened this topic in the hopes that Tom S would have weighed in and I wasn't disappointed. Nice list and appropriate comments.

My list is much shorter as we don't get out to the west coast. We would rate our favorites this way:

1) Grand Tetons/Yellowstone - together they make quite an experience for hikers especially - and hot spring showers and swimming pools
2) Rocky Mountain Nat Park - great camping opportunities with vistas - and our favorite hiking
3) Joshua Tree - something really special and uncrowded
4) Wind Cave - also private and something quite different (plus near Custer State Forest, etc.)
5) Great Smoky Mountains - we drive it in the fall with our cameras out
6) Acadia - probably not on many lists but we do like the area and it's a real nice stop, especially at sunrise

Wendy · Jun 17, 2013

These are my favorites, in no particular. And since I asked the OP national parks or NPS sites, and he said go ahead, mine aren't all 'parks'.

Death Valley National Park (it was DV National monument when we worked there)
Hovenweep National Monument
Everglades National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Zion National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Haleakala National Park (or is it a monument?)
And it's not NPS but Monument Valley belongs on every list.
And the entire state of Utah should be a national park.

Wendy

SeilerBird · Jun 17, 2013

The whole problem with top ten lists of National Parks is that there are only ten spaces and there are too many great parks left out. So I am going to post my list of 11 through 20.

11 - Channel Islands - I am a scuba diver and this is some of the best diving in the world. Equal to anything in the Caribbean.

12 - Kings Canyon - A virtual clone of Yosemite Valley without the tourists.

13 - Glacier - Going to the Sun Highway is one of the most beautiful roads in the world. Tons of wildlife.

14 - Sequoia - The trees there are beyond amazing.

15 - Crater Lake - Is there a prettier lake anywhere on this planet? Yes, Tahoe, but Crater is second.

16 - Rocky Mountain - The bugling Elk in fall is some of the sweetest music you will ever hear.

17 - Carlsbad Caverns - Great cave to explore. Larger than life.

18 - Great Basin - Hidden gem. Lehman Caves impress me even more than Carlsbad.

19 - Theodore Roosevelt - Imagine Yellowstone without the people and without the geysers. That would be TR.

20 - Mount Rainier - Be at the Paradise area of this park on August 1st to see the best display of wildflowers I have ever seen.

Jeff · Jun 17, 2013

Tom I have to agree with you n several, especially North Cascades. It was our backyard for 5 years and we started taking it for granted but it is hard to think of too many places that can beat it.

SeilerBird · Jun 17, 2013

Jeff - The best thing about Cascades for me is the solitude. There just is nobody there. Even at the height of tourist season. I would love to get back there some winter for the salmon run on the Skagit River.

flyfishalso · Jun 17, 2013

Having just been to the Colorado National Monmunt i would add it to the list WOW is all i can say

Tin man · Jun 17, 2013

Fire Island National Seashore....

Wendy · Jun 17, 2013

The best thing about Top 10 lists is that everyone's list is different.

Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram · Jun 17, 2013

I have to be a homer for Hot Springs National Park which, by area, is allegedly the smallest of the National Parks. It is very unique in that part of the park encompasses downtown Hot Springs and where Yellowstone has geysers, you can bathe in the mineral springs of the Hot Springs thermal features in 19th century bathhouses.

All National Parks and Monuments are treasures and should all be enjoyed for their individual qualities. The system is a bucket list in and of itself. Even if I did not have an old geezer's card, I would happily pay the annual fee. Such a true bargain!

ArdraF · Jun 17, 2013

And so far, I love 'em all! Maybe Bryce and Arches are my most favorite but we are so fortunate to have so many wondrous places to visit! There also are some amazing state parks as noted above re Goblin Valley. I can't choose just ten!

ArdraF

Your top list of our National Parks?

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