Our Top Ten US National Parks

Many people ask Tom and me, “How did you come up with your goal to visit all 58 (now 63) US National Parks?”  And “What are your favorites?” Before I answer those questions, I am compelled to answer the next two questions which are, “Does this include monuments and seashores?” and “Do you have any rules?” 

Visiting all US National Parks – our Rules

The goal only includes the 58 (now 63) National Parks. The National Park Service manages 425 sites – too many for us to visit. The rules are simple. To count a park, we must spend time in and enjoy the park together - no drive in and out. Tom and I got together as older adults and have both visited parks on our own. So, if we haven’t been to the park together, it does not count. One of us must go again.

Inspiration to visit all National Parks

Now back to the original question, “How did we come up with this goal?”. We were both intrigued by The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a Ken Burns Documentary about the National Parks formation. 

It’s incredible to me how our land has changed so much in the last 150 years due to settlement and industrialization.  Some special visionaries had the foresight, long before environmentalism, to save the most unique natural, geological and cultural wonders for all of us to continue to enjoy.

We both love the outdoors and nature, so we found ourselves especially drawn to these cherished and preserved wonders!

Yosemite National Park, CA

In addition, Mt Rainer National Park is our “home park”. We get to enjoy this spectacular place often for hiking, wildflowers and cycling. Knowing that there are 57 (now 62) comparable parks out there, we just had to go and see them. We began with Yosemite National Park, one of the most historic. We made our goal official during that trip.

Our Top Ten Favorite US National Parks:

Regularly we get asked, “What is your favorite?” which, of course, is impossible to answer – they are all so special and unique. But we do have ten favorite National Parks by category. They are listed below in chronological order by the year they were established:

Morning Glory Hole, Yellowstone National Park, WY

 1.    Our first geological and wildlife favorite, Yellowstone, National Park, WY, was established in 1872 as the first US National Park. Yellowstone sits on top of a super volcano that created four overlapping calderas during major eruptions 640,000, 1.3 million and 2.1 million years ago thus creating one half of the world’s hydrothermal features. Geysers, hot springs mud pots and more are created from the cracks in the calderas – they are simply amazing to behold in all their forms and colors throughout the different regions of the park!  And it’s heartening to see the recovering bison population roaming the magnificent landscape, the famous but elusive wolves, herds of elk, and the black and grizzly bears along with their cubs. Wintertime in the park is quietly majestic and a great time to visit as well.

2.    Our home park, thus a favorite that inspired our quest to visit all US National Parks, Mt Rainer National Park, WA , was established in 1899. The park encompasses 370 square miles with the enormous centerpiece being a 14,411-foot volcano, part of the Ring of Fire surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Glacially clad, Mt Rainer dominates the skyline in much of the Northwest and is a draw for visitors and mountain climbers alike. Scenic roads and trails showcase mountain views, massive trees, beautiful wildflowers, rivers, lakes and wildlife. The Paradise historic lodge and Jackson Visitor Center sit at 5,400 feet, while the Sunrise visitor center is at 6,400 feet and the Longmire Inn looks up at the Mountain from 2,761 feet. (Cover photo of this blog is Mt Rainer.)

Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, CO

3.    A cultural favorite, Mesa Verde National Park, CO , was established in 1906, in Tom’s home state of CO. The Ancestral Puebloans were nomads until about 300 AD, when they became corn farmers on the mesas. Around 1,100 AD civilization moved off the mesas into the open caves where they built the spectacular cliff dwellings.  Then for no obvious reason, the civilization moved out around 1300AD. The history is fascinating and the well-preserved cliff dwellings themselves are stunning. The Chapin Mason Museum is not to be missed and being on the park’s mesa looking at the cliff dwellings across the canyon as the sun goes down is special!

Grand Canyon from the north rim in AZ

4.    A geological favorite and wonder, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ, was established in 1919!  The Colorado River continues to erode this enormous 5,300-foot canyon for 277 spectacular miles exposing layers of geological history dating back to 1.7 billion years ago! The south rim is the easiest to get to for most and therefore the most crowded. While the north rim, our favorite, is harder to get to, it has a historic lodge and fewer crowds. In addition, many visitors enjoy rafting in or hiking down (and up) the canyon!

Big horn sheep in Glacier National Park, MT

5.     An overall favorite, Glacier National Park, MT,  established in 1920, is named after the massive glaciers that carved out the expansive basins millions of years ago. The many lakes in these basins are stunning. With 750 miles of varied hiking for everyone it’s worth going back to this park again and again. On top of that there are four beautiful historic lodges, originally all designed to be a day’s trip from the “new” railroad. And the wildlife sightings including big horn sheep and bear are outstanding! Glacier National Park is part of Waterton – Glacier International Peace Park which includes Waterton Peace Park in Canada.

Hiking among the hodoos of Bryce Canyon, UT

6.    Another geological favorite, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT , was established in 1928. There is nothing quite like it. The Canyon is not a real canyon; it isn’t carved by a river or stream. Centuries of erosion from heavy rains artfully sculpts the red rock initially into fins, then frost-wedging creates the windows after which continued erosion collapses the tops of the windows creating the bulbous spires called hoodoos. Hiking among the red hoodoos is magical! At nearly 8,000 feet, Bryce Canyon’s extreme weather and temperature fluctuations create this mesmerizing landscape.

Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortuga National Park, FL

7.    A historical favorite, Dry Tortugas National Park, FL was established as a national monument in 1935, becoming a national park in 1992. It’s our favorite from a historical perspective. Who knew that a massive brick fort, Fort Jefferson, was built on an atoll clear back in 1846 to protect the original US shipping channels? During the Civil War the fort served as a prison. Eventually it was abandoned because of yellow fever and the fort started sinking under the weight of 25 million bricks. The park includes seven keys, small islands. It’s closer to Cuba than the US, only accessible by boat or seaplane and is gorgeous!

The peaceful beauty of Isle Royal National Park, MI

8.     Our favorite as the “most remote park in the lower 48”, Isle Royale National Park, MI was established in 1940. It takes eight hours via boat, aka “the beer can” from Grand Portage, MN or six hours from Houghton, MI aboard the Ranger III, a vintage 1950’s ferry to get to the Isle, in the middle of giant Lake Superior! And once you get there, you know that you are far away from most anything other than the small park lodge. Moose abound and the re-introduced wolves are controversial. Isle Royale is the center of the park which includes 400 isles. There are some nice walks/hikes with fantastic views on the isle and kayaking or canoeing is wonderful. A peaceful place, there are no crowds.

The not so grand Rio Grande River at Big Bend National Park, TX

9.    Our biggest and best surprise, Big Bend National Park, TX, was established in 1944!  This park is named after the “big bend” of the Rio Grande River in southern Texas. It’s huge, has the Chisos Mountains, Chisos Basin, great hikes, unique wildlife and wonderful scenery all in the “high desert”. Unfortunately, the Rio Grande is no longer “grand” due to water rights, but the park is. And staying inside the park is awesome. Who knew we’d find such a big surprise in Texas!

Trunk Bay on St John, USVI National Park

10. A favorite for it’s gorgeous protected beaches, St John National Park, US Virgin Islands , was established in 1956. Just over half of the three by nine-mile island is protected. In addition, the Virgin Islands Coral Reef Monument protects 12,708 acres of underwater habitat making it truly “paradise”. Over a thousand miles from Miami, it’s not the easiest to get to. However, it’s well worth it to visit all the spectacular beaches, experience great snorkeling and swim in the warm turquoise water each day all accessed via open air shuttle. Fabulous food in the small, crowded town of Cruz Bay tops off each day.

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