Article Overview: Best National Parks in the USA

The national parks are home to some of the most beautiful and treasured landscapes in the world. Spanning tropical oases, endless desert vistas, glaciated mountain peaks, lush rain forests, and beyond these places are special to all Americans.

Choosing the best national parks was not an easy task but through our years of experience we’ve narrowed down the cream of the crop. These “best national parks” were chosen based on recreational opportunities and overall scenery.

Without further ado I give you the best national parks in America.

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Why Listen to Us About the National Parks?

You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. We’ve spent our entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.

https://youtu.be/CAZiIc4j-Ps

We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues.

Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.

We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers.

Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.

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Best National Parks USA

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Top 10 Best National Parks

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1. Olympic National Park

Why This is One of the Best National Parks

Olympic National Park is easily the most diverse national park in America, hands down.

This park has everything from lowland forests, striking mountain ranges, pristine alpine lakes, sparkling rivers, temperate rain forests (the largest in the lower 48), iconic wildlife, and over 50 miles of wild coastline!

Oh, and it’s a stones throw from Seattle! Olympic National Park truly has it all and without the crowds that have become so insidious in other US national parks in recent years – which is why we rank this Pacific Northwest gem as the best national park in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jQ_eu3b_BA

READ: Our National Monuments Rankings, Complete Guide to Olympic National Park and Guide to All Washington’s National Parks

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2. Grand Teton National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Grand Teton National Park is truly iconic and, thanks to strong management and foresight, has been able to avoid the crowding more characteristic of its neighbor to the north, Yellowstone.

Here you’ll find the spectacular Teton mountains, the winding Snake River, gorgeous lakes and valleys, and some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the entire national park system.

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3. Mount Rainier National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

We could justify, Mount Rainier’s position as the number three best national park on this list, but we think John Muir did it much better when he called it,

“The most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings”.

This most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous US is downright mesmerizing.

Similar to the feeling one gets when looking into the Grand Canyon, you can gaze upon this mountain for hours without fathoming what exactly you’re looking at.

This park has so much more to offer than the magnificently glaciated mountain surrounded by carpets of the most beautiful wildflowers you’ve ever seen. It has vast old growth forests, clear blue rivers, abundant wildlife, countless vistas, and so many wonderful hiking opportunities.

Summer crowds can be troublesome and wildfires seem to be more present with each passing year, but plan accordingly and you’ll be amazed by this immensely beautiful national park.

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4. Yosemite National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks in the USA

Once there you’ll realize just why the park is one of the most popular in the US. Despite the summer crowds, the valley and the park are truly one of the natural wonders of the world.

Yosemite is a true marvel and one of the most spectacular places on earth. Here you’ll find the epic grandeur of Yosemite Valley, the ancient wonders of the Mariposa Grove, and towering waterfalls like Yosemite Falls.

The immense beauty found here is overwhelming and has a tendency to make one feel small in the most humbling way.

We recommend visiting in the off-season for the best experience.

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5. Redwood National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Redwood’s misty forests, wild coastline, pristine streams, and valleys teeming with wildlife are one of the best kept “secrets” in the national park system.

Forty miles of wild and rugged coastline where whales swim and elk roam are more than enough to take your breath away.

Waterfalls and clear blue streams rush against a backdrop of vivid green ferns. The tallest trees in the world soar to unimaginable heights all around you and command your awed gaze.

Yes, here in Redwood National Park you’ll be forgiven if you start to think you’re another planet, like say Endor…

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Top 10 Best National Parks USA

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6. Glacier National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Glacier National Park is one of the grandfathers of the National Park Service and continues to stand the test of time as one of the best national parks in the US.

This exceedingly beautiful mountainous park and its jaw-dropping vistas make other park overlooks seem tame by comparison.

If you can make the drive from the nearest major airport or city, (which aren’t exactly close), Glacier provides ample recreation opportunities and a park experience that people of all abilities can enjoy.

Among the musts in this park is driving the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road, a true engineering marvel that winds through the mountains providing unparalleled views of one of the best national parks in America.

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7. Sequoia National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

The beauty of the ancient Sequoia trees found in Sequoia National Park defy any attempt to describe them as John Muir so aptly wrote,

“The Big Tree is Nature’s forest masterpiece, and, so far as I know, the greatest of living things. No description can give any adequate idea of their singular majesty, much less their beauty. ”

Here, amongst groves of the largest trees in the world, one can’t possibly avoid being humbled and awed by the power of nature.

In addition to its namesake trees, the park has abundant amenities and outside of peak summer crowding isn’t too bad.

We highly recommend adding this national park to your list as it is one of the best in the world.

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8. Rocky Mountain National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Tucked into the heart of Colorado’s Front Range, Rocky Mountain National Park spans more than 400 square miles of breathtaking mountain scenery and ranks in our top 10 best national parks in the US.

This national park is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the American Rockies and it’s no wonder why.

Rocky Mountain is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife including elk, moose, bighorn sheep, beaver, deer, black bear, eagles, marmots, mountain lions, and so much more. 

However…

However, in recent years visitation has increased dramatically at the expense of the visitor experience (not to mention the impact on the park itself).

What was once mostly an issue reserved for the bear lake area of the park has spread to the rest of the park (especially around the Estes Park entrance).

Crowd sizes have swelled to the point that the National Park Service has instituted a timed entry program to control the crowds. With population centers soaring near the park, we expect this issue to become more exacerbated with each passing year.

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9. Voyageurs National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

In the far reaches of Northern Minnesota, straddling the Canadian border, you’ll find this watery wonderland almost exclusively accessible by boat.

Here, in the pristine waters of vast lakes and the mosaic of islands and boreal forest that comprise the park, you can truly get away from it all and listen to nothing but the sound of your canoe gliding in the tranquil water and the distant calls of loons.

From kaleidoscopic sunrises and sunsets mirrored on the glassy waters of its lakes, to some of the most spectacular displays of the northern lights you’ll find anywhere on earth, Voyageurs is a true monument to the wonders of nature.

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10. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

One of the best national parks in America and the crown jewel of the eastern U.S. parks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park protects a vast swath of the immense beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.

These old mountains, forests, and streams have a character about them that tends to invite one to slow down and imagine a world where this was what much of the eastern United States looked like. Herds of elk freely roam the park and bears, otters, deer, foxes, and woodpeckers are commonly sighted.

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Top 15 Best National Parks USA

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11. Grand Canyon National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Sure we could try to describe to you the singular beauty and majesty of one of the great wonders of the world or we could let one of America’s greatest presidents do it.

In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is.

I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon.

Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.

Theodore Roosevelt

Yes the South Rim of the Grand Canyon sees crowds in the summer that are reminiscent of a Disney World parking lot, but the Grand Canyon is a large national park.

You might be surprised to learn that there are many areas in the park with the same jaw-dropping views that won’t make you feel like you’re in the busiest terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Christmas Eve.

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12. Yellowstone National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Ah, Yellowstone National Park, the national park that started it all. Seeing the original national park rank outside of our list of the top 10 national parks in America is sure to raise some eyebrows, but hear us out.

Yellowstone is an absolutely spectacular and magical national park. A landscape dotted with otherworldly thermal works, bison holdouts from a time when they ruled the prairie, a thriving wolf population, and an encapsulation of the great American west.

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13. Death Valley National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

As the largest park in the contiguous United States at over 1.6 million acres, Death Valley embodies every aspect of an epic US national park. Star Wars landscapes fill the mind with wonder as superlatives are the name of the game here.

Death Valley features the lowest point in North America, has the hottest ever recorded air temperature on the planet, the tallest sand dunes in North America, and the driest place in the United States.

Despite the morbid name Death Valley has an abundance of life and incredible sights. So long as you don’t visit during the summer when temperatures can soar into the 130s you’re bound to have a great time here.

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14. Zion National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

While the park is jaw-droppingly beautiful and home to world-class recreational opportunities, it’s also completely choked with tourists on every trail and crowding every vista. Buses, lottery systems, permits, closures, and still the crowds swarm like moths to a flame. What’s that old proverb? If you love it, let it go.

All that said, we gave it a half point on crowds because there actually are a few areas of the park that are not completely overrun, like Kolob Terrace and Kolob Canyons.

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15. Great Sand Dunes National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Imagine the Sahara Desert with a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains – you’re looking at one of the most underrated national parks in America, Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Great Sand Dunes is a spectacular park located in southern Colorado that features some of the most breathtaking and unique scenery anywhere in the world.

The tough part is getting to the park because it’s fairly remote and doesn’t easily make its way into a national park road trip. The good news is that when you arrive crowds will be minimal.

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Top 20 Best National Parks USA

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16. Kenai Fjords National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Kenai Fjords is perhaps the most accessible of Alaska’s national parks. Unlike most other national parks in Alaska, there is actual driving in the park (however limited) that allows access to hiking trails.

There’s also regular boat tours out of Seward that take visitors by many of the most breathtaking areas and sites. Couple that with its close proximity to the major city of Anchorage with regular commercial flights and we’ve got ourselves a real winner.

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17. Arches National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Arches National Park is perhaps the most interactive of all the Utah parks filled with scenery that brings out the child in all of us.

Sandstone hallways and tunnels, rocks to climb on and over, sandy trails perfect for sandals or even bare feet at times, and red rock vistas that make for an unforgettable experience.

Is the park a bit one-dimensional? Sure. Does it get crowded? Sure. Yet its seemingly very well managed and once you’re in you don’t get the hectic feeling that you do in most crowded parks.

You can fan out and pick your hiking spots and for the most part instead of crowds you’re just dealing with the warm desert wind whipping your hair every place.

If you’re making the pilgrimage to Moab, put the mountain bike away for a day or two and get out and hike this park, you’ll be so glad you did.

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18. North Cascades National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Referred to by some as the “American Alps” with mountain beauty that rivals any range on the planet, North Cascades is the crown jewel of the mighty cascade range.

One of three Washington state national parks, North Cascades is the least visited, the most difficult to access all around, and perhaps the most rewarding for those who dare.

A backpackers paradise to be sure, but it’s just not very approachable for the average national park/outdoors enthusiast. For that reason we had to dock it on amenities as there really aren’t any.

That said, the park’s interior is absolutely stunningly beautiful as a simple Google image search will show you, and its lack of crowds and backcountry offerings are a major plus. If you’re interested in getting off the beaten path and seeing some amazing scenery, here’s your chance.

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19. Denali National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

Alaska’s flagship national park named for its tallest mountain which happens to be the highest peak in North America, Denali is on every park-goers bucket list. The breadth of this mountain is hard to appreciate and so is the size of the park itself at 6.1 million acres. 

Denali also happens to be one of the most accessible Alaskan national parks with limited driving access, bus access that gets you further, visitor center, campgrounds, and the famous car lottery.

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20. Wrangell St. Elias National Park

What Makes This One of the Best National Parks

As one of the more accessible Alaska parks, Wrangell makes it into our top 20 US national parks for that reason alone. Wrangell is an Alaska national park full of superlatives and a world unto itself.

It is a park of otherworldly and seemingly impossible landscapes. The difference at Wrangell vs some of Alaska’s national parks is that you can take a car and drive to some of them.

Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest in the US at over 13 million acres. The park features 9 of the 16 tallest mountain peaks in the country.

If Wrangell were a state, it would be larger than Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

Now, the drive is a bit of a trek (5 hours from Anchorage) to get to McCarthy, Alaska where visitors can access the historic Kennecot mine and Root Glacier.

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List of Best National Parks in the US

1. Olympic National Park
2. Grand Teton National Park
3. Mt Rainier National Park
4. Yosemite National Park
5. Redwood National Park
6. Glacier National Park
7. Sequoia National Park
8. Rocky Mountain National Park
9. Voyageurs National Park
10. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
11. Grand Canyon National Park
12. Yellowstone National Park
13. Death Valley National Park
14. Zion National Park
15. Great Sand Dunes National Park
16. Kenai Fjords National Park
17. Arches National Park
18. North Cascades National Park
19. Denali National Park
20. Wrangell St. Elias National Park

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Map of the Best National Parks USA

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What Qualifies as a US National Park?

There seems to be some confusion out there about what exactly qualifies as a “national park” in the United States, so let’s clear that up.

There are many different types of designations within the national park system, like national monuments, national historical parks, national battlefields, national historic sites, national parks, and so on.

Each one of these specific designations carries with it a different meaning, a different type of administration, and affords the area different levels of protection.

For a more in-depth explanation of these designations visit our article that explains the different National Park Service designations and their meanings, What Exactly Is A National Park?

National Monuments Ranked: ALL 128 US National Monuments Ranked (Best to Worst)

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How Many National Parks Are There In The USA?

To be clear, there are 63 national parks in the US which are part of a system that includes 423 national park sites. National parks can only be designated by an act of congress – unlike many other units in the national park system which can gain their designation through executive action or even secretarial orders.

National historical parks, for instance, are not national parks, even though they contain the phrase “national park” in their title. Confused yet?

The same goes for national preserves, national monuments and anything else that is not simply named “[Insert Title] National Park”. But don’t take our word for it, you can read all about these different designations here.

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The National Park System

The national park system is full of incredible places that constitute the all-important natural and cultural heritage of the United States.

These special places, from Gettysburg National Military Park to Yosemite National Park, are of immense importance and are equally deserving of preservation and administration that fits their unique place in the story of this country.

So whether your favorite national park service unit is a national park, a national monument, a national recreation area, or any other type of designation, the point is they’re all important, but there’s only 63 congressionally-designated “national parks”.

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And a bonus! Tips for Visiting the Best National Parks in the USA

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Permit Systems and Reservations

Check to see if the national park you’re visiting has a permit or reservation system in place before visiting. As parks become increasingly crowded more has to be done to safeguard them which means controlling the hundreds of millions of people who visit these places each year.

Popular national parks with reservation systems of some kind include Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Arches, Acadia, Denali, and more.

Want Less Crowds? Try a National Forest!

Try visiting a national forest while you’re on your trip to avoid the crowds. There are 155 national forests in America, many of which are equally as beautiful as the national parks they neighbor and only see a fraction of the visitors.

For example, try the Flathead National Forest next to Glacier National Park, the Bridger-Teton next to Grand Teton, and the Dixie which borders nearly all of the Utah National Parks.

Practice Safety, Seriously

National parks are amazing but wild places so it is essential to practice basic safety while visiting them. Every year people die while vacationing in national parks. This is easily avoided by:

• Sticking to trails
• Checking the weather before going out on a hike
• Maintaining a safe distance between wildlife which means at least 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from predators
• Avoid ledges with steep drop offs

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Helpful Articles

National Monuments Ranked: ALL 128 US National Monuments Ranked (Best to Worst)

National Parks Rankings: ALL 63 US National Parks Ranked By Experts

Most Visited National Parks: Top 10 Most Visited National Parks

Least Visited National Parks: Top 10 Least Visited National Parks

National Parks Road Trips: 10 Best National Park Road Trips

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By Will Pattiz

Co-founder of More Than Just Parks. Husband. Conservationist. Currently living in NYC.