Favorite national park?

[Westernskies]

My goal is to see all the National Parks in the US before I expire... Here is streaming video of Yellowstone, my personal favorite: (so far)

NPS Streaming Video

Anyone here have a favorite park or photos to share?

 

[hankster]

I grew up about 80 miles from Yellowstone and have been there many times. I must admit that I fell in love with the Grand Canyon on my first trip there this year and think of it as my favorite.

 

[audreyh1]

Grand Tetons might be our favorite, but then there is the Olympic Peninsula.....

There are so many fabulous ones, it's hard to name a fave

Audrey

 

[Texas Proud]

My goal is to see all the National Parks in the US before I expire... Here is streaming video of Yellowstone, my personal favorite: (so far)

NPS Streaming Video

Anyone here have a favorite park or photos to share?

I am sure someone will google this... but how many are there?

Are you going to visit the National Seashores also?

I have to admit that the Grand Canyon was ranked higher for me than Yellowstone... but both are at the very top... I went to Yellowstone a year or two after the big fires in the 70s or 80s..

HMMMMM, I wonder how many I have been to see Some will make me think for awhile... as some I did a 'drive by'...


I am not sure this is one.... but for sheer destruction... Mt. St. Helena park was very interesting... I went there a year or two after the big bang...

hmmm, there is a trend here... but I saw 9/11 live, so that changes it I guess....

 

[MuirWannabe]

I love your goal and hope to share it when I'm FIRE'd. For now, I've been to several. My favortie of those without a doubt is Glacier NP. Awesome hiking, scenery, and wildlife. And it is remote and seemingly less traveled than beautiful parks like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. The glaciers are melting quickly and it is said they will all be gone by 2032. Two great hikes I'd recommend there are Grinnel Glacier and Iceberg Lake. Best hikes ever.

Honarable mention of the parks I've seen goes to Redwoods NP, Zion NP, and Grand Tetons NP.

 

[freebird5825]

I've never been to the western national parks, except a tiny piece of the Grand Canyon near Las Vegas. LH and I took a thrilling helicopter ride to the bottom. The pilot grinned when he did a quick drop over the edge. Wooohooooooo! I remember looking down at the entire canyon from a commercial airliner on the way to CA.

My favorite is Cape Cod National Seashore, in particular Race Point Beach. I spent 2 childhood vacations, my honeymoon and have been back many times for my birthday in the fall when the crowds are gone.
dh2b has never been. I need to fix that.

2nd favorite is Niagara Falls, on the Canadian side.

 

[Westernskies]

2nd favorite is Niagara Falls, on the Canadian side.

I'm focusing on the Parks first- although in defence of the Canadians some of the Parques are quite nice ... the fall colours in NS are a favourite programme of mine

 

[Westernskies]

I am sure someone will google this... but how many are there?

58 National Parks
74 National Monuments
391 Total NPS Units (seashores, parkways, etc)

 

[travelover]

When I was 20 yo I did one lap of America during a 6 month period, living out of an Econoline. I stopped at every National Park and Monument that I reasonably could. One of my favorites is Big Bend National Park in Texas. But they are all so beautiful and diverse, it is like trying to pick a favorite child.

 

[MuirWannabe]

When I was 20 yo I did one lap of America during a 6 month period, living out of an Econoline. I stopped at every National Park and Monument that I reasonably could. One of my favorites is Big Bend National Park in Texas. But they are all so beautiful and diverse, it is like trying to pick a favorite child.

Travelover, do you have any site recommendations for Big Bend? Although I live in Dallas ironically enough I've never been to Big Bend. But we are planning on going next year (maybe around Spring Break) and renting a Class C RV to experience that lifestyle as well. I know very little about Big Bend but glad to hear you liked it.

 

[Orchidflower]

When I was a kid my folks threw me in the car and we visited the Tetons, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc. etc. every summer. Personally, I loved the Tetons and the area around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to a point I'd live there IF I could afford it...my gosh! check the prices for that city...yikes!!!!$$$

 

[Martha]

When I was 20 yo I did one lap of America during a 6 month period, living out of an Econoline. I stopped at every National Park and Monument that I reasonably could. One of my favorites is Big Bend National Park in Texas. But they are all so beautiful and diverse, it is like trying to pick a favorite child.

I agree. Big Bend was great for riding the on-off road cycles:

 

[Danny]

My current favorite is Yellowstone. There earlier in Oct after coming over Beartooth Highway. Despite 8 let them burn fires in the park, smoke, road closures, a snow storm and barely getting my butt and the little Honda out of there over the pass to Cody, it was awesome and that's what I kept saying to myself and to anyone near me.

 

[travelover]

Travelover, do you have any site recommendations for Big Bend? Although I live in Dallas ironically enough I've never been to Big Bend. But we are planning on going next year (maybe around Spring Break) and renting a Class C RV to experience that lifestyle as well. I know very little about Big Bend but glad to hear you liked it.

You may have different preferences, but coming from the Midwest I love the desert. I like to spend time at lower elevations in the heat then retreat up to the coolness of the Chisos Basin. There is also a spectacular trail ride that goes to an overlook of the Rio Grande and miles into Mexico. The last time I was there we saw peregrine falcons soaring off these cliffs. Spring break is the most crowded time at this park, which is usually pretty empty (for a national park). Birding is excellent in the spring, if you are in to that.

 

[brewer12345]

I would toss Rocky Mountain National in there. Not sure if it is a national park, but the Great Sand Dunes is simply amazing.

I imagine that I will be hitting many national parks in retirement. In the meantime we have had a great time in state parks and state forests in NY, NJ and PA. Never thought I would see an old growth hemlock forest, but there it is in central PA (and it was gorgeous).

 

[CuppaJoe]

I've been to many National Parks but choose Muir Woods National Monument as a favorite because I can get there by public transit and great restaurant food can be had within a one to two hour drive. Why cook it yourself? J/k, I understand the joys of RVing, hauling, hooking up, cooking, meeting other RVers, etc.

 

[Moemg]

The Grand Canyon ! It was so much more awesome in person !

 

[CuppaJoe]

The Grand Canyon ! It was so much more awesome....

I remember sitting on the rim, everyone else was asleep, it was pitch dark but I knew what was there, listening to "The Grand Canyon Suite" on a walkman--remember those?

 

[Goonie]

Of the many Nat'l Parks that I've been to, I definitely [-]liked[/-] loved Glacier N.P. the absolute best!!! We stayed in the park at Many Glacier Lodge....so peaceful, quiet, serene....no TV in the rooms....no cellphone [-]annoyance[/-] service....BEAUTIFUL scenery....oodles of wildlife....magnificent wild flowers!!! Just AWESOME!!!

There's so much beauty to see at Glacier, I could there a zillion times and never tire of it!!!

Bryce and the Everglades are tied for 2nd place. However, Glacier is my #1 choice!!!

 

[gindie]

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Webcam page: Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Webcams (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[WhoDaresWins]

They are all fabulous and quite unique, too. Don't forget Acadia National Park in Maine. I went there with my parents a couple of times when I was a kid. There was an excellent Ken Burns documentary a month or so ago on the National Parks. Possibly it will be available on DVD in the future.

 

[DayDreaming]

Acadia National Park is one of my favorites too.

In Yosemite National Park, Glacier Point has to be the most beautiful awe-inspiring spot on earth.

You can make a nice trip out of visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, along with Bryce and Zion National Parks - 3 canyons but each one is so different. South Rim of the Grand Canyon is also very different from the North Rim so you should visit both if you can (but probably not on the same trip).

 

[Bikerchick]

Shenandoah National Park - Virginia. Especially the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Badlands NP - South Dakota. You can hear the mountains sing.

Both are great for motorcycles, btw.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Shenandoah National Park - Virginia. Especially the Blue Ridge Parkway.

....

Forgot to think of that range as a Nat'l Park. I came from the flatlands, that is rolling hills, made sure they were my first mountains, I was 28! Years later, friends showed me an area near Phoenix that looks a lot like The Great Smokies. Hands down, IMO, the best song (of the ones I know), at 2:15:

YouTube - Thomas Hampson - Shenandoah

 

[Goonie]

You can make a nice trip out of visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, along with Bryce and Zion National Parks - 3 canyons but each one is so different. South Rim of the Grand Canyon is also very different from the North Rim so you should visit both if you can (but probably not on the same trip).

A few years ago we did a big loop and visited 7 of the Nat'l Parks. We hit the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon (south rim), Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, and Rocky Mountain Nat'l Parks.

The year before we went to Yellowstone and Glacier, and then up into Canada to Kootenay N.P., Jasper N.P., and Banff N.P.. My favorite part of the Canadian trip, was walking on the Athabasca Glacier....it was fascinating and may be the only time in my life to actually get to walk on a glacier!