Would you list Denali National Park on your Top 10 list of national parks?/NPS
Recently, a website that will go unmentioned put together a list of "the nation's worst national parks." While that list was soundly, and justifiably, ridiculed and dismissed, it brings to mind this question: What are the nation's best national parks? If you were to compile a Top 10 list of national parks, which would you include on it?
Would Yellowstone be on everyone's list? How about Acadia, or Canyonlands, or Denali?
So tell us, travelers, what does your Top 10 list of national parks look like?
Comments
My top ten:
Mesa Verde. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, North Cascades, Grand Canyon, Zion, Acadia, Everglades. Big Bend, Gates of the Arctic.
Rick
I have traveled extensively... and I am trying to visit all 406 units of the service. Every unit offers something different, from Natural to Cultural, recreational to iconic. I tried to pick my favortites in a way that reflect this range. Here it goes (in no particular order):
Experiencing Nature
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve - Simple becuase it is the largest, it is challenging, and after visiting it for 25 years it still has something new to offer. It is just to darn big to ever see! Beautiful.
Death Valley National Park - Absoultely stunning in it's subtle diversity. I spent a week visiting most of the popular areas, and I still barely scratched the surface. I was amazed by all the beautiful places to experience nature, with a little work.
Historical Experience
Antietam National Battlefield - I spent a couple of weeks touring the Civil War battlefiels as part of my daughters high school project. Gettysburg set a stage for me, but Antietam delivered the message and lesson of the cost of war in an eerie and unforgettable manner. I still feel deeply disturbed and impacted by the sense of war/violence I felt. It is good to not forget.
Linclon Memorial - Nothing stands as a true testiment to how far we have come as a country in our respect for each other as the Lincoln Memorial. I still get goose bumps every time I stand in the same place that Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when he gave his speach. The video in the visitor center that shows how many other struggles in our nations history started in the same place. Lincoln's words on the walls inside the momument always make me stop and reflect... and I always feel like I can be a better person when I leave those halls.
Recreation
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - There are many places in Utah to enjoy the sheer beauty of color country, but when I want to recreate in the boundaries of a national park, there is no place like here. It can be a little crowded, and perhaps a little loud, but if I want serenity in my recreation, there are other choices. Boating through the channels is absoultely amazing. I can not think of any other national park that offers as many places to get a kayak into... and red rock to boot!
Golden Gate National Recreation Area - There are many things to do in San Francisco, but add this park to the mix, and you have a ton of really cool things to do all within biking distance of each other. It is one of my favortie places to go to just "hang out".
Cultural Experience
Hovenweel National Monument - It's really east to want to pick Mesa Verde National Park, because it is magical and large, but I am going to refrain and pick a tiny park off the beaten path. You go hear an you have the place to yourself! You can hear the culture and feel the presence of prehistory.
Historic Trail or Route
Route 66 hands down is one of the most amazing ways to get in touch with Americana. I pedaled the entire route from Chicago to Santa Monica. You really get a sense of America when you travel this route/trail.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail gives you a sense of the injustice of Native Americans. I was deeply moved and felt shame that our government forcible removed people from their homelands.
Did I get ten?