Which National Park in the United States Are You?
The US is lucky enough to be FILLED with COUNTLESS number of National Parks (over 400). Thus, picking which one to visit can be tricky. Which is why I wrote this article, to give you a little insight into the US’s National Parks and which one is most suited for you, based on your hobbies, favorite weather, and more. In addition, I created a quick, fun, quiz you can take to see what National Park is most suited for you, based on your interests.
In addition, in this post, you will learn about, national parks in Utah, the Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, the Everglades, Acadia, Joshua Tree National Park, Denali, plus many others.
This post is all about National Park.
National Park:
Before we get started with a list of the different National Parks within the USA, I wanted to show you a quick, fun quiz to take to see which National Park you most embody, thus, which area you should visit first. Based on your interests, and what kind of weather/scenery is your style, you’ll see from this quiz, where you need to be, enjoy!
National Park Card
Okay, if you are unfamiliar with National Parks or haven’t been to many, there are many different National Park cards that you can purchase based on where you want to go. If you go to the parks a lot, then I HIGHLY recommend buying the annual national park pass, this will allow you free entrance into ANY national park in the US.
Now, depending on where you live, you really don’t need this, because some of your parks/mountain ranges may already be free. But ALL the National Parks out west have fees to pay before you enter. Thus, if you live in the western USA, and do a lot of hiking or any outdoor activity, then again, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the annual national park pass or the America the beautiful pass.
1. Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks
Okay, I wanted to start the list off with the oldest and first, US National Park, Yellowstone. Yellowstone is located in the states of Wyoming (mostly) and Montana. Yellowstone is mostly known for its geysers, stream vents, and hot springs. Some of the best things to do in Yellowstone are Old Faithful, hiking/walking through all the geysers and hot springs, seeing the wildlife in Lamar Valley, and hiking.
The most popular times to come to Yellowstone are June-September.Okay, another amazing place is Glacier National Park. This park is located in northwestern Montana, just below the border with Canada. Glacier is best known for its mountains, forests, and turquoise blue streams. It has amazing hiking, backpacking loops, and scenic views.
2. Grand Teton & Rocky Mountain National Parks
Okay, another amazing National Park is Grand Teton. This park is also located in Wyoming. Some of the best things to do in the Tetons are hiking, backpacking loops, and backcountry skiing. It’s pretty close to the awesome ski resort, Jackson Hole and the Jackson Hole Village, and Grand Targhee Ski Resort.
Alright, another awesome park is Rocky Mountain National Park. It is located solely in the state of Colorado and is most known for its TALL mountains (a lot being over 12,000ft tall), the continental divide, and lots of hiking. Many people come here to backcountry ski as well as, backpacking trips, and scenic drives.
3. Denali National Park & Preservation
Denali National Park is one heck of an area. It contains the tallest mountain in North America, Denali Mountain stands at 20,310ft, which is only about 9,000ft below Mount Everest (29,032ft). Denali Mountain is the world’s 29th tallest mountain. So, yeah, Denali is one heck of a preservation. Located in Alaska, it is known for its INCREDIBLE mountains, its prestige wildlife (lots of bears), and its overall beauty. A lot of people enjoy hiking, biking, and camping in Denali.
4. Yosemite & Sequoia National Parks
Okay, going back to the west, specifically, the west coast, California has some amazing National Parks as well. Such as, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. Yosemite is known for its HUGE redwood trees, half dome climb, breath-taking waterfalls, deep valleys, and awesome hiking.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are located in California’s southern Sierra Nevada mountains. These parks are known for their huge mountains, foothills, largest trees, deep canyons, and awesome hiking. Joshua Tree is also located in Southern California, between the Colorado and Mojave deserts. It is mostly known for its closeness to Coachella, their trees, the desert, relaxing, biking, camping, and horseback riding. A lot of people come here to clear their mind and meditate as well, a lot of spiritual retreats come here, along with Sedona.
5. Mount Rainer & Olympic National Parks
Mount Rainer and Olympic National Parks are the exact opposites of Joshua Tree. They are both known for their dense, thick, green, wet forests, and beautiful mountains. Both parks are located in the state of Washington in the Cascade Mountain Range and Olympic Mountain Range. Both are BEAUTIFUL places to hike, backpack, camp, backcountry ski, and more.
6. Grand Canyon & Zion National Parks
The Grand Canyon is probably the most well known park located in Arizona. It is known for its desert, orange, landscape, huge canyons and valleys, lots of hiking. Zion and Arches National Parks are other parks, that are very similar to the Grand Canyon. They are located in Utah and again, are known for their deserts, hiking, camping, rock climbing, canyoning, and more. If you enjoy the desert landscape, some other really cool national parks are Death Valley (eastern California and Nevada) and BadLands (South Dakota) National Parks.
7. East Coast National Parks
Okay, since we have covered a LOT of western America, let’s go to the east coast. Some amazing national parks along the east coast of the US are Acadia National Park (Maine), Great Smokey Mountains National Park (North Carolina & Tennessee), Shenandoah National Park (Virginia), and the Everglades National Park (Florida).
If you enjoy beaches, a rugged coastline and mountains, then I highly suggest going to Acadia. Now, if you really like hiking, camping, backpacking, and the color green, go to the Great Smokey Mountains and Shenandoah parks. Lastly, if you like the heat and humidity, then Florida’s Everglades are perfect for you.
8. Northwest National Parks
Okay, some more great northwestern US parks that I forgot to mention are, North Cascades and Crater Lake National Parks. North Cascades Park is located in Washington state, known for its hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing (Mount Baker), turquoise blue lakes, and more. Crater Lake is located in Oregon and is known for its camping and famous cove trail.
9. Other Great National Parks
Some other great parks within the US that I forgot to mention are, the Channel Islands (California), Lassen Volcanic National Park (California), Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota), Haleakala National Park (Hawaii), and Isle Royale (Michigan).
And that wraps up our brief list of some of the best US National Parks. I hope this helped you discover more of the US’s National Parks and pick which one you want to visit most. If you would look to lookup any additional information, you can go on the National Park Service Website, which contains all the parks, that you can lookup. Thank you so much for reading, take care, and get out there!
