The US has so many amazing parks that it is hard to choose. These natural national treasures are great for camping, hiking, sightseeing, and more! To help you plan your next US day trip, weekend getaway, or vacation, we have come up with an updated list of exceptional national parks. Here then, are the 25 top-rated national parks in the US.

The 25 Top-Rated National Parks In The USA

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is one of the top 10 natural wonders of the world. Thus, it should be no surprise that this national park makes the charts every year. It’s one of the country’s most visited parks too.

Indeed, more than 6.4 million travelers come here every year. The Grand Canyon itself is as much as 18 miles in width and a full mile deep. It spans an area of over one million acres and follows the Colorado River for 277 miles.

Visit the impressive Skywalk observation deck. Feeling athletic? Take two days and hike the canyon rim to rim like your rovin’ writer and his father did. 

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Yosemite National Park, California

Four million people visit this US park every year. It covers more than 1,200 square miles. It is home to several iconic natural sites.  

They include El Capitan, Half Dome, 2,425-foot Yosemite Falls, giant sequoias, and more. The majority of travelers focus their visit on the seven-square-mile area of Yosemite Valley. Other highlights include Inspiration Point, Mariposa Grove, the 2,140-foot Snow Creek Falls, and more than 12 miles of bike riding trails too. You can even go backpacking and camping if you want to be one with nature.  

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Zion National Park, Utah

This national park is nestled in Utah’s high plateau country. Every year it welcomes approximately 4.3. Million travelers. Its striking, standout topography is highlighted by sharp, sheer cliffs, narrow sandstone canyons, tall rock towers, and the Virgin River.

The diverse landscape reportedly makes Zion unique. Here you will find arid deserts, crimson rocks, thundering waterfalls, and species of wildlife that do not live together anywhere else. Enjoy the family-friendly Riverside Walk, go birding, horseback riding, hike the famous Narrows, and see the brilliant Emerald Pools, and the Court of the Patriarchs. 

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Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

Yellowstone is officially the world’s first national park. Every year, four million people visit this huge 2.2-million-acre park that spans parts of three different states. This US park includes alpine lakes, craggy peaks, verdant forests, and wild animals such as bison and wolves.

It is arguably most famous for its unique geological features. Highlights include pretty pools, bubbly mud pots, steaming vents, and roughly 50 percent of the planet’s geysers. It’s also the place to see the Grand Prismatic Hot Spring. Finally, this park-inspired cartoon character Yogi Bear’s home — Jellystone Park.

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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California

Both of these national parks are the protected homes of some of the planet’s largest and oldest trees. Yes, other national parks are higher up the list when it comes to camping or hiking, but where else can you stand right in front of a giant sequoia tree that is over 3,200 years old? These US parks, roughly a four-hour drive from either Los Angeles or San Francisco, make it easy to imagine what the planet was like when nature ruled, and mankind was of no impact. Indeed, these towering trees grow this tall only in a couple of places on the planet, and these two parks include the best and the largest of them. 

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Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Travel to the birthplace of your rovin’ writer, the stunning state of Hawaii. It is here on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii, that you will discover Hawai’i Volcanoes, National Park. This national park is an official International Biosphere Reserve.

It’s also a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site due in part to its geological wonders. Here the planet comes alive beneath your very feet, and your senses are nigh-assaulted by a blackened landscape of orange bubbling lava and sulfurous steam. Take a scenic drive or hike the network of hiking trails here.

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Death Valley National Park, California

Death Valley is the home to North America’s lowest point. This arid, heat-blasted valley offers visitors drifting dunes, expansive views, great hiking trails, and striking scenic drives. The memorable harshness is what intrigues many travelers.

One of the most surprising highlights here within this dry, desolate spot is the popular spring wildflower display. Visit at the right time, and you will witness the park’s rocky desert floor literally transformed into a kaleidoscope of color. It’s just two hours out of Las Vegas too.

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Denali National Park, Alaska

If you like big mountains, you will love distinctive Denali National Park. Visible from almost anywhere in the park, massive Denali Mountain is 20,304 feet high and towers above the stunning surrounding countryside. It, and its namesake park, are one of the state’s top attractions. This is just the place for river rafting, camping expeditions, challenging backpacking trips, mountaineering adventures, and exciting wildlife viewing. No privately-owned vehicles are permitted on the park road, but bus options are almost always available.

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Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park is the place to be if you want a really close-up view of the nation’s most incredible cliff dwellings. Some of these precariously perched structures are over 700 years old and were literally carved out of the canyon wall. Take a tour of the Balcony House or the White Cliff Palace.

Need more? You can visit 5000 protected ancient archaeological sites here too. Mesa Verde itself is located on a high plateau in the state’s southwestern corner. Visit it on a day trip out of Cortez or Durango.

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Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic National Park was once slotted in as the seventh-most-visited national park in the country. It also has made our official list of the 25 most popular US national parks. This park also neighbors Forks, Washington, made famous by the Twilight film franchise. Here you will find such popular tourist attractions as the awesome Olympic Mountain range and continental America’s sole temperate rainforest. Other highlights here include active tide pools, old-growth forests, rugged coastlines, and many hiking trails that wind amongst massive moss-draped trees.

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Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Regular readers may recognize this national park as one of our top, underrated US parks. Easily accessible from the city of Moab, the area spans a total of 337,598 acres and offers travelers exceptional opportunities for four-wheeling, hiking, camping, canyoneering, and rafting. Indeed, with the mighty Colorado River snaking through it, this park is also a noteworthy alternative to the Grand Canyon when it comes to river rafting adventures. After all, rafting tours in the Grand Canyon can be difficult to complete since they are often booked far in advance. 

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The Redwood National and State Parks, California

Sequoia trees may be the planet’s largest, but the redwood trees are the planet’s tallest. The US Redwood National and State Parks are home to the tallest trees anywhere in the world. Some of these trees are over 300 feet tall or as high as a 28-story building. Hike the numerous serene trails that run through the California coastal forests, complete with gigantic trees around each and every bend. Here you will also see clear, bubbling streams, and unusual plants and giant ferns covering the verdant forest floor.

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Arches National Park, Utah

Just outside of Moab, Arches National Park covers an area of 120 square miles. This is a great place to learn just what time, wind, and water can do to sandstone. Indeed, the featured 2,000-plus arches found here were all formed by millions of years of erosion.  

Perhaps the most popular of all these arches is the Delicate Arch which is 65 feet tall. This place is a real fantasyland of unusual rock formations. Highlights here include South Window, North Window, and the popular Park Avenue area of sandstone monoliths.

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Acadia National Park, Maine

Travel to Maine’s Mount Desert Island. For it is here you will find Acadia National Park. This park preserves the natural, stark beauty of the Atlantic coastline and includes 47,000 acres.  

This park includes beaches, clear lakes, campgrounds, granite outcroppings, lush pine forests, and over 100 miles of exceptional hiking and biking trails. Climb Cadillac Mountain and see Bar Harbor, the Porcupine Islands, Frenchman Bay, and Somes Sound. You can even go horseback riding and watch for the local harbor seals happily sunning themselves on the various harbor rocks there.

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Joshua Tree National Park, California

Regular readers should already know this national park was arguably made world-famous thanks to the release of the 1987 U2 album, Joshua Tree. This is not only the 11th most-visited national park, but it is also the place to find over 500 interesting archeological sites and probably the best group of rock-climbing faces in the entire country. It’s definitely a real hot spot for rock climbers. Newcomers will undoubtedly note the bizarre rock formations and the odd, furry trees found here in this Dr. Seuss-like landscape just past the city of Twentynine Palms.

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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park is a great place to visit all year ‘round depending on your interests. It includes the largest group of hoodoos on the planet too. Most importantly, Bryce Canyon is actually a number of natural amphitheaters.  

They are ensconced one mile up and are only referred to as a “canyon” for general publicity purposes. You can get some great views from a specific 18-mile span of scenic highway. However, veteran visitors suggest camping and hiking in the park. If you like stars, don’t miss the annual astronomy event!

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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

The well-known Rocky Mountain National Park actually encompasses an impressive 415-square-mile area of the massive mountain range. It is split by the famous Continental Divide. The eastern section includes a mountainous area, and the western section features green vegetation.  

This US park includes 100 peaks that are more than 10,000 feet tall. The tallest is Longs Peak which is 14,259 feet high. The alpine mountain scenery is undoubtedly impressive. Hike the 359 hiking trails here and keep your eyes open for such wildlife as bighorn sheep, black bears, elk, moose, and more.

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Glacier National Park, Montana

Northern Montana’s Glacier National Park is home to expansive green forests, shining blue lakes, and towering mountain peaks. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is co-managed with Waterton Lakes National Park because it extends up to the Canadian border. Veteran visitors vouch you will find one of America’s most stunning scenic drives here: the popular Going-to-the-Sun Road. Officially opened in 1933, this road is 51 miles in length and is said by some to be “an engineering marvel.” This US park is highlighted by alpine plateaus, great glaciers, lovely lakes, and rushing waterfalls.

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Big Bend National Park, Texas

This often underrated and comparatively hidden gem located in the southwest corner of Texas gets less attention from typical tourists for mainly one reason. It is one of the most difficult national parks to access. Unlike some national parks, however, visitors can enjoy this one all year.

It’s one of the most biodiverse US parks in the nation. Here you may discover over 22 different species of lizards, 75 distinct species of mammals, and 450 bird species. You can explore the Chisos Mountains, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the famous Rio Grande. 

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, and Tennessee

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is actually the official most visited US park in the entire country. It spans the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. Indeed, it also encompasses sections of the awesome Appalachian Mountains where your rovin’ writer, his parents, and a select group hiked miles of trails.  

Marvel at tumbling waterfalls, crystal-clear mountain streams, and Clingman’s Dome too. Go camping, cycling, fishing, and horseback riding. If you love autumnal colors, visit in the fall when the park is bursting with orange, red, and yellow.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

You’ll find Shenandoah National Park roughly 70 miles out of Washington, D.C. If you’re not feeling athletic, take a US road trip through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains on the popular 105-mile-long Skyline Drive. Feeling energetic?  

Go hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, visit the Rose River or go see the South River Falls. Indeed, if you like waterfalls, visit in the spring. Ah, but if you are a leaf-peeper, stop there in the fall when the hills come alive with color. Finally, if you like to camp in the mountains, visit in the summer. 

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Everglades National Park, Florida

Everglades National Park is situated in the Everglades in southwest Florida just 45 minutes from downtown Miami. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is Florida’s most famous park. Some describe it as a river of water and grass, others as a unique swath of often unfriendly terrain and cypress trees. Either way, it’s a significant part of a decidedly distinct ecosystem and is known as the home of the American crocodile. Visit during this US park’s dry season, November through April, when you have the best opportunity to spot the wild residents.

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Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

If you’re a caver visiting Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park is the place to be. It features the world’s longest-explored cave system. Every year many troglophiles travel select sections of the 400 miles of this cave system, delving deep underground into a mysterious maze of oft’times incredible sights.

Arguably one of the most memorable sections in the cave is known as Frozen Niagara. Tours to fit anyone’s spelunking expertise are available but you should book them in advance. If you want to avoid the crowds, the best time to visit is actually in the winter. For although the weather outside may be colder, the temperature inside the cave remains constant all year.

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Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Roughly four hours out of Portland, Crater Lake National Park is frequently praised for its beautiful blue water, “starry night skies”, and “scenic highways.” The lake water can be quite refreshing after a good hike on any of the trails here. With an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet, you can enjoy some incredible views out over everything within the steep, surrounding crater walls. Visit in the summer and enjoy the popular Crater Lake boat tour. See Wizard Island too.

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Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Nestled along the Canadian border, Voyageurs National Park is 40+ percent water. It essentially is a noteworthy bunch of connected waterways popular with kayakers, canoeists, boaters, and fishermen. Stargazers praise this US park because it is an International Dark Sky Park. In other words, stargazing is incredible here and it’s also a great place to see the aurora borealis. Residents include black bears, beavers, deer, moose, and more.

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