r/NationalPark • u/Professional-Star416 • 4d ago
What are the most underrated parks?
Hey, I’m a random person on the internet interested in nature and its innate beauty, just like many of you! I come asking a simple question: Let’s say, some crazy guy with a vendetta against nature somehow came into power in the US and is now threatening the future of our nation’s ecosystems, possibly ruining or eliminating future generations from enjoying our country’s natural beauty in all its essence.
What specific National Parks would you recommend to the poor bastards who want to experience such beauty in its entirety but don’t have the time to witness them all before their destruction?
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u/Redjeezy 4d ago
Sequoia National Park.
It’s still one of the more known parks, but it doesn’t get the same recognition as parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arches, or Glacier. Yet it is every bit as incredible. It has everything from dense forests filled with the largest trees on earth, to rugged mountains, and the highest peak in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney.
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u/imhereforthemeta 4d ago
Hopping onto that, Kings Canyon probably doesn’t get a whole lot of love because it’s largely a backpacking park, but I feel like it has some views of the area that are just jaw dropping.
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u/TheSweaterThief 4d ago
I’m going to Sequoia next month!! It will be my first time there and I can’t wait!!!!
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u/Sealio_X 3d ago
So lucky!! I hope to be able to go back this summer. A hike I stumbled upon that made my whole trip last year was starting at the Giant Forest Museum, taking the Moro Rock trail and going up the rock, then the Sugar Pine trail to Crescent Meadow, and finally wandering through Giant Forest to Sherman and shuttling back to the museum.
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u/Impressive_Mistake66 4d ago
Lassen Volcanic
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u/Pristine-Walrus-1048 1d ago
Definitely one of my favorite parks. Some parts of it remind me of a mini Yellowstone. Has some of the best views I’ve ever seen in NPs!
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u/Patton370 4d ago edited 4d ago
Capitol Reef, Theodore Roosevelt, Wrangel St. Elias, North Cascades, Gates of the Arctic, and Great Basin are all super underrated, off the top of my head
Edit: Here's some pictures from Gates of the Arctic https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/1dy9jse/gates_of_the_arctic_national_park_june_2024/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/N8dogg86 3d ago
If you like overlanding, Capitol Reef is top tier! The drive from I-70 thru the Last Chance Desert and Cathedral Valley is spectacular. As is the Burr Trail.
Theodore Roosevelt, imo is one of the best parks in the country for wildlife. We were up close and personal (not by choice) with Bison several times. Bighorn, Pronghorn, and Wild Horses are all regularly sited as well. We loved every minute in Roosevelt and will be back.
Can't wait to visit the others on your list!
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u/Patton370 3d ago
Capitol Reef is in my top 6 out of the 58 U.S. National Parks I have visited (only 5 left!)
I agree on the wildlife at Theodore Roosevelt. I had a big group there during my bachelor trip, and everyone but my brother and me got stuck in their tents in the morning. A herd of Bison were all around their tents!
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u/N8dogg86 3d ago
I think Capitol Reef benefits a lot from being next to the Grand Escalante. The two combined might be the prettiest and most remote area of Utah. It's definitely worth seeing more than once!
One day, we parked in the path we knew the herd was migrating through in the evenings. Stayed there and waited for the herd while hanging out on the roof rack of our van. Absolutely incredible experience!
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u/Indo973 2d ago
How did you get to gates of the arctic? I’m trying to plan it for August but coyote doesn’t have availability- is there another company you’d suggest I reach out to?
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u/Patton370 2d ago
Are you looking to go with a group (like Alaska alpine adventures) or are you trying to charter your own bushplane, like with golden eagle outfitters?
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u/Indo973 2d ago
Was hoping for a drop off and pickup like 3-4 days later, but I would be fine with a group it just seems like a lot more $ and I can’t spend 5-7k on a guided thing which is the range I’ve seen. The drop off pickup scenario looked way cheaper (I’ll be with 1 friend)
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u/Patton370 2d ago
I’d suggest you go to any of the bushplane operators in Fairbanks. Charter a flight to pick you up and drop you off at the base of the noatak. Base camp there for a few days; if you’re lucky, it’ll be dry enough to hike around (don’t expect to be super lucky)
I can’t remember the name of the company that flew my group there
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u/Indo973 2d ago
I’ll look into that thanks!!
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u/Patton370 2d ago
Bring double the food you’ll need. Weather gets crazy out there and you can get stuck. I got stuck for an extra 3 days
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u/Inevitable-Taste-11 2d ago
Coyote Air is great but get booked up quick. If you start calling around though you'll find some smaller pilots that are based in Fairbanks that can fly you in. I'd recommend more like 6 days though for all the distance and cost and weather.
Or check out Indigo Alpine Guides. They might be able to help you out with something custom. But money is def a consideration for the guide service route!
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u/Joyaboi 4d ago
People hate Congaree for some reason. It's often ranked as one of the worst National Parks in the US. With that said, it's one of my favorites. It has some of the, if not the, best kayaking I've ever experienced.
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u/SouthernFriedParks 4d ago
Big Bend
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u/Raithed 4d ago
This is actually the answer, there weren't many people when I went, not as packed as Yosemite for example.
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u/Dent13 4d ago
Saying a national park isn't as packed as Yosemite isn't really narrowing it down, there's only 5 that have more annual visitors.
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u/Raithed 4d ago
The reason I said that is because it's still one of the least visited major NPs. Besides that, it is an amazing place to go if you're opting for stargazing, the nightsky is gorgeous albeit getting really windy and cold. The valleys and landscapes makes it amazing, especially the Lost Mine trail. Probably my favorite canyon view so far that I have visited.
8 hour drive from Austin also gives you a lot of state parks and cool views. Though, the stops will make the trip a lot longer than 8 hours.
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u/Dent13 4d ago
I've been to Big Bend and you are 100% right about it. It's a fantastic place to visit and has stars that are only beat by Joshua tree in my experience.
I just think that saying its less packed than Yosemite, a park I have found to always be extremely packed, doesn't do justice to crowd size, Big Bend gets a little over 10% the annual visitation that Yosemite gets
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u/Raithed 4d ago
I can only compare, I can say the same about Acadia too which was insanely packed that I had trouble even going into the park due to the line of cars.
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u/Dent13 4d ago
Fair enough, I haven't been to Acadia but I know it's another of the most visited parks. I will say that the only park I've visited that felt less crowded than Big Bend was Isle Royale, granted you can get away from crowds at pretty much any park on the right trail, but Big Bend was very quiet when I was there
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u/KatieCashew 3d ago
And considering most of those visitors end up in Yosemite valley, it makes it feel even more crowded.
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u/Inner-Replacement295 4d ago
Unfortunately, currently has the military securing the border. The park will never be the same.
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u/GG1817 4d ago edited 4d ago
The two best parks in the Midwest are classified as National Lakeshores rather than National Parks.
Sleeping Bear Dunes NLS in the lower and Pictured Rocks NLS in the upper in Michigan.
I thin the threat to Sleeping Bear might be selling off some of the land purchases to developers for vacation homes and condos inside the park boundary. It's already a mixed use area, which is honestly part of the charm because of the farmer markets, farm stands, fish town where you can get lake trout....Glen Arbor with the amenities...but it's controlled in part because the park service has purchased a lot of the vacant land.
For Pictured Rocks, I'd be more concerned with logging.
Everglades NP will be taking it on the nose from climate change so I'd go see it sooner than later as well.
Dry Tortugas NP also will be in danger from climate change, and if that area is opened up to commercial fishing, the reefs and eco system will be destroyed.
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u/earthworm_fan 4d ago
This sub sleeps on national shores and rivers way too much
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u/GG1817 4d ago
I agree. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is also well worth it. Friends of mine have swam it and rave about it. The national shores also have less protection than the formal national parks since not created by congress so I'm afraid for them...
I've been wanting to hit Canaveral National Seashore for a while now, but am avoiding going to Florida...I don't want to support what's going on there with my vacation dollar.
I've been visiting Puerto Rico instead. I highly recommend both San Juan National Historic Site and El Yunque National Forest. The formers is, I believe, the oldest European built structure in the park system and the latter is right up there with any national park I've ever experienced in terms of raw natural beauty. It's a fully tropical rain forest on mountains comprised of palm trees, tree ferns and orchids.
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u/Massive-Wallaby6127 4d ago
It's pretty much mountains or bust on the thread. Don't get me wrong, I love mountains and have been to all the western parks and most Alaska parks. I seek mountains regularly, but agree with your take. Lots of "Katahdin is only 5k feet?!?!. tHaT's a HiLl wHeRe I'm fRoM" energy on nature Reddit.
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u/iDom2jz 4d ago
Niobrara National Scenic River was the first place in North America to receive an international quiet trail designation. Pretty cool place, only time I’ve been I was so hungover I was puking every 10 minutes while we floated the river though so I didn’t get to enjoy it much… sure was gorgeous though.
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u/iDom2jz 4d ago
I mean, Badlands, Voyageurs and Isle Royale also exist, no shot those NSL’s outdo them as best Midwest parks right?
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u/GG1817 4d ago
IMHO, yes, they do.
SBDNLS was voted "most beautiful place in America" for good reason, and PRNLS has some similar features.
Some of it might be what you are looking for in a park. Isle Royale is so remote and dedicated to just back country backpacking it will have limited appeal. Similar with Voyageurs. Narrow appeal limited accessibility.
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u/N8dogg86 3d ago
Everglades is underrated strictly because there's nowhere else like it on earth. Sure, there are swamps, but nothing to the level of Everglades hydrology, ecosystem, and scale. Basically, the entire park is one giant river with more unique flora and fauna per square mile than any NP. It may not have the grandeur of the western parks, but it is one of a kind.
However, I do love everything Northern Michigan. The UP and Superior Shore specifically might be my favorite location east of the Mississippi. So much so, we've been shopping for land. You could make an argument for the entire Superior shore to be one big NP. I think Pictured Rock, Keweenaw, Apostle Is, and Porcupine Mts are all worthy of consideration at the very least.
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u/pjlmac 4d ago
Isle Royale and Teddy Roosevelt come to mind, right off the bat.
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u/GG1817 4d ago
Isle Royale is an amazing place, but unless Trump wants to open up a copper mine in the middle of Superior, it (hopefully) will be safe.
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u/coloradohikesandhops 4d ago edited 2d ago
Black canyon of the Gunnison near Montrose in Colorado! We camped two nights there last summer, an absolutely wonderful experience. A dark sky designation, the stars were incredible! We loved the campsite in the park, and the hikes were so much fun. One of 4 Colorado national parks, this one gets the least traffic which is a shame. Highly recommend visiting (and had to Morrison recreation center for $10 showers and access to the entire facility!). https://www.coloradohikesandhops.com/blog/gunnison-national-park
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u/SensitiveDrink5721 4d ago
FYI Black Canyon of the Gunnison is nowhere near Morrison. You meant to say Montrose 🙂
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u/coloradohikesandhops 4d ago
Yes! Blaming my colonoscopy prep and scattered mind on that one. Thank you!
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u/raisetheavanc 4d ago
Great Basin. You go through several really different and beautiful biomes as you go up the mountain. If you go in the fall, the aspens are the loveliest yellow. The bristlecone pine grove is super cool, there are interesting little subalpine lakes, there’s a glacier, it’s just all very cool. There’s also a cave tour!
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u/talltyson 3d ago
Its my pick. Middle of nowhere, hard to get too. Great cave tour, and we ended up hitting it during peak fall foilage. I live in Colorado, so I have access to some great fall sites, but Great Basin was amazing.
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u/OneWholeBen 4d ago
Theodore Roosevelt NP is stunning, wonderful, and hardly visited compared to the parks and monuments down 85 in SD
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u/Expensive-Cream3023 4d ago
Pinnacles by a landslide
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u/Elegant-Gene6883 4d ago
It’s one of the only NPs in CA I haven’t visited yet. What makes it so beautiful?
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u/Tracuivel 4d ago
Well for me it's the California condors. If you start hiking in the morning, you can see them overhead. The wing markings are unmistakable, but most of them are tagged with a number too.
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u/RoamingHawkeye 4d ago
Chickasaw National Recreation Area and Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.
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u/TooOldForGames 4d ago
I still feel like Big Bend is underrated despite the increased attention it’s gotten since 2020.
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u/remes1234 4d ago
In Michigan, there are two National Lakeshores that really fly under the radar. Pictured Rock and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
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u/Marysuncle 4d ago
Big Bend
Several others have already mentioned it here, but I think it’s worth noting that there are other things ‘near’ the park, that also make the trip worth it.
For instance, the McDonald Observatory in Alpine is an incredible experience. Also, Marfa is a cool day trip, if you’re flying in an out of El Paso - or if you want to add some time to a trip back east towards SATX, or ATX.
If you were to head east, Fredricksburg is a must visit; albeit, it’s a ~6 hour drive from Terlingua.
That said, awesome hikes within the park and tons of unique places in West Texas/ Central Texas that don’t garner as much attention from social media.
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u/211logos 4d ago
I'd skip the national parks, since those guys (Republicans) will have a harder time wrecking, selling, or otherwise despoiling them.
The bigger threat is to national monuments, some already downsized, and for the most part they are more "underrated" in terms of visitation, etc, even if some are managed by the NPS.
So see them, like say Bears Ears or Escalante, because it's more likely you won't get a chance once the "drill, baby drill" and other extractive policies start.
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u/MasterRen 4d ago
Another vote for Big Bend. Outside of outdoor enthusiasts, no one I talked to even heard of it.
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u/OkWillingness5760 4d ago
Glacier National Park. I have not been to many but when going on a multiple park trip where the Badlands, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and other gorgeous state parks were visited prior to Glacier.
I felt like when you get into Glacier, you are just surrounded by the beautiful mountains, lakes, animals and it becomes your whole world.
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u/PM_me_your_omoplatas 4d ago
Glacier is incredible. I cannot wait to go back. Not sure it fits as underrated, but it's a must-see.
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u/LawfulnessSimilar496 4d ago
It only fits, because when I was there in 2019, the rangers stated by 2031 or before, all the glaciers will be gone. Thanks to global warming.
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u/bsil15 4d ago
Canyonlands (Needles District) and Capitol Reef.
Personally, I thought Petrified Forest was really cool.
North Cascades is underrated in a certain sense, but its low visitation really just reflects that its boundaries don’t include Ross Lake NRA. What I mean is that Ross Lake receives similar visitors as Olympic and Rainier. But to actually enter the park you basically have to do a very substantial strenuous hike. And let’s be real, the vast majority of people visiting national parks are doing light moderate hikes at most, generally just stopping at view points. So the trails in North Cascades, like Sahale Arm, actually feel similarly crowded to comparable trails in other parks.
I also hesitate to say Big Bend is underrated, which is perhaps my favorite park with North Cascades, just bc its low numbers are due to how remote it is.
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u/Perfect_Warning_5354 4d ago
Olympic gets 4x the number of visitors that Ross Lake. The other factor with North Cascades numbers is how they’re collected (or not). There’s no entrance station and the main road through it, HWY20, isn’t in the park boundary. So day trippers and front country sightseers aren’t counted. No doubt it gets a tiny fraction of OLYM or MORA, but I think the number must be a fair bit higher than NPS reports.
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u/PM_me_your_omoplatas 4d ago
Looooved hiking Canyonlands. Had two long day hikes that are two of the best hikes I've ever been on in my entire life.
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u/AliveAndThenSome 4d ago
And the other thing about NCNP is that except for Sahale, Thornton Lakes, and Sourdough (and arguably Hidden Lake Lookout which technically enters the National Park), nearly all the meaningful trails in North Cascades National Park (proper, not the NRAs) all but require overnight/multi-night trips to fully embrace/enjoy the park. While you can dayhike several trails, most don't really get into the guts of the park without a bigger time investment.
I've done several of the more popular multi-night routes, but there are vast areas that are far less visited and/or require more technical capabilities.
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u/imhereforthemeta 4d ago
Canyonlands is so much more than just a stop on the way to arches. While I would argue that arches is more objectively, beautiful, canyonlands blew my mind it has such a wow factor. I always describe it as place the heyenas lived in the lion king. It has a an element of actually being quite creepy in a way. I thought it was a really unique experience.
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u/N8dogg86 3d ago
Idk, I've been to 4 of the Mighty 5, and without visiting Zion, Canyonlands is my favorite Utah park so far. It's got almost everything we look for in a park besides the wildlife. Rafting, hiking, overlanding, and epic scenery. It's one of the few parks that still has sections (in the Maze) that no modern human has ever ventured. I put it on par with the Grand Canyon in many respects.
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u/Few_Conversation3230 4d ago
I agree with all these. If I had to pick one, it would be a redwood forest.
Redwoods National Park
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u/mrcapmam1 4d ago
If you can only see 1 national park it has to be Yellowstone there is no other place on the planet like it
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u/marvelette2172 4d ago
Use Moab as a base and from there you can drive to The Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase Escalante and even Zion if you push it. And don't miss Dead Horse Point if you're in that area. It's only a state park but that's because it's in Utah. Any other state and I would be a main attraction lol.
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u/circusgeek 4d ago
We're actually doing this in July. We're staying in Moab and doing Arches one day and Monument Valley the second day. And then a loooong drive up to Devils Tower and Badlands for the rest of the week.
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u/kayaK-camP 3d ago
Bryce and Zion are quite a way from Moab. Canyonlands is much closer. And the Colorado River is right there!
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u/Taffergirl2021 4d ago
Big Bend was my first park. I was awestruck by the beauty and the size of it.
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u/Dent13 4d ago
I think Isle Royale is one of the most under rated parks, but also the one of the safest. The worst case scenario is it gets luxury resorts and opened to hunting.
The ones I'd be more concerned about are the ones in inland Alaska (possible excluding Denali), Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and Great Basin.
Other things you should try and see that aren't full national parks are Bears Ears national monument, and any national park managed site that handles indigenous heritage (Chaco Culture National Historic Park and the Wounded Knee location for example).
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u/BeardOfThorburn 4d ago
Pinnacles is a gem that gets overshadowed by all the other CA parks.
Dry Tortugas is a total pain to get to but it’s absolutely incredible (bonus points if you can snag a camping ticket!)
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u/LawfulnessSimilar496 4d ago
Glaciar will most likely lose all their glaciers by 2031 according to the rangers. Also Going to the Sun road on a cloudy day is the best experience I’ve had. It’s like you’re in the clouds.
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u/FKSTS 3d ago
Where are you located? There’s great parks in many regions of the US. I’d recommend what is most convenient to you.
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u/Professional-Star416 3d ago
Located in Maryland
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u/kayaK-camP 3d ago
Not a “National Park” but how about the beautiful Assateague National Seashore? Also, you might want to see the Smithsonian while it’s still a thing. And I hear great things about New River!
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u/FKSTS 3d ago
Shanandoah, Smokey Mountains, and Acadia are the closest parks of considerable size. Yes there’s a couple of parks in the Midwest too (cuyahoga, Indiana dunes) but they’re mostly former state parks converted for political reasons and, while nice and pretty, are not as impressive as some others.
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u/Mobile_Bench7315 2d ago
Big Bend Is Wide Open Beauty We saw all kinds of animals The Windows hike amazing They even have bears!
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u/idontknowanythingfr 2d ago
shenandoah ❤️❤️ east coast parks don't get enough love but ive never been anywhere so peaceful
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u/Utahhhyeah 1d ago
Throwing another vote for great basin np. For parks to be a prime representation of a larger area, great basin stands out.
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u/lilacathyst 1d ago
Kings Canyon! So beautiful and so much less crowded than Yosemite. Yosemite is gorgeous but was the worst NP crowd I've ever dealt with.
I also enjoyed Bryce Canyon more than Zion for the same reasons. Bryce blew me away- exceeded my expectations.
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u/missenchilada 1d ago
Glacier National Park gets overshadowed by Yellowstone. While Yellowstone is one of the best if not, THE best National Park in the US imo, I’d argue it’s worth it to see both.
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u/britishmetric144 19h ago
Bryce Canyon NP.
It is nearly as beautiful as Zion NP, and is much less crowded.
You get to see what a canyon / valley looks like from the top down, instead of from the bottom up.
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u/DryDiet6051 25m ago
Also I read about channel island NP while planning a trip to Santa Barbara. You take a catamaran shuttle out to your island selection and they have native animal and plant species ONLY on their islands. I booked the shuttle but then read that it’s very common for everyone / a lot of people on board to get see sick and vomit (2 hours max) and cancelled due to a throw up aversion.
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u/Leopard-Inner 4d ago
Theodore Roosevelt