These are the national parks in America that wowed us the most. We’ll continue to update the post as we make our way through all 400+ US National Park units.
We love a good road trip. Whenever we have free time our favorite thing to do is to explore a new National Park or new areas in our favorite ones. 10 years ago, I knew nothing about National Parks other than the fact that my parents dragged me to them when I was a kid and I didn’t appreciate them. Now, it turns out this indoorsy girl has grown to love certain aspects of the Great Outdoors. Today, we’ve compiled a list of the most scenic National Parks in America – ones that were beautiful and grand and made us feel like tiny people in big places.
Related – Now These National Parks Need Reservations To Enter
25 MOST SCENIC NATIONAL PARKS IN AMERICA
Last updated: October 12, 2022 Originally Created: Dec 29, 2014
National Parks By Month – Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul
25. Joshua Tree National Park, California
I’ll admit that Joshua Tree is not the most scenic in terms of landscape, which also doesn’t make it very exciting for hikers. It is, however, where we’ve witnessed the most incredible sunsets and stargazing. It also has world-class climbing, and we love going bouldering here.
24. Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia is the only major national park in the Northeast and is especially stunning in the fall. Our favorite things were hiking the Precipice trail, rock climbing with a guide, and sunset views from Cadillac Mountain.
23. Everglades National Park, Florida
22. Sequoia & Kings Canyon, California
It’s unreal to be walking among such giants. I’m just standing at the base of it and can’t even see where it ends.
21. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
In one day, we summited the second-highest peak in Nevada, saw glaciers (yes glaciers are in Nevada!), explored the famous Lehman Caves, and stood next to the oldest trees on the planet.
20. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
This is one of our favorite lesser-known national parks. You can hike up the dunes, go sandboarding, and it has some of our favorite and most scenic RV campsites in the country.
19. Canyonlands National Park, Utah
18. Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
17. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
16. North Cascades National Park, Washington
15. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN / NC
14. Channel Islands National Park, California
It is the Galapagos of the US.
13. Olympic National Park, Washington
Did you know there were rainforests in the continental USA? I sure didn’t until we paid a visit to Olympic National Park.
12. Arches National Park, Utah
11. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
10. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
9. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
8. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
We loved how peaceful Grand Teton was in contrast to Yellowstone. It’s one of the best places to spot wildlife and it doesn’t hurt to have epic views of the Teton range in the backdrop.
7. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
We can’t deny that this park has beautiful features, and we realize that this is a favorite park for a lot of people, but the crowds made it difficult for us to enjoy the scenery. Yes, you can go hike in the backcountry to avoid the crowds, but what’s unique about Yellowstone are the geysers and hot springs. There are so many other parks with stunning hikes without having to deal with the bear jams.
6. Denali National Park, Alaska
The views are stunning in Denali National Park. The only catch is that the weather can be so fickle that you have to be extremely lucky to get a glimpse of Denali (formerly Mt McKinley). Our driver was saying in all his years of driving, people only see it a third of the time. Make sure you stay multiple days to ensure you can see the highest mountain in North America.
5. Zion National Park, Utah
The canyons and mountains don’t feel as massive as some of the other parks, but the landscapes in Zion are unique. We often find ourselves comparing other places to Zion.
4. Grand Canyon National Park, (Arizona)
There’s a reason it’s called grand. It makes you realize how tiny you are in this world.
MORE: Your Ultimate Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Road Trip
3. Death Valley National Park, California
We love how diverse the landscapes are at Death Valley. The park is huuuuge and visiting each area sometimes makes you feel like you’re visiting different planets.
2. Glacier National Park (Montana)
The mountain ranges and the pretty blue glacial lakes reminded us of Switzerland. Did you know that they used to call Glacier National Park the “Switzerland of America”?
1. Yosemite National Park (California)
Yosemite is still our all-time favorite park. Maybe it’s also because it was the first national park I’ve visited as an adult, but no matter where else we go, nothing has compared to how grand the waterfalls, the deep valleys, and the meadows are here. We finally had the chance to conquer Half Dome last year and can’t wait to do the JMT.
Note: The experience is quite different now that tourism has blown up in Yosemite. We could enjoy the park at spots like Taft Point with no one else around, but even though it’s crowded now, I’m okay as long as I go in with the expectation of dealing with the crowds. If you want to avoid them, either hit one of the less popular trails or stay away from the Valley. It’s a big park and there’s plenty of room for everyone, it’s just that most people are concentrated in the popular areas.
We’re still working on going to all the National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites, etc.
PRO-TIP: Last year was the year of road trips, and we always keep our annual America the Beautiful pass handy.
Also, if you didn’t know already by my bucket list, 101 in 1001, monthly goals, I’m obsessed with making lists.
How many of these National Parks in America have you been to? Which would you like to visit next?
“Discovery consists not of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes” – M. Proust
ESTHER + JACOB
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 25 travel blogs in the world. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city every year and currently base themselves in NYC.
