S/O Prettiest states, let's talk about National Park Units, where you have been, what you saw.

[Faith-manor]

I will start. There are 432 National Park Service Units, probably more after the first of the year because a few new ones will be added.

Potomac Heritage NST, George Washington MEM PKWY

Manassas NBP,  New River Gorge NP

Gettysburg NMP, Independence NHP, Lincoln Memorial

National Mall and Memorial Parks, Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Washington Monument, Russell Cave NM, Canaveral NS

Everglades NP, Cumberland Gap NHP, Mammoth Cave NP

Natchez Trace NST, Natchez NHP, Natchez Trace Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Indiana Dunes NP

Keweenaw NHP, Pictured Rocks NL, River Raisin NBP, Sleeping Bear Dunes NL

Agate Fossil Beds, NM, Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP

Rocky Mountain NP, Bad lands NP, Minuteman Missile NHS, Mount Rushmore N MEM, Devils Tower NM, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP

Lewis and Clark NM&Pres, Mount Ranier NP

Of all of these, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured Rocks, Keweenaw, New River Gorge, Badlands, Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, and Minuteman Missle are my favorites thus far. Minuteman probably seems like a weird choice. But, my father was a Minuteman missile engineer in the Air Force so seeing that site was very special. Honorary mentions of Great Smoky Mountains and Dayton Aviation Heritage.

On the bucket list in the next three years, Glacier NP, Voyageurs NP, Isle Royal NP, and Theodore Roosevelt, NP. When Mark retires, he wants to take me on a road trip through the Southwest to California. He lived in Cali as a kid and has visited a ton of the NP's there, but I have never been. On the east coast, Acadia is one we want to visit.

 

[MEmama]

We've been to too many to list, but the Utah parks stand out as favorites to me. Probably because that part of the country is a stark contrast to where we live and what I'm usually drawn to (ocean, forest, barren and wild northern landscapes). I'd love to spend a very long time out there exploring.

[Faith-manor]

Just now, MEmama said:

We've been to too many to list, but the Utah parks stand out as favorites to me. Probably because that part of the country is a stark contrast to where we live and what I'm usually drawn to (ocean, forest, barren and wild northern landscapes). I'd love to spend a very long time out there exploring.

I have been through Utah back in '88 traveling for work but did not get a chance to stop. The NPs there are more bucket list items.

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

I have been through Utah back in '88 traveling for work but did not get a chance to stop. The NPs there are more bucket list items.

We had driven through Utah a bazillion times and somehow missed all the beauty there. The parks are incredible (with the singular exception of Zion, which was a Disneyland like mass of humanity and the least interesting scenery. I hated every minute of our time there). Arches--spectacular. Dead Horse-unbelievable. Bryce Canyon--snowed in when we were there but seemed promising off the beaten path. Capitol Reef--my favorite and fewest people. Scenery ever changing with elevation and around every turn. And the sky, the openness...magical. 

[marbel]

Lassen Volcanic National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore are standouts for me. I regret not getting my kids there before we moved east, but they know I love those places and hope they will make it there sometime! 

There are lots of others but those are my favorites I think. 

[historically accurate]

We love the National Park Units. 

The ones I have taken my kids to:

• Badlands NP - saw lots and lots of wildlife while there. Didn't get to hike though since my mother was with us.
• Gateway Arch NP - still cool even when I'm an adult
• Mammoth Cave NP - loved it
• Castillo de San Marcos NM - kids LOVED this one.
• Devils Tower NM - this one was cool (until a snake slithered in front of me, and I had to stifle the urge to run screaming - not even a venomous snake, but I've got a phobia)
• George Washington Carver NM - this one was chock full of great history
• Eisenhower NHS - this is the first one the kids did the Jr. Ranger program at, and they went and got a ton more badges over the years.
• Lincoln Home NHS - this is kind of the default for the area we live in. Everyone visits it; my memory from visiting in adulthood is thinking Lincoln's boys were undisciplined brats because they like to throw things at passersby from the second story windows LOL.
• Ulysses S Grant NHS - I honestly don't remember much about this except a few things in the house, but I know we went because the kids got water bottles for having done the Jr. Ranger program at every Missouri site on one trip.
• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP - we only briefly stopped at this one. I'd've liked to spend a little more time here honestly.
• Gettysburg NMP - we had the best tour guide here that we came across
• Cave of the Mounds NNL - kids always loved visiting the caves

The Ronald Reagan boyhood home is on the list to become a site, but it isn't currently. I went to the Indiana Dunes before they were a NP, but we stayed there as a field trip in high school ecology class. Middle DD and I may stop at the Herbert Hoover NHS on our way to visit Coe College this coming weekend.

 

[MEmama]

50 minutes ago, marbel said:

Lassen Volcanic National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore are standouts for me. I regret not getting my kids there before we moved east, but they know I love those places and hope they will make it there sometime! 

There are lots of others but those are my favorites I think. 

I grew up near Point Reyes--I agree it's spectacular! The landscape isn't quite like anywhere else ❤️

[-----]

nm

Edited September 1 by kathyl

[Harriet Vane]

My heart will always be in Sleeping Bear. We had a couple magical trips there when the kids were little. I've yearned to go back for years.

[Lilaclady]

We’ve been to a lot but my favorite is Yellowstone- so grand, too many things to see all at once, the smell is just incredible, the     geysers, water falls, buffalo- just incredible. I want to go back and spend more time. 

[DawnM]

I have been to 48 of our 50 states (Have never been to Maine or Alaska) so I have too many to list, but here are some of my favorites:

Mount Rushmore

Big Sur

Yosemite

Yellowstone

Bryce Canyon

Cave of the Winds National Park, CO

Does Niagara Falls count?   I loved it.  

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

 

[TexasProud]

We have been to so many parks.  Here is a list, but I am sure I left out some. I need to go to church, but will come back to  share our favorite trips.

• Denali ( Definitely a favorite. Been there twice)
• Kanai Fjords
• Grand Canyon ( We visited the North Rim.  I haven't been to the South Rim.  Highly recommend the North Rim. It is cooler and much less crowded.)
• Hot Springs
• Joshua Tree
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison
• Great Sand Dunes
• Mesa Verde
• Rocky Mountain National Park ( Gorgeous)
• Yellowstone
• Mammoth Cave
• Carlsbad Caverns
• Great Smoky Mountains
• Crater Lake ( I visited this when I was 9.  One of the few vacations my family took. I would like to go back as an adult.)
• Badlands
• Wind Cave
• Big Bend
• Guadalupe Mountains
• Arches
• Bryce Canyon
• Canyonlands
• Capitol Reef
• Zion
• Mount Ranier
• Grand Teton

National Monuments

• Bandelier
• Capulin Volcano
• Colorado National Monument
• Fort McHenry National Monument, Maryland
• Devil's Tower
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Florrisant Fossil Beds
• Fort McHenry
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico
• Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado, Utah
• Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota
• Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana
• Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument, Kentucky
• Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument, Washington
• Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico
• Statue of Liberty National Monument, New Jersey, New York
• Waco Mammoth National Monument, Texas

 

National Seashores and Lakeshores

• Padre Island
• Pictured Rocks

National Battlefields

• Antietam 
• Fort Donelson
• Manassas
•  

National Battlefield Parks

• Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee
• Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park, Virginia
• Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania
• Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee
• Vicksburg National Military Park, Louisiana and Mississippi

National Historic Parks

• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
• Appomattox
•  
• Boston NHP
• Indepence National Historic Park
• Jean Lafitte
• Jimmy Carter National Historic Site
• Lyndon B Johnson
• Keweenaw National Historical Park
• Lewis and Clark NHP
• Minute Man NHP
• Natchez NHP
• Palo Alto Battlefield NHP
• Pecos NHP
• San Antonio Missions HNP
• Valley Forge NHP

National Historic Sites

• Fort Davis
• Andersonville
• Ford's Theater
• Lincoln Home
• Tuskegee Airmen and Institute

National Memorials

• Arlington House
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Korean
• Lincoln Boyhood
• MLK
• Mount Rushmore
• Pearl Harbor
• Thomas Jefferson
• Vietnam
• Washington 
• WW1
• WW2

National Parkways

• Natchez trace
• Blue Ridge

[Pam in CT]

Well.

I *do* keep a list of the NPs I've "checked off," but at the same time I'm conscious that the goal oriented checking-the-box mentality is actually sort of a barrier to the just-being just-receiving state of wonder that is the greater point. So somewhere around ten years ago I also started journaling my NP experience (words, not pictures; and including an attempt to go back and reconstruct the experiences before kids and with itty-bitty toddlers, before I started the NP journal) and I puffy-heart love re-reading that every time I'm on the journey to a new one.

I / we have been to (just the NPs; I don't keep track of NMs or NHS though I certainly try to get to them and scoop up the Junior Ranger badges whenever possible):

Acadia, Acadia, Acadia (too many times to count; that's by a huge margin the one I know best)

Yellowstone

Grand Tetons

Shenendoah

Blue Ridge Mtns

Smoky Mtn

Bryce

Zion

Grand Canyon

Everglades (many times from every direction)

Biscayne

Mammoth Cave

Haleakuna

Denali

Congaree

Cuyahoga

Joshua Tree

Glacier

 

Some of these are, deservedly, zillion visitor a year showstoppers (Grand Canyon, Bryce, Yellowstone).  Cuyahoga is probably the most underrated, particularly considering how relatively accessible it is -- really, really lovely. Everglades is well-known and loved by folks in the area but among out-of-state visitors seems to get overshadowed by Florida's flashier and more commercial attractions.  Particularly if you're into birds or photography, it's a wonderland.

I visited Joshua Tree a little over a year ago and cannot get it out of my mind. It's far for me, and I don't have anything or anyone that draws me to the area, but I feel drawn to go back (which given my check-the-box bucket list goal orientation, which I simultaneously feel and also recognize as sort of dopey) says something.

[whitestavern]

I have visited:

Acadia - winner for sheer beauty. It’s the only NP in our region. We love it and visit yearly. The hiking is just amazing.

Shenandoah

Yellowstone - so varied and so much to do and see

Mesa Verde - winner for most interesting. The drive in - just wow. Not for the faint of heart.

Bryce Canyon 

Zion

Capital Reef - felt like being on a movie set

Great Sand Dunes - very different but fun

Arches

Petrified Forest/Painted Desert

Grand Canyon - once is enough but a must do. Impossible to describe

Wind Cave - most unusual

Rocky Mountain 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by whitestavern

[frogger]

It would be difficult to narrow it down! I am struggling. Then there is the fact that you can hit a trail on one side of the Olympics and it is "meh" and then you find the most amazing trail on the other.  I also have mostly western parks as I have not travelled back East that much. Maybe someday.

My all time favorite National Park is Wrangell-St Elias and then Kenai Fjords.

For my favorites in the contiguous states probably:

Bryce

Redwood

Craters of the Moon

Yellowstone

Olympics

 

And it isn't in the US but Banff is so beautiful I will mention it anyway. 

 

 

[Pam in CT]

18 minutes ago, frogger said:

...And it isn't in the US but Banff is so beautiful I will mention it anyway.

YES.  And so easily combinable with Waterton NP on the Canadian side, which we also LOVED, and Glacier NP on the US.

[Halftime Hope]

The very short list (top 3) from my travels: Sequoyah was a favorite. There's just nothing like the majesty of such massive living creatures. Acadia for the vistas and hiking. The Grand Canyon. (We came into the east end of the park very late in the evening, sprinted to the top of the hill, and within two or three minutes, the sun set below the western rim. It was almost as dramatic as someone turning off the lights. Absolutely breathtaking.) 

We hope to visit the NPs in Utah next June-ish.

 

[SKL]

I wish I had made a list of all the ones I've been to.  I am not sure I can remember them all.

I don't think I could choose which one is best, because they all are so cool for different reasons.

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

I'm conscious that the goal oriented checking-the-box mentality is actually sort of a barrier to the just-being just-receiving state of wonder that is the greater point.

Oh, that’s interesting. I am unlikely to see all that many anytime soon, so I see something like the passport you can get stamped as inspiring. Now, trying to do the badges with kids would probably make me nutty depending on the site. It’s interesting how different personalities approach things!

I’ve probably seen more of them than I know I have, but one memorable trip was a whirlwind Habitat trip at a cold time of year, so we didn’t visit a bunch of ranger stations, just drove through and tried to see animals and such.

I need to get some passports for all of us—my mom has had so much fun getting her stickers and stamps for hers. Mammoth Cave and the Smokies were memorable. The Badlands astonished me in many ways, particularly that they are plunked down in the plains (at least from the direction we came). It’s like, “take a right at the next blade of prairie grass,” and boom, there they are. Not like driving up and up and up and arriving at Tahoe, lol!

DH has seen tons—his family traveled extensively during summer breaks (teacher parent). He’s not seen a lot of the east coast and Great Lakes, but he’s seen the rest of the US plus much of western Canada. He’s one of the few domestically well-traveled people I know who’s never been to DC (but we’re trying!). 

[historically accurate]

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

Oh, that’s interesting. I am unlikely to see all that many anytime soon, so I see something like the passport you can get stamped as inspiring. Now, trying to do the badges with kids would probably make me nutty depending on the site. It’s interesting how different personalities approach things!

I’ve probably seen more of them than I know I have, but one memorable trip was a whirlwind Habitat trip at a cold time of year, so we didn’t visit a bunch of ranger stations, just drove through and tried to see animals and such.

I need to get some passports for all of us—my mom has had so much fun getting her stickers and stamps for hers. Mammoth Cave and the Smokies were memorable. The Badlands astonished me in many ways, particularly that they are plunked down in the plains (at least from the direction we came). It’s like, “take a right at the next blade of prairie grass,” and boom, there they are. Not like driving up and up and up and arriving at Tahoe, lol!

DH has seen tons—his family traveled extensively during summer breaks (teacher parent). He’s not seen a lot of the east coast and Great Lakes, but he’s seen the rest of the US plus much of western Canada. He’s one of the few domestically well-traveled people I know who’s never been to DC (but we’re trying!). 

Me, too! My parents worked in a factory that shut down often, so we'd hit the road when that happened. I've been to the continental 48, but not Washington DC.

[Faith-manor]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

I wish I had made a list of all the ones I've been to.  I am not sure I can remember them all.

I don't think I could choose which one is best, because they all are so cool for different reasons.

This is so true! They all have their own special vistas. I also find on top of the fact that every one is unique, I tend to sometimes rank them in my head along with certain fond memories. Bad lands for instance. We went the summer after our horrific car accident. Our eldest son had just completed a bunch of physical therapy and could walk with a cane, albeit not long distances. We asked him where he wanted to go for family vacation, and he picked Badlands, MinuteMan Missile, and Devil's Tower. Seeing him able to walk and able to enjoy the trip, having him alive and with us, probably informs a lot of how I feel about that park.

Here are two photos I took at New River Gorge.

[Ottakee]

I can’t list them all but this year I did Zion in the spring with friends and then I backpacked Isle Royale for 5 days with another group of friends.