Discover the best national parks in the United States through our guide, celebrating the vast country’s diverse ecosystems.
From arid deserts and alpine mountains to lush rainforests, these landscapes are the treasures within America’s exceptional National Parks program.
Join us as we rank the top 30, revealing hidden gems that are waiting to be explored. Stay tuned to uncover the full list!
Before we start with number 30, let’s see some honorable mentions that didn’t make it into the top 30 due to the fact that it’s really difficult and/or expensive to get there.
American Samoa National Park
Coral reefs, white sandy beaches, green mountains, and crystal clear water: A tropical paradise in the middle of the Pacific.
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Located in Alaska, this park’s scenery is breathtaking and, same as in American Samoa, it’s not crowded at all.
Another park that’s located in Alaska:
Lake Clark National Park
Boasts a multitude of wildlife combined with some of the most exceptional landscapes on Earth.
Virgin Islands National Park
This Caribbean paradise boasts white, sandy beaches, palm trees, warm clear water, stunning sunsets, and rich wildlife.
But now let’s start with the 30 best National Parks in the United States:
30. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Features beautiful trails, jaw-dropping sunrises, and fascinating scenery.
Some would say it’s monotonous, relatively small and lots of people. It’s certainly not the best park in Utah, but it still ranks higher than many other parks.
29. Joshua Tree National Park, California
Boasts beautiful sunsets, rugged rock formations, and thousands of the park’s name giving Joshua Trees.
This place’s gorgeous scenery is most enchanting at dawn and dusk, and gazing at the stars is fascinating here.
If you wanna experience the park’s spring wildflowers, plan your visit from March to May.
28. Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Home to a myriad of colorful canyons, amazingly shaped buttes, and views you could gaze upon forever.
Mesa Arch, an eye-catching stone arch, is one of the most photographed motives during sunrise in the whole national park system.
27. Kings Canyon National Park, California
Located in the southern Sierra Nevada, this park is home to high mountain meadows.
It also boasts multiple 14.000-foot peaks, fast-flowing rivers, and some of the largest Sequoia trees, including General Grant Tree, the second largest tree on the planet.
The park’s name giving canyon is a jagged valley that is over a mile deep.
26. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Only 75 miles from Washington, D.C., this park’s especially beautiful in the fall. The colorful fall foliage is an unforgettable sight, especially when driving the scenic Skyline Drive, one of Shenandoah’s top attractions.
This park also features breathtaking waterfalls, colorful wildflowers, stunning vistas, and lots of wildlife.
25. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
This park is one of the most unique ones in the country.
You could probably describe it as a little Sahara Desert with the Rocky Mountains in the background.
Another positive fact is that Great Sand Dunes is not as crowded as other parks.
24. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Probably Utah’s least known park in this ranking, Capitol Reef features rich scenery with rugged cliffs, colorful canyons, bridges, and domes extending almost 100 miles.
It’s nearly 200 miles of routes and trails makes it a hiker’s dream.
23. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
If this one would be easier to get access, it would be ranked much higher. Boasts spectacular scenery with huge glaciers and wildlife including orcas and other whales you can spot in the water.
Glacier Bay with its jagged mountains, temperate rainforests, and wild coastlines, is part of one of the world’s biggest international protected areas, a 25-million acre World Heritage Site.
22. Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Located on Maui, this tropical paradise is home to breathtaking waterfalls, a lush rainforest, charming palm trees, the Pacific, and, last but not least, the crater of the famous dormant volcano Haleakala.
From its Visitor Center, you can watch what is said to be the “most spectacular sunrise on Earth”.
21. North Cascades National Park, Washington
Also called the “American Alps” by some people, North Cascades is the centerpiece of the mighty cascade range.
Being the least visited of the three national parks in the state, it’s also the most difficult to approach. Once you’re there though, you know it’s worth it.
With jagged peaks with more than 300 glaciers on top, cascading waters, and panoramic drives, this park is a paradise, especially for hikers and backpackers.
20. Acadia National Park, Maine
The easternmost park boasts sparkling lakes, a rocky coastline, rounded mountains, and is known for its gorgeous fall foliage.
It’s also worth visiting in Winter, when blanketed in snow. Acadia is one of the top 20 most-visited national parks in the US.
19. Katmai National Park, Alaska
Gorgeous scenery and no crowds, what else could you wish for?
Exactly, an easier and cheaper way to get there.
As all of the parks in Alaska, Katmai would be ranked much higher if it wouldn’t be so difficult to access. If you can afford getting there, you’ll be rewarded with the best grizzly bear viewing on the planet at Brooks Falls.
18. Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska
At over 13 million acres the largest US National Park, Wrangell – St. Elias is a National Park packed with everything.
A little bit easier to access than most of the other parks in Alaska, this place is home to a myriad of peaks and glaciers.
Rising from sea level to over 18.000 feet, it will let you experience Alaska wildlife like no other park.
There are ample opportunities for hiking, rafting, camping, glacier trekking, and more.
17. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
One of the most underrated National Parks in USA, probably due to the fact that it is exclusively reachable by water.
With its pristine waters and peaceful forests, this park boasts remarkable natural beauty.
Go canoeing, kayaking, or swimming in Summer, and snowmobiling, ice fishing, or cross-country-skiing in winter. You can even watch the Northern Lights!
16. Denali National Park, Alaska
Displaying North America’s tallest mountain with 20.310 feet, this park is also one of Alaska’s more accessible ones.
From its lowest to its highest elevations, Denali is a blend of forest, prairie, and snow, bare rock, and glaciers. With 6.1 million acres, it’s the third-biggest park in the system.
15. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Kenai Fjords National Park has the upside of being the most accessible park in its state.
It’s just a 2-hour drive from Anchorage and boasts thriving wildlife, lush forests, and an endless expanse of ice.
14. Death Valley National Park, California
The largest National Park in the lower 48 states features scorching heat, salt flats, and sand dunes.
Some highlights you should see include the colorful Artist’s Palette, the impressive Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, and Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the USA at 282 feet below sea level.
13. Arches National Park, Utah
Red rock landscapes, sandy trails, and boulders that are perfect for climbing: This place is a unique wonderland for people of all ages.
It has more than 2.000 natural stone arches, an immense number of high-reaching pinnacles, and huge balanced rocks.
Arches was certified as an international dark sky park in 2019.
12. Sequoia National Park, California
Located adjacent to the already mentioned Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Sequoia is home to even more impressive Sequoia Trees, including General Sherman Tree, the world’s largest tree by volume.
It also features numerous breathtaking waterfalls, alpine meadows, and the towering Moro Rock. Climbing this granite dome’s 350 steps will reward you with impressive views.
11. Redwood National and State Parks, California
In this park, National Park Service and California State Parks work together to protect not just some of the tallest trees on Earth, but also many miles of rugged coastline, wild rivers, endless meadows, and oak forests.
Expect to spot wildlife like sea lions, elks, and maybe even bald eagles, and visit sites like the famous Fern Canyon (“The lost world: Jurassic Park” was filmed here).
If you wanna see more Redwoods, be sure to check out our post featuring the park’s best hikes!
We’ve reached the top 10 best National Parks in the United States! Let’s start them with:
10. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Mount Rainier is the most densely glaciated park in the lower 48 states, has gorgeous wildflowers, crystal clear rivers, old growth forests, rich wildlife, and so much more.
The name-giving active volcano Mount Rainier rises to 14.410 feet above sea level and makes for breathtaking views.
One of the best National Parks in the United States for sure.
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina
With over 10 million visitors every year, this is most visited National Park in the United States, probably also due to the park being one of the few free National Parks in the country.
This park preserves an extensive part of the Appalachian Mountains. Expect to experience endless hills with diverse plants and wildlife, ancient mountains, and the daily morning fog.
Great Smoky Mountains is connected to the already mentioned Shenandoah National Park by the famous scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. If you want to learn more about it and other beautiful drives, check out the best road trips in the US!
8. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
These over 400 square miles of panoramic mountain scenery boasts incredibly diverse wildlife. There are elk, black bears, mountain lions, eagles, and much more!
This park offers something for everyone, from its meadows in the montane life zone over shimmering alpine lakes to the imposing mountain summits.
The only problem is the increasing visitation, the crowds impact the park as well as the visitor experience.
7. Glacier National Park, Montana
With its melting glaciers, carved valleys, numerous pristine lakes, alpine meadows, and endless trails, this park is a hikers paradise.
One of the park’s highlights is the spectacular Going-to-the-sun Road, the only road traversing Glacier.
The overall scenery of this park is one-of-a-kind, this one should be on everyones bucket-list!
6. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
It was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years and spans a massive 277 miles in length. Overall it is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island, which is the reason why being the second-most visited park in the country doesn’t make that much difference in the ranking.
If you want to avoid the crowds, avoid the South Rim in the summer. There are many other areas in Grand Canyon that are much quieter, but offer the same breathtaking views.
5. Olympic National Park, Washington
This majestic park is one of the most diverse ones in the entire country: More than 70 miles of untouched coastline, old growth temperate rain forests, immaculate alpine lakes, glistening rivers, towering mountain ranges, and huge lowland forests.
Add the close proximity to Seattle and the fact that it’s not as crowded as other parks, and the high ranking is more than justified.
4. Zion National Park, Utah
Zion boasts huge sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red color, a unique display of flora and fauna in a narrow canyon, and a rich history of the native people and pioneers.
The problem: It’s the 4th-most visited National Park in America and in Zion, you notice that more than in any other park.
Be sure to wake up early to avoid most of the crowds!
3. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Features amazing scenery with the jaw-dropping major peaks of the Teton Range, stunning alpine valleys and lakes, the twisting Snake River, and some of the top options to view wildlife in the whole country.
There is so much to explore here, and it is still relatively uncrowded!
Just a one-hour drive away:
2. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Idaho, & Montana
The world’s first National Park was designated in 1872, and it still attracts millions of people from around the world to enjoy the unique geologic and hydrothermal features.
The 2.2 million acre park is home to about half the world’s active geysers. The most famous ones are the cone geyser Old Faithful, and Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the country.
Be sure to also visit the many geological wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
Securing the top spot on our list of the best National Parks in the United States:
1. Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite truly is one of the most amazing places on the planet.
It covers just under a whopping 760,000 acres of land about three hours south-east of Sacramento.
Spending weeks in Yosemite is easy to do with its 20 miles of bike paths and 800 miles of trails. It’s one of the most popular parks in the country, so don’t expect to be alone.
Be sure to check out all the amazing vista points and the many waterfalls! You’ll experience diverse wildlife like black bears, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep and red foxes, mountain lions, and much more.
You’ll find some of the most beautiful nature spots in California in Yosemite!
As the top park and many more are located in California, you’ll find a complete guide to California’s National Parks on this website. Be sure to check it out!
If you enjoyed reading this list, you’ll LOVE watching it in video-format: