Today, we’ll explore the best national parks on the US West Coast!
One of the highlights of the US is its expansive National Park system with a whopping 63 parks. The West Coast alone has 13!
From dry deserts to lush forests and alpine mountain scenery, you are going to hear the top parks in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Without wasting anymore time, lets start right away with:
9. North Cascades National Park
This park is the farthest north in this list, at the very top of Washington in the Cascade range, on the Canadian border.
The nearly 505,000 acre park is home to the massive Ross Lake, which is surrounded by sprawling mountains.
Like most National Parks, there is no shortage of things to do in the park.
Hiking and camping are by far some of the more popular activities, but fishing, boating, biking, backpacking, and skiing are also some of the many possible options.
8. Crater Lake National Park
This volcanic crater is Oregons only national park.
Crater Lake is not necessarily small, with over 183,000 acres, but the lake does make up a large part of it.
Sitting atop what used to be Mount Mazama, a volcano, the lake is the deepest in the United States, and the 9th deepest in the world.
Hiking is the most accessible activity in this park, although fishing, swimming in the chilly water, and boating are also an option.
Getting to the water is not exactly the easiest of feats. It is only possible via the Cleetwood Cove Trail, which drops (and rises) 700 feet in the span of a little more than a mile.
The hike is worth it though, allowing you contact to one of the more pristine lakes in the world.
7. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
We know that these parks in California are technically two independent entities. The National Park Service administers Sequoia and Kings Canyon together though, due to them being so close.
If you wanna visit huge trees, deep canyons, and impressive sights like the General Sherman Tree (the world’s largest tree by volume), Moro Rock (a large granite dome featuring stunning views), and the imposing Roaring River Falls, these parks are perfect for you!
Sequoia and Kings Canyon range from the low foothills to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which is the reason why you“ll experience very diverse fauna and flora.
While one day is enough to visit all the main attractions in the parks, you should plan to stay two or three days if you want to experience some of the best vistas and hike some harder trails.
The best time to visit is from June to August, when it’s warm and sunny most of the time.
6. Joshua Tree National Park
Named after its unique trees, Joshua Tree in California also boasts rugged rock formations, beautiful sunsets, and much more.
This rock splattered landscape in the Mojave Desert is a great location for hikes, rock climbing, and star gazing. The dark desert sky clearly shows the milky way and thousands of stars.
If you visit in spring, the park blooms into life with thousands of colorful wildflowers.
5. Mount Rainier National Park
At the heart of this gem among the best national parks on the US West Coast, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington is dominated by the towering 14,411-foot-tall Mount Rainier.
This glacier covered volcano is still active and thought to not have long until its next eruption. Don’t let this deter you from visiting though!
The park has over 260 trails for day hikes, with options to see rivers and streams, water falls, lush forests, and wildflowers in the spring.
Camping, biking, fishing, boating and even snowshoeing in winter are among the other things to do.
4. Death Valley National Park
The lowest point in North America, salt flats, sand dunes, and: Scorching heat.
California’s Death Valley boasts some scenery that is out of this world, and lots of it. This park is the largest in the contiguous United States, with over 3.4 million acres.
Some highlights you should see is Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the USA at 282 feet below sea level, the colorful Artist’s Palette, and the impressive Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which were mentioned in our list featuring the 30 most beautiful natural sites in California.
Death Valley is also rich in wildlife; there are bighorn sheep, coyotes, chipmunks, desert tortoises, kangaroo rats, and jackrabbits.
Due to the high temperatures, the best time to visit Death Valley is in spring or in late fall.
If you want to see most of the major attractions (remember, Death Valley is big), plan to visit for 3 days.
3. Redwood National Park
In this enchanting park, California State Parks and National Park Service work together to protect not just some of the tallest trees on Earth, but also many miles of rugged coastline, endless meadows, wild rivers, and oak forests.
If you want to explore all the popular places in Redwood National and State Parks, like Fern Canyon, Stout Grove, Gold Bluffs Beach, Redwood Creek Overlook, the Avenue of the Giants, and more, you should stay two or three days.
You can expect to see California sea lions, bald eagles, giant green sea anemones, elks, and also yellow-spotted millipedes and banana slugs.
If you want to visit Redwood when the weather is sunny, you should plan your trip between June and September. The other months, it will be cooler, but also less crowded.
2. Olympic National Park
This majestic park in Washington is one of the most diverse ones in the entire country: More than 70 miles of untouched coastline, old growth temperate rain forests, pristine alpine lakes, shining 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.
And securing the top spot in our list of the best national parks on the US West Coast is:
1. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite in California 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.
Explore amazing hikes like the Mist Trail or the Panorama Trail, visit stunning waterfalls like the Yosemite Falls, which is North America’s tallest waterfall, float down the Merced River or enjoy the spectacular view from Glacier Point.
You’ll also experience diverse wildlife like black bears, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep and red foxes, mountain lions, and much more.
Be sure to also check out our list featuring the best waterfalls in California!
Also, if you enjoyed reading this list, you’ll LOVE watching it in video-format:
