Best National Parks to Visit in the US

Planning a trip or vacation to a national park this year?

Whether you’re planning a backpacking trip with friends in the fall, or a family trip during the school summer holidays, the United States boast so many great national parks that you’ll be simply spoiled for choice!

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park in Maine is not only one of the most popular place to visit on the east of USA, but also one of the best places in Maine to spend a family vacation! Besides being able to soak in the beautiful outdoors and take in the amazing scenery, there are lots of things you can do in Acadia such as whale watching, taking a horse-drawn carriage up Day Mountain, catch a sunset or sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain, kayaking,, Biking and hiking.

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park in California is one of the best national parks to visit in the US where you can enjoy day hikes and fun hiking weekend trips. One of the most popular and easiest hikes in Sequoia national park is Morro Rock, which is a natural lookout point that offers stunning 360 degree views of the San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra foothills in the distance. Besides Morro Rock, climbing the summit of Mt. Whitney is another popular day hike in Sequoia, though it’s also a very demanding one!

Grand Teton National Park

Located on the northwest corner of Wyoming, Grand Teton national park is one of the best national parks to visit in the US where you can experience the great outdoors. Grand Tetons National Park truly offers plenty of opportunity for backcountry trips, wilderness camping, hiking and biking. Cascade Canyon and Grand Teton peaks are without a doubt two of the most popular destinations in Grand Teton park for hiking trips.

Zion National Park

Zion Park is undoubtedly one of the best national parks to visit in the US, and when it comes to peculiar canyon formations no other place in the world has as many incredible canyon formations as Zion National Park does!. Zion Park boasts great opportunities for adventurous hiking such as climbing to the top of the Great White Throne and Angels Landing rock formations.

 

Mt Rainier National Park

Mt Rainier National Park in Washington State is a great all year round destination for everyone and perfect for families with kids. Mt Rainier Park boasts many easy hikes but none of them are as scenic as the memorable hike to "Grove of the Patriarchs" which boasts gigantic cedar trees and surreal scenery.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is another national park in the US that boasts some of the most stunning natural formations your eyes would ever set sight on!  Carlsbad Cavers in New Mexico is no doubt one of the best national parks to visit in the US with the family since not only you’ll be able to enjoy backcountry pursuits, but also a tour of the caverns’ passages and tunnels and see awe-inspiring such as White Giant Formation and the ‘Witch’s Finger’, which the little ones will absolutely enjoy!

Popular National Parks in California

If you’re planning a trip to one of California’s national parks this summer, we’ve rounded up some of the best and most popular parks to visit in California. They’re as follows:

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is not only one of the most popular national parks in California, but also one of the best national parks to visit in the US for its natural attractions.  Yosemite National Park is a stunning place to visit all year around, especially in the autumn season when leaf-peepers and outdoors enthusiast from all over the region come to Yosemite Valley to experience the fall foliage and enjoy plenty of adventurous pursuits like rock climbing.

Redwood National Park

Next up on our list of popular national parks in California is Redwood National Park.If you enjoy marveling at the Sequoia trees in Yosemite, you’ll love spending time in Redwood national park as the tallest Sequoias trees in world are located in Redwood.Besides the magnificent Sequoia trees (coast redwoods), a few other attractions that make Redwood national park such a popular place to visit in California are its many hiking, trails, wildlife (home to the spectacular Roosevelt Elk), views of the Pacific Ocean, and beaches.  

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located right in the southern California desert; and it’s without a doubt, one of the most popular national parks in California. Joshua Tree NP is truly in a league of its own as it boasts some of the most memorable landscapes, fascinating Yucca plants, and interesting sites such as mines and ranches.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is located on the California-Nevada border, and it’s one of the most popular national parks in California because of it’s close proximity to Las Vegas Nevada. Death Valley NP is definitely one of the most breathtaking and enigmatic national parks you’ll ever set foot inside as there is no place quite like it! Death Valley boasts a moon-like landscape filled with salt plains, old dwellings, petroglyphs, sand dunes, old mining towns, and cool wildlife such as bighorn sheep and coyote. Overall, Death Valley national park is one of the best national parks in the US if you want to enjoy an Australian outback-type experience.

Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands national park is without a doubt, one of the most popular national parks in California. The Channel Islands NP is located off the coast of Oxnard, and Santa Barbara, and they are definitely one of the most remote and stunning national parks in the country. If you’re into water sports and wildlife, you can enjoy fantastic birdlife viewing, as well as sea cave kayaking and snorkeling tours.

 

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic national park is another stunning park in northern California, and one of the most popular national parks in California as it’s the only national park in the state containing a volcano (Lassen Peak). If you’ve been to Hawaii Volcanoes national park, you’ll find a lot of similarities in Lassen Park such as lave domes, thermal vents and rock avalanche deposits. If you love your climbs, you’ll certainly enjoy the hike to the summit of Lassen Peak for memorable views of the area around and Mount Shasta in the distance.