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U.S. National Parks

Posted on 6/27/21 at 1:39 pm
Posted by Turf Taint
New Orleans
Member since Jun 2021
6010 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 1:39 pm
I have too many still on my bucket list.

Yellowstone
Tetons
Glacier
Zion
...and too many more.

Got hooked on a few and repeat visits let me to this outcome.

Seeking board's experience and recommendations:

Some personals for context,
Whitewater rafting, biking, hiking important to us
Have HS aged kids
Week long visits
Canada NP thoughts are appreciated, too
Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
27718 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 1:52 pm to
Which have you done?

Yosemite
needs to be on that top tier list as well if you have not crossed it off already.

Joshua Tree NP, Grand Canyon etc, would also be on the list as well.
Posted by specchaser
lafayette
Member since Feb 2008
2729 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 2:09 pm to
Glacier is still on my list, but I'd recommend Yellowstone and Grand Teton in one trip. They are so close together, it's fairly easy to do both. rafting the snake river in Jackson can be awesome, great hiking in the Tetons. Yellowstone is popular for a reason, so diverse and impressive.

Put Olympic NP on your list and that part of the country. very underrated IMO. It has mountains, rain forest, the Pacific Ocean beaches and so much more.

Rocky Mountain NP is gorgeous and Colorado definitely has lots of rafting and biking.

Leaving for Zion and the other parks in Utah this week, will knock that off the list!
Posted by DeltaTigerDelta
Member since Jan 2017
13902 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 2:34 pm to
Ones I have been to in order of preference:

Grand Canyon

Glacier
Zion
Teton
Rocky Mountain
Yellowstone
Acadia


Posted by speckledawg
Somewhere Salty
Member since Nov 2016
4279 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 2:47 pm to
quote:

I'd recommend Yellowstone and Grand Teton in one trip


Agreed. So much to do and the scenery is amazing.
Posted by TigerSaintInDallas
Member since Sep 2012
721 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 2:54 pm to
The best hiking in national parks is IMO in RMNP, Teton and Glacier. The Washington parks are also amazing for hiking.

The Utah parks are way too crowded for me. Same w/ Yosemite. Yellowstone is beautiful but more for wildlife viewing.
Posted by Turf Taint
New Orleans
Member since Jun 2021
6010 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 2:57 pm to
Thx! Left off many that I did do and realize how unclear I was in my post, apologies.

Yes, lived N. CA late 1990s and visited Yosemite many times. Agree w/you btw! Also have done GC.

Knocked off:
Smokys (TN/NC)
Big Bend (TX)
Guadalupe (TX)
Yosemite (CA)
King's Canyon (CA)
Sequoia (CA)
New River Gorge (WV)
Petrified Forest (AZ)
Grand Canyon (AZ)
Rocky Mtn (CO)
New Orleans City Park (kidding!)
Posted by RogerTheShrubber
Juneau, AK
Member since Jan 2009
298305 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 3:07 pm to
quote:

The best hiking in national parks is IMO in RMNP, Teton and Glacier


Wrangell St. Elias, Denali or Gates of the Arctic.

Kayaking/hiking Glacier Bay.

Rafting Alsek/Tatshenshini Canada/Alaska.
This post was edited on 6/27/21 at 3:09 pm
Posted by Snoop Dawg
Member since Sep 2009
2942 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 3:57 pm to
In my neck of the woods both Mt. Rainier NP and Olympic NP are great. Mt. Rainier has a great hikes, easily accessible waterfalls, even snow depending on the time of year and how high you are willing to hike. Olympic is great because it is 4 national parks in one. With Olympic you have 73 miles of Pacific Ocean coast for beach hikes, the rainforest, the central Olympics dominated by glaciated Mt. Olympus, and the more dry, rugged, and high eastern front Olympics, which serve as the backdrop across the sound from Seattle.


Mid July through mid September is the best time to visit both.
Posted by Tigris
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Member since Jul 2005
13122 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 3:57 pm to
quote:

The best hiking in national parks is IMO in RMNP, Teton and Glacier. The Washington parks are also amazing for hiking.

The Utah parks are way too crowded for me. Same w/ Yosemite. Yellowstone is beautiful but more for wildlife viewing.


Mostly agree. Glacier is my favorite because of the wildlife (grizzly, moose, bighorn, goats) plus great trails, but it takes an effort to get there. RMNP - excellent trails - have done many times. Have not hiked Teton - I need to do that. Yellowstone is huge, and yet crowded at the same time -weird. Parking can be a real challenge, and finding a campsite. Washington parks are beautiful (area around Mt. Shuksan in Cascades esp., and Hurricane Ridge in Olympics) but need to be done late in the summer because of snowpack, same for Glacier. In Utah I like Capital Reef because the crowds are limited. But Arches is still a must see. Bryce I got tired of quickly and the crowds were bad. Have not done Zion yet, partly because of the crowds. That's one I'll do in the off season, if there is one. Yosemite has some stunning views, and the roads were absurd the last time I was there. We left early and headed up to Lassen and had a better time.
Posted by LSUfan20005
Member since Sep 2012
9217 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 5:37 pm to
quote:

like Capital Reef because the crowds are limited.


Capitol Reef is amazing, because few people actually see the interior park due to accessibility. If you have a genuine off road vehicle, you can have amazing backcountry adventures and barely see anyone. This statement applies to Canyonlands as well, but a bit different.

ETA - Best genuine Utah backcountry is in the Escalante, but you gotta want to get out there to experience it, genuine off-road vehicles and supplies for days.
This post was edited on 6/27/21 at 5:40 pm
Posted by DaleGribble
Bend, OR
Member since Sep 2014
6821 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 8:34 pm to
Crater Lake, without a doubt.
Posted by jsquardjj
Member since Oct 2009
1420 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 9:13 pm to
I have done Grand Canyon, Tetons, Yellowstone, Sequoia, glacier, banff, rmnp, Yosemite, Big Sur, smokies and Redwoods.

My favorites would be Banff, Tetons and Sequoia.

Yosemite is certainly the most beautiful valley I have ever been in, I just don’t like the campsite setups and the crowds. (May and end of August are good times to go)

Banff had the perfect combination of low crowds, beautiful sites, good hikes, and abundant wildlife. (We went in mid June, so it was before peak season). This one might be my #1

Tetons is another favorite because of the awesome campground, small size and beautiful scenery. I preferred staying in the Tetons and doing some day trips into Yellowstone. Yellowstone is huge and incredible, but lots of traffic.

Glacier is also awesome, just really spread. We usually only have a week vacation too, so that trip felt the shortest because of travel time to get there as well as how long it took to drive from one side of the park to the other.


Posted by zippyputt
Member since Jul 2005
7041 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 10:36 pm to
You probably did Carlsbad Caverns NP in NM if you did Guadalupe ?
Posted by Buck Dancer
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2008
4856 posts
Posted on 6/27/21 at 10:53 pm to
Just got back from Yosemite. Stayed in a
House in Yosemite west and it was incredible. 30 minutes from the valley, glacier point and wawona. I’ve been to a lot of beautiful places, but, have never seen anything like the view from glacier point. It is a surreal experience. Amazing in so many different levels.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
48563 posts
Posted on 6/28/21 at 9:06 am to
been planning vacations/rod trips around national parks for several years now

thus far:
sequoia/kings canyon
zion/bryce/capital reef
crater lake/yellowstone/tetons
RMNP/sand dunes/mesa verde/gunnison
hot springs/smokies/shenandoah
big bend

next week we are going to arches/canyonlands via a coloroado road trip.
next year i'm planning redwood/lassen/yosemite/pinnacles

if you like visiting the parks, ken burns doc is a great watch

LINK
Posted by AUCE05
Member since Dec 2009
45357 posts
Posted on 6/28/21 at 10:50 am to
I love Lassen
Posted by lsualum98
South Louisiana
Member since Dec 2019
198 posts
Posted on 6/28/21 at 10:52 am to
One NP that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the Virgin Islands National Park in St. John. My HS age kids LOVED it! At the end of your hikes, you're rewarded with the most beautiful beaches! We especially loved the underwater snorkeling trail at Trunk Bay beach.
Posted by iwantacooler
Pig Nose Feet
Member since Aug 2017
2745 posts
Posted on 6/28/21 at 11:52 am to
Which hikes do you suggest at Virgin Islands NP? I’ll be there in a couple of weeks.
Posted by damonster
Member since Sep 2010
2456 posts
Posted on 6/28/21 at 4:26 pm to
quote:

Which hikes do you suggest at Virgin Islands NP? I’ll be there in a couple of weeks.


One that I’ve heard was really good was Ram’s Head. We were going to do that and snorkel at Salt Pond when we were there back in March. Never got to actually do it though. Drove to the east side of the island and my wife started feeling bad so we went back to the room.
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