What's the best national park or monument you have been to?

[XemaSab]

I just got back from the Dry Tortugas, and it was really special.

Arches and Mt St Helens are also AMAZING.

So what are your favorites?

[Shell Beau]

1. I guess this isn't a national park, but going through Gettysburg was pretty cool!

[skygazer]

17. Sure it is

It's managed by the National Park Service. And that's what I was going to say. :hi:

[book lady]

22. I have to agree with you...

with Antietam/Sharpsburg a close second

[taterguy]

2. It's a cliche but the Grand Canyon

I went a couple years ago and did the hike from the South Rim to the Colorado River and back. It's 18 miles and took me 11 hours, one of the best experiences of my life.

I'm also quite fond of the C&O Canal Trail that goes from Georgetown to Maryland.

[Coyote_Bandit]

45. Delete

[bertha katzenengel]

3. three-way tie:

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The Grand Canyon (AND the Painted Desert)

Oklahoma City National Memorial http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I'd have to say ....Grand Teton National Park!

Unbelievable scenery......

The mountains just come right up out of the level ground....no foothills!

Incredible scenery......

[Joe Fields]

5. I've been to most of them, and I have to say Grand Canyon,

followed by Yellowstone.

[Zoigal]

6. Yosemite is

number one for me.

[Rude Horner]

8. Yosemite IS beautiful

the only problem I have with it is that there's too many people there. Other than that though, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

[Rude Horner]

7. Glacier National Park rules

Such beautiful scenery. Mmmm...and the pine smell. I wish I was there right now.

[lizerdbits]

19. I second that

I went last summer after visiting relatives in Helena. Too bad I was with my sister and brother in law and their 1 year old or we could have done some hiking.



We were originally going to go to Yellowstone but they didn't want to drive that far with the kid.

[NewJeffCT]

9. Since you didn't specify "American" or "US"

I'll say the Grand Canyon for the US, and the Great Wall of China for China, though I also liked the Temple of Heaven & the Summer Palace.

[LSK]

10. your going to make me choose?????????????

Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Acadia....

Dont make me choose!

:cry:

[Hugin]

11. I like them -ALL-...

Makes it simple to explain.

It's true some are more threadbare and others fairly undiscovered... But, they
are National Treasures. :)

[Deep13]

12. Either Grand Canyon or Mt. Rainier. Can't decide.

[northzax]

13. I have to go with Joshua Tree

in the spring when the flowers bloom.

[catmandu57]

14. I used to love Zion

I was back there a few years ago and my how things had changed, it has gotten really commercial outside of the park, so I don't know, I love the canyon we went to the north rim last time, but didn't stay long enough.

[coffeenap]

15. Death Valley and St. John, USVI--I want to live there!! nt

[AlCzervik]

16. Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.

[kwassa]

18. any question?

[BrotherBuzz]

20. Muir Woods

I grew up in Mill Valley, and one of my boy scout buddy's father was the head ranger there back in the fifties. Our den meetings were often held there, and I learned the secrets of the woods on an intimate basis. I learned the location where the salmon spawned, where the huge redwood burls were, and the hidden shortcut hiking trails to Mill Valley and the beaches (Stinson and Muir Beach). Muir Woods is God's secret boudoir and she takes good care of it.

[CottonBear]

21. West: Zion Nat'l. Park and east: The Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l. Park

The Grand Canyon is beyond spectacular but I found that Zion and Bryce Canyon were more to human scale. The fall colors of the yellow aspens against the blue sky at Zion were awesome.

The lost Coast of Northern CA is truly amazing and incredibly wild and beautiful: towering redwoods, crashing waves, 60 miles of wild coast, sea lions and the vast Pacific Ocean. I hiked for 2 1/2 days ont he Lost Coast and never saw another person!


I've never been to Yellowstone or Yosemite, anywhere in the border states or anywhere in the midwest or northeast so I can't comment on those parks.

[KitchenWitch]

23. Favorite National Park - Yellowstone

Favorite National Monument - Devils Tower.

[seemunkee]

24. How can you choose

They can be so different. How can you compare Trunk Bay St Johns to Yosemite to Zion to Death Valley to the Shenandoahs? I don't want to choose.

How was the snorkeling in the Tortugas?

[XemaSab]

38. The snorkeling was awesome

I'd never been before, so seeing LOTS of colorful fish and corals was a real treat.

[Madrone]

25. Mt Rushmore.

I figured it would be... meh, but it was really amazing to see in person. Quite impressive.

[1gobluedem]

26. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

On Lake Superior. They're gorgeous.

[Thew]

27. A couple of 'hidden gems'

If you like Grand Canyon, I can't recommend Black Canyon of the Gunnison highly enough... just breath-taking.

And, as long as your in Colorado, two of my other favorites are relatively close, Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes. Both are beautiful and enough out of the way to not suffer as badly from over-crowding.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

33. I've been to all 4 of those.

Zion in Utah and Yosemite, east of Fresno, are great too.

[NewWaveChick1981]

28. In the US, Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii.

:D :loveya: That was breathtaking! And I think Pompeii in Italy was my international favorite! :D

[Awsi Dooger]

31. I was just there; that was awesome!

Driving through the lava fields toward the shore, nothing but recent lava on both sides of the road. Then the road ends abruptly at the edge of the water due to a very recent lava flow -- last five years or so -- that wiped out the road.

[Awsi Dooger]

32. Bryce Canyon

IMO, it's the most unique and beautiful. I'm always amazed it doesn't receive more mention in threads like this. I just went to Zion a few weeks ago and have a better appreciation for it than last time, but no way it compares to nearby Bryce.

I love it that I've been to virtually every park listed so far.

On edit: whoops, I meant this as a reply to the thread itself, not to my previous post. I've been making gaffes like this everywhere, obviously still in need of more catchup sleep after returning from my trip.

[av8rdave]

29. Big Bend National Park

Great scenery, wildlife, and roads to ride!

A riding friend at "the window"

[hunter]

30. Anacapa is still my favorite.

It just is.

Carlsbad Caverns.

And yes, Mt.St. Helens is amazing.

I can't decide which desert place is my favorite, there are so many, so I'll just say Death Valley.

I'm sorta prejudiced towards Western places, although I've been to quite a few elsewhere.

[EstimatedProphet]

34. Either Glacier or Rocky Mountain

Damned intensely pretty, both of them. I even rate them over Grand Canyon.

[greendog]

35. 3 favorites

1. Best of the best, hikers paradise: Canyonlands, needles district.
2. In the middle of nowhere: Great Basin
3. Half empty at the height of tourist season: Theodore Roosevelt Nat. Park, North Unit.

On edit: My favorite "local" National Park (can we say "Season Pass"?): Glacier

[Zomby Woof]

36. Yellowstone

So far anyway... I have yet to see Yosemite. Yellowstone has so much to see and experience, it's literally like another world.

I also love Grand Canyon, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains, and Grand Teton.

Must-see parks in the future:

Yosemite
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Denali

[Jamastiene]

37. Town Creek Indian Mound in Mt. Gilead, NC

and Indian Echo Caverns somewhere between here and Pennsylvania. I think it was in Pennsylvania, but I'm not 100% sure. It was great though.

[Ptah]

39. I'll name my three favorite

Saguaro National Park

http://www.nps.gov/sagu/




Glacier National Park

http://www.nps.gov/glac/



With live webcams:
http://www.nps.gov/glac/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm


Yellowstone National Park

http://www.nps.gov/yell/



With live Old Faithful webcam:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm

[jpgray]

40. Bob Marshall Wilderness--the meadows in Strawberry Creek are just amazing

[opiate69]

41. Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens

[BobMorr]

42. my favorites

I'd have to sa Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Not particularly in that order.

[TZ]

43. I have two: Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park..

because the views are awesome and there is wonderful wildlife. Here in the east (albeit a territory) Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Park/Rainforest- yes the only Rainforest in the US outside of Hawaii. Just beautiful!

[elehhhhna]

44. not in the US --

Anne Frank Haus. Hands down.

[Coyote_Bandit]

46. Smokey Mountain National Park

Spent a week. Did lots of driving and hiking. Also loved all the parks in Hawaii - but they were all too touristy.

Biggest disappointment was the Grand Canyon. It is a huge hole in the ground. And it was dirty. Lots of windblown trash from the shops and food concessions on the rim. A nice thick layer of smog floating over from southern California. Being able to watch the condors fly was one of the few redeeming qualities. To see the colors and layers of rock formation in a cleaner environment go to the base of the mesa around the Sedona area. Simply stunning.