National Park Wild: Ranking All 58 National Parks I’ve Been To
Introduction
Hello and welcome to the national park wild! I’m Eric, and while I was working on my Alaska videos, I reached the 250 subscribers milestone sooner than I expected. So in this article, I will rank every national park I’ve been to. I’ve visited 58 of these 63 national parks, so sit back and enjoy the rankings!
Ground Rules and Caveats
Before diving into the rankings, let me quickly outline a few ground rules and caveats:
- This list is based on my personal experiences in each park, so your opinions may vary.
- I haven’t seen every single thing in any of these parks, so the rankings are based on what I saw and did.
- Some parks are ranked lower simply because I didn’t spend as much time there or didn’t see the best parts.
- I really like most of these parks, so some great parks may rank lower simply because I think others are better.
With that said, let’s move on to the rankings, starting with the last place.
#58 – Gateway Arch National Park
This opinion should not anger too many. It’s an okay arch, but as a national park, it’s easily last place. Very little nature and just a bit of history, not really worthy of park status.
#57 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Hear me out; I didn’t see a lot of this park, and it was a pretty bad experience due to massive crowds. That being said, it’s still a great park, but I didn’t see the best parts of it. So don’t take my word for it – this ranking is based on my limited visit and not a reflection of how great this park may actually be.
#56 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
This park comes in at 56th place, with a bit of nature and the lovely Brandywine Falls. However, beyond that, it’s more of a city park and doesn’t have much more to offer.
#55 – Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park is an interesting mix of beach, history, forests, and oddities like a steel mill right across from the park. While the scenery is decent, my favorite part was actually seeing the Chicago skyline from the park, which doesn’t bode well for the park’s ranking.
#54 – Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park exceeded my expectations. The park has some nice trails, great wildlife, and a pleasant campground. However, the park’s experience is hampered by the touristy town of Hot Springs.
#53 – Capitol Reef National Park
This park comes in at 53rd place simply because I didn’t see enough of it during my drive through. The park is beautiful, but I didn’t get to experience enough of it for a higher ranking.
#52 – Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains has beautiful deer and mountains, but it’s not the most impressive park. It’s an alright desert park, but not amazing.
#51 – White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park has breathtaking white sand dunes but not much else to offer. The scenery is beautiful, but I didn’t have a chance to do much else in the park, resulting in a lower ranking.
#50 – Biscayne National Park
I live in Florida, which means that many of the animals and scenery found in Biscayne National Park are familiar to me. That being said, Biscayne is still a beautiful park with wildlife like manatees and a Miami skyline view. However, the scenery isn’t as impressive as other parks.
#49 – Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park shares the same issues as Biscayne for me, with many of the animals and scenery being common sights in Florida. However, it’s still an excellent park with dozens of alligators, great bird life, and beautiful scenery.
#48 – North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park has gorgeous mountains and waterfalls, but my visit was limited and affected by poor weather. As a result, I didn’t see much of the park, and it scores a lower rank on my list.
#47 – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The badlands and wildlife here are beautiful, featuring bison, wild horses, and elk. The scenery is great, and Cottonwood Campground is the best campground in the country, in my opinion.
#46 – Kings Canyon National Park
I didn’t see enough of Kings Canyon National Park to give a full opinion, but from what I saw, this park has beautiful scenery and the awe-inspiring General