The United States is home to some of the most breathtaking national parks in the world, each offering a distinct combination of natural beauty, diverse wildlife, and unforgettable experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or just starting to explore the great outdoors, these parks are sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.
To that effect, here are ten must-visit national parks that should be on every traveler’s bucket list, ranked for their sheer awesomeness and the memories they promise to create.
10. Denali National Park, Alaska
Located in the heart of Alaska, Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) offers an off-the-beaten-path experience that not many can match. Home to North America’s tallest peak (at 20,310 feet), this park, encompassing 6 million acres (basically larger than New Hampshire), is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. Grizzlies, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, and caribou (the Big Five) roam freely.
The rugged landscape, dotted with glistening lakes such as Wonder Lake, snow-capped peaks like Mount Foraker, glaciers, alpine tundra, and taiga forests, is perfect for hiking and safaris.
9. Acadia National Park, Maine
Perched on Maine’s rugged coast, Acadia, the only national park in the northeastern United States, exemplifies natural beauty. From its rocky shorelines to forested mountains, this park offers a scenic paradise ideal for those seeking tranquility with a side of adventure.
Cadillac Mountain offers some of the best sunrise views in America, while its rocky shores and historic 45-mile carriage roads are perfect for hiking or biking. Aside from hiking through forests, you can enjoy a leisurely drive along the Park Loop Road.
Beyond hiking and biking, winter offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The park also hosts diverse ecosystems, including spruce-fir forests, tidal pools, and habitats for peregrine falcons and bald eagles.
8. Arches National Park, Utah
Best for: Desert daydreams
Home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch, Utah’s unofficial mascot, Arches National Park feels like a geology theme park. The Delicate Arch is especially impressive at sunset, when the desert landscapes glow with vibrant hues.
The fiery red rocks (red Entrada Sandstone formations) against Utah’s blue skies create an almost otherworldly vibe. Thanks to its dark skies, it’s also one of the best parks for stargazing.
7. Olympic National Park, Washington
Best for: A choose-your-own-adventure landscape
Covering nearly one million acres on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Olympic packs three ecosystems into one park: temperate rainforests dripping with mosses, alpine peaks dusted with snow, and wild Pacific coastlines dotted with sea stacks. It’s not for nothing that the park stretches from the Pacific coast to the Olympic Mountains.
Whether you’re hiking Hurricane Ridge or exploring tide pools along Ruby Beach, this park is an ode to nature’s diversity. From hiking through the ancient Hoh Rainforest to skiing Hurricane Ridge’s snowy slopes and exploring the park’s stunning coastline, Olympic National Park offers an unforgettable experience for nature lovers.
6. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Best for: Surrealist rock formations
Bryce Canyon National Park’s crimson, whimsical hoodoos—twisty spires shaped by water erosion and frost wedging—almost look like a Tim Burton set. The amphitheater-like formations glow brilliantly at sunrise and sunset, making it a photographer’s dream. Winter blankets the park in snow, adding even more magic to its landscape.
You can stroll along the Queen’s Garden Trail or Navajo Loop Trail to meet rock “sculptures” with names like Thor’s Hammer, or snowshoe through silent, frost-dusted amphitheaters in winter when the park transforms into a popular spot for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
5. Zion National Park, Utah
Best for: Canyoneering cred
Carved by the Virgin River, Zion, meaning “holy place,” is a fitting name for this park with dramatic landscapes that loom almost like the walls of a cathedral, creating imposing 2,000–3,000-foot orange-red sandstone cliffs and narrow slot canyons — the canyon’s layered sedimentary rock reveals 230 million years of geological history.
Whether you’re tackling the thigh-burning Angels Landing hike (chains included!) for adrenaline-pumping views or venturing through The Narrows, where the Virgin River squeezes through 2,000-foot-high rock walls, this park offers a surreal blend of beauty and adventure. With trails for hikers, horseback riders, and bicyclists, there’s no shortage of ways to explore. Moreover, wildlife enthusiasts will be glad to know that the park hosts peregrine falcons, California condors, and mountain lions.
Pro tip: Avoid midday crowds—early birds get the best light.
Point to be noted: Both Angels Landing and The Narrows’ top-down hike require permits.
4. Yosemite National Park, California
Best for: Granite glory
With towering granite cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and ancient sequoia groves, Yosemite, which is home to the highest waterfall in North America, is a paradise for climbers and photographers alike.
With over 750 miles of trails winding through meadows, forests, and alpine lakes and 95% of the park designated as wilderness, there’s no shortage of recreational opportunities, including climbing, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing, and ice skating.
You can hike to the top of Half Dome, rock climb El Capitan, or simply bask in the beauty of Yosemite Falls. If you time your visit properly, in spring, you can see Yosemite Falls thunder or watch the icy trails turn the valley into a snow globe during winter.
3. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Best for: Existential awe
No photo can prepare you for the Grand Canyon’s sheer scale and majesty — this natural wonder stretches 277 miles through Arizona. Carved by the relentless Colorado River over millions of years, the park’s layered red rock formations are a geological masterpiece — a testament to nature’s power and beauty.
This immense gorge stretches across northwestern Arizona, offering breathtaking vistas from the South and North Rims. The exposed layers of sediment display warm pink, brown, red, and gold hues. Whether you’re hiking the South Rim, taking a mule ride, rafting through its depths, or simply gazing out at its grandeur, the Grand Canyon offers an experience that’s as humbling as it is exhilarating.
Pro Tip: Descend the Bright Angel Trail to feel those nearly two billion-year-old rock layers tower overhead, or raft the Colorado River for a ground-floor perspective.
2. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Best for: Geothermal theater*
Imagine stepping into a world where geysers erupt like clockwork, technicolor hot springs shimmer, and wildlife roam free. This fantastical-sounding, Narnia-like landscape is none other than the world’s first National Park, Yellowstone.
And you can never get enough of absorbing the park’s various landscapes, be it the rugged mountains or its serene valleys (when they are not bison-jammed, that is).
From the iconic Old Faithful geyser to the psychedelic hot spring (that looks like it’s straight out of Avatar), known as the Grand Prismatic Spring, and an abundance of wildlife including bison, elk, and grizzly bears, this OG geothermal wonderland (the park sits atop a super volcano) is a bucket-list destination for nature lovers. The park spans three states (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho) and is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee, North Carolina)
Best for: Biodiversity bragging rights
Straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited park in the U.S., and for good reason. With over 20,000 documented species, including a large black bear population, it’s a biodiversity hotspot.
The Smokies enchant with mist-covered peaks and lush forest, and autumn transforms the park, when the leaves turn red and gold and the ancient, eroded mountains turn into a kaleidoscope of colors, while its scenic drives and tranquil waterfalls make it perfect for all ages.
You can take in the views from Kuwohi (formerly Clingman’s Dome), the highest point in the park, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway (this scenic drive is not part of the park itself but connects to it) for foggy vistas, chase waterfalls, spot black bears in Cades Cove, or hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail — and there will still be more to explore!