The U.S. National Parks are a great travel destination for any outdoor enthusiast or anyone who wants to see stunning views. My family has visited 10 of them, and they have been some of the most breathtaking locations I have ever visited. I even have a National Parks passport where I can get a stamp at every park (I’m trying to hit them all). These are my top 3 favorite National Parks that I have visited so far in my quest to complete them all.
#3 Acadia National Park, Maine
This park holds a very special place in my heart. It is the closest to my hometown and was my very first National Park. I love that this park, unlike some others I have been to, has a very developed town near it. Bar Harbor, Maine, is a quaint small town, although it doesn’t feel very small in peak tourist season when almost 2 million people visit! Bar Harbor gives visitors a great place to have a bit of a pint and relax after a long day in the park with great restaurants and bars.
Despite the heavy foot traffic, this park offers a unique experience of the ocean and mountains. You can hike right from a sandy beach to the summit of a mountain. Additionally, within Acadia is Cadillac Mountain, where you can watch America’s first sunrise of the day! If you have plans to visit Acadia National Park, I would highly recommend a stop for lunch or high tea at Jordan’s Pond restaurant located within the National Park. It has a delicious menu with unbeatable views. Overall, Acadia holds a very special place in my heart, and I am excited to continue exploring this massive park.
#2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an absolutely stunning park to drive through. It is easy to see how it got its name with the dense fog blanketing the park every day, creating breathtakingly beautiful views of purple mountains and white clouds. The Smoky’s have tons of great towns to stay in near the park entrance, many of which are certainly… untraditional, to say the least. This past summer, I visited the Smoky’s for the second time and stayed in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. If you have never heard of this town, I urge you to look it up, it will shock you. The beautiful natural mountain vistas are juxtaposed against the (purposefully) upside-down buildings, wax museums, year-round Christmas markets, and even a life-sized replica of the Titanic. This place is certainly very wacky and gives you a nice break after a long day hiking or swimming in the many swimming holes in the park.
This park is also amazing for animal lovers. During my recent summer stay, I saw a pack of Elk slowly crossing the road in front of me. The animals were so majestic to look at, and I walked right up to our car, coming inches from my window! It was a surreal experience that made this park one of my favorites. If you are thinking of going to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I would recommend driving the main road in the morning for the best foggy views and to beat the crowd.
#1 Zion National Park, Utah
Zion National Park in the desert hills of southwestern Utah gets its name from the first settlers who named it after the Biblical term Zion, which means utopia. When you visit this park, you immediately understand the name. The beautiful desert cliffs are dotted with greenery throughout, giving this park a sense of life in the otherwise dry and beige landscape. My favorite experience in any National Park was hiking the narrows of Zion. The narrows is the narrowest part of Zion Canyon, where hikers can wade through the clear waters of the Virgin River. The cliff sides can get narrower and narrower as you hike through the river, which never gets deeper than your mid-calves. If you are brave enough, you can journey through the inches wide canyon at the end.
Besides hiking the narrows, I would also recommend hiking Angels Landing. This is the heist peak of the park and is better suited for avid hikers. With narrow, cliffside trails to a stunning view at the end, this hike is definitely one for your bucket list. You are sure to find some deer or friendly lizards along the way, but watch out for cactus!