Shae’s Top 5 US National Parks (That We Visited)

I would’ve loved to prioritize visiting all of the National Parks – I’m a big fan of having a challenge or a goal to meet. But, we did get to see so many amazing parks on our 7 year, 50 state road trip that I certainly can’t complain. I’ve tried to not read Stephen’s post (I normally read everything he writes) because I didn’t want my choices to be influenced by his opinions.

As he mentioned in his post though, there is one park that I’d LOVE to visit, no matter the cost, and that is Dry Tortugas National Park. It just looks incredible. I’d also really like to get back to Alaska to go to Katmai National Park – the home of Fat Bear Week. But, for now, here are the parks we visited and my top five!

The US National Parks We Visited

We visited almost 40 of the 63 National Parks in the United States. Here’s the list of the parks that we did visit; these are in alphabetical order rather than in order of preference:

• Acadia (Maine)
• Arches (Utah)
• Badlands (South Dakota)
• Big Bend (Texas)
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado)
• Bryce Canyon (Utah)
• Canyonlands (Utah)
• Capitol Reef (Utah)
• Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico)
• Channel Islands (California; only I visited this one as I went there with a friend)
• Congaree (South Carolina)
• Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio)
• Denali (Alaska)
• Everglades (Florida)
• Gateway Arch (Missouri)
• Glacier (Montana)
• Grand Canyon (Arizona)
• Grand Teton (Wyoming)
• Great Basin (Nevada)
• Haleakalā (Hawaii)
• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes (Hawaii)
• Hot Springs (Arkansas)
• Joshua Tree (California)
• Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)
• Mesa Verde (Colorado)
• New River Gorge (West Virginia)
• Olympic (Washington)
• Petrified Forest (Arizona)
• Redwood (California)
• Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
• Saguaro (Arizona)
• Sequoia (California)
• Shenandoah (Virginia)
• Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota)
• White Sands (New Mexico)
• Yellowstone (Wyoming)
• Zion (Utah)

My Top 5 US National Parks (That We Visited)

1) White Sands National Park

People would always ask on the road trip, “what’s your favorite National Park been?” and my answer was always White Sands National Park. Looking over the list now, I might have one or two that would fight for the top spot since we went to White Sands in April 2021. But, honestly? The memories I have of that day are so perfect and special, that in addition to it being a very cool National Park AND one of the most dog-friendly National Parks, it was just the best which is probably what’s solidified it in my mind as my favorite.

The gypsum sand that doesn’t heat up is incredibly cool… no pun intended. I grew up by the beach so I’m used to really hot sand, especially when we had an oil spill nearby and our sand turned black for a number of years, so being able to enjoy sand while also not burning yourself was a real highlight.

That’s not to say you can take it easy with hydration. White Sands National Park was one of the hottest hikes we did and we only went so far before we had to turn back. We weren’t equipped for a full hike in the desert heat, even with the cool sand below our feet.

The fact that it was all dog-friendly and Truffles could really enjoy all the areas of the park was just the icing on the cake. Every moment of our day at White Sands was special and I’m so glad we went there. It’s a highlight not only of the road trip, but my entire life, when I look back on that day.

2) Denali National Park

Other than the fact that Truffles couldn’t come to Denali National Park, this was another day that sticks out in my memory as a perfect road trip day. We stayed in a great Airbnb nearby, only had to drive 20 minutes to the park entrance (which is usually unheard of) and it was a clear day. That in itself makes our day at Denali National Park special since the mountain of Denali is only visible 5% of the year.

Stephen and I went on a beautiful hike that was both challenging and enjoyable.

However, I was on the hunt for pika – the adorable rodents that live in the rocks in alpine regions – and I finally saw one before we left. I went back the next morning, made possible by that short drive to the park from our Airbnb, and spent a few hours being surrounded by the adorable pika. I could hear them before I could see them, but ultimately I ended up having the best time spotting them all over the rock face.

Add in getting to learn all about the sled dogs of Denali National Park and the entire experience was so memorable that the park had to be in my top five.

3) Arches National Park

Arches National Park is in my top five because of its red rock and incredible formations and scenery. I enjoyed all of the 5 Utah National Parks, but Arches was by far my favorite.

As I mentioned before, I grew up by the ocean and have always considered myself a beach girl. That was the case until I saw the desert. I’m obsessed with the desert now. I think it’s one of the most serene and beautiful landscapes in the world. Add in the beautiful red rock that can be found throughout the Southwest of the USA and I could happily live there.

Learning about how the arches were formed, hiking to different locations and its proximity to the cute little town of Moab made Arches National Park a standout for me.

4) Channel Islands National Park

My friend Mary and I spent a day at Channel Islands National Park in 2021 for her 40th birthday. The boat ride out, the incredible (albeit hot) hike and the small island fox population made this a top five National Park for me.

We saw a ton of dolphins/porpoises on the way out to the islands; not that they’re that special when you’ve grown up by the ocean, but you know I love the wildlife so any chance to see them brings me joy.

We went on a 10 mile hike of the island, relaxed for lunch by a shipwreck and dipped our toes in the cold ocean water at the end.

A highlight for me though was the Island Fox population. The foxes on the Channel Islands are naturally smaller than their mainland counterparts due to a smaller area to roam, different food sources and potential predators. This is similar to the Key West deer. They do love a snack so you have to keep ahold of your bags; between them and the ravens, they’ll try to see what sneaky treats they can escape with.

5) Gateway Arch National Park

We experienced so much natural beauty throughout the National Park system that it feels strange to choose a manmade park for my top five. That being said, the history and experience of Gateway Arch National Park and the experience of visiting St. Louis, Missouri edges it towards the top for me.

Originally an homage to westward expansion and the idea of Manifest Destiny, Gateway Arch National Park has done a great job of fully informing visitors about the problematic history around Jefferson and his commissioning of the Lewis and Clark expedition and all of the westward colonization that happened as a result. It has excellent exhibits and is well laid out.

The Gateway Arch experience itself is really interesting; to learn about its construction and how it works using technology of a Ferris wheel, escalator, and elevator is incredible. The views from the top, on a clear day, are unmatched.

The dog-friendly grounds and the beauty of the arch no matter the time of day also impacted on my love of this National Park and why overall it just makes it into my top five National Parks.

Honorable Mentions

There were too many amazing National Parks, so to try and just pick five feels impossible. Here are few of my honorable mentions in no particular order.

The Grand Canyon

I know – the quintessential National Park and giant hole in the ground – but Grand Canyon National Park is the National Park I’ve had the opportunity to visit the most times and it never fails to impress me.

We first visited it as we moved across the country to California in 2009. We visited again in 2016. Over the road trip I think we went at least four more times together and I went on my own. The final time we visited together was 2022 when I was training for RAGBRAI and the 20 mile cycle that we did together is one of my favorite memories from that year.

Bryce Canyon National Park

I met friends in the UK who said they preferred Bryce Canyon over the Grand Canyon and I have to agree. The hoodoos (rock formations) are so incredible and more of that red desert rock that I love made it hard not to include Bryce in my top five, but with Arches just edging it out I felt it still needed an honorable mention because it’s a fantastic national park.

Hot Springs National Park

Arkansas was a surprising state. There was so much to it that I loved and it had a lot of natural beauty. But one of the more “man-made” National Parks still left me with special feelings about it.

Besides the fun they have at St. Patrick’s Day, the history of the Hot Springs and the bath houses there were fascinating. Drinking the spring water, hiking around the town and visiting the historic bath house that’s the visitor center made for a really amazing few days there.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Even though we missed the live eruptions at Kīlauea by ONE DAY, our drive around Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park was very memorable. We’ve had the opportunity to see volcanic rocks and locations around the US and the world, but there’s something unique about being on an island made by volcanoes and seeing the day-to-day impact of living somewhere with so much of the geologic phenomenon.

Final Thoughts

In addition to these amazing National Parks, I probably could’ve found a reason to put all of them in my top five. The bats at Carlsbad Caverns, the trees both alive and past in the Petrified Forest or Redwood Forest National Parks. The dark skies of Big Bend or the figures of the Saguaro cactus that only grow in the Sonoran Desert region. The wildlife of Rocky Mountain or Theodore Roosevelt National Parks. But, I feel good about my selection and my honorable mentions.

I also could’ve posted about many of the other sites that are run by the National Park Service and maybe we’ll do a future post about them since there are over 350 other locations that aren’t designated as National Parks that still deserve a visit to get a wide ranging picture of the history and geography of the United States of America.

When you’re in the moment, especially with the fast travel we did (rather than staying in a place for months at a time), it’s easy to forget how many amazingly spectacular places you’ve seen across the United States. We’re so fortunate to have a wealth of public lands that are still, currently, protected from development. I encourage you to support your National Parks and Public Lands for future generations.