What National parks have you been to? What was your favorite? What was the worst?Where do you want to go next?Yellowstone for best, Gateway Arch for worse (durr), Big Bend for Next
>>2645239Smoky Mountain NP is mega cozy. It can be surprisingly empty. The last time I went was the first weekend of fall and I didn’t see anyone for two days of my hike. Zion was uncomfortably crowded. Grand Canyon was crowded but didn’t feel as bad. Everglades is probably the most unique. The dock campsites are pretty cool.
this is now a hijacked threadwhat national forests and state forests have you been to? which was your favorite?
highly recommend Big Bend. Last time I went in November and swam across the Río Grande, hiked a bit into Mexico. I even saw a Mexican dude in a Sombrero with a donkey that looks exactly like picrel. I guess the stereotype is accurate sometimes. Oh also the park is great.
>>2645239Yosemite is pretty but way overpopulated. Highly recommend Lassen Volcanic, super high elevation, and the mountain air is really clean.
I need to step up my gameOlympic NP is my highest priority to get to somedayRedwood, Grand Canyon, Mammoth Cave, and Denali are the rest of the Top 5
>>2645249I've driven through Ottawa and Chequamegon-NicoletOttawa was more impressive
>>2645239Been to>Petrified Forest>Carlsbad Caverns>Big Bend>Yellowstone>Indiana Dunes>Gateway Arch (lol)Favorite was Petrified Forest.
>>2645351Forgot to mention Badlands, also a great park
I'm from the northeast where there are no nearby national parks. I only ever been to Joshua Tree one day when I visited California.
>>2645239Eastern Candanon here:My favs:Canyonlands (both Island in the sky and needles), Do Arches in betweenBryceYellowstone, worth 5+ daysGreat Basin (a pleasant surprise)Worst but not bad:Shenandoah, no so different from Canada, Smoky is better but more crowdedNext:Glacier as a destination but probably Indiana Dunes as a stop on the way.
>>2645300Coconino (AZ) around flagstadff and Sedona is probably my favManti-La Sal(UT) is close secondBridger-Teton (WY),Ashley (UT),Bighorn (SD), driven through onlyDixie (UT) should camp next time,Kaibab (AZ),Francis Marion (SC), beh so many mosquitoesGeorge Washington, (VI)
>>2645239US:North Cascades, Olympic, Mt Rainier, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Lassen, Sequoia, Death Valley, Great Basin, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton Canada:Banff, Jasper, Glacier, Kootenay
>>2645337>>2645351>gateway arch national parki never heard of this until now. why does it get to be considered a national park instead of a monument or historical park or something more appropriate?
>>2646038Probably different funding model that the politicians from the area favored over other designations. Politics often play a significant role in how these federal entities are created. Just look at Tuskegee National Forest, which is just over 11k acres. It doesn't fit into the normal national forest criteria but it was created for political reasons.
Been To:Acadia, Gateway Arch, Great Smokey Mountains, Mammoth CaveCarlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Big Bend, Guadalupe MountainsMesa Verde, Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the GunnisonArches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, ZionDeath Valley, Joshua Tree, Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Petrified ForestLeast favorite: Gateway ArchMost favorite: Can't single one out, but Bryce and Canyonlands are up thereMost beautiful: Bryce hands downOverrated: Big Bend, Mammoth Cave, Joshua TreeUnderrated: Capitol Reef
>>2645239>What National parks have you been to?Too many to name>What was your favorite? Biscayne was easily my favorite for the diving. I also have fond memories of swimming at Acadia as a kid. Canyonlands was my favorite in Utah because of the relative solitude vs. Zion/Bryce/Arches. Didn't spend much time at Capitol Reef. >What was the worst?Great Smoky Mountains because of the crowds. Even in the middle of the week during shoulder season, the traffic was horrible. People were fighting over parking spots at Clingman's Dome and the overflow of cars at the Alum Cave / Mt. Le Conte trailhead was so bad that I didn't even bother stopping. Besides that, Cuyahoga Valley was meh and Gateway Arch is what it is. >Where do you want to go next?One of the more remote parks in Alaska, the PNW, or Upper Midwest. Leaning towards Alaska's Wrangell St. Elias (America's largest national park) next summer with all the vacation time I've accrued. >>2645249Again, too many to name. Monongahela was my favorite and Daniel Boone (Red River Gorge) was pretty cool with all the natural arches. I'm expecting Chugach to blow my mind if I go there next summer.
>>2646040you could be generally right but national forests and national parks are managed by entirely different gov entities (USDA vs DOI)
>>2646050I love the monongahela too! Where did you go? I briefly went to red river gorge, I have to go back, but my favorite part of that area is pine mountain and the eastern ky/va border, and extreme southern wv is super pretty too but there's very little public land and its mostly geared towards ATVs, not hiking>>2646075they both suck donkey dickfucking boomers don't give a fuck, hope they all die soon, the trails are typically in poor shape, signage is shit, fire towers are broken and abandoned, roads are awful, fuck them so hard
>>2646077bro go to bed
>>2645239Been to Badlands, Gateway Arch (doesn't count), Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier, Olympic, and Crater LakeGlacier was my favorite because of all the great hikes, but Yellowstone was probably the most beautiful, hard to compare reallyNext I'm aiming to go to Yosemite or Mount Rainer, depends on the roadtrip I plan
>>2646077Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, Spruce Knob, North Fork Mountain, Seneca Creek, plus a few state parks just outside the MNF. I want to do the via ferrata climb at Nelson Rocks next since it's a unique experience in the eastern US. The Red was so interesting that I went back for a 2nd time on the same trip. Definitely go when you get a chance because there's a lot to explore (and climb if you're into that).
>>2646038>The area surrounding the arch was redesignated as the "Gateway Arch National Park" (a national park) in 2018. This change has been controversial due to the nature of the site ("national parks" typically involve significant natural landscapes and significant opportunities for nature recreation, whereas sites that have primarily historical and architectural significance are usually given other NPS designations). Several publications noted that the addition of Gateway Arch as a national park eroded the significance associated with the "national park" designation, and some suggested that the change was made in order to promote tourism rather than to conserve a nature area.>It is the smallest national park in the United States at 91 acres (37 ha), less than 2% the size of the next-smallest, Hot Springs National Park.Yeah there's some grass to walk around on but calling it a NP is a load of shit. I've been there; just outside the "park" is a massive interstate interchange and a run-down industrial area, typical National Park stuff.
>>2646050Explain this picture
>>2646663Worst exif data ever. It’s the ramp at Clingmans Dome in early fall. One of the most popular attractions in the most popular park during the most popular time of year, and there’s a single other person.
>>2646663Australia
>>2645239Ive done 21 of them..I dont need anymore
>>2645239National parks are jewy shitholes, fuckum.Its literally the usa way of taking over the most beautiful places and turn them into hell.
>>2646698
>>2646663How long did you wait for people to clear out of that shot?Google Street View imagery paints a whole different picture.
>>2645245smokies you need to get out of the main tourist area. the southern most part of the at and surrounding trails are great bc theyre a bitch to get to for day hikers.>>2645245chikees are awesome. grew up fishing in the everglades and since moved. my dad goes with friends and stays on them for a week plus going out and fishing in the day. extremely jealous. gonna do wilderness waterway trip one year
i ended up on mt ranier the day they quietly reopened from covid. went up to pradis. only saw one other non worker the whole time.
>>2645239>ShenendoahEither bike the entire parkway or do this loop: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/shenandoah-national-park-loop in a day in mid October and you will have done the entire park> Grand CanyonBeen once in the winter and going back to do the R2R2R in a day. It is a must see, it is literally the largest thing I've ever seen in my life and you can't describe it in words. Best times to go to hike in the Rim are April and November> Pinnacles Small park with some cool rock climbing and volcanic structures, worth a long day hike if you are in the area, fairly unique climate among the parks> Mount RainierBeen multiple when I was super young and climbed it this summer. Mount Rainier is the "biggest" mountain I've ever seen in the lower 48. It just keeps going up and if I wanted to go again I would backpack the Wonderland trail in September> Olympic Went twice this summer for two day hikes, one short, one long. Literal cold rainforests. It has everything and great backcountry and mountaineering opportunities. I really want to go back to peakbag the area, it is just so vast and untamed. > Rocky MountainWent twice, once for a climbing course with my school and once on Columbus day weekend to climb Longs Peak. Phenomenal. Has some of the best climbing in CO (The diamond is the Rocky's equal of the Yosemite big wall climbs) not to mention the hiking and the ski touring and such. I would live there in a heart beat, Estes is a nice town. It does get really crowded though but you just need to get away from the drives and easy hikes like everywhere else. >WantsTeton (for climbing)Yosemite (for climbing, I'm not good enough yet so I'm holding off)North Cascades (for climbing)Sequoia and Kings Canyon (backpacking and climbing)Great Smokies (peakbagging to finish the SB6K, can not stand the permit and backpacking rules)Literally anything in Alaska
Fuck national parks what's your favorite state park?
>>2647018Rare great post. Strongly recommed getting Glacier on your radar
>>2647018I live in the Midwest but I've vacationed to Estes Park/RMNP six different times and I would do a seventh, eighth, ninth at the drop of a hat.
>>2647065Baxter and Custer are the only state parks that matter
>>2645337Mammoth cave is incredible in the cave system, huge recommendation. It feels otherworldly in there. The topside part is pretty boring for camping though to be honest.
>>2647166On a national scale sure. But there are plenty of great smaller state parks.
>>2647090Interested as my final stop for a full Montana trip, I haven't gone because I want to do as much of Montana as possible with that trip. I've only hiked Trapper Peak and while it was incredible. Best time of year? Is there any fall foliage and what are the good rarer climbs?
>>2647122It's just such a good park. It doesn't anything crazy unique like Yosemite or Grand Canyon but it feels like such a great summary of the Rockies with the climbing and scrambing and the skiing and hiking and mix of alpine and scrub. I'm def gonna go back if I ever live in the area, I saw blitzen ridge, petit grepon, and hallett peak and I'm not good enough for those yet but just that one park can have such amazing everything.
>>2645239I live in the void in the midwest where every square inch of land is corn boomer turf and there's nowhere to go /out/ wat do
>>2647245drive further
>>2647246I guess I need a car that isn't 20 years old and falling apart then RIP
>>2645239none. i won't become a missing person thank you
>>2647247trade it in for one that's 15 years old and only slightly falling apart
>>2647242I live 90 minutes southish of Glacier, we've been in our fall colors for a few weeks now though it's been really picking up the past week or so. There's a ton of fall foliage, the underbrush turns yellow/orange/red and we have quaking aspen, cottonwoods, and the beautiful western larch. All three of those trees turn lovely shades of yellow. The cottonwoods go first, then the aspen, and the larches take the longest to turn but are the most impressive. They're just now starting to turn chartreuse at the tops. Planning for high altitude hikes/backpacking needs forethought, I'm at 4500 ft and it's getting to the high 30s at night here already and we will be getting snow soon. Glacier in the fall is amazing though, I went through it the other weekend on a whim and am planning on nipping back up there in a week or two to check out the foliage and lack of tourists. Be sure to dedicate enough time to the park, it has a habit of catching people by surprise and people not having adequate time to explore.
>>2647018Went on a road trip with my ex a few years back to the Grand Canyon. Stopped by meteor crator attraction along the trip. For some reason I had this idea that the Grand Canyon was going to be a let down. But I was totally wrong, was shocked at how amazingly beautiful it was, totally exceeded expectations. Stayed there for longer than planned, 2+ weeks. Met a nice older Canadian French lady from Quebec who politely asked to share our campground space that we were paying for. She was solo travelling by herself fulfilling some bucket list type goals. After leaving GC we drove through Utah and camped a bit but unfortunately didnt go to Zion or Canyonlands, one of my regrets but we were moving through Utah with haste to get to Colorado, wanting to get to Rocky Mountain National Park before it got too cold. Rocky Mountain was almost as good as the GC but in different ways. Wildlife everywhere and we got lucky and had a secluded mountain view from our camp spot. Really want to see Acadia in Maine and Glacier, and make the Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip too. Will have to revisit Utah again too sometime in the future
>>2645239List of parks I've been too in order of best to worst>Black Canyon of the Gunnison>Big Bend>Yellowstone>Grand Teton>Everglades>Utah Parks fall hereish>Great Sand Dunes>Rocky Mountain>Great Smokey>Badlands>Shenandoah>Grand Canyon>Mesa Verde>New River gorge (haven't been since it got park designation)Yellowstone & Grand Teton would be top 2 if it wasn't for all the fucking people there. By far the best thing about black canyon and big bend is the sense of solace.
>>2645249>Bridger Teton and Jedidiah Wilderness
>>2649285why did you rank new river gorge worst? what trails did you do?>shenandoah ranking higher than the grand canyonwat
>>2649287I used to guide on the New back in the day. It's a cool place, but feel like it was fine being a national River/ forest designation. Ill admit, i didn't spend much time in Grand Canyon, but it really didn't do much for me. It was after 3 weeks in the Utah parks though so I may have been burnt out on the desert landscape. Shenandoah is legit
>>2645239In order of enjoyment:>Denali>Glacier Bay>Teton>Voyageurs>Big Bend>Glacier>Wind Cave>Cascades>Capitol Reef>Kenai>Katmai>Arches>Gunnison>Grand Canyon>Redwood>Smokies>Acadia>Yellowstone>Yosemite>Badlands>Rockies>Bryce>Zion>Carlsbad>Mesa Verde>Hot Springs>Indiana Dunes>White SandsMy list is heavily influenced by when I went to each. Yellowstone sucked total ass the few days I was there before Labor Day since it was jam packed with idiots. After Labor Day it improved greatly. Yosemite was similarly packed the whole time I was there.If they hadn't covered these things with roads and parking lots so boomers could drive their RVs right up to the sights, they'd all be better.
i've been to Olympic, Rainier, N Cascades,Glacier Bay, Glacier, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Great Basin, Redwoods, Crater Lake, Zion, and LassenBest: OlympicRunner Up: Glacier/Glacier BayWorst: none theyre all good (Yellowstone and Redwoods were busy as fuck)Underrated: Great Basin
itt: unironic rich boomers who want to show off
>>2649285this man doesn't go very far from parking lots
