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15 U.S. National Parks for the Savvy Traveler
PHOTO BY 2009FOTOFRIEND/SHUTTERSTOCK; TOBIN AKEHURST/SHUTTERSTOCK; SORBIS/SHUTTERSTOCK; IACOMINO FRIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
Savvy out travelers know a great deal of preparation and planning is involved to create the perfect National Parks vacation. Yes, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks are bucket list parks worthy of a visit at least once in a lifetime, but how worthwhile is the experience? How much travel is involved to get there and once you’re inside? Are you able to appreciate the park's natural beauty or are the crowds reminiscent of a theme park on a summer weekend? And finally, how much will it cost to book a hotel room or campsite in the area?
With this real world criterion in mind, the travel blog Travel Lemming has reviewed each National Park in the U.S. to determine which is the best for seasoned travelers.
Rather than picking the prettiest, most well-known, or the most visited park in the system, Travel Lemming instead compiled data from a number of sources including the U.S. National Park Service, other travel sites, and publicly available information. Included in their research were how crowded the park is and how close is the nearest airport. It also looked at user reviews and the area's lodging cost. They even included the park’s biodiversity.
California has the most parks included on the list at five, Florida has the next most at two, and no other state has more than one park on the list. You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
Here are the Top 15 National Parks for Seasoned Travelers.
15. Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona
PHOTO BY IACOMINO FRIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
30th Least Crowded
9th Best Reviewed
38th Best Weather
38th Most Affordable
35th Most Accessible
5th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
13. Kenai Fjords National Park – Alaska (TIE)
PHOTO BY MIKE REDWINE/SHUTTERSTOCK
12th Least Crowded
1st Best Reviewed
53rd Best Weather
37th Most Affordable
24th Most Accessible
25th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
13. Cuyahoga Valley National Park – Ohio (TIE)
PHOTO BY WILDNERDPIX/SHUTTERSTOCK
59th Least Crowded
34th Best Reviewed
23rd Best Weather
13th Most Affordable
2nd Most Accessible
21st Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
12. Redwood National Park – California
PHOTO BY 2009FOTOFRIENDS/SHUTTERSTOCK
28th Least Crowded
9th Best Reviewed
23rd Best Weather
29th Most Affordable
42nd Most Accessible
20th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
11. Great Smokey Mountains National Park – Tennessee, North Carolina
PHOTO BY BETTY SHELTON/SHUTTERSTOCK
54th Least Crowded
1st Best Reviewed
23rd Best Weather
52nd Most Affordable
15th Most Accessible
1st Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
10. Channel Islands National Park – California
PHOTO BY DONALD PADGETT
17th Least Crowded
45th Best Reviewed
1st Best Weather
47th Most Affordable
22nd Most Accessible
13th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
9. Death Valley National Park – California
PHOTO BY BILL PERRY/SHUTTERSTOCK
11th Least Crowded
32nd Best Reviewed
21st Best Weather
39th Most Affordable
20th Most Accessible
19th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
8. Mammoth Cave National Park – Kentucky
PHOTO BY KO ZATU/SHUTTERSTOCK
49th Least Crowded
45th Best Reviewed
14th Best Weather
5th Most Affordable
16th Most Accessible
8th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
7. Big Bend National Park – Texas
PHOTO BY STANLEY FORD/SHUTTERSTOCK
13th Least Crowded
19th Best Reviewed
10th Best Weather
20th Most Affordable
55th Most Accessible
12th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of Travel Lemming's 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
6. Everglades National Park – Florida
PHOTO BY SORBIS/SHUTTERSTOCK
14th Least Crowded
57th Best Reviewed
1st Best Weather
27th Most Affordable
5th Most Accessible
16th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
4. Sequoia National Park – California (TIE)
PHOTO BY GARY SAXE/SHUTTERSTOCK
25th Least Crowded
19th Best Reviewed
10th Best Weather
16th Most Affordable
28th Most Accessible
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
4. Kings Canyon National Park – California (TIE)
PHOTO BY BLUE BARRON PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
18th Least Crowded
34th Best Reviewed
14th Best Weather
3rd Most Affordable
29th Most Accessible
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
3. Biscayne National Park – Florida
PHOTO BY NYKER/SHUTTERSTOCK
31st Least Crowded
45th Best Reviewed
1st Best Weather
4th Most Affordable
4th Most Accessible
30th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
2. North Cascades National Park – Washington
PHOTO BY TOBIN AKEHURST/SHUTTERSTOCK
7th Least Crowded
9th Best Reviewed
38th Best Weather28th Most Affordable
18th Most Accessible
2nd Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
1. Shenandoah National Park – Virginia
PHOTO BY PHOTO BY JON BILOUS/SHUTTERSTOCK
40th Least Crowded
19th Best Reviewed
23rd Best Weather
2nd Most Affordable
7th Most Accessible
6th Most Biodiverse
You can read the entire list of 63 National Parks and their rankings at travellemming.com.
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Donald Padgett
Managing Editor at OutTraveler. Also write for Out, The Advocate, and Plus magazines.
Managing Editor at OutTraveler. Also write for Out, The Advocate, and Plus magazines.