Comments on: All 63 US National Parks Ranked by Experts (Best to Worst)

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 05:36:37 +0000

It makes me sad that mammoth cave is always ranked so low on every list I’ve seen! There’s so much to do and see there even beyond the caves, but I get that caves aren’t for everyone. (Not to mention the amazing natural AC)

By: Susan Maloney

Susan Maloney — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:58:16 +0000

As an Indiana resident, it saddens me to see Indiana Dunes at the VERY bottom of the list. Very sad. I quite enjoy this park and while it's small I don't think that should disqualify it from National Park status. I agree with your ranking of Gateway Arch though. I think there should be a large "natural" component to be elevated to NP status. Also sad to see Cuyahoga Valley way at the bottom! Spent a good few days there back in high school and was one of my favorite trips. The train and biking were hits, as well as the waterfalls. Even though I disagree (heartily) with a couple of the rankings, I appreciate you making this list and bringing attention to the National Parks. And for explaining the difference between NP and other NPS units, which people often get confused about.

By: Joelle

Joelle — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 02:31:01 +0000

I absolutely loved Zion when I went, and I know it’s because I chose to visit for the first time during the off-season! Last winter, my husband and I went for his 30th birthday (his b-day is Dec 1st). It was stunning, and we hiked Angels Landing with no crowds! I don’t think we could go back any other time. We were far too spoiled with actually being able to soak it in and enjoy it.

By: Wes

Wes — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 02:27:25 +0000

In reply to Winkle. Where's Great Falls at?

By: Travis Hawkes

Travis Hawkes — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 05:02:31 +0000

I was disappointed that Arches National Park was ranked so long on this list simply because of how packed it gets. Sure it’s an inconvenience to wait in long lines just to get in to the park but you wait about 3 times as long to get into Yellowstone.

By: Will Pattiz

Will Pattiz — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:41:46 +0000

In reply to Ryan. Thanks Ryan! That's great feedback. Acadia is tricky because the overcrowding has such an impact. Jim lived in Maine the past few years and would visit the park frequently – the wild overcrowding was his experience. It's a stunning park with incredible opportunities that don't exist in any other park. I agree the Schoodic Penninsula is a great way to beat the crowds. We'll see what happens with Acadia this year and in the coming years with reservation systems becoming more in vogue. Best, Will

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 22:53:59 +0000

I really enjoy this list because of all the thought that goes into ranking different things about each park (crowds, scenery, etc.). I love Olympic as #1. For anyone who has visited the park at length and explored all its areas, this is not a hot take at all. It’s truly an incredible park and well worthy of #1.

I think it’s absolutely criminal how low you have ranked Acadia. I was there in both 2022 and 2019 during peak season (August/September) and I never felt like it was overcrowded. We had Beehive and Precipice (the two best trails/climbs/hikes in my opinion) all to ourselves! Plus, Bar Harbor is a really fun “gateway” town. Just because Bar Harbor is crowded I don’t think the National Park should suffer in rankings. I personally would put it in my top 10. I’ve been to 21/63 parks though so I do have some catching up to do to get to the level of you guys, but I needed to come here to defend Maine’s absolute gem of a park.

Additionally, the Schoodic Peninsula area is part of Acadia National Park. It’s stunning and it’s completely void of people – even during peak season. So if you do want total solitude, you can always go over to that part of the park. And last, it’s smaller size in this case is actually one of its strengths. It’s easy to navigate, great for families, and also a park where you don’t leave feeling this sense of longing that you didn’t have enough time to see everything. Acadia can be done in a nice, long weekend if you’re focused.

Looking forward to the 2025 update and hopefully my comment helps you rethink just one of your rankings. Have a great summer, boys!

By: Dave Raker

Dave Raker — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 01:55:16 +0000

Enjoyed the article. Since people differ so much in which criteria they think should get the most weight, maybe you could make the data available in a spreadsheet. That way, people could sort and filter the list to match their preferences. Just a thought.

By: Will Pattiz

Will Pattiz — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 13:42:38 +0000

In reply to Pat. Thanks Pat! It's been corrected :)

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 01:52:57 +0000

Small issue with the text for Yellowstone. It reads: “As a result, and despite its stunning beauty, we’ve dropped it to number 12 on our list of the best national parks in America ranked.” However, it is ranked #13.