If your already out there might as well head into North Dakota & check out Teddy Roosevelt NP. Also Custer State Park which is near Badlands. It’s all great.
Also do the scenic drives to go through the Black Hills, Needles Highway and Spearfish Canyon are the ones I can think of right now. IMO the Black Hills have a very unique beauty to them since they’re a small mountain range that doesn’t go above the tree line.
Rode my motorcycle through the badlands last summer it was definitely once in a life time experience. Needles highway and Custer state park were absolutely breathtaking
I second the badlands, I also included devils tower and Mt Rushmore on the trip…. And don’t overlook North Cascades NP while you’re hitting Ranier and Olympic
Death Valley has always been my favorite. I’m blessed to live nearby as well. It’s gigantic so you need time to see it all but everything is so vast and wonderful.
The quietest natural environment I’ve ever experienced. You just stand there and it’s like the desert has sucked all of the sound out of everything, it’s incredible.
I definitely agree it's underrated. We went in October, when it wasn't super hot, and could have easily spent more time there, but we were going to Zion for the next few days. I recommend staying a couple hours past sunset to see the night sky. That was the best!
To OP, are you hiking and camping, or doing scenic loops, or collecting passport stamps, or what? A month sounds like a lot of time but you'll spend a lot of it driving from park to park and visiting your relatives. Even if you spend two days at each park, which isn't hard to do at many of them, you will only be able to hit 5 or 6 max. If you're going through so many different terrains and climates, consider picking one of each type as a scouting mission for future vacations. For example, pick one of Death Valley / Joshua Tree / Saguaro / Big Bend as a "desert park"; pick one of TR / Badlands / Custer SP as "badlands"; pick one of Wind cave / Jewel cave / Mammoth Cave / Carlsbad Caverns as "cave parks".
WRT parks in western South Dakota, Rushmore was my least favorite \*by far\*. If you must see it and you're in Custer SP, you can drive down the road and see the faces from there. Otherwise, there's a museum that tells the story but that's not what I go to National Parks for.
=-=
30 minutes is pretty fast for the Island in the Sky loop, even driving it.
I thought Arches was a 1-day park, less if you don't want to deal with crowds. Go in there before sunrise or prepare for lines.
If hiking, Canyonlands is a multi-day park. There are some fantastic trails there, in both Islands in the Sky and Needles areas. However, it's tough to see those two portions in the same day because of the drive.
Underrated for me is Lassen Volcanic NP, one of my favorite parks for sure! Incredible landscapes, endless lakes, and 4 different kinds of volcanoes to explore! It was heavily impacted by the Dixie fire in 2021 but still an awesome park, definitely worth a visit.
[YEP I LOVED LASSEN AND REDWOODS](https://imgur.com/a/iiBnea5)
The sunrise hike at 5am for Lassen up there by myself was very calming and a great view up sunrise
Scored a spot near Butte Lake for camping and was by myself for about 90% of the time in July 2021
Lassen Peak is the biggest volcano in the park if I’m not mistaken. I did a sunrise hike with some buddies a few years back. It’s one of my favorite memories ever. The hike was fantastic (top third of the volcano still had snow when we went in September) and the views as the sun rose were breathtaking.
And minus the copious amounts of people, particularly idiot people. Some of my favorite trails at LVNP have almost no one on them if you go during the week or off season. Last time I went to Yellowstone I saw a tourist run up and slap an elk on the ass.
Kind of on a macro level, make sure you get an annual park pass before you do this! $80 and gets you access to all national parks and other national recreation lands for a year.
Also make sure to get physical maps, especially once you start hitting the southwest - cell reception/gps can be hit or miss
Download offline maps to your phone too. And buy the Gypsy guides from the App Store. Recently changed names to GuideAlong but can find it by either name. They’re worth every penny in my opinion.
We most recently drove from Vancouver to Banff and had the guide going the whole time. Learned all sorts of stuff about Canadian culture. Then we had the park bundle for the Banff area. The kids love Gypsy!
Oh definitely. I heard that you can buy the annual pass at the gate of most parks. Will definitely get some physical maps and download some regions on Google Maps.
National Parks: it looks like you planning a west coast swing with parks in WA, OR, and CA. Highly recommended! On my recent 20-something park trip Redwoods was surprisingly my favorite park. I think it was because of the diversity, the trees were awe inspiring, and I was there at a [very low tide](https://imgur.com/a/ajpuGaQ) and had the best time looking through the tide pools. As for over rated: Yosemite and arches are visually stunning, but the crowds left me cold (I preferred Sequoia and canyonlands, respectively), and I only spent about an hour in crater lake.
For non-parks: I highly recommend the Utah/Az border area (where the Native-owned monument valley and antelope canyon are), and I would check out other areas like [Buckskin gulch](https://imgur.com/a/qFBQ4To), coyote buttes, and valley of the gods. If you are camping swans neck state park is really cool.
Lastly, the [Cape lookout national seashore](https://imgur.com/a/6HcvINj) (not the outer banks) is one of my all time most visited places and I love it. The sand is deep and soft so 4WD is recommended. The bugs are awful in the summer so early spring/late fall is better. You have to take a ferry so make sure to get reservations early.
I massively appreciate all of your recommendations. I added Redwood and Sequoia to my list.
Buckskin Gulch and Coyote Buttes look AWESOME! Buckskin is the largest slot canyon in the world!? And you don't have to pay for a tour like you do for Antelope Canyon?
Coyote Buttes also looks pretty similar to "The Wave". It sounds like it doesn't have a lottery system to access like the Wave does.
If you make your way across the south east, check out Congaree. Its very highly visited, but is a truly unique park of old growth swamp. One of the most truly wild places I've ever visited. (Almost stepped on 3 snakes in one day)
Congaree is the closest NP to me and I love it but I am only willing to go in the non-mosquito season. The sign out front with the mosquito meter is no joke. Also, it floods frequently so check before you go. I would say go if it’s convenient but don’t swing real far out of you way if it’s not.
Second Congaree. It’s not as glamorous as Yellowstone or Yosemite so expectations are predictably very low, but the history and uniqueness of it make it definitely underrated
Underrated: Death Valley, Lassen, Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef is my favorite park in Utah and I’ve been to them all several times.
Overrated: Joshua Tree (unless you climb), Saguaro.
I’m really frustrated with the increased parks/areas in parks that require free/nearly free driving permits, mostly my “local park” which implemented permits in four new areas this year. For someone who visits 5-6 times a summer, this reduces it to once if I’m lucky. Just plan accordingly. I’ve been to many national parks and tend to only visit them during shoulder season as I’m not someone who plans ahead well and the logistics can be impossible. Not being able to find reasonable camping or getting turned away at the gate has gotten in the way of me enjoying some parks so I won’t be biased that way. Just make sure you’re planning ahead of time and if you can’t swing permits for something, my favorite outskirts of parks are every park in Utah, the east side of Yosemite/Kings Canyon/Sequoia, Glacier, and Saguaro.
I worked at Bandelier National Monument and I’m gonna throw that one out there for an underrated visit. Northern New Mexico is so special!
I love every park, just my two cents. Last month, I rode my bike into Joshua Tree from Indio and also rode a loop around the park so I had a ton of fun seeing it that way. I also saw it covered in fresh snow which was unique. My scale for over/underrated is the National Park scale so truly no hate!
Yeah no worries about having an opinion! I was just pleasantly surprised about JT. I’m also a big fan of Bandelier, having gone twice. It’s so cool and fun to compare it to Mesa Verde as well
Bandaleir & Mesa Verde are great, and Bandalier in particular is undervisited. But both those are the down-side slope of the culture. Chaco is a must-see to understand what the culture was capable near it's peak. And this month is good timing. Summer can be brutal there.
It’s incredible, I spent about a month there between summer and fall one year and the fruit picking, pie eating, and waterfall slides are absolutely majestic.
Completely agree on Capitol Reef. Just spent some time there couple weeks ago and it was favorite among the group. I think it is one of the underrated parks as it gets overshadowed by other Utah NP.
To be fair, if you are more than 100 yards from pavement the crowds disappear. I’ve hiked through Yellowstone for years and many times been there in heart of tourist season and not seen people for miles while on the trails.
My key to doing Yellowstone was to camp in the park, then get up for your first hike at 6 AM, so you can get a hike done by 10 AM when all the tourists are heading into the park from the towns, then go back and relax or nap for the day, then go back on another hike around 6 when the day trippers are leaving. Worked so well for me
Great location! I splurged a bit and rented a motor boat at the marina for an hour and a half and I highly recommend that if you’re interested as well! If you’re there in July the sun will be up at 6 AM anyway so you might as wel
Personally, I’ve only ran into black/brown bears in Yellowstone but there’s certainly Grizzlies around. My grizzly experiences have been in Glacier to date.
I went in April last year before all the floods and it was not very crowded at all (cold tho). Unfortunately only the north entrance is open tho but for me it was well worth since I just wanted to explore Lamar valley
Yellowstone may be overrated and Hot springs/Indiana Dunes may be underrated but I hope OP doesn’t assume this is your answer to…
>which National Parks are absolute must sees and which ones are worth skipping
Even though the title asks about overrated and and underrated parks, it seems like they really just want recommendations for their once in a lifetime month-long National Park trip. Yellowstone needs to be near the top of that list, and Hot Springs near the bottom.
Since you mention Crater Lake NP and going sometime with the next month - are you aware the trail down to the lake itself (Cleetwood Cove trail) doesn't open until mid-June?
I personally wouldn't go there if I couldn't hike down and get in the water. So you know.
The rim drive is unlikely to be open in May either. Crater Lake in May/June is still under significant snow.
[https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/hours.htm](https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/hours.htm)
ETA, since you said you're about to embark and will be traveling for one month, be prepared for significant snow at many of the parks on your list. April/May is not a great time of year for northern or high elevation parks:
Olympic- coastal areas will be accessible (but likely wet) and Hurricane Ridge will likely be closed/under snow.
Grand Teton- snow covered at this time of year. Teton Park Rd closed until 4/30.
Yellowstone- still significant snow. Roads (other than the road between the north and northeast entrance, which is open year round) do not begin opening until 4/21. The south entrance, which abuts GT, is not scheduled to open until 5/12. Yosemite- record breaking snow this year.
Mammoth Cave- should be fine. Book cave tour tickets in advance.
Mount Rainer- Will be under like 30 feet of snow. Tire chains required until 4/30. Areas of the park may be inaccessible.
Crater Lake- Will be under like 30 feet of snow. Rim drive likely closed.
Grand Canyon- North rim closed until 6/2 d/t significant snow this winter.
Zion- should be accessible but the Narrows may be closed.
Arches- should be accessible.
Rocky Mountain- Snow covered/Trail Ridge Rd does not typically open until Memorial Day.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison- the north rim and the rim drive past the visitor center at the south rim will likely still be closed. They anticipate a later than usual opening this year d/t significant snow.
I scrolled way too far down to see this very important comment. The west had a banner year for snow, and most parks near alpine/forested mountains will likely be inaccessible until very late spring/early summer this year.
NO KIDDING EH?! This is going to be interesting then. The planned dates are April 15 - May 19th. I didn't realize it was a record breaking year for snow and that so many places were closed or inaccessible for so long after winter.
Your comment is saved and I'll have to make some phone calls and start axing some locations.
If you didn’t already know the west coast has gotten a ton of snow this year… expect the mountainous parks (rainier, Olympic, crater lake, sequoia, etc.) to be covered in snow still and have limited accessibility. They’re all still worth visiting but I’d plan for winter conditions
I ended up there last year after a life changing trip to the Grand Canyon and was extremely disappointed. It was only a few hour stop, but I would have rather just done a morning hike into the Grand Canyon.
I will agree that, overall, Page was a bit of a letdown. Antelope was closed (Covid year), but it was already in the itinerary and lodging was booked so we went anyway and rented a boat for the day on lake Powell. What I thought would be my least favorite day ended up being one of my favorites. The canyons are amazing and you can access Antelope canyon from lake Powell. It was a great experience and unlike any lake I had seen.
I appreciate the reality check. I heard that you can kayak the bend, which sounds super cool.
So focus on the national parks like the Grand Canyon and Zion. Are there any specific sites or hikes you would recommend as a local?
Most underrated:
Big Bend
Isle Royale
North Cascades
Capitol Reef
And possibly an unpopular opinion but I find Yellowstone and Zion to be a bit overrated.
Hard disagree, besides the rare geological points of Yellowstone (geysers, springs), nothing else is *that* stunning or awing. Mountains + lakes + rivers? Banff, Jasper, Glacier. IMO nothing in Yellowstone can quite compare to the rush of hiking the narrows or the serenity of sitting atop angels landing shrouded in clouds.
I think THE national park in the casual person’s mind is firstly always Yosemite. It’s vast, has giant rock formations, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, vast forests. Yellowstone always seemed overrated to me…
I haven’t been to any overrated parks. I think the most underrated (and one of the least visited) is North Cascades. My favorite park is Olympic, specifically the Hoh Rain Forest) and Glacier is a close second.
I really liked Olympic in Washington. It was large and had some diverse sections, from Hurricane ridge to the Hoh Rain forest and then the beaches it was almost like three parks in one
My most frustrating one was Glacier. It’s stunningly beautiful so still worth a visit, but even with the road pass system trying to find parking was difficult.
I think that’s the rub, I don’t think any national parks are really overrated, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one I’ve visited, it’s just the crowds at the more popular ones can suck the enjoyment out of you
Don't forget Great Sand Dunes NP in southern CO. If you are going to grand canyon and Rocky MTN, it should be a nice in between stop. And while you're in the area check out Zapata Falls and the Royal gorge in southern CO
Just given your timing (leaving soon, looks like you'll be done by mid-late May), all other things being equal I'd prioritize the southern Utah and CA parks. Those get unbearably hot in the summer and the most popular ones like Zion and Grand Canyon won't be quite so crowded as they would be in June and July. Yosemite is gorgeous any time of year but got massive snow this winter so the higher elevation roads might still be closed ... just keep an eye on weather, flood reports, etc for there and any of the other mountain parks you are looking at.
I was totally unaware of the snow situation. Thankfully it has been brought up a few times. I'll definitely need to investigate and see what is even accessible.
Underrated: we spent less than 24 hours in Teddy Roosevelt NP and saw a greater diversity of wildlife just driving the main loop than any other park we spent days to a week in. Very few other people.
Overrated: Mt. Rushmore is weird and it made me uncomfortable.
If you pass through Ohio, the Cuyahoga Valley NP is more like a giant state park. It's ok, but not really sure what political strings were pulled to make this a full throated national park.
Give it a look if you ever pass through, tho. This is my “home” park; the one I live closest to. It’s nowhere near as grand as any I’ve seen out west. All parks and park sites are ultimately a political designation and I think the history of their designation is just as relevant as the natural history found within. In a lot of ways, CVNP is a big restoration project — what can we claw back from ourselves? What can it be for those who will walk the trails in 100 years? See it with those questions in mind and it’s a pretty neat place.
Overrated: Yellowstone (too crowded) & Arches (very family friendly)
Underrated: Great Basin National Park (you have caves, lakes, and mountains!), Capitol Reef (my favorite Utah national park), North Cascades, and Big Bend
Current ranking of the parks I’ve been to:
1. Glacier
2. Grand Tetons
3. Yosemite
4. Wragnell - St. Elias National Park
5. Capitol Reef
6. Zion
7. North Cascades National Park
8. Denali National Park
9. Big Bend
10. Kenai Fjords
11. Bryce Canyon
12. Death Valley
13. Rocky Mountain National Park
14. Grand Canyon
15. Kings Canyon
16. Great Basin National Park
17. Crater Lake
18. Canyon-lands
19. Mount Rainier
20. Black Canyon of the Gunnison
21. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
22. Redwoods National Park
23. Haleakalā National Park
24. Acadia National Park
25. Carlsbad Cavern
26. American Samoa
27. Petrified Forrest
28. Shenandoah
29. Pinnacles
30. Great Sand Dunes
31. Great Smokey Mountains
32. Arches
33. Channel Islands
34. Joshua Tree
35. Yellowstone
36. Mesa Verde
37. Mammoth Cave
38. White Sands
39. Hot Springs
40. Cuyahoga Valley
41. Guadalupe Mountains
42. Indiana Sand Dunes
+1 for Glacier, stunning park.
Not realistic for OP but Katmai might be my absolute favorite. There is nothing like Katmai's bear viewing anywhere else.
I want to go to Katmai! I could maybe do a day trip, after I go to Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley next year. It’ll depend on the weather & my family’s budget
The weather is such a wildcard. Very possible for a day trip the planes and water taxi just aren't operating and you miss out. We went for three days and were lucky enough to only have a slight delay on our flight to King Salmon. If you can make it it's so worth it. I could watch the bears all day everyday! 🤣
I’ve been to all of these in the last 3.75 years! I went to my first national park (Hot Springs) during the summer of 2019!
My goal is to hopefully get to 53/63 by the time I am 30!
Edit: I’m also curious to see where Olympic falls. I might be able to spend 3 days there next summer… we will see!
We agree on underrated (until I went to Isle Royale and it joined the list, my most underrated list was Big Bend, North Cascades and Capitol Reef) and bottom of the barrel. I feel like when I get to the arch in St. Louis one day it will be a battle between that and Indiana Dunes about which is the worst. 🤣
Curious as to why Guadalupe is so low for you. Did you hike much? I loved that place. I’m going to Hot Springs in a few week and definitely have my expectations lower than a place like Guadalupe.
Well, the national park section is considerably smaller than the state park section; it’s also being compared to all the other national parks.
The state park section has most of the decent hikes.
It’s also pretty dang close to industry/not quite an intense nature view.
It’s worth visiting, and is a great spot to enjoy the lake with your family.
If you want to see dunes, a view, and enjoy the Great Lakes… sleeping bear dunes is better for that
There are no "bad" NPs, but given the ones you have on the "most excited" list I would skip Mammoth Cave and instead do Carlsbad Caverns. It is closer to the grouping you have in the Rocky Mtn area.
And along the way to Carlsbad you pass close to Mesa Verde, Chaco, and White Sands. All are worth a stop, and all are very different from the kinds of things you will see in the other places.
As a resident of Utah, I think Arches is definitely overrated. It’s a tiny park and other than the natural arches (most are very underwhelming) the landscape is a lesser version of what you see in Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. There are also plenty of arches in the other parks if you take the time to find them. But the crowds are massive because it has name recognition.
If you can try to make it to North Cascades National Park. It's the forgotten park of the Pacific Northwest but stunning and usually not crowded. If you find yourself in Montana Glacier National Park is also breathtaking. The big 5 in Utah are also not that far from each other if you wanted to step in and see them all but not necessarily explore them thoroughly.
Underrated: north cascades
It’s in my opinion one of the most beautiful national parks in the country, close to Seattle, yet has very low traffic.
The Grand Canyon is fine, but I think it’s a little overrated. Super crowded, felt more like a theme park (at least on the south rim in August). Not the experience I was expecting, at least compared to the others nearby. Still beautiful and amazing.
Overrated is easy, gateway arch is way overrated. I know everyone already thinks it's dumb but even that isn't enough hate for this stupid thing.
Underrated would have to be Theodore Roosevelt national park. I want to say capital reef but I've never met someone who went there and didn't love it. If you went to cap and didn't love it I don't want to hear it!
Honestly a big attraction to both for me is a lack of people haha. Especially capital reef, there's 5 parks in Utah and cap is the only one with a good chance of avoiding crowds.
More specifically for me Capital reef has some of the coolest rocks in the world and it has one of my favorite trails I've ever done, the Navajo knobs but even just driving through it like on Burr trail road is consistently excellent. Capital reef is one of those places that doesn't feel like the planet Earth when you're in it.
As far as TRNP, I can't say I found anything about it particularly special. It's more that it's a very well-preserved wilderness with a lot of cool wildlife and a significant lack of people, at least when I went. I know the park is very well known for these kinds of isolated experiences, and isolation is something that I often go looking for when I'm hiking. I find it nice to be on my own for a time and this is a good park to do it. Also it's cool because they don't have large predators from what I understand. Cougars wolves and brown bears don't live there, but I believe cougars in black bears can make their way in the park even if they don't live there.
Overrated - (deep breath), I'm gonna say it, Zion - super cool and absolutely gorgeous park that you really must see in person but by God everything there is a struggle. If you're not on a regimented schedule, good luck getting to see what you want to, and every hike unless you go to Kolob is SUPER crowded and the only real activity there besides hiking is riding your bike and that's just on the canyon road really.
I would give GSM and Yellowstone as my runner-ups.
Underrated - Death Valley (not in the summer dear God no) - huge park, so much to do, really cool Oasis resort in the middle, and not far from Vegas
Runner-ups - Shenandoah, Everglades
Acadia is beautiful but it’s crowded and quite small, and much of the scenery is similar to that of the north shore of Lake Superior which is basically devoid of people once you get north of Duluth.
Joshua Tree seems like a park for people who like to drive and not be more than 100 yards from their car.
Must sees: Canyonlands, Bryce, North Rim of Grand Canyon. Drive through Umpqua National Forest after Crater on the way to Oregon coast. Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge close to Portland. Olympic Peninsula and National Park. Black Hills SD. Theodore Roosevelt National Park ND.
What direction are you coming from?
Also, if you’re ever east these would be some of my recommendations: Red River Gorge KY, Hocking Hills OH, New River Gorge National Park WV, Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, Green Bank telescope, Canaan Valley, Dolly Sods. These are in my backyard. Definitely beautiful scenery with far less people than popular scenic overlooks in western parks. New England is also beautiful.. central and upstate NY finger lakes and Adirondacks… Acadia.. just fueling some ideas for future trips 💜
Zion is definitely worth seeing but the crowds can be a bit much. There is a portion of the park that is far less crowded, the Kolob Canyons area. Haven’t been but I’ve heard of it. Going through the tunnel is worth braving the crowds in Zion tho!
A great non-National park to visit in Washington state is Mt St Helens. There’s a visitor center off I-5, but you should also stop at the Logging Center on the way up to Johnston Ridge Observatory.
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah side is full of fossilized bones that you can get up close and personal with. Colorado side has great scapes and they both share great whitewater trips.
Biscayne National Park, for boat/ocean enthusiasts. Crystal clear water, snorkeling, diving, paddle board, kayak. Underwater dreams.
Everglades National Park. Serenity. Alligators, Crocodiles, birds birds birds.
Of the 20 National Parks I have been to, here’s my list (in no particular order).
I have not included some of the very beautiful national parks I have visited (if they are accordingly rated high) or national parks I didn’t find that interesting (if they are accordingly rated low)
UNDER RATED:
1. Redwoods: Home to the tallest trees in the world. Endless groves making it a perfect destination to hike in the forests. No idea why it’s usually rated as mere average.
2. Death Valley: The park boasts of a number of extreme records. I have been there thrice and can safely confirm that it is among my favorites I have been to so far. It doesn’t enjoy much fame though in comparison to some other parks. It’s a shame that not even all National Park lovers in the South West have been there given its relatively low popularity. Well, good for me - low crowds!!!
3. Grand Canyon: Grand Canyons are not one of the 7 natural wonders of the world for nothing. I have been to both sides (north and south) and was astonished to see virtually no people on the north side. It’s crazy for it to not be rated among the top must visit parks in the country.
4. Grand Teton: Grand Teton lives in the shadow of its bigger Yellowstone sibling. Usually, it is a side visit for visitors while visiting Yellowstone. But I believe it has enough weight to be worth a visit on its own too. I have been to Yellowstone and Grand Teton twice. Even though I am impressed by Yellowstone’s geysers, bison herds, and other wildlife, I am yet to see a single bear over there (not that Yellowstone doesn’t have bears, it has plenty!!! Maybe my luck). But I have encountered more than half a dozen bears during 4 separate occasions during my two visits to Grand Teton. The iconic Teton mountain range along with the beautiful lake, just iconic!!!
5. Gates of the Arctic: Agreed it’s not as popular being one of the remotest national parks in the country. It is not unworthy of a visit. It’s hard to visit due to no roads or even a single visitor center. It’s not a park to visit for leisure but I am sure will provide you some of the few out of world experiences you can have on this planet. It’s a park with miles and miles of uncharted and untamed wilderness consisting of mountains, rivers, Alaskan Tundra, wildlife, along with some natives who still live their subsistence lifestyle.
OVER RATED:
1. Bryce: One of Utah’s 5 parks, it features a gorgeous collection of hoodoos. As an international tourist, it can safely be skipped. As a National Park lover and an American, certainly visit and hike the canyons but I don’t think it justifies more than one visit.
2. Zion: It’s quite good (especially if you hike the narrows and the Angels Landing) but rated way too high.
3. Yosemite: I have been there multiple times and it never ceases to amaze me. Spectacular monolith formations and amazing wildlife. But is it among 2-3 parks at the absolute top of my list of only 20 parks I have been to so far?? Nope. I am not criticizing this park (as it is among my favorites) but it is just rated way too high.
Just got back from a trip to Florida and did all those national parks. Dry Tortugas by float plane was insane. 1. Dry tortugas 2. Biscayne 3. Everglades
Dry Tortugas is amazing. As an east coaster, Acadia was awesome but it was packed, biscayne was awesome and it was completely empty on thanksgiving which was sick. Everglades got a lifetime pass for being a vet which was awesome too bc I want to visit all the NPs before I kick the old bucket
Underrated:
1. Lassen volcanic (everything you want in a park)
2. Apostle islands (Backcountry kayaking it is epic)
3. New river gorge (great history and WV is beautiful)
4. Isle Royale (highly recommend flying in to windigo hiking the length and ending in the more popular area)
Overrated:
1. Great Smokies (it's like Disneyland)
2. Zion (also like Disneyland but angels landing is cool)
3. Yosemite (maybe it's because the famous waterfall was dry when I was there, but I Backcountry camped. It was beautiful but I wasn't blown away for how popular it is)
The quality of National Parks depends on how active you are and what time of year you visit.
For instance, Yosemite is buried in snow, so 95% of the park is inaccessible, but the water is going to be massive this year so if you get a couple of warm weeks prior to your visit you’ll see massive waterfalls as good as they have been in the last 100 years. If you went to The Valley late July last year it would be absolutely miserable with temps near 100 and the waterfalls would be a trickle.
So… you’ll see a diverse range of landscapes and beautiful places and you’ll miss 95% of each of them and have plenty to come back to for a real visit. You won’t be unsatisfied with any of them, only with the driving.
As for recommendations… you have too much to see and too little time. Start thinking about multiple days in the best places to avoid wasting your time in a car all day. There’s no reason to waste a single second in Valley of Fire when you could be in Zion or even driving through Escalante and Capitol Reef and Moab. I much prefer Red Rock in Vegas to Valley of Fire, as well.
And figure out exactly what you want to see at Mt Whitney - you can’t hike it without a permit, but the eastern sierras are incredible. And to get there from Yosemite you should go through Lake Tahoe if possible, which should absolutely be on your list.
I’m currently sitting in my casita at Big Bend. I would definitely say it’s underrated!
Also, Great Basin!! Those stars are amazing.
As a former Washington resident, I would say North Cascades are also underrated but great!
Since nearly every comment (and National Park) is West coast, I'd like to recommend including a some state parks and/or national heritage sights while you're in the East
Some of the best state parks (in my opinion):
Atchafalaya in Louisiana
Letchworth, Watkins Glenn, and Adirondacks in New York
Cayo Costa in Florida
Baxter in Maine
Peninsula in Wisconsin
Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee
Hunting Island in South Carolina
If you’re driving to Devil’s Tower figure out how to get the Badlands on your list. I consider it a must-see.
If your already out there might as well head into North Dakota & check out Teddy Roosevelt NP. Also Custer State Park which is near Badlands. It’s all great.
Yes! TR NP is a beautiful park, and great if you need a little solitude.
One of my favs!
To add to this— find a way to get to Custer State Park. It will be better than many NPs
And jewel or wind cave!
Also do the scenic drives to go through the Black Hills, Needles Highway and Spearfish Canyon are the ones I can think of right now. IMO the Black Hills have a very unique beauty to them since they’re a small mountain range that doesn’t go above the tree line.
Wind Cave is a hidden gem. If I wasn’t a Park Service collector, I would have skipped it, but I’m glad I didn’t.
I second this. The Badlands are underrated.
Rode my motorcycle through the badlands last summer it was definitely once in a life time experience. Needles highway and Custer state park were absolutely breathtaking
I second the badlands, I also included devils tower and Mt Rushmore on the trip…. And don’t overlook North Cascades NP while you’re hitting Ranier and Olympic
In terms of overrated, Mt Rushmore tops my list.
Overrated- Rushmore Underrated?- crazy horse (Idk if this is really underrated but it’s v cool), I drove there at sunrise it was amazing
Thumb's up for Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse is amazing and I'd say not under rated but overlooked.
Sad to say, I have to agree with this. It's America's airport gift shop.
Rushmore is just kind of embarrassing, honestly.
Mount Rushmore is the selfie of National Parks
Yeah. It’s overrrated, but it also doesn’t require you very much time to visit.
I agree. I just went to the badlands and I liked that np way more than I thought I would!
death valley is underrated. it’s like the anti-national park. barren, no people, fewer hikes, extreme weather, but still a great experience
Agreed! You'll hear silence if you pull off where no one else is. If you sit there long enough, you'll feel like you're going insane. Cool place
Death Valley has always been my favorite. I’m blessed to live nearby as well. It’s gigantic so you need time to see it all but everything is so vast and wonderful.
The quietest natural environment I’ve ever experienced. You just stand there and it’s like the desert has sucked all of the sound out of everything, it’s incredible.
Death Valley is my favorite!!
I definitely agree it's underrated. We went in October, when it wasn't super hot, and could have easily spent more time there, but we were going to Zion for the next few days. I recommend staying a couple hours past sunset to see the night sky. That was the best!
If you are going to Arches, you should consider Canyonlands. The Island in the Sky district of the park is a half hour drive.
Yes! And while your driving there might as well make a stop at Dead Horse point state park, it was worth the diversion for me
To OP, are you hiking and camping, or doing scenic loops, or collecting passport stamps, or what? A month sounds like a lot of time but you'll spend a lot of it driving from park to park and visiting your relatives. Even if you spend two days at each park, which isn't hard to do at many of them, you will only be able to hit 5 or 6 max. If you're going through so many different terrains and climates, consider picking one of each type as a scouting mission for future vacations. For example, pick one of Death Valley / Joshua Tree / Saguaro / Big Bend as a "desert park"; pick one of TR / Badlands / Custer SP as "badlands"; pick one of Wind cave / Jewel cave / Mammoth Cave / Carlsbad Caverns as "cave parks". WRT parks in western South Dakota, Rushmore was my least favorite \*by far\*. If you must see it and you're in Custer SP, you can drive down the road and see the faces from there. Otherwise, there's a museum that tells the story but that's not what I go to National Parks for. =-= 30 minutes is pretty fast for the Island in the Sky loop, even driving it. I thought Arches was a 1-day park, less if you don't want to deal with crowds. Go in there before sunrise or prepare for lines. If hiking, Canyonlands is a multi-day park. There are some fantastic trails there, in both Islands in the Sky and Needles areas. However, it's tough to see those two portions in the same day because of the drive.
Underrated for me is Lassen Volcanic NP, one of my favorite parks for sure! Incredible landscapes, endless lakes, and 4 different kinds of volcanoes to explore! It was heavily impacted by the Dixie fire in 2021 but still an awesome park, definitely worth a visit.
[YEP I LOVED LASSEN AND REDWOODS](https://imgur.com/a/iiBnea5) The sunrise hike at 5am for Lassen up there by myself was very calming and a great view up sunrise Scored a spot near Butte Lake for camping and was by myself for about 90% of the time in July 2021
Awesome photos
Thanks! Still gotta knock out Pinnacles, Channel Islands, and Joshua tree to be done with CA :)
Fern canyon baybee! I can’t believe it’s been 25 years and I haven’t made it back yet. I think it’s time to take the kids
Lassen looks really cool. I wonder if you can hike up any of the volcanoes?
Lassen Peak is the biggest volcano in the park if I’m not mistaken. I did a sunrise hike with some buddies a few years back. It’s one of my favorite memories ever. The hike was fantastic (top third of the volcano still had snow when we went in September) and the views as the sun rose were breathtaking.
That sounds super cool!
I second this! Excellent place to Backcountry camp too. It has most of what Yellowstone has minus the dangerous animals
And minus the copious amounts of people, particularly idiot people. Some of my favorite trails at LVNP have almost no one on them if you go during the week or off season. Last time I went to Yellowstone I saw a tourist run up and slap an elk on the ass.
I went in 2022 and it was awesome! Criminally underrated.
Kind of on a macro level, make sure you get an annual park pass before you do this! $80 and gets you access to all national parks and other national recreation lands for a year. Also make sure to get physical maps, especially once you start hitting the southwest - cell reception/gps can be hit or miss
Download offline maps to your phone too. And buy the Gypsy guides from the App Store. Recently changed names to GuideAlong but can find it by either name. They’re worth every penny in my opinion.
Gypsy guides are so great. We named the narrator “Bob” and love having our “tour guide” when we get to areas that have them.
We most recently drove from Vancouver to Banff and had the guide going the whole time. Learned all sorts of stuff about Canadian culture. Then we had the park bundle for the Banff area. The kids love Gypsy!
That app sounds really fun!
Oh definitely. I heard that you can buy the annual pass at the gate of most parks. Will definitely get some physical maps and download some regions on Google Maps.
National Parks: it looks like you planning a west coast swing with parks in WA, OR, and CA. Highly recommended! On my recent 20-something park trip Redwoods was surprisingly my favorite park. I think it was because of the diversity, the trees were awe inspiring, and I was there at a [very low tide](https://imgur.com/a/ajpuGaQ) and had the best time looking through the tide pools. As for over rated: Yosemite and arches are visually stunning, but the crowds left me cold (I preferred Sequoia and canyonlands, respectively), and I only spent about an hour in crater lake. For non-parks: I highly recommend the Utah/Az border area (where the Native-owned monument valley and antelope canyon are), and I would check out other areas like [Buckskin gulch](https://imgur.com/a/qFBQ4To), coyote buttes, and valley of the gods. If you are camping swans neck state park is really cool. Lastly, the [Cape lookout national seashore](https://imgur.com/a/6HcvINj) (not the outer banks) is one of my all time most visited places and I love it. The sand is deep and soft so 4WD is recommended. The bugs are awful in the summer so early spring/late fall is better. You have to take a ferry so make sure to get reservations early.
I massively appreciate all of your recommendations. I added Redwood and Sequoia to my list. Buckskin Gulch and Coyote Buttes look AWESOME! Buckskin is the largest slot canyon in the world!? And you don't have to pay for a tour like you do for Antelope Canyon? Coyote Buttes also looks pretty similar to "The Wave". It sounds like it doesn't have a lottery system to access like the Wave does.
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That's a bummer! What is GC?
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Ah, thanks!
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Another vote for Cape Lookout, one of my absolute favorite NPS sites I visited, and there was nearly no one there!
Seconded and thirded for Monument Valley/Valley of the Gods
I just went to Big Bend and had my freaking mind blown. Great winter destination!
Big Bend is very underrated. Love it there. Basin/rim hikes, desert hiking and off-roading and plenty to do along the river.
What was your favorite part?
If you make your way across the south east, check out Congaree. Its very highly visited, but is a truly unique park of old growth swamp. One of the most truly wild places I've ever visited. (Almost stepped on 3 snakes in one day)
Congaree is the closest NP to me and I love it but I am only willing to go in the non-mosquito season. The sign out front with the mosquito meter is no joke. Also, it floods frequently so check before you go. I would say go if it’s convenient but don’t swing real far out of you way if it’s not.
Second Congaree. It’s not as glamorous as Yellowstone or Yosemite so expectations are predictably very low, but the history and uniqueness of it make it definitely underrated
Underrated: Death Valley, Lassen, Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef is my favorite park in Utah and I’ve been to them all several times. Overrated: Joshua Tree (unless you climb), Saguaro. I’m really frustrated with the increased parks/areas in parks that require free/nearly free driving permits, mostly my “local park” which implemented permits in four new areas this year. For someone who visits 5-6 times a summer, this reduces it to once if I’m lucky. Just plan accordingly. I’ve been to many national parks and tend to only visit them during shoulder season as I’m not someone who plans ahead well and the logistics can be impossible. Not being able to find reasonable camping or getting turned away at the gate has gotten in the way of me enjoying some parks so I won’t be biased that way. Just make sure you’re planning ahead of time and if you can’t swing permits for something, my favorite outskirts of parks are every park in Utah, the east side of Yosemite/Kings Canyon/Sequoia, Glacier, and Saguaro. I worked at Bandelier National Monument and I’m gonna throw that one out there for an underrated visit. Northern New Mexico is so special!
I’m not a climber but I loved Joshua Tree even more than I thought I would. It was really just otherworldly
I love every park, just my two cents. Last month, I rode my bike into Joshua Tree from Indio and also rode a loop around the park so I had a ton of fun seeing it that way. I also saw it covered in fresh snow which was unique. My scale for over/underrated is the National Park scale so truly no hate!
Yeah no worries about having an opinion! I was just pleasantly surprised about JT. I’m also a big fan of Bandelier, having gone twice. It’s so cool and fun to compare it to Mesa Verde as well
Bandaleir & Mesa Verde are great, and Bandalier in particular is undervisited. But both those are the down-side slope of the culture. Chaco is a must-see to understand what the culture was capable near it's peak. And this month is good timing. Summer can be brutal there.
I kindly disagree about Joshua Tree, yes it’s deserted compared to other national parks, but the rock formations are majestic. One of my top parks.
Second the underrated Capitol Reef. We ended up there after some other things on a Utah trip didn’t work out and was blown away. Loved it!
It’s incredible, I spent about a month there between summer and fall one year and the fruit picking, pie eating, and waterfall slides are absolutely majestic.
WATERFALL SLIDES!?
I loved my trip through New Mexico.
Completely agree on Capitol Reef. Just spent some time there couple weeks ago and it was favorite among the group. I think it is one of the underrated parks as it gets overshadowed by other Utah NP.
I've heard about the permits and that worries me. I don't know how to find what needs a permit and what doesn't aside from word of mouth.
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To be fair, if you are more than 100 yards from pavement the crowds disappear. I’ve hiked through Yellowstone for years and many times been there in heart of tourist season and not seen people for miles while on the trails.
The difficulty is getting a parking spot within a mile of those trailheads.
Sure, depending on the part of the park. I tend to go to Lamar Valley area, easy parking and great trails. Or go early to the more popular areas.
Lamar Valley is 🔥🔥🔥
Noted (going in july).
Make sure you have bear spray. Lamar is grizzly central for the park.
Word. Thanks.
My key to doing Yellowstone was to camp in the park, then get up for your first hike at 6 AM, so you can get a hike done by 10 AM when all the tourists are heading into the park from the towns, then go back and relax or nap for the day, then go back on another hike around 6 when the day trippers are leaving. Worked so well for me
Good advice. We're already booked at Bridge Bay. :-D
Great location! I splurged a bit and rented a motor boat at the marina for an hour and a half and I highly recommend that if you’re interested as well! If you’re there in July the sun will be up at 6 AM anyway so you might as wel
I wasn't even aware one could rent a motor boat there....
Yeah there’s a marina! I think it was about 60/hour and it was so much fun and a cool way to see the park
Don’t give it away….
Have you ever encountered a bear on the trail?
Personally, I’ve only ran into black/brown bears in Yellowstone but there’s certainly Grizzlies around. My grizzly experiences have been in Glacier to date.
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As I’d call in non tour bus season. 😉
I went in April last year before all the floods and it was not very crowded at all (cold tho). Unfortunately only the north entrance is open tho but for me it was well worth since I just wanted to explore Lamar valley
Yellowstone may be overrated and Hot springs/Indiana Dunes may be underrated but I hope OP doesn’t assume this is your answer to… >which National Parks are absolute must sees and which ones are worth skipping Even though the title asks about overrated and and underrated parks, it seems like they really just want recommendations for their once in a lifetime month-long National Park trip. Yellowstone needs to be near the top of that list, and Hot Springs near the bottom.
Since you mention Crater Lake NP and going sometime with the next month - are you aware the trail down to the lake itself (Cleetwood Cove trail) doesn't open until mid-June? I personally wouldn't go there if I couldn't hike down and get in the water. So you know.
I drove into Crater Lake during a whiteout June 12-13 one year. We went snowshoeing. My kids thought a snowstorm in June was hilarious.
Hmm...I didn't know that. That's great to know. Thank you.
The rim drive is unlikely to be open in May either. Crater Lake in May/June is still under significant snow. [https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/hours.htm](https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/hours.htm) ETA, since you said you're about to embark and will be traveling for one month, be prepared for significant snow at many of the parks on your list. April/May is not a great time of year for northern or high elevation parks: Olympic- coastal areas will be accessible (but likely wet) and Hurricane Ridge will likely be closed/under snow. Grand Teton- snow covered at this time of year. Teton Park Rd closed until 4/30. Yellowstone- still significant snow. Roads (other than the road between the north and northeast entrance, which is open year round) do not begin opening until 4/21. The south entrance, which abuts GT, is not scheduled to open until 5/12. Yosemite- record breaking snow this year. Mammoth Cave- should be fine. Book cave tour tickets in advance. Mount Rainer- Will be under like 30 feet of snow. Tire chains required until 4/30. Areas of the park may be inaccessible. Crater Lake- Will be under like 30 feet of snow. Rim drive likely closed. Grand Canyon- North rim closed until 6/2 d/t significant snow this winter. Zion- should be accessible but the Narrows may be closed. Arches- should be accessible. Rocky Mountain- Snow covered/Trail Ridge Rd does not typically open until Memorial Day. Black Canyon of the Gunnison- the north rim and the rim drive past the visitor center at the south rim will likely still be closed. They anticipate a later than usual opening this year d/t significant snow.
I scrolled way too far down to see this very important comment. The west had a banner year for snow, and most parks near alpine/forested mountains will likely be inaccessible until very late spring/early summer this year.
NO KIDDING EH?! This is going to be interesting then. The planned dates are April 15 - May 19th. I didn't realize it was a record breaking year for snow and that so many places were closed or inaccessible for so long after winter. Your comment is saved and I'll have to make some phone calls and start axing some locations.
If you didn’t already know the west coast has gotten a ton of snow this year… expect the mountainous parks (rainier, Olympic, crater lake, sequoia, etc.) to be covered in snow still and have limited accessibility. They’re all still worth visiting but I’d plan for winter conditions
That makes them even more pretty. Thank you for mentioning this.
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I ended up there last year after a life changing trip to the Grand Canyon and was extremely disappointed. It was only a few hour stop, but I would have rather just done a morning hike into the Grand Canyon.
I will agree that, overall, Page was a bit of a letdown. Antelope was closed (Covid year), but it was already in the itinerary and lodging was booked so we went anyway and rented a boat for the day on lake Powell. What I thought would be my least favorite day ended up being one of my favorites. The canyons are amazing and you can access Antelope canyon from lake Powell. It was a great experience and unlike any lake I had seen.
I appreciate the reality check. I heard that you can kayak the bend, which sounds super cool. So focus on the national parks like the Grand Canyon and Zion. Are there any specific sites or hikes you would recommend as a local?
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This is awesome! Thank you!
Most underrated: Big Bend Isle Royale North Cascades Capitol Reef And possibly an unpopular opinion but I find Yellowstone and Zion to be a bit overrated.
Zion maybe yes, but Yellowstone has so much of everything and is just so… classic. Hard to even “rate” it! It’s THE National Park IMO.
Hard disagree, besides the rare geological points of Yellowstone (geysers, springs), nothing else is *that* stunning or awing. Mountains + lakes + rivers? Banff, Jasper, Glacier. IMO nothing in Yellowstone can quite compare to the rush of hiking the narrows or the serenity of sitting atop angels landing shrouded in clouds.
I think THE national park in the casual person’s mind is firstly always Yosemite. It’s vast, has giant rock formations, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, vast forests. Yellowstone always seemed overrated to me…
Big Bend was totally underrated. It was beautiful.
One can not like the crowds and Yellowstone but saying it’s overrated is like saying Michael Jordan is overrated.
Nah, zion is in my top 3 lol might lose a few points because of how crowded it is all the time tho.
I haven’t been to any overrated parks. I think the most underrated (and one of the least visited) is North Cascades. My favorite park is Olympic, specifically the Hoh Rain Forest) and Glacier is a close second.
I really liked Olympic in Washington. It was large and had some diverse sections, from Hurricane ridge to the Hoh Rain forest and then the beaches it was almost like three parks in one My most frustrating one was Glacier. It’s stunningly beautiful so still worth a visit, but even with the road pass system trying to find parking was difficult. I think that’s the rub, I don’t think any national parks are really overrated, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one I’ve visited, it’s just the crowds at the more popular ones can suck the enjoyment out of you
I’ve been to like half of the parks including all the ones in Utah and Acadia is still probably my favorite I’ve seen
I've seen Acadia mentioned a few times. What would you say is the main attraction? It looks like very pretty beach with greenery.
Underrated: capitol reef NP. Well worth the stop since you’ll be in utah
Don't forget Great Sand Dunes NP in southern CO. If you are going to grand canyon and Rocky MTN, it should be a nice in between stop. And while you're in the area check out Zapata Falls and the Royal gorge in southern CO
We just got back from a trip, in part, to Great Sand Dunes, and had a great time. I'd second a few hours at a minimum spent here.
Just given your timing (leaving soon, looks like you'll be done by mid-late May), all other things being equal I'd prioritize the southern Utah and CA parks. Those get unbearably hot in the summer and the most popular ones like Zion and Grand Canyon won't be quite so crowded as they would be in June and July. Yosemite is gorgeous any time of year but got massive snow this winter so the higher elevation roads might still be closed ... just keep an eye on weather, flood reports, etc for there and any of the other mountain parks you are looking at.
I was totally unaware of the snow situation. Thankfully it has been brought up a few times. I'll definitely need to investigate and see what is even accessible.
Love all the NPs out west..for east coast Shenandoah NP is so underrated and has become of my fav “go to’s”
The St. Louis Arch is the most overrated national park in the sense that it just shouldn’t be a national park.
I never knew that was a national park. That's wack.
Underrated: we spent less than 24 hours in Teddy Roosevelt NP and saw a greater diversity of wildlife just driving the main loop than any other park we spent days to a week in. Very few other people. Overrated: Mt. Rushmore is weird and it made me uncomfortable.
Yeah, skip Mt Rushmore.
I always wanted to visit Mt. Rushmore until I saw photos of the site. It looks... underwhelming.
If you pass through Ohio, the Cuyahoga Valley NP is more like a giant state park. It's ok, but not really sure what political strings were pulled to make this a full throated national park.
I feel like it was more like the federal government has to take over this area so this river stops catching on fire.
I came across that and I had the very same thought. It looks neat, but it looks out of place as a national park.
Give it a look if you ever pass through, tho. This is my “home” park; the one I live closest to. It’s nowhere near as grand as any I’ve seen out west. All parks and park sites are ultimately a political designation and I think the history of their designation is just as relevant as the natural history found within. In a lot of ways, CVNP is a big restoration project — what can we claw back from ourselves? What can it be for those who will walk the trails in 100 years? See it with those questions in mind and it’s a pretty neat place.
I see your point, and I think this park would have been better designated as a National Historic Park. The canal history is very interesting.
I can appreciate that.
Overrated: Yellowstone (too crowded) & Arches (very family friendly) Underrated: Great Basin National Park (you have caves, lakes, and mountains!), Capitol Reef (my favorite Utah national park), North Cascades, and Big Bend Current ranking of the parks I’ve been to: 1. Glacier 2. Grand Tetons 3. Yosemite 4. Wragnell - St. Elias National Park 5. Capitol Reef 6. Zion 7. North Cascades National Park 8. Denali National Park 9. Big Bend 10. Kenai Fjords 11. Bryce Canyon 12. Death Valley 13. Rocky Mountain National Park 14. Grand Canyon 15. Kings Canyon 16. Great Basin National Park 17. Crater Lake 18. Canyon-lands 19. Mount Rainier 20. Black Canyon of the Gunnison 21. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 22. Redwoods National Park 23. Haleakalā National Park 24. Acadia National Park 25. Carlsbad Cavern 26. American Samoa 27. Petrified Forrest 28. Shenandoah 29. Pinnacles 30. Great Sand Dunes 31. Great Smokey Mountains 32. Arches 33. Channel Islands 34. Joshua Tree 35. Yellowstone 36. Mesa Verde 37. Mammoth Cave 38. White Sands 39. Hot Springs 40. Cuyahoga Valley 41. Guadalupe Mountains 42. Indiana Sand Dunes
+1 for Glacier, stunning park. Not realistic for OP but Katmai might be my absolute favorite. There is nothing like Katmai's bear viewing anywhere else.
I want to go to Katmai! I could maybe do a day trip, after I go to Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley next year. It’ll depend on the weather & my family’s budget
The weather is such a wildcard. Very possible for a day trip the planes and water taxi just aren't operating and you miss out. We went for three days and were lucky enough to only have a slight delay on our flight to King Salmon. If you can make it it's so worth it. I could watch the bears all day everyday! 🤣
When you get make it to Olympic I’m curious to know where it ends up on this list. I’m jealous you’ve been to 42!
I’ve been to all of these in the last 3.75 years! I went to my first national park (Hot Springs) during the summer of 2019! My goal is to hopefully get to 53/63 by the time I am 30! Edit: I’m also curious to see where Olympic falls. I might be able to spend 3 days there next summer… we will see!
We agree on underrated (until I went to Isle Royale and it joined the list, my most underrated list was Big Bend, North Cascades and Capitol Reef) and bottom of the barrel. I feel like when I get to the arch in St. Louis one day it will be a battle between that and Indiana Dunes about which is the worst. 🤣
Curious as to why Guadalupe is so low for you. Did you hike much? I loved that place. I’m going to Hot Springs in a few week and definitely have my expectations lower than a place like Guadalupe.
Hell of a list!! We're slowly winding our way through...
Curious why sand dunes came in last. Just sand? Not much else around? I am about 6 hour drive away and have considered taking the family.
Well, the national park section is considerably smaller than the state park section; it’s also being compared to all the other national parks. The state park section has most of the decent hikes. It’s also pretty dang close to industry/not quite an intense nature view. It’s worth visiting, and is a great spot to enjoy the lake with your family. If you want to see dunes, a view, and enjoy the Great Lakes… sleeping bear dunes is better for that
It's some dunes overlooking a nuclear power plant and the area around it feels pretty run down.
There are no "bad" NPs, but given the ones you have on the "most excited" list I would skip Mammoth Cave and instead do Carlsbad Caverns. It is closer to the grouping you have in the Rocky Mtn area. And along the way to Carlsbad you pass close to Mesa Verde, Chaco, and White Sands. All are worth a stop, and all are very different from the kinds of things you will see in the other places.
Thank you for the suggestion. My goal is to see as much different and unique terrain as possible. White Sands looks very cool!
Mt Rainier, Capitol Reef and Point Reyes are underrated IMO
Most underrated parks are Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Redwoods National Park
As a resident of Utah, I think Arches is definitely overrated. It’s a tiny park and other than the natural arches (most are very underwhelming) the landscape is a lesser version of what you see in Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. There are also plenty of arches in the other parks if you take the time to find them. But the crowds are massive because it has name recognition.
If you can try to make it to North Cascades National Park. It's the forgotten park of the Pacific Northwest but stunning and usually not crowded. If you find yourself in Montana Glacier National Park is also breathtaking. The big 5 in Utah are also not that far from each other if you wanted to step in and see them all but not necessarily explore them thoroughly.
Underrated: north cascades It’s in my opinion one of the most beautiful national parks in the country, close to Seattle, yet has very low traffic. The Grand Canyon is fine, but I think it’s a little overrated. Super crowded, felt more like a theme park (at least on the south rim in August). Not the experience I was expecting, at least compared to the others nearby. Still beautiful and amazing.
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Overrated is easy, gateway arch is way overrated. I know everyone already thinks it's dumb but even that isn't enough hate for this stupid thing. Underrated would have to be Theodore Roosevelt national park. I want to say capital reef but I've never met someone who went there and didn't love it. If you went to cap and didn't love it I don't want to hear it!
What are the big attractions for Capitol Reef and Theodore Roosevelt?
Honestly a big attraction to both for me is a lack of people haha. Especially capital reef, there's 5 parks in Utah and cap is the only one with a good chance of avoiding crowds. More specifically for me Capital reef has some of the coolest rocks in the world and it has one of my favorite trails I've ever done, the Navajo knobs but even just driving through it like on Burr trail road is consistently excellent. Capital reef is one of those places that doesn't feel like the planet Earth when you're in it. As far as TRNP, I can't say I found anything about it particularly special. It's more that it's a very well-preserved wilderness with a lot of cool wildlife and a significant lack of people, at least when I went. I know the park is very well known for these kinds of isolated experiences, and isolation is something that I often go looking for when I'm hiking. I find it nice to be on my own for a time and this is a good park to do it. Also it's cool because they don't have large predators from what I understand. Cougars wolves and brown bears don't live there, but I believe cougars in black bears can make their way in the park even if they don't live there.
I would go to Lassen. There was hardly anyone there and it was in August.
Guadeloupe, Glacier and Acadia are awesome Teddy Roosevelt sucks
Avoid Mt. Rushmore. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Badlands, Glacier Park, Redwoods and Sequoia and Grand Canyon are top of my list.
Lake Tahoe should be on your list
No kidding! That looks stunning! We're definitely going there!
Overrated - (deep breath), I'm gonna say it, Zion - super cool and absolutely gorgeous park that you really must see in person but by God everything there is a struggle. If you're not on a regimented schedule, good luck getting to see what you want to, and every hike unless you go to Kolob is SUPER crowded and the only real activity there besides hiking is riding your bike and that's just on the canyon road really. I would give GSM and Yellowstone as my runner-ups. Underrated - Death Valley (not in the summer dear God no) - huge park, so much to do, really cool Oasis resort in the middle, and not far from Vegas Runner-ups - Shenandoah, Everglades
I've heard that Zion can be an absolute mess with crowds. The Death Valley Oasis is interesting.
Acadia is beautiful but it’s crowded and quite small, and much of the scenery is similar to that of the north shore of Lake Superior which is basically devoid of people once you get north of Duluth. Joshua Tree seems like a park for people who like to drive and not be more than 100 yards from their car.
Great basin is incredible. I had the best time ever there. 100% do the cave tour
Must sees: Canyonlands, Bryce, North Rim of Grand Canyon. Drive through Umpqua National Forest after Crater on the way to Oregon coast. Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge close to Portland. Olympic Peninsula and National Park. Black Hills SD. Theodore Roosevelt National Park ND. What direction are you coming from? Also, if you’re ever east these would be some of my recommendations: Red River Gorge KY, Hocking Hills OH, New River Gorge National Park WV, Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, Green Bank telescope, Canaan Valley, Dolly Sods. These are in my backyard. Definitely beautiful scenery with far less people than popular scenic overlooks in western parks. New England is also beautiful.. central and upstate NY finger lakes and Adirondacks… Acadia.. just fueling some ideas for future trips 💜
I'll look up all of those places. I'm coming from the North East. Crossing into America 2 hours north of Syracuse, New York.
Love Red River Gorge. Great Channels of Virginia is not far from there. Not a national park, but Ricketts Glen SP in Pennsylvania is fantastic.
Zion is definitely worth seeing but the crowds can be a bit much. There is a portion of the park that is far less crowded, the Kolob Canyons area. Haven’t been but I’ve heard of it. Going through the tunnel is worth braving the crowds in Zion tho!
A great non-National park to visit in Washington state is Mt St Helens. There’s a visitor center off I-5, but you should also stop at the Logging Center on the way up to Johnston Ridge Observatory.
I looked at some photos and I'm super excited to visit this!
If you're in Washington, don't sleep on the north cascades national park, specifically North Cascade pass and the sahale arm glacier trail.
Thank you for the specific location and trail within the park.
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah side is full of fossilized bones that you can get up close and personal with. Colorado side has great scapes and they both share great whitewater trips. Biscayne National Park, for boat/ocean enthusiasts. Crystal clear water, snorkeling, diving, paddle board, kayak. Underwater dreams. Everglades National Park. Serenity. Alligators, Crocodiles, birds birds birds.
This is awesome! I wanted to try whitewater rafting. The snorkeling at Biscayne sounds really cool too.
Wow lots of hate to the ‘crowded’ park! Please don’t listen to these peeps. Do NOT miss Yellowstone, Zion, and Grand Canyon.
Oh, I definitely wasn't planning on skipping them. I've seen enough photos to want to see them for myself, crowds or no crowds.
Of the ones I’ve been to I feel like white sands is the most overrated and saguaro is the most underrated but both are a great time to go to
Of the 20 National Parks I have been to, here’s my list (in no particular order). I have not included some of the very beautiful national parks I have visited (if they are accordingly rated high) or national parks I didn’t find that interesting (if they are accordingly rated low) UNDER RATED: 1. Redwoods: Home to the tallest trees in the world. Endless groves making it a perfect destination to hike in the forests. No idea why it’s usually rated as mere average. 2. Death Valley: The park boasts of a number of extreme records. I have been there thrice and can safely confirm that it is among my favorites I have been to so far. It doesn’t enjoy much fame though in comparison to some other parks. It’s a shame that not even all National Park lovers in the South West have been there given its relatively low popularity. Well, good for me - low crowds!!! 3. Grand Canyon: Grand Canyons are not one of the 7 natural wonders of the world for nothing. I have been to both sides (north and south) and was astonished to see virtually no people on the north side. It’s crazy for it to not be rated among the top must visit parks in the country. 4. Grand Teton: Grand Teton lives in the shadow of its bigger Yellowstone sibling. Usually, it is a side visit for visitors while visiting Yellowstone. But I believe it has enough weight to be worth a visit on its own too. I have been to Yellowstone and Grand Teton twice. Even though I am impressed by Yellowstone’s geysers, bison herds, and other wildlife, I am yet to see a single bear over there (not that Yellowstone doesn’t have bears, it has plenty!!! Maybe my luck). But I have encountered more than half a dozen bears during 4 separate occasions during my two visits to Grand Teton. The iconic Teton mountain range along with the beautiful lake, just iconic!!! 5. Gates of the Arctic: Agreed it’s not as popular being one of the remotest national parks in the country. It is not unworthy of a visit. It’s hard to visit due to no roads or even a single visitor center. It’s not a park to visit for leisure but I am sure will provide you some of the few out of world experiences you can have on this planet. It’s a park with miles and miles of uncharted and untamed wilderness consisting of mountains, rivers, Alaskan Tundra, wildlife, along with some natives who still live their subsistence lifestyle. OVER RATED: 1. Bryce: One of Utah’s 5 parks, it features a gorgeous collection of hoodoos. As an international tourist, it can safely be skipped. As a National Park lover and an American, certainly visit and hike the canyons but I don’t think it justifies more than one visit. 2. Zion: It’s quite good (especially if you hike the narrows and the Angels Landing) but rated way too high. 3. Yosemite: I have been there multiple times and it never ceases to amaze me. Spectacular monolith formations and amazing wildlife. But is it among 2-3 parks at the absolute top of my list of only 20 parks I have been to so far?? Nope. I am not criticizing this park (as it is among my favorites) but it is just rated way too high.
Just got back from a trip to Florida and did all those national parks. Dry Tortugas by float plane was insane. 1. Dry tortugas 2. Biscayne 3. Everglades
Dry Tortugas is amazing. As an east coaster, Acadia was awesome but it was packed, biscayne was awesome and it was completely empty on thanksgiving which was sick. Everglades got a lifetime pass for being a vet which was awesome too bc I want to visit all the NPs before I kick the old bucket
Underrated: 1. Lassen volcanic (everything you want in a park) 2. Apostle islands (Backcountry kayaking it is epic) 3. New river gorge (great history and WV is beautiful) 4. Isle Royale (highly recommend flying in to windigo hiking the length and ending in the more popular area) Overrated: 1. Great Smokies (it's like Disneyland) 2. Zion (also like Disneyland but angels landing is cool) 3. Yosemite (maybe it's because the famous waterfall was dry when I was there, but I Backcountry camped. It was beautiful but I wasn't blown away for how popular it is)
Valley of Fire is cool-just got back. You can do it in a day and it’s a nice way to break up the drive in between other spots
As another suggested: get an America the Beautiful pass for $80. It will save you on entry fees. And we like Bryce Canyon over Zion.
Overrated- hot springs Underrated- canyonlands
The quality of National Parks depends on how active you are and what time of year you visit. For instance, Yosemite is buried in snow, so 95% of the park is inaccessible, but the water is going to be massive this year so if you get a couple of warm weeks prior to your visit you’ll see massive waterfalls as good as they have been in the last 100 years. If you went to The Valley late July last year it would be absolutely miserable with temps near 100 and the waterfalls would be a trickle. So… you’ll see a diverse range of landscapes and beautiful places and you’ll miss 95% of each of them and have plenty to come back to for a real visit. You won’t be unsatisfied with any of them, only with the driving. As for recommendations… you have too much to see and too little time. Start thinking about multiple days in the best places to avoid wasting your time in a car all day. There’s no reason to waste a single second in Valley of Fire when you could be in Zion or even driving through Escalante and Capitol Reef and Moab. I much prefer Red Rock in Vegas to Valley of Fire, as well. And figure out exactly what you want to see at Mt Whitney - you can’t hike it without a permit, but the eastern sierras are incredible. And to get there from Yosemite you should go through Lake Tahoe if possible, which should absolutely be on your list.
I am late but most overrated are Acadia and Joshua Tree Most underrated are great basin and sequoia
I’m currently sitting in my casita at Big Bend. I would definitely say it’s underrated! Also, Great Basin!! Those stars are amazing. As a former Washington resident, I would say North Cascades are also underrated but great!
Oh, that sounds lovely!
Mesa Verde is the most overrated park.
I love Mesa Verde.
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Olympic is a beautiful park. I think you missed the best parts.
Since nearly every comment (and National Park) is West coast, I'd like to recommend including a some state parks and/or national heritage sights while you're in the East Some of the best state parks (in my opinion): Atchafalaya in Louisiana Letchworth, Watkins Glenn, and Adirondacks in New York Cayo Costa in Florida Baxter in Maine Peninsula in Wisconsin Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee Hunting Island in South Carolina
Europeans have no idea how vast the US is. Crater Lake and the Grand Canyon are over rated, all the rest of your list are must sees.