American National Parks

Do tell me about your National Parks! Which are the ones you have visited and which are most worth visiting.

I was looking at Yosemite. Anyone been there?

 

Rocky Mountain National Park

I have not been to Yosemite, but every other year, my family has a reunion at Estes Park, CO at the above national park. It is a thrill to be in that part of the country.

 

If you're going to do a tour of national parks of the West, Grand Canyon is a must (much more impressive in person than in photographs), as is Yellowstone (the oldest national park). Grand Teton, Glacier, and Rocky Mt National Park all are worth visiting for their mountain grandeur. One of my favorite parks is Mesa Verde (in southwestern CO), due to its historical sites and surrounding scenery. Arches National Park in Utah is one of the best places to hike and and do a little off-roading. I love the Rockies and would heartily recommend seeing all these parks at some point. You won't be disappointed.

 

Yellowstone is by far my first choice. There is so much to see and do! I think my second choice would be the Grand Canyon.

I have never been to Yosemite. I have only seen it in pictures.

Su Wei, let us know it you go to Yosemite. I would love to hear about it.:wavey:

 

My family will be heading up to Delaware Water Gap National Park to see BUSHKILL FALLS for this summers vacation.
It's about 2 1/2 hours from my home.

I'm not a native Pennsylvanian, having been raised in the midwest and I've never been there.
I thought that after 32 years living in Pennsylvania, it was about time!

Next year: we'll hike the GRAND CANYON OF PENNSYLVANIA!

My favorite National Park is MAMMOTH CAVE in the middle of Kentucky.
Always nice to head back to civilization and hear how English was meant to be spoken! :laugh:

Rob

 

I guess I'm a bit biased living in Denver but I too think this is beautiful country...

 

I'll throw one in from the East, the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina is a National Park. Most of those mentioned from the Western USA are well worthwhile to visit and very impressive.

Picture below of the Smokies,

 

History channel had this on last night and said Great Smoky Mountains is the top place in the nation.

 

Well I am a little biased living right by the Great Smokey Mountains National Park but I think it is one of the finest places in the world. I have visited some of the other parks mentioned here including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, and Grand Teton. They are all interesting, but I like the GSMNP the best. It is the most visited of all the national parks in America with over 9 million visitors per year. At least part of that number is due to accessibility. The GSMNP claims that they are less than one days drive away from over half the U. S. population.

If you are interested in visiting you can start getting information at:

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

I will warn you that the crowds can be intimidating, especially in the summer, but the park is a big place with over 800 square miles of land. If you really want to see it I would recommend getting out of the car and walking some. There are over 850 miles of hiking trails in the park including 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail. It only takes a few miles to get away from the cars and crowds.

Nice picture Bear. I was going to post a picture but can't seem to figure out how.

 

Double Post

 

Great Smoky Mountain in the East, and Zion National Park in Utah for the Western choice.
Beautiful!

 

I am gone for 6-7 days, camping and hiking in several National Parks in NM, AZ, UT, and CO. It will be good to get away from the argumentative topics on this board. Have a good week in the office, at school, at home, in the alleys, wherever.