(07-01-2026 08:11 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 07:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  I've been trying since 1990 to eventually do all the continental national parks. I've done 34 since 1990 and 5 others before that (a half dozen I did before 1990 but have done again since then. The problem is they keep adding new parks! I've got 14 to go, but 10 of them are relatively new.

When you have time, could you give me a list of your favorites, and why? Not long ago, they were up to 63, but they have added some since then.

Quick quintile ranking, 1 for top down to 5 for the bottom quintile. No particular order within each category. Enjoyed all of them. Of the 5s: Great Smoky was way too crowded. Joshua Tree was way too hot (they were telling people NOT to do anything but short hikes) and while interesting, wasn't that scenic. We also got aggressive bees in the car which freaked out the family. Teddy Roosevelt was mainly known for its buffalo herds, but after Wind Caves was kind of disappointing. Hot Springs pretty crowded, but worth seeing once like Joshua Tree.
Shenendoah, Gateway Arch, Guadalupe Mountains, Petrified Forest-just tough competition, like being in the SEC-somebody had to be a 5!

Arches 1
Glacier 1
Zion 1
Grand Canyon 1
Mt. Rainier 1
Yellowstone 1
Rocky Mountain 1
Yosemite 1
Badlands 2
Wind Cave 2
Grand Teton 2
Mammoth Cave 2
Haekalea 2
Big Bend 2
Carlsbad Caverns 2
Sequoia 2
Everglades 3
Olympic 3
Redwood 3
Crater Lake 3
Virgin Islands 3
Kings Canyon 3
Mesa Verde 3
Canyonlands 4
Capitol Reef 4
Bryce Canyon 4
Biscayne 4
Lassen Volcanic 4
Black Canyon of the Gunnison 4
North Cascades 4
Acadia 4
Shenandoah 5
Theodore Roosevelt 5
Joshua Tree 5
Gateway Arch 5
Great Smoky Mtns. 5
Guadalupe Mtns. 5
Hot Springs 5
Petrified Forest 5