So far, we’ve had the privilege of visiting 29 of the US National Parks together! Each one is so unique and special, but we of course had to put together our list of the parks from least favorite to favorite. This is a post we’ll keep updating as we get to visit more and more of these special places!
A couple caveats before we dive in. First, every one of these parks is protected for a reason, and all of them are such amazing spots. You can’t go wrong visiting any of them! Also, we’ve visited the majority of these with Isla and Zero, so our experiences are largely shaped by the baby and pet friendliness of the park, or the ease of finding pet care nearby.
The cave at Wind Cave was closed due to Covid when we went, but we loved the little bit of hiking and driving around we were able to do! Regardless, we didn’t feel like we had an accurate gauge without going into the cave.
Great Basin was largely closed as we went through, and the Park Ranger was kinda rude. We had an open hike we wanted to do, but she wouldn’t give us directions there. And it’s so remote that you’re about an hour from cell service in every direction. But Wheeler Peak was beautiful from the road! Probably not a place we’ll make our way back to, but still not enough of an experience to rank.
We were driving through basically a blizzard around Mesa Verde, and visibility was about 10 feet. So, we got 5 miles into the park and decided to turn around. Tough luck with the weather, but it didn’t warrant a spot on the list.
Now to our list!
Saguaro was so unique and such a cool experience, but there’s just something unnerving about foot long cactus spindles being all around you as you hike. Really, especially the west side of the park was awesome, but we just felt a little scared the whole time haha.
Hot Springs is so cool in that it’s both a town and a National Park, and the two are basically indistinguishable. It makes it an amazing spot for a weekend trip, but when it comes to just evaluating the NP, the hiking is a little limited. But the old bathhouses are a must do!
If we make a trip back to Guadalupe without Zero, I suspect this would shoot up our ranking. The mountain range makes you forget you’re in Texas, the wildflowers are beautiful, and we’ve heard some really incredible things about the hike to Guadalupe Peak. But, the park is entirely not dog friendly. So, this one probably suffered the most from us having a dog.
The highlight for us of Capitol Reef was the petroglyphs that you can get up close to! Other than that, it suffers from having some really similar offerings to Canyonlands, but is further out of the way.
Total sleeper pick for an awesome National Park! We didn’t have it on our radar at all, but it was along the way driving out from the Grand Canyon and was a great stop. A lot of easily accessible and pet friendly hikes, and super unique with all of the petrified and preserved areas of the park.
We visited during hibernation season, so the bear caves were closed, but we still really enjoyed our time at Pinnacles! Unfortunately some of the best hikes don’t have the parking to support the demand for them, even in the off-season. We spent about 45 minutes waiting for a parking spot, still having gotten there fairly early.
Absolute peace and quiet. That’s what we felt visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Especially with how accessible Montrose is, this is absolutely a place we’d love to visit again.
So fun! Great picnic areas, fun hiking, and of course sand sledding make White Sands a great spot for all ages and species to visit.
GSD got the slight nod over White Sands for being in such an absolutely beautiful area. And for being one of Zero’s favorite places ever :).
Everything from here on in was splitting hairs. We really loved Kings Canyon, but we hit an unfortunate time where the scenic drive should’ve been open, but some road damage meant we couldn’t get far past the General Grant Tree.
Size matters on this list, and Sequoia has the bigger tree. And the drive in/out through the south is incredible!
We kinda got unlucky with Big Bend, too! Road construction on the main road into the bend had people waiting hours to get in. Literally, people were just parked there with lawn chairs outside their car waiting. We decided to keep driving and loved our experience, but Big Bend could easily push top 10 on a return visit.
Jenny Lake is incredible with all it has to offer, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for everything here. Especially on a clear day, that view looking into the Tetons is unlike anything else!
Mesa Arch is one of my favorite hikes we’ve done anywhere, and being so close to Moab, finding pet care was pretty easy. The park is massive, and hugely underrated! We had no idea it existed until we looked at a map for Arches and saw it almost across the street.
Ol Faithful, Yellowstone Canyon, Geyser Basin...the list goes on. Yellowstone has so much to offer that is so unique to the park. My only complaint is that pets aren’t allowed on all of the manmade boardwalks. General rule of thumb in National Parks we’ve found is that if it’s not natural, it’s cool for pets. But Yellowstone was an exception to that.
There’s so much to do and see even without having to go into the Canyon (which you should absolutely do, if you can). Each of the stops along the rim offers a different view, and Zero was able to do so much with us, which we loved.
It’s as breathtaking as everyone describes. That’s all I can really say about it.
What a special part of the country. Redwood can be a little confusing to navigate for the first time visitor, as it’s split over a few parts and includes National and State Parks, but it’s absolutely incredible. A morning stroll through Lady Bird Johnson Grove as the sun is coming up and peeking through the Redwoods is unforgettable.
We may be a little extra biased towards Badlands - it was the first park we hit with Isla and Zero together. But the combination of beautiful scenery, tons of wildlife, and short but unique hikes makes Badlands an awesome spot to visit. Zero would’ve flipped out if we had gotten him out of the car, but we stopped briefly in prairie dog territory, where you can literally walk up and get face to face...or rather shin to face, with packs of the cute little creatures!
The stops along Going to the Sun Road are a once in a lifetime experience. Some of the more popular hikes definitely don’t have the parking needed, but it’s hard to be disappointed when you can just keep going and find another incredible piece of nature to explore. It’s really sad to see how many of the glaciers no longer exist, which makes this place an absolute must visit over the next couple decades.
I felt like I could spend an eternity wandering through Carlsbad Caverns. Everywhere you look is a different pattern of rock that’s been carved into the walls, floor, and ceiling of the cave. It felt like walking through a museum of the most talented sculpture artists in history, each having meticulously left their mark on the cave. Especially now that they are using a more limited reservation system, it’s easy to get to a spot where you’re absolutely alone, nobody else in sight, taking in the wonders of nature 300 feet below the surface.
We went into Joshua Tree with average expectations, thinking we’d get to do some fun hiking and move along. But there’s something about these Joshua Trees that draws you in and really leaves you in awe of why this little patch of desert is where these trees thrive. Not to mention, Palm Springs has probably the coolest set of Airbnbs of any city on the planet.
One of the most famous hikes in Zion is Angel’s Landing, aptly named because the entire park feels like a heavenly oasis. Zion kinda has everything: extreme hikes, kid-accessible hikes, arches, petroglyphs, The Narrows, a beautiful lodge in the center of the park, a town right outside with plenty of places to stay, an incredible drive in and out of the East entrance. The list is endless, and while we loved all the Utah parks, Zion absolutely stands out as one of the best.
Getting to see the top of Denali, Athabascan for “The High One,” is such an awe-inspiring experience. The park is filled with tons of hiking and plenty of wildlife that we don’t get to encounter in the lower 48. And there’s a sense of peace and reverence in the air that’s really unlike much else I’ve ever experienced in nature before.
There’s so much to love about Arches. It’s a 5 minute drive from Moab, with tons of places to stay and eat. The sunrises and sunsets are just insane. There’s a massive range of hikes, from the 10 minute walk around Balanced Rock to the few hour trek to Delicate Arch. And everything you see you just look at and think, “How did this happen?!” We loved it so much that we incorporated it into both of our major road trips, and I would go back any chance I have.
What else could be number 1? It’s mind blowing that a place like this exists, a true oasis in the High Sierras. Fully equipped with a grocery store and multiple lodges, as well as places to stay just outside the park, once you enter Yosemite, you never truly want to leave. There’s so many options for climbers, hikers, and even dogs, and few places on earth can match the majesty of watching the sun come up from the Wawona Tunnel.
