Ever wondered what the most popular national parks in the US are? In this article we describe what each park has to offer: it’s wildlife, forestry, and activities. 

5. Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona. Boarding closely to Utah, the park is home to the famous Grand Canyon ravine which runs a mile deep and is 277 miles long. They have visitor centers open all year around the South Rim of the park and a visitor center theater which features a Grand Canyon documentary. For a good overview of the park, you can hike the Canyon Rim Trail which leads to Hermit Road, a 7 mile scenic road with 9 overlooks. You can also walk the Trail of Time, which features the canyon’s geological history and samples of each rock layer. Grand Canyon National Park also has the historical remains of a small Ancestral Puebloan village at the Tusayan Pueblo Museum. Another fun activity is the offered Mule Trips along the canyon’s rim. It’s three hours long and you can stay overnight at the bottom of the canyon and sleep at the Phantom Ranch. Overall this destination is one for the books! 

4. Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, located in Montana, features a range of melting glaciers, carved valleys, lakes, and alpine meadows. The most popular attraction is the Going-to-the-Sun Road which connects the east and west sides of the park through a scenic drive which rises up to 6,646 feet. The park showcases a range of hiking trails totalling up to 700 miles including short hikes to extended backpack trips. Located in the park, there is fishing, boating, biking, skiing, and horseback riding. Glacier National Park also holds special events inside the park including Ranger-led Activities, boat tours, and Native American Speaks programs. The park holds some of the most beautiful views of Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park which is crystal clear. You should definitely put this park on your bucket list! 

3. Zion National Park

Zion National Park is famous for its beautiful towering sandstone cliffs, interesting rock formations, and deep canyons located in Utah. The park showcases an elevation change from the highest point at Horse Ranch Mountain at 8,726 feet to the lowest point at Coal Puts Wash at 3,666 feet. The park includes waterfalls, springs, petrified forests, and a wide variety of plant species. Zion National Park is also home to 291 species of birds. The park offers canyoneering(an activity that combines route finding, rappelling, problem solving, swimming and hiking) rock climbing, camping, horseback riding, river trips, stargazing and more! The park includes over 90 miles of trails for backpacking and camping. Another fun sight is the Kolob Canyons which includes a five-mile scenic drive along the cliffs exposing the beautiful Zion wilderness. 

2. Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park, located in California, is known for its gorgeous snow-covered mountains, lakes, and forestry. The park showcases its beautiful cascading waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and a variety of nature and animal diversity. The park has over 750 miles of hiking trails and year round tours around the park. Some places inside the park includes: Hetch Hetchy(two of North America’s tallest waterfalls over granite cliffs), Glacier Point(an overlook), Wawona(historic Wawona Hotel and history center), Mariposa Grove(home of the giant sequoias), Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Road(a large open alpine meadow with beautiful mountains), and Crane Flat Area(a pleasant forest and meadow area). Yosemite National Park offers guided tours, biking, bird watching, fishing, horseback riding, winter sports, stargazing, and rock climbing. 

1. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park resides as the best National Park in the US. Located in Wyoming, the park has numerous famous destinations including Old Faithful, one of 500 geysers in Yellowstone first to be named, Thumb Geyser, Tower Fall, Yellowstone Lake, and Mammoth Hot Springs. The park includes a variety of geysers, hot springs, rivers and beautiful mountains. The park offers horseback riding, biking, hiking(with nearly 1,000 miles of trails) and snow sports such as skiing and snowshoeing. The public can attend Indigenous Cultural Events and participate in a Ranger Program. The park exhibits steamy mud pots, geysers and smokey fumaroles up close. The park hosted up to 4,860,537 people in 2021 and holds 2.2 million acres of land, which makes it larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.