Thanks! There are many ways to rank and it's really impossible to do it without subjectivity since everyone's idea of beauty and fun are different. This was just a fun exercise.
It will ever stop pissing me off that Rocky Mountain takes all the glory when it comes to Colorado national parks. Black canyon and sand dunes are way underrated and the cliff dwellings may be one of the best historical parks
OK since you asked I will try to do a subjective list...We seek good trails, wildlife, & unique scenery.WE like enough infrastructure, but not too much--historic lodges in great settings with good food are nice too. A place we can get some kind of boating in too (canoe, float, ranger guided etc...). And if possible manageable crowds or few is even better. #1 Glacier--just can't get enough of the mountains, lakes, forest, wildlife. We love the great lodges and cabins too. #2 Yellowstone--has almost everything we love including best wildlife based on our many visits there and elsewhere. The many different trails draw us in too as we can tour thermal features or the canyon or a mountain lake or.... #3 Olympic--We love that there are 3 unique areas and we love each in its own way. I would put some of its waterfalls right beside Yosemite #4 Grand Teton--THE most beautiful mountain range in the US! And every float trip has been great for scenery and wildlife. #5 Bryce--Great trails and unique scenery/color. Great night skies. #6 Mt. Rainier--so much more than just the mountain. #7 Rocky Mountain--My first western park and where I fell in love with western mountains. #8 Zion--Lots of Wow moments. #9 Arches--I have loved every trail we have taken there...is there a bad/poor one? #10 Badlands--Actually "good" lands. Although I find the Arch interesting I do not think either it or Hot Springs deserve NP status--NHP or NM sure, but not NP which should be reserved for truly natural areas and neither of them have enough. I can think of a couple Monuments I would place before them.
Man, we think very much alike!! Agree with everything you said here!! If money is not an issue, the great lodges at Yellowstone and Glacier, and Mt. Rainier are just wonderful places to stay and soak up the ambiance!
Definitely a controversial but well-thought-out ranking! It's interesting how when you use objective criteria, some of the "big" parks don't end up making the very top of the list, and some of the less well-known ones do.
I have only been to 32 parks (but have several more scheduled by the end of next year!) I value diversity and remote/ruggedness. I haven't hated any park so far, but my favorites: Yellowstone, Denali, Kings Canyon/Sequoia (I consider them one) Arches and Olympic. Honorable mention: Yosemite, Carlsbad Caverns, Zion and Th Roosevelt. Most beautiful sunset= White Sands. I have no plans to currently, but would love to visit Big Bend the most.
So magnificent places to see! I like your video. I like your narration. I'd like to visit and see those picturesque places one day... Btw I am watching you from Russia
I must inquire; how is there more people within 500 mi of Great basin then people within 500 mi of Yosemite? Shirley Los Angeles and San Diego and not to mention San Francisco are within 500 mi of Yosemite. That must be a total of 30 million people at least just with those cities
Because Great Basin is further to the west, it captures Denver and Phoenix and Albuquerque. Some of Yosemite's 500 mile radius is in the Pacific Ocean but nearly all of Great Basin's 500 mile radius area is on land.
My top 10... in no particular order. I like beauty, wilderness and less crowded, so some of these I've visited off season, others might not appeal to many being relatively free of touristy motels and attractions. Grand Canyon, US Virgin Islands, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Boundary Waters, Canyonlands, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Acadia, Other ( Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Big Bend, Gates of the Arctic, Yoyageurs, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Arches, Kenai Fords, Zion, and others!!...some because of memories, some I haven't visited but would like to, some I like but are too crowded for my tastes, etc.) Truthfully i haven't visited a park I didn't like except maybe the one they carved up native american sacred territory into presidents faces.
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks Not particularly! But I don't really know enough about it! Then again the statue of liberty was fun as a child.Maybe similar?
Why is it that everyone is hung up with the term "National Park" when the national Park Service administers and staffs 429 units. They are all worthy of visiting. I work at New Hampshire's only NPS unit, the Saint Gaudens National Historical Park. I wear the same uniform as the rangers in Yellowstone and we manage the natural and cultural resources the same way they do. It is a hidden Jem, the home and studios of the late 19th and early 20th century sculptor, Augustus Saint Gaudens. Number don't make the park the experience does. We average about 100 visitors per day during the high season in the summer and fall foliage season.
I love Big Bend also. I think it's under-rated. I love Zion except for the crowd. Same goes for Yosemite. Yellowstone can be crowded but it has enough room to spread the crowd out, while Zion and Yosemite tends to concentrate the crowd in the valley, making it more crowded than otherwise. All are beautiful.
This "uh, the crowds ruin my park experience, so loud and smelling" mentality gets me mad. The "crowds" are you and me too. The parks aren't there for ME and and MY experience alone. The parks are there for everyone. Don't like the crowds, stay at home. In my private life I'm very "anti-social" but I know that if I want to visit a beautiful place I can't expect to be alone.
I know my limits on crowd and that’s why I don’t go to Zion or Yosemite in July. Also why I try to be on the trails in the middle of the day at Yellowstone to get away from the crowd and only do the “big sights” early or late in the day. Many of the parks with less people have a unique charm all its own. Example is Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
This list doesn't take enough factors into account to be considered particularly objective. Some Parks cost more to get to. Other Parks can accommodate more people at any give moment. Still other Parks have smaller seasonal window to visit.
How on earth do you have Biscayne and Hot Springs ranked so high? Ive been to 54. Miost of them more than once. Those two rank at the bottom of my list. I was also stocked you had Sequoia ranked so low.
I don't care what anybody says, Guadalupe is my favorite. Beautiful scenery and the fact many don't visit which means wonderful isolation are the big draws for me. Are there more beautiful? I don't deny that but fighting crowds completely ruins a park to me. I am looking at you, Yellowstone. So overrated.
I agree with avoiding crowds. We last visited Yellowstone in September explicitly to avoid the crowd and it was OK. If you really want to avoid the crowd, Isle Royal or Wrangal-St. Elias are two great options 😀😀. I won't go near Zion because of the crowds.
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks Isle Royal is certainly on the list of parks i want to go but that one will have to wait. Not sure when, if ever, I'll get to see the Alaska parks.
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks I've only gone to Zion in October and November, and you can get a campground and drive your car all the way to the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava. Weather is gorgeous, no crowds. Go near Zion, but go late in the year. The Narrows is probably best in October.
I think Yellowstone has such diversity and each feature is among the best of that category. For example, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is among the best canyons to view. The geothermal features is among the best in the world and certainly the best in the US. Lake Yellowstone is also among the best in the US. So much hiking available for all abilities! I've been there several times and loved each visit.
Yosemite at #17 with absolutely no explanation invalidates this channel completely. It is objectively top 2 with Yellowstone on any list. Unsubscribed.
Sorry to see you go, as I said in the video, this is trying to use data and not what my subjective list would be. I too was surprised Yosemite is not in the top ten. What would your formula be?
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks eh, no worries. I subscribed in JPs place 🙂 Better to lose a malcontent, one who can’t discuss an issue without getting mad. I never understood why anyone felt the need to announce their departure, like it’s a train station.
Subjectively, Death Valley is far better than Hot Springs. Death Valley is relatively close (within 500 miles) of more than 50 million people, yet the visitation is not much more than 1 million. Hot Springs had more than 2 million visitors but only 6.5 million people live within 500 miles. This is one of the quirks of doing this by the numbers. You can't really do an "objective" list because things like these are subjective by nature, but I still found it interesting to see the results. I'll be doing a subjective list in the near future. I can assure you Death Valley will be ranked very highly, certainly well above Hot Springs.
With regard to the arch, no way. There is literally nothing natural about it. Not even the river is in its natural state. That is nothing more than a big horseshoe, I giant scrap of metal. No respect for it as a park.
It was just a "fun" exercise to see "what if". As stated in the video, opinions on parks are inherently subjective. Once I finish all 63 parks, which should be soon, I'll do a subjective (of course, my opinion only).
The video (and blog post) were great! As a nature enthusiast and data analyst this is like tailor-made content for me. Well done!
Thanks! There are many ways to rank and it's really impossible to do it without subjectivity since everyone's idea of beauty and fun are different. This was just a fun exercise.
Enjoyed your objective list. Interesting and well thought out criteria.
Thank you. One attempt at it.
It will ever stop pissing me off that Rocky Mountain takes all the glory when it comes to Colorado national parks. Black canyon and sand dunes are way underrated and the cliff dwellings may be one of the best historical parks
I agree. I really like the narrowness of Black Canyon. It feels much deeper and intimate.
OK since you asked I will try to do a subjective list...We seek good trails, wildlife, & unique scenery.WE like enough infrastructure, but not too much--historic lodges in great settings with good food are nice too. A place we can get some kind of boating in too (canoe, float, ranger guided etc...). And if possible manageable crowds or few is even better.
#1 Glacier--just can't get enough of the mountains, lakes, forest, wildlife. We love the great lodges and cabins too.
#2 Yellowstone--has almost everything we love including best wildlife based on our many visits there and elsewhere. The many different trails draw us in too as we can tour thermal features or the canyon or a mountain lake or....
#3 Olympic--We love that there are 3 unique areas and we love each in its own way. I would put some of its waterfalls right beside Yosemite
#4 Grand Teton--THE most beautiful mountain range in the US! And every float trip has been great for scenery and wildlife.
#5 Bryce--Great trails and unique scenery/color. Great night skies.
#6 Mt. Rainier--so much more than just the mountain.
#7 Rocky Mountain--My first western park and where I fell in love with western mountains.
#8 Zion--Lots of Wow moments.
#9 Arches--I have loved every trail we have taken there...is there a bad/poor one?
#10 Badlands--Actually "good" lands.
Although I find the Arch interesting I do not think either it or Hot Springs deserve NP status--NHP or NM sure, but not NP which should be reserved for truly natural areas and neither of them have enough. I can think of a couple Monuments I would place before them.
Man, we think very much alike!! Agree with everything you said here!! If money is not an issue, the great lodges at Yellowstone and Glacier, and Mt. Rainier are just wonderful places to stay and soak up the ambiance!
Definitely a controversial but well-thought-out ranking! It's interesting how when you use objective criteria, some of the "big" parks don't end up making the very top of the list, and some of the less well-known ones do.
Thanks. These types of ranking is inherently subjective, but I figure I'd give it an objective crack.
I have only been to 32 parks (but have several more scheduled by the end of next year!) I value diversity and remote/ruggedness. I haven't hated any park so far, but my favorites: Yellowstone, Denali, Kings Canyon/Sequoia (I consider them one) Arches and Olympic. Honorable mention: Yosemite, Carlsbad Caverns, Zion and Th Roosevelt. Most beautiful sunset= White Sands. I have no plans to currently, but would love to visit Big Bend the most.
So magnificent places to see! I like your video. I like your narration. I'd like to visit and see those picturesque places one day... Btw I am watching you from Russia
Wow! Thanks. I have to imagine there are places just as beautiful in Russia.
I must inquire; how is there more people within 500 mi of Great basin then people within 500 mi of Yosemite? Shirley Los Angeles and San Diego and not to mention San Francisco are within 500 mi of Yosemite. That must be a total of 30 million people at least just with those cities
Because Great Basin is further to the west, it captures Denver and Phoenix and Albuquerque. Some of Yosemite's 500 mile radius is in the Pacific Ocean but nearly all of Great Basin's 500 mile radius area is on land.
Nice video! Liked and subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
My top 10... in no particular order. I like beauty, wilderness and less crowded, so some of these I've visited off season, others might not appeal to many being relatively free of touristy motels and attractions.
Grand Canyon,
US Virgin Islands,
Rocky Mountain,
Grand Teton,
Boundary Waters,
Canyonlands,
Yosemite,
Joshua Tree,
Acadia,
Other ( Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Big Bend, Gates of the Arctic, Yoyageurs, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Arches, Kenai Fords, Zion, and others!!...some because of memories, some I haven't visited but would like to, some I like but are too crowded for my tastes, etc.)
Truthfully i haven't visited a park I didn't like except maybe the one they carved up native american sacred territory into presidents faces.
Thanks for the list. What do you think about Gateway Arch? Do you think you would enjoy that as a national park?
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks Not particularly! But I don't really know enough about it! Then again the statue of liberty was fun as a child.Maybe similar?
Have you been to glacier?
@@YouCanCallMeReTro I have not. Have you? Did you like it?
@@jennifera4350 Went there in early July, its incredible.
Why is it that everyone is hung up with the term "National Park" when the national Park Service administers and staffs 429 units. They are all worthy of visiting. I work at New Hampshire's only NPS unit, the Saint Gaudens National Historical Park. I wear the same uniform as the rangers in Yellowstone and we manage the natural and cultural resources the same way they do. It is a hidden Jem, the home and studios of the late 19th and early 20th century sculptor, Augustus Saint Gaudens. Number don't make the park the experience does. We average about 100 visitors per day during the high season in the summer and fall foliage season.
My Top Five: Grand Teton NP
Zion NP
Yosemite NP
Yellowstone NP
Big Bend NP(Insane diversity of species out there)
I love Big Bend also. I think it's under-rated. I love Zion except for the crowd. Same goes for Yosemite. Yellowstone can be crowded but it has enough room to spread the crowd out, while Zion and Yosemite tends to concentrate the crowd in the valley, making it more crowded than otherwise. All are beautiful.
I'm with you on Big Bend. it is a spectacular park.
So, is Big Sur not a national park anymore?
Yellowstone is second to Yosemite.
Yosemite
Mt Rainier
Grand Canyon
Gateway arch definitely shouldn't be a national park
Interesting way to rank national parks
I think so... just trying something different.
This "uh, the crowds ruin my park experience, so loud and smelling" mentality gets me mad. The "crowds" are you and me too. The parks aren't there for ME and and MY experience alone. The parks are there for everyone. Don't like the crowds, stay at home.
In my private life I'm very "anti-social" but I know that if I want to visit a beautiful place I can't expect to be alone.
I know my limits on crowd and that’s why I don’t go to Zion or Yosemite in July. Also why I try to be on the trails in the middle of the day at Yellowstone to get away from the crowd and only do the “big sights” early or late in the day. Many of the parks with less people have a unique charm all its own. Example is Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
This list doesn't take enough factors into account to be considered particularly objective. Some Parks cost more to get to. Other Parks can accommodate more people at any give moment. Still other Parks have smaller seasonal window to visit.
All good points. I used distance and road access as proxy for cost. What would your formula look like? Always looking to improve the method
Not a flamingo…but a spoonbill
Not a spoonbill either, an Ibis
How on earth do you have Biscayne and Hot Springs ranked so high? Ive been to 54. Miost of them more than once. Those two rank at the bottom of my list. I was also stocked you had Sequoia ranked so low.
I don't care what anybody says, Guadalupe is my favorite. Beautiful scenery and the fact many don't visit which means wonderful isolation are the big draws for me. Are there more beautiful? I don't deny that but fighting crowds completely ruins a park to me. I am looking at you, Yellowstone. So overrated.
I agree with avoiding crowds. We last visited Yellowstone in September explicitly to avoid the crowd and it was OK. If you really want to avoid the crowd, Isle Royal or Wrangal-St. Elias are two great options 😀😀. I won't go near Zion because of the crowds.
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks Isle Royal is certainly on the list of parks i want to go but that one will have to wait. Not sure when, if ever, I'll get to see the Alaska parks.
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks I've only gone to Zion in October and November, and you can get a campground and drive your car all the way to the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava. Weather is gorgeous, no crowds. Go near Zion, but go late in the year. The Narrows is probably best in October.
The only correct ranking was Yellowstone.
I also agree with Yellowstone as the "best", and it's #1 on my subjective list.
Yellowstone is overrated
I think Yellowstone has such diversity and each feature is among the best of that category. For example, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is among the best canyons to view. The geothermal features is among the best in the world and certainly the best in the US. Lake Yellowstone is also among the best in the US. So much hiking available for all abilities! I've been there several times and loved each visit.
I think Voyageurs National Park has an international border.
Voyageurs borders Canada by water, but I don't think there is a border crossing inside the park.
Correct. The border is water. @@JourneytoAllNationalParks
Yosemite at #17 with absolutely no explanation invalidates this channel completely. It is objectively top 2 with Yellowstone on any list. Unsubscribed.
Sorry to see you go, as I said in the video, this is trying to use data and not what my subjective list would be. I too was surprised Yosemite is not in the top ten. What would your formula be?
@@JourneytoAllNationalParks eh, no worries. I subscribed in JPs place 🙂 Better to lose a malcontent, one who can’t discuss an issue without getting mad. I never understood why anyone felt the need to announce their departure, like it’s a train station.
My top 10, but I can't rank them:
Zion
Grand Canyon
Canyonlands
Arches
Yosemite
Yellowstone
Death Valley
Bryce
Capitol Reef
Crater Lake
Good list! Close to mine. We did not get a chance to fully explore Crater Lake but that lake is oh so gorgeous.
@@howarddamico1237 I love the desert!
Yup. This is a very good list! But I agree with Howard: Glacier must be in top 10.
You ranked Hot Springs well above Death Valley? Got to be kidding me.
Subjectively, Death Valley is far better than Hot Springs. Death Valley is relatively close (within 500 miles) of more than 50 million people, yet the visitation is not much more than 1 million. Hot Springs had more than 2 million visitors but only 6.5 million people live within 500 miles. This is one of the quirks of doing this by the numbers. You can't really do an "objective" list because things like these are subjective by nature, but I still found it interesting to see the results.
I'll be doing a subjective list in the near future. I can assure you Death Valley will be ranked very highly, certainly well above Hot Springs.
Gateway Arch is above King's Canyon?....why make such an OBJECTIVELY stupid list?
With regard to the arch, no way. There is literally nothing natural about it. Not even the river is in its natural state. That is nothing more than a big horseshoe, I giant scrap of metal. No respect for it as a park.
I completely agree. If you have not seen it, check this out. th-cam.com/video/MeR-_9_d02Y/w-d-xo.html
There’s no objective metric to this. Stop pretending otherwise.
*edited to add that your ranking is absolutely stupid😆🤦*
It was just a "fun" exercise to see "what if". As stated in the video, opinions on parks are inherently subjective. Once I finish all 63 parks, which should be soon, I'll do a subjective (of course, my opinion only).