Yep, Europeans come to America to see our spectacular national parks, scenery, and landscapes. Americans go to Europe to see the architecture, history, and and culture.
@@jakeozzy4776 I wouldn't be so quick to diminish the natural beauty of the rest of Europe. Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Croatia definitely have areas that rival America's natural beauty
Some channels are gems, yours is a gem mine. As us city people are realizing how disconnected we are from the natural beauty of our country, you give us better advice/tools than most and it’s really invaluable. My nuclear family has kids which are grown and adults that aren’t retired yet but taking more time off… and when you helped me plan our southern road trip not only did you help provide awesome family memories for us but you also helped my parents respect the southern part of our country, which before they held very strong contempt for. Thank you
@@jag92949 so is it's neighbor, Tennessee and you won't find finer people. We just get a bad wrap for what our ancestors did AND a false spin from the media. That's ok, we'll just keep all the wonderfulness to ourselves.
Great video! While the Oregon Coast is beautiful, I personally would have chosen Silver Falls State Park as my top choice, just because of how unique it is. Being able to hike behind multiple gigantic, beautiful waterfalls in just a couple hours is truly an unmatched experience.
I just went to Oregon for the first time a few months ago to visit family and I haven’t seen mountains before (I’m from Louisiana) so I think the mount hood national park has to be my personal favorite
@@7killer778 I lived there for some 20 years and now live not far up in WA state. August and September are the driest months by far, but also the most crowded. June and October can have some dry, sunny days, but it's hit and miss and can still rain a lot. July can also get a lot of gloomy/rainy days some years. November through May is pretty much solid rain, very dark and wet. If you must have dry weather, go in Aug/Sep. Anybody who tries to tell you any different is lying. 😉
Hard for me to choose. I haven't been there when Winter Falls was live. You have to have enough rain to get that one going. I also like the falls next to I84 on the Historic Columbia River Highway. If heading east, take exit 22 Corbett and bear left for waterfalls and the Vista House. Or if heading west, take exit 35 for Ainsworth State Park. Bear right for the waterfalls. Go slow, enjoy, stop at every fall. More than one place to camp. It's not that long a drive and there are plenty of places to stay in Hood River, the Dalles, Portland, .... My favorite fall is not Multnomah, but Shepperd's Dell.
Learned a new term from this video: Karst topography - (def:) A landscape that is characterized by numerous caves, sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams. Karst topography usually forms in regions of plentiful rainfall where bedrock consists of carbonate-rich rock, such as limestone, gypsum, or dolomite, that is easily dissolved.
As an Upstate NY resident, I would like to give an honorable mention to Letchworth State Park. Might be the most "western US scenery" type of place in the east
"The Grand Canyon of the East." I thought that might be the one for NY, if Niagara Falls was too obvious. I'd also toss Watkins Glen and Chimney Bluffs out there as lesser known state parks (at least among people not from the state). If NYC is all you think of when you think of New York, you're missing out on some fantastic scenery.
A wonderfully compiled list of amazing state parks! A few I would add for consideration: For Indiana, Turkey Run State Park. For Nevada, Valley of Fire State Park. For Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park. For Illinois, Starved Rock State Park, and for Pennsylvania, Ohiopyle State Park. These parks may have a more crowds, but they are all spectacular. I've found the secret to avoiding crowds is to go during the week if possible, and getting there as early as possible.
I agree completely on Indiana and Illinois. One of the best things about Turkey Run is it is very close to Shades, another state park with similar topography and far fewer visitors.
I think Devil’s Lake is Wisconsin’s best. Super pretty, great (dangerous) hiking, great climbing, and very fun to swim. It’s super pretty in fall and winter too.
Ask Wisconsin resident who's been to many of our Parks I wouldn't have picked the park he picked either. The other ones mentioned here by other viewers are much nicer. I don't live in the area but I really like the driftless area. I live in northern Wisconsin I thought he was going to pick Big Bay State park.
This is a fantastic idea for your channel. It is hard to do cross-country road trips for many, but a few hours of driving to see stunning scenery within one's own state, or a nearby state, is doable for most. I've been in NC almost half my life but never been to Gorges, but I'll make a point of going there now.
Agreed. While I try to get to other parts of the country as often as I can, I've seen some pretty good scenery in the two states I've lived in: North Dakota and Minnesota. I've visited all of the North Dakota state parks, but I've still got plenty in Minnesota to check out.
people think you have to travel far and expensive to see anything good. I have talked to people born and raised 5 miles from mammoth cave yet never seen it, or live in Arizona and never been to the grand canyon? crazy
The Minnesota Geological Survey and Kickapoo Valley Reserve have some great videos that discuss the Driftless. I highly recommend any presentations given by Iowa geologist Phillip Kerr or Wisconsin geologist Eric Carson. Theirs are the best ones I've found on YT.
Huge fan! I watch a lot of your videos at home and my wife tolerates the nerdiness to a point… but- she said this is the video that finally won her over as a fan!! Thanks for the great content
This may be an unpopular request, but I think it'd be cool to watch a video on the old tornado alley part of the country in eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, western Kansas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, north Texas, and even parts of eastern New Mexico and Wyoming. I've driven through all those areas in each of those states and they're just such desolate, quiet, unpopulated, and wide open plains that I feel have such a bleak future and are very forgotten about. Really mesmerizing to drive through though.
I like that part of the country despite the economic issues. I road tripped through there last year. Nice subtle beauty. But Jedi, do know that there are cows known to hunt and chase down people for sport in those parts, especially ones blocking entrance gates. They're blocking them for a reason. Don't go in.
I live in CO, and I’ve seen quite a bit of the eastern side. I’ve actually been to all the places you mentioned. I’m not a huge fan of brown flatness. The towns are also pretty rough, and they don’t have the charm of towns in Iowa.
@@jag92949 I actually like the fact it's not as crowded or expensive as the rest of Colorado and you're still not too far from the Rockies. I find the open plains and sunshine to be nice as well.
For Utah I was totally expecting to see Snow Canyon or Goblin Valley but was pleasantly surprised to see Kodachrome. It's a very nice lesser-known choice which tells me you know your way around Utah. Thank you for the great video and great list.
I love Kodachrome - when there on a whim after a slot canyon hike we planned was cancelled because of potential rain - one of our best days of the trip!
Hey Kyle: Thanks for the update! We have been to every National Park in the lower 48. We have plans to go back to Alaska and Hawaii to get some additional National Parks. Until then, we will be traveling around TN and adjoining states visiting state parks. Thanks and go VOLs!
Growing up my family never really took vacations, but instead went tent camping at state parks around the midwest, mainly Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and a little bit of Michigan. Some of the best trips I've taken and still love to go back to them in the spring and fall
My family kind of did the opposite. We went to touristy hot spots, but never any appreciable stays in our national and state park areas. Now, I'm making up for lost time and I'm incorporating those places in my travel plans.
@@rudyschwab7709 That's still cool. I haven't had the opportunity to go to many national parks or big tourist destinations but I have some of them on my bucket list
As an IL resident near Chicago…I’d like to highlight Starved Rock State Park. The SP has at least a dozen canyons and waterfalls in the spring along with a massive sandstone bluffs overlooking the Illinois River! It’s the state most popular state park for a reason, and it’s only about 1.5 hours from most of Chicagoland!
Palisades has Algific Talus Slopes which are exceptionally rare micro-environments. These cold breathing slopes offer refuge to rare flora and fauna from the last ice age.
I recently discovered your channel as I'm resting up, super sick with a nasty virus, and am so impressed by the amount of time and effort you surely must put into your videos! As a fellow nerd, I appreciate so much about them! Keep up the great work!! I'm going to go back to enjoying more of your videos now. 😁
You should check out Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri. I’m from vermont and went in the fall. I’ve never seen such beautiful foliage in my entire life as I did there. It’s not just the foliage though, it is just so beautiful regardless.
One of my favorite videos of yours to date. I love the outdoors and have visited a bunch of national parks and very few state parks so it was cool to learn all about them. Keep up the great work.
Oregon Coast is definitely the most beautiful coast line in the lower 48, in my opinion. I'm really fortunate to live on the Southern Oregon coast, so scenic drives are a part of my daily life. One thing that is also super cool, is how much public land Oregon has in general. That would be a cool subject to explore in one of your videos. A list of states with the most public lands to enjoy. Keep it up! Love your channel!
Lime kiln is a very underrated park in CA, I stumbled across it by accident, literally pulling off highway 1 on my motorcycle to stretch my leg and beat a leg cramp. I feel spoiled in CA with all of our great parks. Emerald Bay at Tahoe used to be one of my favorites as a kid with how breathtaking the views were and hiking down to a secluded part of the lake but now it’s very overcrowded and I haven’t been in years.
For California I probably would have gone with Mount Tamalpais, Big Basin, or Humboldt Redwoods, but Mt Tam gets pretty crowded and Big Basin recently had that big fire. It's hard to go wrong with any state park that has redwoods or is located in Big Sur.
This is my favorite TH-cam Channel! Kyle, you consistently provide insight into American geography that lines up with what I value. Here it is America's lesser known scenic wonders (compared to NPs). Thanks again.
I think most Ohioans would give the nod to Hocking Hills State Park. The Hocking River cut a canyon through this mass of sandstone hard enough to stop the Laurentide Ice Sheet in its tracks and did so in a very artistic manner and at a very human scale, running through dense pre-Ice Age climax forest. The park consists of several separate areas, each noted for its natural beauty and easy hiking; the most spectacular of the attractions is even accessible. There's many other State parks, forests and recreation areas in the region and a well-developed owner-operator vacation recreation industry. And you can't find a place to stay that doesn't have a hot tub.
Definitely better than shawnee. It really doesn't feel like you are in ohio when you are down in the gorges by old man's cave and ceadar falls. I highly recommend it but it can get crowded.
Surely Hocking is the most spectacular, but it is heavily visited and you can run into crowded conditions, especially at peak times--this seemed to be one of Kyle's criteria.
Love this. It's really interesting to learn about some of the lesser known pockets of wilderness in these states especially when they don't conform to the stereotypes of that state's overall geography.
True! As a South Carolina native I would have picked Table Rock or Caesar's Head as my favorite state park since I love the mountains and the Blue Ridge escarpment area. Pretty cool to hike up to the top of a mountain and see mostly flat landscape lay before you for miles. I could literally almost see my house from some of those mountains lol. To be fair he did already pick a lot of state parks in the Appalachians so I understand why the swampy midlands region would be more interesting in this context.
I really appreciate the fun and informative content. I definitely added a few of these to my to do list. I have lived in Minnesota for most of my life and wanted to add my 2 cents. I have actually visited all 70+ Minnesota state parks at least once and many of them several times. I would have to say that Grand Portage probably would not be in my top half. The park itself is tiny and offers few amenities. In the area there are about 10 state parks, the Boundary Waters canoe area, Superior National Forest, and Grand Portage National Monument. Grand Portage mostly exists for the falls which are on the US, Canada border (so another nearby park says they have the tallest falls "in" Minnesota and that is technically true). Most of Minnesota's best parks are on what we call the North Shore, basically the area from Duluth to Grand Portage along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Grand Portage State Park is more of a 1 hour stop than a true state park. Even though no one asked, here are what I think Minnesota's state parks are. All of these are far larger with far more amenities. About half of the parks I list are on the North Shore of Lake Superior, which is probably fair and consistent with what most locals would think. I probably have a bit of an anti Twin Cities bias here as many of those parks are similar to these and of high quality, just much busier. 12) Judge Magney - Cool half disappearing waterfall on North Shore 11) Jay Cooke - Close to the North Shore, Dramatic Scenery on St. Louis River flowing into Duluth. 10) Great River Bluffs - Hidden Gem spectacular bluffs overlooking the Mississippi in the Driftless Area 9) Blue Mounds - Only real destination park in SW Minnesota 8) Scenic - North country inland lakes with a cool trail on an isthmus between them. 7) St. Croix - Huge Park along a National Scenic River 6) Glendalough - Series of lakes great for fishing & canoeing 5) George Crosby Manitou - Only North Shore wilderness park 4) Gooseberry - series of waterfalls along lake superior. 3) Whitewater - streams & bluffs in SE Minnesota. 2) Itasca - Headwaters of Mississippi and feels more like a National Park 1) Tettegouche - Spectacular lake shore, and inland mountains and as a bonus - I think the weirdest would be Soudan Underground Mine. I live in Rochester and if you are ever in the area, you are entitled to a beverage on me...
Of course, any list is subjective. I would agree that Grand Portage is pretty good but not the best. I also like Tettegouche, Itasca and Scenic State Parks, but I would add Split Rock Lighthouse, Bearhead Lake, and Interstate Park to your top 10 and move Great River Bluffs up about five spaces.
As a Texan, I 100% agree with your pick of Big Bend Ranch State Park. I have been there twice, and plan to go back many more. If you like seclusion, unique scenery and hiking trails, and really dark skies, this is the place for you. Great choice Kyle!
Part of the reason for Arizona's lack of state parks is because many of its most prominent geographic features are either NPS or National Forest units; I completely agree with Tonto Natural Bridge! It's small even by AZ State Park standards, but it's an awesome place. For Illinois and Wisconsin I personally would've gone with Matthiessen and Devil's Lake respectively, but those are probably too obvious!
This is fairly common among the western states, where much of the "state" is actually federal land. Poor Nevada only actually controls something like 15-20% of its own territory, with the rest being Fed. EDIT: CGPGrey has a really great video detailing federal land ownership in the western states if anyone is curious.
For my favorite state park in New York, I would've gone with Letchworth State Park aka the "Grand Canyon of the East." The massive gorge located there along the Genesee River is amazing plus you get to see multiple massive falls.
But there's a decent amount of good choices for New York surprisingly. Adirondack Park was a good choice and Niagara Falls State Park would also be a good choice.
NY state has the best state park system in the entire US and all the parks you mentioned are fantastic but the Daks is without question head and shoulders above the rest, Letchworth and Watkins Glen are both gorgeous but the Dacks are exponentially larger and more diverse and offer so much more in terms of scenery and recreational opportunities and both ends of the spectrum of accommodations from small town inns to absolutely remote isolated camping spots so there's no way for the other parks to compete with everything that the Daks have, and as for Niagara Falls for sure everyone should see it at least once in their lives but the park itself (other than the hiking trails on the islands in the river at the top of the falls) is quite boring and over-crowded and full of too much tourist stuff, you can find a few nice secluded spots on the islands that allow you to commune with nature and get away from all the tourists but for the most part it's just to hectic there to be enjoyable beyond just seeing the actual Falls
3:13 for the 4th grade field trip in we got to see Tallahassee and some museums and eventually got to go through this same cave. It was definitely something to remember and glad I got to check it out.
Here in WA, I might have chosen Deception Pass. There's a bridge towering over a narrow ocean inlet with great views, as well as beaches fronting on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects Puget Sound to the Pacific, so it can have some very strong winds.
My spouse and I went to Deception Pass State Park early into our honeymoon (while staying on Camano Island) a few weeks ago. Took lots of great pictures, scoured the shore for cool-looking rocks, got to hike around and also see the 850 year old Douglas Fir too!! I would go again in a heartbeat! 😍🥰
@@GeographyKing if you like backpacking, try any of the designated Wilderness areas surrounding the North Cascades National Park. For a day hike, try Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm in the national park. But be aware that the high country (above timberline) in most years doesn't melt out till late July, and the weather after mid-September can be nice some years, early snow in the high country in other years. So if you like hiking above timberline, the season there is very short.
Kodachrome's nice, but Snow Canyon SP in St. George, UT will always have a special place in my heart. I went to Snow Canyon High School at the mouth of the canyon the first year after it was built in 1994. We did a lot of rock climbing and screwing around when we were supposed to be in class.
Great list. For some states it is impossible to have a wrong choice. My personal favorites for the states I've explored the most: Washington - Palouse Falls. Gorgeous waterfall in the eastern portion of the state. Utah - Goblin Valley State Park. Chock full of crazy rock formations that do look like red goblins. Arizona - Tonto Bridge is indeed the most stunning. My go-to, however, is Catalina State Park, mostly because it's 20 minutes from my house and is a serene, beautiful desert setting with lots of trails, beautiful mountain views and all sorts of desert life. Oregon - you nailed it with the whole freaking coast.
Palouse Falls, aside from being beautiful in its own right, makes a nice companion stop with Dry Falls National Park. The geology is basically the same thing on a smaller scale produced by the same events (Missoula ice age floods) only the Palouse still has a modern waterfall to compare to what it used to be. They're almost three hours apart though, so they're better suited to multiday trips. Would recommend making a stop at Palouse Falls either way if in the area since the viewpoint is pretty close to the highway.
9:20 I live in new York, and I would have gone with Niagara falls state park, which is near where I live, just bc it's one of the seven wonders of the world. Or Letchworth state park, which has the biggest waterfall in NY after Niagara falls, and was voted the best state park in the US. Where I grew up, Watkins Glen state park, has a ton of waterfalls too and is similar to Letchworth state park
NY state has the best state park system in the entire US and all the parks you mentioned are fantastic but the Daks is without question head and shoulders above the rest, Letchworth and Watkins Glen are both gorgeous but the Dacks are exponentially larger and more diverse and offer so much more in terms of scenery and recreational opportunities and both ends of the spectrum of accommodations from small town inns to absolutely remote isolated camping spots so there's no way for the other parks to compete with everything that the Daks have, and as for Niagara Falls for sure everyone should see it at least once in their lives but the park itself (other than the hiking trails on the islands in the river at the top of the falls) is quite boring and over-crowded and full of too much tourist stuff, you can find a few nice secluded spots on the islands that allow you to commune with nature and get away from all the tourists but for the most part it's just to hectic there to be enjoyable beyond just seeing the actual Falls
I really appreciate how you made this video! You kept each park description to a few sentences, but still have a good number of representative pictures, so the video feels like a good overview!
Oh my god a video I never thought I'd find. I've been to every state park in Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota, and am planning to do a state every year, (Wisconsin next summer) so this will be fun to watch. I will edit as I go. When I did Iowa, Maquoketa Caves ranked 13th of 54 parks, which was pretty good. It was arguably Iowa's most unique state park, so if you were going for uniqueness, you win. The only other one that might come close is Cedar Rock, but it's for a different reason other than natural features. My favorite park is Waubonsie in the Loess Hills. Grand Portage is a good pick. I had it 8th out of 66 parks. All of the north shore parks are incredible, with all 8 of them ranking in the top 12. The other 4 that made the top 12 were either in the driftless area, (Whitewater, Beaver Creek Valley, Frontenac), as well as Jay Cooke State Park south of Duluth. As far as uniqueness, I might've opted for more on the western side of the state with Glacial Lakes or Blue Mounds, but I can see why the waterfall would go towards uniqueness for Grand Portage. Tettegouche was my favorite park in Minnesota. Custer is unmatched. There are only 12 state parks in South Dakota and it is my favorite by a long shot. Bear Butte is second, and it rounds out the west side of the state for state parks. Sica Hollow and Palisades are my two favorites on the east side of the state. Edit: adding Wisconsin. I never went to the state forests, so I'm not sure where I would rank this one, but my favorite parks in Wisconsin were very well dispersed throughout the state. Devils Lake (South Central) Wyalusing (Southwest) Rib Mountain (North Central) Big Bay (Apostle Islands) Harrington Beach (Southeast) and Rock Island (Door County)
Nevada - you nailed it, Kyle. Cathedral Gorge State Park is a must-see park. I loved it. Squeezing in some of the narrow slots was a highlight of my Nevada/Utah hiking trip.
@@schizomode Red Rock is actually a National park, or Monument I think, so it wasn't a contender. Red Rock is great in its own way, but can be crowded -- still, it's the closest escape to wilderness from Las Vegas. But I was surprised not to see Valley of Fire State Park for Nevada, as it's incredible and totally captured my heart. Nevada, for all its empty spaces, has some really unexpected amazing places. Time to check out Cathedral Gorge!
as a Canadian, the choice of state and national parks in Utah is mind-boggling. Arkansas is underrated. Washington has huge variety. and Tennessee is beautiful border to border. most stunning lake in north America has to be crater lake.
For Wisconsin it would have for me to be Peninsula State Park or Devil’s Lake State Park, both have features that one would not expect in our state! Peninsula has a few miles of shoreline, bluffs, islands and Devil’s Lake has cliffs and views that are absolutely stunning
For Minnesota I would have gone with Tettegouche or Crosby Manitou down near Silver Bay as they have more of the Lake Superior shoreline and more trails than Grand Portage, but still have the waterfalls and lake views, plus Tettegouche has Palisade Head which is a unique part of geology in the area. For Michigan, I would play the popular card and choose the Porcupine Mountains, as it's one of the best mountain/wilderness parks between the Rockies and the Appalachians. It's busy, but only really at the popular overlooks and the vast amount of trails allow you to get a lot of alone time. Plus it's home to one of the largest remaining Old Growth Hemlock forests. In Wisconsin, I know it's really busy, but Devils Lake has the surprise factor, and I think I would choose that over anything else in the state (though Copper Falls is also really cool) I think you got ND, SD, OK, NE, KS, and NM all right based on my experiences.
As a Minnesotan native, I can’t believe the park Kyle picked was THE one I’d have to drive 5 hours to get to and breeze right past all the Great Lake Superior shoreline to go see! That’s the Geography King for ya!! 😂
I've been to a good number of the Minnesota parks, and I'd probably agree with Tettegouche. I do love High Falls in Grand Portage, though, but I wish there'd be more hiking in the park. One of my favorites in Minnesota is Maplewood in the western part of the state. The fall scenery there is spectacular. Obviously it's wonderful up on the North Shore also.
I am not a park expert at all, but Banning in Sandstone is pretty awesome, especially just after the rain. It’s an abandoned mine, cut from the riverbanks rather than being a tunnel, with some building skeletons and giant half-cut blocks and just flat-out gorgeous forest, and the river running and falling through it all. It’s smallish and somewhat challenging to hike through, with a lot of uneven and very slanted sections, but if you just want to spend a few hours in nature, it’s just perfect.
I would argue that Split Rock is the most amazing for scenery in Minnesota. The lake along with the picturesque lighthouse (I would argue it is the most beautiful lighthouse in the US) is unparalleled.
10 Wisconsin 9 Minnesota 8 Utah 7 Virginia 6 Massachustts 5 New Hampshire 4 Pennsylvania 3 Colorado 2 California 1 Washington Taking bets for top 10 order. Haven’t looked at my own tables in months so I think it’s fair to call this an educated guess. Thanks Kyle! Always enjoy your work
As a Kentuckian… Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Resort Park is where it is at. Rock climbing, class 5 rapids, rock arches, history, nada tunnel, etc.
Yooooo, NW Georgia is awesome. I'm living in FL and went with my wife on a roadtrip to a couple of the mountain towns there, (Helen, Hiawasee, Spartanburg, etc.) and it was a wonderful trip. Very scenic!
Turkey Run State Park in Indiana is my personal fave... you can hike on ladders down to the gorge and I find it much more fun to explore! You can also float the creek on tubes for a water adventure.
I'm going to school for Natural Resource Management and there's actually a reason many state parks have scenery just as beautiful as national parks and are located right next to them. As an example when they established Grand Canyon National Park a big concern was that loggers and land owners would butt up against the borders of the canyon and ruin the environment and scenery for everyone. The federal and state policy makers came up with a pretty clever workaround; the surrounding land was designated variously as state parks, national forests, and state forests. These don't have the same strict preservation requirements as national parks, but they could appease industry (you can harvest timber in state/national forests but with strict regulation) as well as preserving the surrounding land. This pattern emerges around many national parks!
Awesome video! I definitely wanna check out some of these! Some of the state parks I really enjoy are Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Missouri, Watkins Glen State Park in New York, Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas, Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona and Mammoth Spring State Park in Arkansas.
I think Elephant rocks is usually cited. Lived here all my life and I haven't visited any MO. state parks. Drive by Lake of the Ozarks every day. By the way MO. park rangers are Highway Patrol and can do anything any cop can do.
Just discovered Buck’s Pocket last month when we rerouted to the campground to avoid hurricane Ian’s outer bands. What a blast we had hiking in the dry creek bed and viewing the stars from the overlook without any light pollution. The campground is FABULOUS, with long concrete pads and full hookups adjacent to hiking. Will be returning!
Love the channel. I do have a small criticism of your choice for the best state park in Illinois. Matthiessen state park, which is very close to starved rock state park, has cliffs, waterfalls, the vermillion river on the west side , and terrain you won’t anywhere else in Illinois.
Excellent list, I will have to check some of these out. I'm also glad you didn't mention Goblin Valley in Utah because I don't want anyone to know about it.
Nice choice for Illinois. Mississippi Palisades also features rock climbing. However I might have picked the twin parks of Starved Rock and Mathiessen State Parks. Very unique for flatland Illinois.
A really good list! If you ever make a list of notable local parks, the Garden of the Gods - operated by the city of Colorado Springs - should definitely be included!
You are spot on-most National Forests, State Parks are just as scenic as the National Parks with out the crowds. If you like the National Parks, look at the lands that are contiguous. You will be delighted.
Lifelong Kansan here. My favorite state park is Lake Scott State Park in Western Kansas along the Scott/Logan county lines. Much more unique topography than anything in Eastern or Central Kansas. Hidden gem with unique history.
Great video, gave me a lot of great ideas. Your choice of the Adirondack for new York was good, I believe that Letchworth state park, in the finger lakes region, has been voted one of best in America.
No lie, the Oregon coast is absolutely spectacular. An incredible drive - pack a good lunch and when it's time to eat, just stop into a random park and enjoy the beauty. A few years back, I went to Jedidiah State Park in Northern California, along the Pacific Coast, and right across the boarder with Oregon. Endor Forest scenes from Return of the Jedi were filmed there, and the park was serene and beautiful and green. The most incredible thing are the redwoods, a giant, echo-filled forest. Joggers would go by, it was wonderfully cool and breezy, with fern-filled trails all about. California is truly a beautiful state.
Thanks for posting this Video Geography King! I studied Geography in college, it’s a fascinating subject. Tennessee has won numerous awards for its state park system. Picket is an International Dark Park. Rocky Fork is applying to be a dark park too. Rocky Fork is the Highest State Park in Tennessee , its highest point is 4,310 feet. Thanks for posting all your content, keep up the good work!
I definitely like many of these choices as well; Trap Pond and Beartown are two of my favorite places not just in their states, but anywhere in the U.S. I haven't visited many state parks in other states, but here are some of my favorites: --Matthiessen in north central Illinois (a small, narrow canyon) --Quartz Mountain in southwestern Oklahoma --Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut near Hartford --Sky Meadows State Park in northern Virginia (interestingly, this park preserves a typical landscape for its state, not an exceptional one, but that's a good thing because so much of that region of the state has been turned into suburbs or horse farms) --Letchworth State Park in upstate New York (the "Grand Canyon of the East") Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks in Pennsylvania preserve a large gorge called the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania;" I think they're included in the Pennsylvania entry of this video.
As a South Carolina native, I would have picked Table Rock or Caesar's Head as my favorite state park since I love the mountains and the Blue Ridge escarpment area. Pretty cool to hike up to the top of a mountain and see mostly flat landscape lay before you for miles. I could literally almost see my house from some of those mountains lol. To be fair you did already pick a lot of state parks in the Appalachians so I understand why the swampy midlands region would be more interesting in this context.
Oconee, Pickens and upper Greenville counties are gorgeous. And coastal SC is simply wonderful and magical. But I've come to appreciate the more subtle beauties and charms of the spread between the two. So I'm glad he picked a Midlands park. The Sandhills, Piedmont and upper reaches of the Coastal Plain have their own appeal. I wish SC just did a better job generally with preservation and beautification. We don't suck but could do better.
Yeah, but you get similar parks in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, etc..., but where else are you going see that coastal forest? It's a unique to the state.
My vote for GA was going to be Cloudland Canyon! Glad to see you like it as well. As a Tennessee native there are so many to choose from and I haven’t been to Pickett!
Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas is very surprising it completely surrounded by boring flat land. Once you get there a beautiful canyon pops up out of nowhere.
I’ve come back to this video quite a few times as I plan my travels. Even though I might suggest a different park in a particular state it’s nevertheless a wonderful list of great parks worth visiting. Thanks!
I absolutely love the West coast parks. They don't compare anywhere else. I'm from Washington so I've been to a few of these. One of them that I absolutely love is Cape Disappointment state park.
Santee SP here in SC also offers about a dozen over the water bungalows that guests can rent. In SC, we have 47 state parks from the beach to the mountains. Once you visit all 47, then you become an ultimate outsider. We started work on that this year. We live in Greenville, and we have several parks within 45 minutes of us. If you drive down Highway 11, there are several parks located in that area. There is also a small Wayside Park where you can literally drive your car up and look out and see a waterfall. We are very proud of our state parks here in SC, and I highly recommend any of them or all of them!
For NY, I was hoping you were gonna showcase Watkins Glen state park, it’s fascinating. Regardless,another great video Kyle. Beginning to end,always entertaining.
I have traveled to all of Arkansas’ 52 state parks. I was surprised at your choice for the Natural State’s best park. Although Cane Creek isn’t my favorite it holds a special memory for me as my family spent a wonderful day there together when my boys were little. Thank you.
As for Illinois, I agree that the driftless region is a gem. But check out the many state parks in southern Illinois. The Shawnee National Forest is essentially an extension of the Ozarks. The landscape and culture is what you would expect in Appalachia and not the midwest.
Was pleasantly surprised for your pick for Indiana. State Parks like Brown County, Spring Mill, and Clifty Falls get a lot of attention in Southern Indiana but O'Bannon Woods is a nice hidden gem in between all those.
Love your videos! Since I live just south of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY I wanted to bring to your attention a minor point of clarification: The Adirondacks are NOT part of the Appalachian Mountain range - they are part of the Canadian Shield. Thanks again!
Once again, fantastic video! I really like the way you put your content together. I would like to recommend you check out the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Texas panhandle. It is an amazing place to visit and the second largest canyon in the United States. I’d love to see a video with your opinions on Palo Duro Canyon.
As a resident of Oklahoma and a visitor to several of our state parks I would like to give honorable mentions to 3 parks that really stand out to me. Those being Alabaster Caverns State Park, The Great Salt Plains State Park, and Little Sahara State Park. Alabaster is known as one of the largest gypsum cave systems in the world and it's absolutely beautiful. The Great Salt Plains are pretty much their name, big sprawling plains of salt crust where you can dig for your own salt crystals. And Little Sahara also follows its name, being a small patch of gypsum sand dunes seemingly out of nowhere.
Great video again, GeogKing! I’m wondering if you would be down to make a video about the National Forests? With whatever spin and take you want to do about them. I like this state park video as National Parks are always the most sought after by the general crowd. But I feel like the National Forests are extremely underrated, and, fortunately for some of us, unvisited. A lot of people don’t even know about the USDA Forest Service!
A bonus to buying an annual pass to National Parks is that they also work on National Forest areas. I live on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest and have put my pass to good use MANY times!
Excellent choice for California - Lime Kiln SP in the Big Sur area. My wife and I drove up there from San Diego to start a vacation last week and Lime Kiln really does have it all. But the next place we visited blew my mind - Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It's so vast, driving the Avenue of the Giants should be on everyone's bucket list, and it's a jumping off point for a lot of other adventures like the Lost Coast.
I'm from Oregon so I totally get the appeal of the coast, but I do have to say there are some gems in Central Oregon! Smith Rock, Cove Palisades, Tumalo Falls 😊
Hi Kyle, I really enjoy this channel and found it 6 months ago or so! (I live in Australia and am coming to US next year for a holiday). I really think you should go to Hawaii and Alaska as they are the only 2 you haven't been to and it is good to knock off all of them! Maybe you could go to one state this year or next year and one the year after :).
I might finally be able to visit Hawaii this year but not 100% sure. I'd love to visit Alaska but I'd want to do a long canoe trip and backpacking and haven't been able to work out the timing for that trip. I'd want at least a few weeks and it would have to be June to early September
I live in Maryland and I would recommend seeing Swallow Falls (I think pictured in the video) during the winter. Last winter it was completely frozen with some really cool patterns in it. And yeah I would also recommend beartown for WV, really cool boulders and stuff
As many things that seem to divide us, can we all agree that we live in a beautiful country?
Yep, Europeans come to America to see our spectacular national parks, scenery, and landscapes. Americans go to Europe to see the architecture, history, and and culture.
I wish I could give this comment more than one like.
@@iamthedutchbro only the nordic countries and swiss alps can rival our best. I want to visit Lauterbrunnen
@@jakeozzy4776 I wouldn't be so quick to diminish the natural beauty of the rest of Europe. Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Croatia definitely have areas that rival America's natural beauty
Texas sucks old north Mexico is beautiful though
Some channels are gems, yours is a gem mine. As us city people are realizing how disconnected we are from the natural beauty of our country, you give us better advice/tools than most and it’s really invaluable. My nuclear family has kids which are grown and adults that aren’t retired yet but taking more time off… and when you helped me plan our southern road trip not only did you help provide awesome family memories for us but you also helped my parents respect the southern part of our country, which before they held very strong contempt for. Thank you
Just curious why would someone hold contempt for a whole region of our country. Had they ever been here?
Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoy the videos!
@@curlyque2717 North Carolina is a southern state, and it’s beautiful.
@@jag92949 yes it is
@@jag92949 so is it's neighbor, Tennessee and you won't find finer people. We just get a bad wrap for what our ancestors did AND a false spin from the media. That's ok, we'll just keep all the wonderfulness to ourselves.
Great video! While the Oregon Coast is beautiful, I personally would have chosen Silver Falls State Park as my top choice, just because of how unique it is. Being able to hike behind multiple gigantic, beautiful waterfalls in just a couple hours is truly an unmatched experience.
I just went to Oregon for the first time a few months ago to visit family and I haven’t seen mountains before (I’m from Louisiana) so I think the mount hood national park has to be my personal favorite
When's best time of year? Start of summer/after the rains finish?
@@7killer778 I lived there for some 20 years and now live not far up in WA state. August and September are the driest months by far, but also the most crowded. June and October can have some dry, sunny days, but it's hit and miss and can still rain a lot. July can also get a lot of gloomy/rainy days some years. November through May is pretty much solid rain, very dark and wet. If you must have dry weather, go in Aug/Sep. Anybody who tries to tell you any different is lying. 😉
Ya i live here and thought he'd pick Silver Falls
Hard for me to choose. I haven't been there when Winter Falls was live. You have to have enough rain to get that one going. I also like the falls next to I84 on the Historic Columbia River Highway. If heading east, take exit 22 Corbett and bear left for waterfalls and the Vista House. Or if heading west, take exit 35 for Ainsworth State Park. Bear right for the waterfalls. Go slow, enjoy, stop at every fall. More than one place to camp. It's not that long a drive and there are plenty of places to stay in Hood River, the Dalles, Portland, .... My favorite fall is not Multnomah, but Shepperd's Dell.
Learned a new term from this video: Karst topography - (def:) A landscape that is characterized by numerous caves, sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams. Karst topography usually forms in regions of plentiful rainfall where bedrock consists of carbonate-rich rock, such as limestone, gypsum, or dolomite, that is easily dissolved.
As an Upstate NY resident, I would like to give an honorable mention to Letchworth State Park. Might be the most "western US scenery" type of place in the east
"The Grand Canyon of the East." I thought that might be the one for NY, if Niagara Falls was too obvious. I'd also toss Watkins Glen and Chimney Bluffs out there as lesser known state parks (at least among people not from the state). If NYC is all you think of when you think of New York, you're missing out on some fantastic scenery.
@@frigginjerk Yes!!! I actually live in Watkins Glen. The park here never gets old
@@frigginjerk And Chimney Bluffs is spectacular. I’ve been twice
Ausable Chasm is considered the Crand Canyon of the East..
I’m from PA and have driven several times just to see Letchworth. Breathtaking.
A wonderfully compiled list of amazing state parks! A few I would add for consideration: For Indiana, Turkey Run State Park. For Nevada, Valley of Fire State Park. For Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park. For Illinois, Starved Rock State Park, and for Pennsylvania, Ohiopyle State Park. These parks may have a more crowds, but they are all spectacular. I've found the secret to avoiding crowds is to go during the week if possible, and getting there as early as possible.
I agree completely on Indiana and Illinois. One of the best things about Turkey Run is it is very close to Shades, another state park with similar topography and far fewer visitors.
I think Devil’s Lake is Wisconsin’s best. Super pretty, great (dangerous) hiking, great climbing, and very fun to swim. It’s super pretty in fall and winter too.
I agree, problem is it’s such a tourist trap during the summer. Interstate, Gov. Dodge; and Perot are all fantastic too!
@@S.Roth94 I’m a fan of Kohler Andres too, only because it’s odd to see sand dunes in the midwest.
Definitely agree other than the fact that it gets so crowded during the summer and the raccoons are like pets that go around asking for food...
Ask Wisconsin resident who's been to many of our Parks I wouldn't have picked the park he picked either. The other ones mentioned here by other viewers are much nicer. I don't live in the area but I really like the driftless area. I live in northern Wisconsin I thought he was going to pick Big Bay State park.
Copper Falls is right up there.
This is a fantastic idea for your channel. It is hard to do cross-country road trips for many, but a few hours of driving to see stunning scenery within one's own state, or a nearby state, is doable for most. I've been in NC almost half my life but never been to Gorges, but I'll make a point of going there now.
Agreed. While I try to get to other parts of the country as often as I can, I've seen some pretty good scenery in the two states I've lived in: North Dakota and Minnesota. I've visited all of the North Dakota state parks, but I've still got plenty in Minnesota to check out.
people think you have to travel far and expensive to see anything good. I have talked to people born and raised 5 miles from mammoth cave yet never seen it, or live in Arizona and never been to the grand canyon? crazy
Loved the mentions of the driftless region of the Midwest! Would be cool to see a whole video dedicated to the amazing geography of the area.
The Minnesota Geological Survey and Kickapoo Valley Reserve have some great videos that discuss the Driftless.
I highly recommend any presentations given by Iowa geologist Phillip Kerr or Wisconsin geologist Eric Carson. Theirs are the best ones I've found on YT.
Huge fan! I watch a lot of your videos at home and my wife tolerates the nerdiness to a point… but- she said this is the video that finally won her over as a fan!! Thanks for the great content
This may be an unpopular request, but I think it'd be cool to watch a video on the old tornado alley part of the country in eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, western Kansas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, north Texas, and even parts of eastern New Mexico and Wyoming. I've driven through all those areas in each of those states and they're just such desolate, quiet, unpopulated, and wide open plains that I feel have such a bleak future and are very forgotten about. Really mesmerizing to drive through though.
I like that part of the country despite the economic issues. I road tripped through there last year. Nice subtle beauty. But Jedi, do know that there are cows known to hunt and chase down people for sport in those parts, especially ones blocking entrance gates. They're blocking them for a reason. Don't go in.
I live in CO, and I’ve seen quite a bit of the eastern side. I’ve actually been to all the places you mentioned. I’m not a huge fan of brown flatness. The towns are also pretty rough, and they don’t have the charm of towns in Iowa.
@@jag92949 What's Lamar, CO like?
@@jag92949 I actually like the fact it's not as crowded or expensive as the rest of Colorado and you're still not too far from the Rockies. I find the open plains and sunshine to be nice as well.
@@Jjjaaahhnn I live in Greeley right now. The winter weather there is very windy, cold, & overcast.
For Utah I was totally expecting to see Snow Canyon or Goblin Valley but was pleasantly surprised to see Kodachrome. It's a very nice lesser-known choice which tells me you know your way around Utah. Thank you for the great video and great list.
100% agree. If Kyle is familiar with Kodachrome, you can bet he really knows his stuff. Very credible choice!
Kodachrome is so beautiful and literally right next to Bryce Canyon. but Utah has a lot of state parks
Goblin valley is the best, but also best not to advertise it too much.
I love Kodachrome - when there on a whim after a slot canyon hike we planned was cancelled because of potential rain - one of our best days of the trip!
I really appreciate this. This will give me some good ideas for spots to visit whenever I go on my next road trip.
Hey Kyle: Thanks for the update! We have been to every National Park in the lower 48. We have plans to go back to Alaska and Hawaii to get some additional National Parks. Until then, we will be traveling around TN and adjoining states visiting state parks. Thanks and go VOLs!
Growing up my family never really took vacations, but instead went tent camping at state parks around the midwest, mainly Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and a little bit of Michigan. Some of the best trips I've taken and still love to go back to them in the spring and fall
My family kind of did the opposite. We went to touristy hot spots, but never any appreciable stays in our national and state park areas. Now, I'm making up for lost time and I'm incorporating those places in my travel plans.
@@rudyschwab7709 That's still cool. I haven't had the opportunity to go to many national parks or big tourist destinations but I have some of them on my bucket list
As an IL resident near Chicago…I’d like to highlight Starved Rock State Park. The SP has at least a dozen canyons and waterfalls in the spring along with a massive sandstone bluffs overlooking the Illinois River! It’s the state most popular state park for a reason, and it’s only about 1.5 hours from most of Chicagoland!
Starved Rock was a clear miss here.
I hiked there for several hours with my infant son in a 'baby backpack' in 1991 (talk about a workout!) . It was our favorite place in Illinois!
Don't forget matthiessen State Park it's less crowded than Starved Rock and only about three or four or five miles away
Palisades has Algific Talus Slopes which are exceptionally rare micro-environments. These cold breathing slopes offer refuge to rare flora and fauna from the last ice age.
@ I actually never knew that that's cool!
I recently discovered your channel as I'm resting up, super sick with a nasty virus, and am so impressed by the amount of time and effort you surely must put into your videos! As a fellow nerd, I appreciate so much about them! Keep up the great work!! I'm going to go back to enjoying more of your videos now. 😁
Thank you! I hope you feel better soon.
You should check out Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri. I’m from vermont and went in the fall. I’ve never seen such beautiful foliage in my entire life as I did there. It’s not just the foliage though, it is just so beautiful regardless.
This has quickly turned into one of my favorite TH-cam channels. Thanks for your passion Kyle!
Thanks for your opinions as always Kyle. Love your passion for displaying our country.
Thank you!
One of my favorite videos of yours to date. I love the outdoors and have visited a bunch of national parks and very few state parks so it was cool to learn all about them. Keep up the great work.
Thank you! Being in the south I tend to do most outdoor activities fall to spring so my hiking season is just starting
Oregon Coast is definitely the most beautiful coast line in the lower 48, in my opinion. I'm really fortunate to live on the Southern Oregon coast, so scenic drives are a part of my daily life. One thing that is also super cool, is how much public land Oregon has in general.
That would be a cool subject to explore in one of your videos. A list of states with the most public lands to enjoy.
Keep it up! Love your channel!
What are the best natural areas in all of Oregon?
@@stuartminkus4318 Depends on your scenery preference - ocean, mountain, desert - you can't go wrong.
They are almost all in the West and let's keep it that way.
Michigan coast is better in my opinion
Lime kiln is a very underrated park in CA, I stumbled across it by accident, literally pulling off highway 1 on my motorcycle to stretch my leg and beat a leg cramp. I feel spoiled in CA with all of our great parks. Emerald Bay at Tahoe used to be one of my favorites as a kid with how breathtaking the views were and hiking down to a secluded part of the lake but now it’s very overcrowded and I haven’t been in years.
For California I probably would have gone with Mount Tamalpais, Big Basin, or Humboldt Redwoods, but Mt Tam gets pretty crowded and Big Basin recently had that big fire. It's hard to go wrong with any state park that has redwoods or is located in Big Sur.
This is my favorite TH-cam Channel! Kyle, you consistently provide insight into American geography that lines up with what I value. Here it is America's lesser known scenic wonders (compared to NPs). Thanks again.
Thank you! I'm glad you the videos and I'll try to keep it up
I think most Ohioans would give the nod to Hocking Hills State Park. The Hocking River cut a canyon through this mass of sandstone hard enough to stop the Laurentide Ice Sheet in its tracks and did so in a very artistic manner and at a very human scale, running through dense pre-Ice Age climax forest. The park consists of several separate areas, each noted for its natural beauty and easy hiking; the most spectacular of the attractions is even accessible. There's many other State parks, forests and recreation areas in the region and a well-developed owner-operator vacation recreation industry. And you can't find a place to stay that doesn't have a hot tub.
Yeah, Shawnee doesn’t even compare.
I've been there, remembered seeing the rock formations. It's in the rural part of Ohio even away from Columbus.
Definitely better than shawnee. It really doesn't feel like you are in ohio when you are down in the gorges by old man's cave and ceadar falls. I highly recommend it but it can get crowded.
Definitely this. Hocking Hills is wonderful and unlike any state park in Ohio. I’m shocked this wasn’t picked.
Surely Hocking is the most spectacular, but it is heavily visited and you can run into crowded conditions, especially at peak times--this seemed to be one of Kyle's criteria.
Love this. It's really interesting to learn about some of the lesser known pockets of wilderness in these states especially when they don't conform to the stereotypes of that state's overall geography.
True! As a South Carolina native I would have picked Table Rock or Caesar's Head as my favorite state park since I love the mountains and the Blue Ridge escarpment area. Pretty cool to hike up to the top of a mountain and see mostly flat landscape lay before you for miles. I could literally almost see my house from some of those mountains lol. To be fair he did already pick a lot of state parks in the Appalachians so I understand why the swampy midlands region would be more interesting in this context.
I really appreciate the fun and informative content. I definitely added a few of these to my to do list. I have lived in Minnesota for most of my life and wanted to add my 2 cents. I have actually visited all 70+ Minnesota state parks at least once and many of them several times. I would have to say that Grand Portage probably would not be in my top half. The park itself is tiny and offers few amenities. In the area there are about 10 state parks, the Boundary Waters canoe area, Superior National Forest, and Grand Portage National Monument. Grand Portage mostly exists for the falls which are on the US, Canada border (so another nearby park says they have the tallest falls "in" Minnesota and that is technically true).
Most of Minnesota's best parks are on what we call the North Shore, basically the area from Duluth to Grand Portage along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Grand Portage State Park is more of a 1 hour stop than a true state park. Even though no one asked, here are what I think Minnesota's state parks are. All of these are far larger with far more amenities. About half of the parks I list are on the North Shore of Lake Superior, which is probably fair and consistent with what most locals would think. I probably have a bit of an anti Twin Cities bias here as many of those parks are similar to these and of high quality, just much busier.
12) Judge Magney - Cool half disappearing waterfall on North Shore
11) Jay Cooke - Close to the North Shore, Dramatic Scenery on St. Louis River flowing into Duluth.
10) Great River Bluffs - Hidden Gem spectacular bluffs overlooking the Mississippi in the Driftless Area
9) Blue Mounds - Only real destination park in SW Minnesota
8) Scenic - North country inland lakes with a cool trail on an isthmus between them.
7) St. Croix - Huge Park along a National Scenic River
6) Glendalough - Series of lakes great for fishing & canoeing
5) George Crosby Manitou - Only North Shore wilderness park
4) Gooseberry - series of waterfalls along lake superior.
3) Whitewater - streams & bluffs in SE Minnesota.
2) Itasca - Headwaters of Mississippi and feels more like a National Park
1) Tettegouche - Spectacular lake shore, and inland mountains
and as a bonus - I think the weirdest would be Soudan Underground Mine.
I live in Rochester and if you are ever in the area, you are entitled to a beverage on me...
Thank you for the info. Sounds like a lot of great trips.
Of course, any list is subjective.
I would agree that Grand Portage is pretty good but not the best. I also like Tettegouche, Itasca and Scenic State Parks, but I would add Split Rock Lighthouse, Bearhead Lake, and Interstate Park to your top 10 and move Great River Bluffs up about five spaces.
As a Texan, I 100% agree with your pick of Big Bend Ranch State Park. I have been there twice, and plan to go back many more. If you like seclusion, unique scenery and hiking trails, and really dark skies, this is the place for you. Great choice Kyle!
Texas doesn’t have better state park than California
Texas doesn’t even have national park like California
@@stevenjohnson8736 We have Big Bend NP & Guadalupe mountains NP, but that’s it.
Part of the reason for Arizona's lack of state parks is because many of its most prominent geographic features are either NPS or National Forest units; I completely agree with Tonto Natural Bridge! It's small even by AZ State Park standards, but it's an awesome place. For Illinois and Wisconsin I personally would've gone with Matthiessen and Devil's Lake respectively, but those are probably too obvious!
Peninsula would have been my choice but Devil's Lake is a good one too.
I want to go back to Arizona to visit Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, it looks beautiful!
And yes, Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin is pretty amazing too!!
This is fairly common among the western states, where much of the "state" is actually federal land. Poor Nevada only actually controls something like 15-20% of its own territory, with the rest being Fed.
EDIT: CGPGrey has a really great video detailing federal land ownership in the western states if anyone is curious.
True. On the Colorado Plateau all you have to do is go outside 🤠
Devil's Lake is great I'm about 40 minutes from there, but it can get really crowded so maybe that's why it didn't make the list
For my favorite state park in New York, I would've gone with Letchworth State Park aka the "Grand Canyon of the East." The massive gorge located there along the Genesee River is amazing plus you get to see multiple massive falls.
But there's a decent amount of good choices for New York surprisingly. Adirondack Park was a good choice and Niagara Falls State Park would also be a good choice.
NY state has the best state park system in the entire US and all the parks you mentioned are fantastic but the Daks is without question head and shoulders above the rest, Letchworth and Watkins Glen are both gorgeous but the Dacks are exponentially larger and more diverse and offer so much more in terms of scenery and recreational opportunities and both ends of the spectrum of accommodations from small town inns to absolutely remote isolated camping spots so there's no way for the other parks to compete with everything that the Daks have, and as for Niagara Falls for sure everyone should see it at least once in their lives but the park itself (other than the hiking trails on the islands in the river at the top of the falls) is quite boring and over-crowded and full of too much tourist stuff, you can find a few nice secluded spots on the islands that allow you to commune with nature and get away from all the tourists but for the most part it's just to hectic there to be enjoyable beyond just seeing the actual Falls
It's small and not in the sane league as Letchworth, but Chimney Bluffs is a hidden gem.
I’ve actually been to Letchworth before. An amazing gorge!
3:13 for the 4th grade field trip in we got to see Tallahassee and some museums and eventually got to go through this same cave. It was definitely something to remember and glad I got to check it out.
Here in WA, I might have chosen Deception Pass. There's a bridge towering over a narrow ocean inlet with great views, as well as beaches fronting on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects Puget Sound to the Pacific, so it can have some very strong winds.
My spouse and I went to Deception Pass State Park early into our honeymoon (while staying on Camano Island) a few weeks ago.
Took lots of great pictures, scoured the shore for cool-looking rocks, got to hike around and also see the 850 year old Douglas Fir too!!
I would go again in a heartbeat! 😍🥰
I think Kyle has demonstrated on a few occasions he is not that familiar with Washington State. That's ok.
It is the state I am by far least familiar with amongst the 48 contiguous states.
@@GeographyKing if you like backpacking, try any of the designated Wilderness areas surrounding the North Cascades National Park. For a day hike, try Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm in the national park. But be aware that the high country (above timberline) in most years doesn't melt out till late July, and the weather after mid-September can be nice some years, early snow in the high country in other years. So if you like hiking above timberline, the season there is very short.
North Cadcades is the top national park that I want to visit. I'm always surprised to learn it's one of the least visited parks.
Kodachrome's nice, but Snow Canyon SP in St. George, UT will always have a special place in my heart. I went to Snow Canyon High School at the mouth of the canyon the first year after it was built in 1994. We did a lot of rock climbing and screwing around when we were supposed to be in class.
Great list. For some states it is impossible to have a wrong choice. My personal favorites for the states I've explored the most:
Washington - Palouse Falls. Gorgeous waterfall in the eastern portion of the state.
Utah - Goblin Valley State Park. Chock full of crazy rock formations that do look like red goblins.
Arizona - Tonto Bridge is indeed the most stunning. My go-to, however, is Catalina State Park, mostly because it's 20 minutes from my house and is a serene, beautiful desert setting with lots of trails, beautiful mountain views and all sorts of desert life.
Oregon - you nailed it with the whole freaking coast.
Palouse Falls is underrated.
Palouse Falls, aside from being beautiful in its own right, makes a nice companion stop with Dry Falls National Park. The geology is basically the same thing on a smaller scale produced by the same events (Missoula ice age floods) only the Palouse still has a modern waterfall to compare to what it used to be.
They're almost three hours apart though, so they're better suited to multiday trips. Would recommend making a stop at Palouse Falls either way if in the area since the viewpoint is pretty close to the highway.
9:20 I live in new York, and I would have gone with Niagara falls state park, which is near where I live, just bc it's one of the seven wonders of the world. Or Letchworth state park, which has the biggest waterfall in NY after Niagara falls, and was voted the best state park in the US. Where I grew up, Watkins Glen state park, has a ton of waterfalls too and is similar to Letchworth state park
NY state has the best state park system in the entire US and all the parks you mentioned are fantastic but the Daks is without question head and shoulders above the rest, Letchworth and Watkins Glen are both gorgeous but the Dacks are exponentially larger and more diverse and offer so much more in terms of scenery and recreational opportunities and both ends of the spectrum of accommodations from small town inns to absolutely remote isolated camping spots so there's no way for the other parks to compete with everything that the Daks have, and as for Niagara Falls for sure everyone should see it at least once in their lives but the park itself (other than the hiking trails on the islands in the river at the top of the falls) is quite boring and over-crowded and full of too much tourist stuff, you can find a few nice secluded spots on the islands that allow you to commune with nature and get away from all the tourists but for the most part it's just to hectic there to be enjoyable beyond just seeing the actual Falls
I really appreciate how you made this video! You kept each park description to a few sentences, but still have a good number of representative pictures, so the video feels like a good overview!
Oh my god a video I never thought I'd find. I've been to every state park in Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota, and am planning to do a state every year, (Wisconsin next summer) so this will be fun to watch. I will edit as I go.
When I did Iowa, Maquoketa Caves ranked 13th of 54 parks, which was pretty good. It was arguably Iowa's most unique state park, so if you were going for uniqueness, you win. The only other one that might come close is Cedar Rock, but it's for a different reason other than natural features. My favorite park is Waubonsie in the Loess Hills.
Grand Portage is a good pick. I had it 8th out of 66 parks. All of the north shore parks are incredible, with all 8 of them ranking in the top 12. The other 4 that made the top 12 were either in the driftless area, (Whitewater, Beaver Creek Valley, Frontenac), as well as Jay Cooke State Park south of Duluth. As far as uniqueness, I might've opted for more on the western side of the state with Glacial Lakes or Blue Mounds, but I can see why the waterfall would go towards uniqueness for Grand Portage. Tettegouche was my favorite park in Minnesota.
Custer is unmatched. There are only 12 state parks in South Dakota and it is my favorite by a long shot. Bear Butte is second, and it rounds out the west side of the state for state parks. Sica Hollow and Palisades are my two favorites on the east side of the state.
Edit: adding Wisconsin.
I never went to the state forests, so I'm not sure where I would rank this one, but my favorite parks in Wisconsin were very well dispersed throughout the state.
Devils Lake (South Central)
Wyalusing (Southwest)
Rib Mountain (North Central)
Big Bay (Apostle Islands)
Harrington Beach (Southeast)
and Rock Island (Door County)
Nevada - you nailed it, Kyle. Cathedral Gorge State Park is a must-see park. I loved it. Squeezing in some of the narrow slots was a highlight of my Nevada/Utah hiking trip.
Glad he said Cathedral Gorge instead of Red Rock, Red Rock is beautiful but it's kinda overrated
@@schizomode Red Rock is actually a National park, or Monument I think, so it wasn't a contender. Red Rock is great in its own way, but can be crowded -- still, it's the closest escape to wilderness from Las Vegas.
But I was surprised not to see Valley of Fire State Park for Nevada, as it's incredible and totally captured my heart. Nevada, for all its empty spaces, has some really unexpected amazing places. Time to check out Cathedral Gorge!
as a Canadian, the choice of state and national parks in Utah is mind-boggling. Arkansas is underrated. Washington has huge variety. and Tennessee is beautiful border to border. most stunning lake in north America has to be crater lake.
Tennessee and Kentucky have some really gorgeous country, particularly in the foothills and central parts of the states.
Arkansas is my birth state and it's the reason I fell in love with the outdoors
For Wisconsin it would have for me to be Peninsula State Park or Devil’s Lake State Park, both have features that one would not expect in our state! Peninsula has a few miles of shoreline, bluffs, islands and Devil’s Lake has cliffs and views that are absolutely stunning
Agreed.
For Minnesota I would have gone with Tettegouche or Crosby Manitou down near Silver Bay as they have more of the Lake Superior shoreline and more trails than Grand Portage, but still have the waterfalls and lake views, plus Tettegouche has Palisade Head which is a unique part of geology in the area.
For Michigan, I would play the popular card and choose the Porcupine Mountains, as it's one of the best mountain/wilderness parks between the Rockies and the Appalachians. It's busy, but only really at the popular overlooks and the vast amount of trails allow you to get a lot of alone time. Plus it's home to one of the largest remaining Old Growth Hemlock forests.
In Wisconsin, I know it's really busy, but Devils Lake has the surprise factor, and I think I would choose that over anything else in the state (though Copper Falls is also really cool)
I think you got ND, SD, OK, NE, KS, and NM all right based on my experiences.
As a Minnesotan native, I can’t believe the park Kyle picked was THE one I’d have to drive 5 hours to get to and breeze right past all the Great Lake Superior shoreline to go see! That’s the Geography King for ya!! 😂
It is Itasca
I've been to a good number of the Minnesota parks, and I'd probably agree with Tettegouche. I do love High Falls in Grand Portage, though, but I wish there'd be more hiking in the park.
One of my favorites in Minnesota is Maplewood in the western part of the state. The fall scenery there is spectacular. Obviously it's wonderful up on the North Shore also.
I am not a park expert at all, but Banning in Sandstone is pretty awesome, especially just after the rain. It’s an abandoned mine, cut from the riverbanks rather than being a tunnel, with some building skeletons and giant half-cut blocks and just flat-out gorgeous forest, and the river running and falling through it all. It’s smallish and somewhat challenging to hike through, with a lot of uneven and very slanted sections, but if you just want to spend a few hours in nature, it’s just perfect.
I would argue that Split Rock is the most amazing for scenery in Minnesota. The lake along with the picturesque lighthouse (I would argue it is the most beautiful lighthouse in the US) is unparalleled.
10 Wisconsin
9 Minnesota
8 Utah
7 Virginia
6 Massachustts
5 New Hampshire
4 Pennsylvania
3 Colorado
2 California
1 Washington
Taking bets for top 10 order. Haven’t looked at my own tables in months so I think it’s fair to call this an educated guess. Thanks Kyle! Always enjoy your work
As a Kentuckian… Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Resort Park is where it is at. Rock climbing, class 5 rapids, rock arches, history, nada tunnel, etc.
Yooooo, NW Georgia is awesome. I'm living in FL and went with my wife on a roadtrip to a couple of the mountain towns there, (Helen, Hiawasee, Spartanburg, etc.) and it was a wonderful trip. Very scenic!
Turkey Run State Park in Indiana is my personal fave... you can hike on ladders down to the gorge and I find it much more fun to explore! You can also float the creek on tubes for a water adventure.
I'm going to school for Natural Resource Management and there's actually a reason many state parks have scenery just as beautiful as national parks and are located right next to them. As an example when they established Grand Canyon National Park a big concern was that loggers and land owners would butt up against the borders of the canyon and ruin the environment and scenery for everyone. The federal and state policy makers came up with a pretty clever workaround; the surrounding land was designated variously as state parks, national forests, and state forests. These don't have the same strict preservation requirements as national parks, but they could appease industry (you can harvest timber in state/national forests but with strict regulation) as well as preserving the surrounding land. This pattern emerges around many national parks!
Awesome video! I definitely wanna check out some of these! Some of the state parks I really enjoy are Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Missouri, Watkins Glen State Park in New York, Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas, Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona and Mammoth Spring State Park in Arkansas.
Love to see the Watkins Glen shoutout. Great park. Letchworth and Chimney Bluffs also quality NY state parks
I think Elephant rocks is usually cited. Lived here all my life and I haven't visited any MO. state parks. Drive by Lake of the Ozarks every day. By the way MO. park rangers are Highway Patrol and can do anything any cop can do.
Elephant Rocks is cool, but Ha Ha Tonka has a lot more to offer in my opinion.
I'm from Arkansas and I LOVE CANE CREEK!!! Thanks for highlighting it. Most of the fishing I've done in my life is on that lake. Cheers.
Just discovered Buck’s Pocket last month when we rerouted to the campground to avoid hurricane Ian’s outer bands. What a blast we had hiking in the dry creek bed and viewing the stars from the overlook without any light pollution. The campground is FABULOUS, with long concrete pads and full hookups adjacent to hiking. Will be returning!
Love the channel. I do have a small criticism of your choice for the best state park in Illinois. Matthiessen state park, which is very close to starved rock state park, has cliffs, waterfalls, the vermillion river on the west side , and terrain you won’t anywhere else in Illinois.
On a road trip right now and referring to this list a lot, one of my favorite video on this channel.
Excellent list, I will have to check some of these out. I'm also glad you didn't mention Goblin Valley in Utah because I don't want anyone to know about it.
Wow, you're a fellow Sturgill fan as well! This channel just keeps getting better and better.
Nice choice for Illinois. Mississippi Palisades also features rock climbing. However I might have picked the twin parks of Starved Rock and Mathiessen State Parks. Very unique for flatland Illinois.
I love this vid! For Texas, I personally would’ve gone with Palo Duro Canyon, definetly just as good as the Grand Canyon, it not even better!
Palo Duro Canyon is fantastic! Definitely has national park level scenery.
Texas is big enough for lots of great choices. I also like Seminole Canyon and Mustang Island a lot
A really good list! If you ever make a list of notable local parks, the Garden of the Gods - operated by the city of Colorado Springs - should definitely be included!
Custer is amazing! Hoping to go back there one day!
You are spot on-most National Forests, State Parks are just as scenic as the National Parks with out the crowds. If you like the National Parks, look at the lands that are contiguous. You will be delighted.
Wonderful video! I’ve always loved state parks of the various states I’ve lived in. You have found many gems!
Lifelong Kansan here. My favorite state park is Lake Scott State Park in Western Kansas along the Scott/Logan county lines. Much more unique topography than anything in Eastern or Central Kansas. Hidden gem with unique history.
Great video, gave me a lot of great ideas. Your choice of the Adirondack for new York was good, I believe that Letchworth state park, in the finger lakes region, has been voted one of best in America.
No lie, the Oregon coast is absolutely spectacular. An incredible drive - pack a good lunch and when it's time to eat, just stop into a random park and enjoy the beauty.
A few years back, I went to Jedidiah State Park in Northern California, along the Pacific Coast, and right across the boarder with Oregon. Endor Forest scenes from Return of the Jedi were filmed there, and the park was serene and beautiful and green. The most incredible thing are the redwoods, a giant, echo-filled forest. Joggers would go by, it was wonderfully cool and breezy, with fern-filled trails all about. California is truly a beautiful state.
It's definitely amazing, walking among the redwoods.
Thanks for posting this Video Geography King! I studied Geography in college, it’s a fascinating subject.
Tennessee has won numerous awards for its state park system. Picket is an International Dark Park. Rocky Fork is applying to be a dark park too.
Rocky Fork is the Highest State Park in Tennessee , its highest point is 4,310 feet.
Thanks for posting all your content, keep up the good work!
I definitely like many of these choices as well; Trap Pond and Beartown are two of my favorite places not just in their states, but anywhere in the U.S. I haven't visited many state parks in other states, but here are some of my favorites:
--Matthiessen in north central Illinois (a small, narrow canyon)
--Quartz Mountain in southwestern Oklahoma
--Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut near Hartford
--Sky Meadows State Park in northern Virginia (interestingly, this park preserves a typical landscape for its state, not an exceptional one, but that's a good thing because so much of that region of the state has been turned into suburbs or horse farms)
--Letchworth State Park in upstate New York (the "Grand Canyon of the East")
Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks in Pennsylvania preserve a large gorge called the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania;" I think they're included in the Pennsylvania entry of this video.
Appreciate your work and research Kyle. Keep up the great work. -Trevor from Houston.
As a South Carolina native, I would have picked Table Rock or Caesar's Head as my favorite state park since I love the mountains and the Blue Ridge escarpment area. Pretty cool to hike up to the top of a mountain and see mostly flat landscape lay before you for miles. I could literally almost see my house from some of those mountains lol. To be fair you did already pick a lot of state parks in the Appalachians so I understand why the swampy midlands region would be more interesting in this context.
I’m from NC, but totally agree. Caesar State park is absolutely beautiful
Oconee, Pickens and upper Greenville counties are gorgeous. And coastal SC is simply wonderful and magical. But I've come to appreciate the more subtle beauties and charms of the spread between the two. So I'm glad he picked a Midlands park. The Sandhills, Piedmont and upper reaches of the Coastal Plain have their own appeal.
I wish SC just did a better job generally with preservation and beautification. We don't suck but could do better.
Yeah, but you get similar parks in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, etc..., but where else are you going see that coastal forest? It's a unique to the state.
Great video and great list. I would have chose Rifle Falls State Park for Colorado, and think you absolutely nailed Chadron in Nebraska.
My vote for GA was going to be Cloudland Canyon! Glad to see you like it as well. As a Tennessee native there are so many to choose from and I haven’t been to Pickett!
I’ve been planing a year long 48 state road trip and this is the perfect video. Thank you ‼️
Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas is very surprising it completely surrounded by boring flat land. Once you get there a beautiful canyon pops up out of nowhere.
This is extremely helpful. I hope to make the great American road trip someday and state parks would be great places to visit on that trip.
Thanks for posting this, I can't wait to go see a few of these. We are lucky to to have so many diverse natural features in our country.
I’ve come back to this video quite a few times as I plan my travels. Even though I might suggest a different park in a particular state it’s nevertheless a wonderful list of great parks worth visiting. Thanks!
I absolutely love the West coast parks. They don't compare anywhere else. I'm from Washington so I've been to a few of these. One of them that I absolutely love is Cape Disappointment state park.
Santee SP here in SC also offers about a dozen over the water bungalows that guests can rent.
In SC, we have 47 state parks from the beach to the mountains. Once you visit all 47, then you become an ultimate outsider. We started work on that this year.
We live in Greenville, and we have several parks within 45 minutes of us. If you drive down Highway 11, there are several parks located in that area. There is also a small Wayside Park where you can literally drive your car up and look out and see a waterfall.
We are very proud of our state parks here in SC, and I highly recommend any of them or all of them!
This is great information. You did a fantastic job compiling this information. I'm from Florida and I agree Florida Caverns is a beautiful state park.
As a Missourian and angler I like your pick was just there doing some trout fishing, such a pretty park especially in fall.
For NY, I was hoping you were gonna showcase Watkins Glen state park, it’s fascinating. Regardless,another great video Kyle. Beginning to end,always entertaining.
An incredible wealth of knowledge and a generous spirit to match! Thank you for sharing.
I have traveled to all of Arkansas’ 52 state parks. I was surprised at your choice for the Natural State’s best park. Although Cane Creek isn’t my favorite it holds a special memory for me as my family spent a wonderful day there together when my boys were little. Thank you.
I love Beavertail in Rhode Island. Very few tourists (they all go to newport) so you really get to enjoy the ocean without a huge crowd!
As for Illinois, I agree that the driftless region is a gem. But check out the many state parks in southern Illinois. The Shawnee National Forest is essentially an extension of the Ozarks. The landscape and culture is what you would expect in Appalachia and not the midwest.
Was pleasantly surprised for your pick for Indiana. State Parks like Brown County, Spring Mill, and Clifty Falls get a lot of attention in Southern Indiana but O'Bannon Woods is a nice hidden gem in between all those.
So glad you mentioned the Adirondacks! Just an fyi, they are not part of the Appalachians. The dacks are much older.
Got some new spots added to my bucket list. Thanks!
Good video! You obviously prefer the same areas I do. Quite snd remote. I enjoy your channel.
Great video! South Carolina has some wonderful state parks, and Santee is awesome, but I'd say Caesar's Head State Park is the best in the state 😀
Love your videos! Since I live just south of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY I wanted to bring to your attention a minor point of clarification: The Adirondacks are NOT part of the Appalachian Mountain range - they are part of the Canadian Shield. Thanks again!
best geography channel on youtube , thanks sir!
Once again, fantastic video! I really like the way you put your content together. I would like to recommend you check out the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Texas panhandle. It is an amazing place to visit and the second largest canyon in the United States. I’d love to see a video with your opinions on Palo Duro Canyon.
As a resident of Oklahoma and a visitor to several of our state parks I would like to give honorable mentions to 3 parks that really stand out to me. Those being Alabaster Caverns State Park, The Great Salt Plains State Park, and Little Sahara State Park. Alabaster is known as one of the largest gypsum cave systems in the world and it's absolutely beautiful. The Great Salt Plains are pretty much their name, big sprawling plains of salt crust where you can dig for your own salt crystals. And Little Sahara also follows its name, being a small patch of gypsum sand dunes seemingly out of nowhere.
This isn't a popular State Park, but Stone Mountain State Park in NORTH CAROLINA, is just a Beautiful Park. I went in January and it was Great!
I live in Belmont and SM is my favorite. Love the trout fishing there
I went to Chimney's Rock state park west of Charlotte. Spectacular..
Great video! As a long time Floridian, I agree with Florida Caverns. Chadron in Nebraska was another good pick!!
Great video again, GeogKing!
I’m wondering if you would be down to make a video about the National Forests? With whatever spin and take you want to do about them.
I like this state park video as National Parks are always the most sought after by the general crowd. But I feel like the National Forests are extremely underrated, and, fortunately for some of us, unvisited. A lot of people don’t even know about the USDA Forest Service!
A bonus to buying an annual pass to National Parks is that they also work on National Forest areas.
I live on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest and have put my pass to good use MANY times!
I just recently visited Maquoketa State Park in Iowa!! Gorgeous place, can't wait to go again so I can explore what I didn't see.
Excellent choice for California - Lime Kiln SP in the Big Sur area. My wife and I drove up there from San Diego to start a vacation last week and Lime Kiln really does have it all. But the next place we visited blew my mind - Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It's so vast, driving the Avenue of the Giants should be on everyone's bucket list, and it's a jumping off point for a lot of other adventures like the Lost Coast.
I've camped in Big Trees. The cops are heavily armed and kind of nervous.
@@rogersmith7396 Jedediah Smith State Park has spectacular redwoods,
including the worlds tallest tree (its location is secret).
I'm from Oregon so I totally get the appeal of the coast, but I do have to say there are some gems in Central Oregon! Smith Rock, Cove Palisades, Tumalo Falls 😊
This was very helpful. Now I have some new ideas where to go when visiting a new state. Thanks 🙂
Hi Kyle, I really enjoy this channel and found it 6 months ago or so! (I live in Australia and am coming to US next year for a holiday). I really think you should go to Hawaii and Alaska as they are the only 2 you haven't been to and it is good to knock off all of them! Maybe you could go to one state this year or next year and one the year after :).
I might finally be able to visit Hawaii this year but not 100% sure. I'd love to visit Alaska but I'd want to do a long canoe trip and backpacking and haven't been able to work out the timing for that trip. I'd want at least a few weeks and it would have to be June to early September
Sounds good!
I live in Maryland and I would recommend seeing Swallow Falls (I think pictured in the video) during the winter. Last winter it was completely frozen with some really cool patterns in it. And yeah I would also recommend beartown for WV, really cool boulders and stuff