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Next up in my 10 years of blogging series is my top ten national parks! Technically they’re all from the last ten years because my first visit was in 2015 though.

So it’s both my top ten parks of the last ten years and of all time. One of my big reasons for wanting to visit all of the national parks is so I can do a ranking post.

I want to see them all because I love them and they’re beautiful and I’m over halfway by now but I want to rank them purely based on vibes, which almost no one ever does (except Lee Abbamonte here!).

And that’s what my top ten is! I bet my top choices will surprise you, simply based on every other ranking I’ve ever seen.

National Park Goodies

• If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
• If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
• This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

10. Joshua Tree

First up is Joshua Tree National Park in southern California! I went here with my parents in the fall of 2021 and while we only spent a day here, I loved it!

The Hidden Valley trail is easy and one of the most popular trails, but it’s beautiful and popular for a reason.

There are so many hikes here I want to do and I think about the park quite a bit which is why it deserves a spot in my top ten.

I love the rocks here, and there are so many cool plants, I just love it and I want to go back like, now.

9. Petrified Forest

Next up is a park I usually see getting a lot of hate, Petrified Forest in Arizona! The scenery is otherworldy, the petrified wood is BEAUTIFUL, and the park is generally underrated.

It’s easy to see a lot of the park in one day on the easy trails (which is awesome) but you can actually hike off trail here which is even cooler!

I suppose I can understand why people might not like it (especially the average visitor who isn’t that interested in the wood up close), but I love it.

8. Yellowstone

I’ve had a draft post ranking the parks for a while that I update when I visit new ones or go back to ones I’ve been to before, and I was even surprised Yellowstone cracked the top ten.

But, that’s probably because of our trip there in September, which, while much busier than the first trip, I ended up loving!

I did a few of the same hikes as the first time, but I also got to do three or four more that I didn’t the first time, and that really solidified it for me in the top ten.

I love the boardwalks, I love the wildlife, I love the colors and textures in the scenery, and I love the variety of scenery throughout the park.

It was significantly busier this time (we would have had to park very far away from the Grand Prismatic Spring lot, on the road, and the overlook trail so we didn’t do them) but I think going outside of mid-day would help with that (a little bit).

Plus, there are tons of trails to escape the crowds and there’s so much to see here, I don’t know if it’s even possible to see it all.

Buy a Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier itinerary here!

7. Canyonlands

Canyonlands, one of the five national parks in Utah, is up next. On my first visit I know I liked it and thought it was fine-good but after visiting in the winter, I loved it a lot more.

It’s much less busy than nearby Arches which is great and the hiking is wonderful.

The views here easily rival the Grand Canyon (I even like them more) but without the crowds. Sure, you’ll still find them at Mesa Arch but it’s easy enough to escape them.

Plus, it has three different areas you can explore which makes it even better! I’ve technically been to all three but need to actually go into The Maze more.

Buy an Arches and Canyonlands itinerary here!

6. Teddy Roosevelt

Next up is the most recent new to me national park I visited, Teddy Roosevelt in good old North Dakota.

I figured I would like Teddy Roosevelt but I didn’t think I would LOVE Teddy Roosevelt like I did.

It’s like Badlands on steroids and it’s fantastic. Plus I got a mug here with a bison on it that says “dangerous and unpredictable” which I love and think is hilarious.

The hiking is amazing. There are a ton of easy trails and it’s easy to do a lot of them in one day which is even better. And we just went to the south unit!

There are bison and prairie dogs, and it’s not all that busy here because it’s in North Dakota and not really near anything and I’m even debating if it should be moved up a spot (I did, it was originally 7).

5. Carlsbad Caverns

I think my lesson from this post is that it’s good to go back to parks that you didn’t love the first time because we’ve got yet another one of those here!

I’ve been to Carlsbad Caverns twice and the first time was just fine (not even fine-good) but after the second visit, I LOVED it SO much!

The first time we just took the elevator up and down but I think walking in was part of what made me like it even more. I also think I just love caves more than I used to.

I would love to go back and do some of the cave tours outside of the main cavern, and actually hike above ground a bit too.

I think it falls firmly in the middle-top as far as visitors go, but it doesn’t feel all that busy for some reason. I love it! And I love caves!

Buy a Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains itinerary here!

4. Grand Teton

Next up is Grand Teton, with a strong preference for winter. For now. I’ve been here in the summer, fall, and winter. Fall and winter were my favorite.

That said, I haven’t gotten to do much hiking here, so I’m sure that would make it even better.

They’re the best mountains, the scenery is fantastic, and the wildlife is even better. And if you do long hikes or backpacking, it’s probably even better than I think!

Buy a Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier itinerary here!

3. Saguaro

Ok, so I actually just came back from Saguaro, and I GOT TO SEE THEM BLOOMING! So part of me wants to even move this up on the list but I’m keeping it here. For now.

I lied. I originally had this at four and I move it up to three. I am genuinely obsessed with saguaros. I’ve been here three times now and I’m STILL absolutely amazed by them.

There is a huge variety of cactus and other cool desert plants here, and when they have flowers? Done. I love it so much.

It has a great mix of easy and hard hikes, and while I love the west side a lot more, there are two whole districts to explore!

2. Great Basin

Number two on my list is Great Basin, I think a bit of an underdog. I’ve been here twice and both trips were almost exactly the same (minus the cave the second time), and I would go back and do the exact same thing again!

I would like to do more though, too. But you’re here to know why I love Great Basin so much. Well, there’s a lot.

Great Basin has the only glacier in Nevada, it has the second highest peak in Nevada, it has alpine lakes, it has bristlecone trees (the oldest trees in the world), it’s one of the least visited national parks, AND it has a cave!

I mean, how can you beat that? Well, you can because it’s obviously not number one on my list, but it’s pretty darn close.

1. Capitol Reef

Finally! In spot number one, we have Capitol Reef! Another one I think is a bit of an underdog.

Capitol Reef has a great variety of hiking options, for all skill levels, water hikes, slot canyons, grand views, and history.

AND there are orchards here where you can pick your own fruit! How cool is that!?

And I haven’t even mentioned the Gifford homestead and the pie, ice cream, cinnamon rolls, and salsa yet!

A lot of the main sights can be seen on the highway through the park (no fee there!) and there are three different areas to explore!

You can easily escape the crowds, which, compared to other Utah parks, aren’t all that bad. I will sing it’s praises forever and convince anyone I can to go there (every park on this list, really).

What are your top national parks you’ve been to? Do we have any that match up? Which ones do you want to visit the most?