Next up in my 10 years of blogging series is my top ten state parks from the last ten years!
Similar to my other lists, the top five were pretty easy to choose, but the last five can kind of be interchanged and moved around among the list depending on the day and my mood.
I will say, part of me is surprised at the top five and part of me isn’t. I am because all five are in Florida! But I’m not because Florida has the best state parks.
Yeah, there’s a lot of states I haven’t been to state parks in, much less such a high number of them, but Florida state parks are really good.
I’m curious how they’ll hold up in my next ten year update (will there be another update in ten years? I hope so!)
So, here we go! My top ten state parks I’ve visited in the last ten years!
10. Interstate
We’re starting off with one of two state parks in my home state (Wisconsin) that I’ve been to: Interstate State Park!
This is technically in Wisconsin and Minnesota (it’s on the border, hence Interstate), and I’ve done hikes on both sides!
This is a beautiful park to visit in the fall when the leaves are changing, and it has beautiful trails along the river and views over the river, I love it!
9. Snow Canyon
Next up is Snow Canyon outside of St. George, Utah! I’ve only been here once and didn’t get to see as much as I wanted but it was still really beautiful and I like it a lot!
I’m sure it can get busy but it wasn’t when we were there (it was also winter) which I think helped .
It reminds me more of Capitol Reef than nearby Zion, and I love Capitol Reef so this makes sense.
8. Devil’s Lake
Next up is the other park I’ve been to in Wisconsin, Devil’s Lake! This is like, the quintessential Wisconsin State Park, for good reason.
We got to do two trails here and I loved them both! One was just along the lake shore and it was SO cold and windy but I loved it anyway.
The Balanced Rock/Devil’s Doorway trail is the main attraction though and it was so good! The trail itself is fun and the views are amazing.
I can’t say “I love it!” at the end of each section, but it’s implied from here on out.
7. Goblin Valley
We have another Utah park, this time it’s Goblin Valley, one of the most fun state parks ever.
The park is full of these weird little mushroom hoodoos and once you go to the far wall of the formations you’ll probably find some caves in there too!
This park feels like a natural playground not just for kids, but adults, too.
The first time I went here was with a group, and as soon as we got to the edge of the valley, we all just ran in different directions, it’s so fun!
6. Custer
Now we have our outlier park, the one not in Wisconsin, Utah, or Florida: Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota!
This is a huge state park and it’s all beautiful. Along the scenic drive we got to see bison, prairie dogs, and burros.
Iron Mountain Road and The Needles Highway were both amazing drives with great views.
Then there is Sylvan Lake Loop and the Cathedral Spires Trail, and these are just two of the more popular trails! It’s a great park and I would love to go back and see more.
5. Anastasia
Now we’re into the Florida portion of today’s programming, starting with Anastasia State Park on Anastasia Island, a short drive from St. Augustine, another city I love.
This isn’t my favorite beach in Florida, but it’s pretty high up there. It’s not the best for shelling but it still has plenty of shells to find.
It’s busy but easy enough to get away from the busier areas. It’s great for camping and has a trail or two if you want more than just the beach.
I’ve been here a few times and will definitely go back again if I’m in the area again (which I hope I will be!)
4. Lover’s Key
Next I have Lover’s Key, which is just outside of Fort Myers, Florida. Not only is it one of my favorite state parks, but it’s also one of my favorite beaches in Florida!
The shelling at Lover’s Key is great and I think I also have a soft spot for it because it’s where I found my first whole sand dollar!
This can be a very busy park, but going first thing when it opens will definitely help avoid peak crowds so you can enjoy the beautiful beach even more.
It did receive quite a bit of damage from Hurricane Ian, so amenities may not be fully available but it’s still absolutely worth visiting.
3. Fort Clinch
This is even a little surprising to me to be on here because, while it’s interesting, history generally isn’t my thing.
That said, Fort Clinch is extremely cool. It’s my favorite of the forts I’ve been to in Florida by far, but the main reason it’s in spot number three is the beach!
This is easily one of my favorite places in Florida to look for shells. It’s not quite like southwest Florida, and most shells are a variation of orange, gray, black, or white instead of what you find on the Gulf.
But, this is actually where I’ve found the biggest shells I have, multiple of them, sometimes broken but still very cool.
AND, even better, this is one of the best places in Florida to look for shark teeth! And I’ve found them here so I know it’s true!
It’s a beautiful park and I love it so much. Plus, Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island is just really great in general.
Shelling posts you may like
2. Caladesi Island
Next up, second to last (or second to first?) is another one of my favorite place in Florida for shelling AND my actual favorite beach in Florida: Caladesi Island State Park near Dunedin, Florida.
You can only get here by boat, so it’s not as busy as other beaches and state parks in Florida, which is really nice.
If you don’t have your own boat, there is a ferry that leaves from Honeymoon Island State Park (which is NOT as good).
There is a hiking trail on the island but we didn’t do that when we were here. We just looked for shells and mostly found small ones but I would imagine you can find some good stuff here.
This is one I would really love to go back to if/when I’m in the area again!
1. Fakahatchee Strand
Finally, my favorite state park of all of them, Fakahatchee Strand State Park and Preserve just outside of Big Cypress in south Florida.
Big Cypress (I generally speak of this whole area as Big Cypress even though it’s actually a bunch of separate places) is one of my favorite places ever so it’s only natural for Fakahatchee to be number one.
I love the Fakahatchee Hilton, the West Main Tram Trail, the boardwalk, and even the Jones Grade Lakes area, which doesn’t hold a candle to the main area!
It’s where I’ve come the closest to seeing both a bear AND a Florida Panther (neither of which I’ve seen yet), it’s rustic feeling, there is tons of wildlife, and it’s just beautiful. Plus, it isn’t that busy.
This area is just so beautiful and, I think, is definitely underrated. It’s amazing and I think about going back at least once a week.
Have you been to any of these? Which ones? What are your favorite state parks you’ve been to so far? What’s on the top of your list to visit?
Interesting list, Megan. I’ve only been to two of them (Snow Canyon and Goblin Valley), but I agree they’re great.
I’ve heard good things about Valley of Fire in Nevada, but haven’t been there yet.
My personal favorite (I’ve probably been there over 100 times) is New York’s Minnewaska.
I also really like Maine’s Baxter Park. However, this one is very far away from almost anywhere and if you don’t plan to climb Katahdin, maybe you shouldn’t bother.
Valley of Fire would probably be an honorable mention for me!
I added both you mentioned to my northeast map, Baxter really is in the middle of nowhere!