This writer has been to 37 national parks, thinks Utah has some of the best 

I’m six years into a quest to see all 63 national parks.

When I first set off on this endeavor in 2019, I had only been to two national parks — Yellowstone and Zion. Now I’ve been to 37.

My friend and I went to Bryce Canyon National Park for my birthday in April 2019, and I bought a national parks passport.

The passport’s empty pages begging for stamps, along with the beauty of Bryce Canyon, sparked something in me. I had to see the rest of the national parks to see what made them so special too.

And in six years, with a lot of planning and hard work, I’ve made it to 37 national parks so far.

Which national parks are best?

Here’s what I can tell you about 58% of the national parks.

In my opinion, each of the parks fall into three tiers. The first tier is the “wow, that takes your breath away” tier. The second tier has pretty views or cool hikes, but doesn’t have that same “wow” factor. The third tier might still be worth visiting but might not be so spectacular, especially when compared to the first tier.

Based on my own experience of them, here’s where I would put the 37 parks I’ve seen so far.

First tier

1. Zion
2. Bryce Canyon
3. Olympic
4. Yellowstone
5. Channel Islands
6. Grand Teton
7. Petrified Forest
8. Carlsbad Caverns
9. Grand Canyon
10. Arches
11. Rocky Mountain
12. Badlands
13. Acadia
14. Dry Tortugas
15. Mesa Verde
16. Shenandoah
17. Capitol Reef

Second tier

1. Big Bend
2. Everglades
3. Canyonlands
4. Black Canyon of the Gunnison
5. Saguaro
6. Theodore Roosevelt
7. Death Valley
8. North Cascades
9. Isle Royale
10. Joshua Tree
11. Pinnacles
12. Indiana Dunes

Third tier

1. White Sands
2. Guadalupe Mountains
3. Cuyahoga Valley
4. Great Sand Dunes
5. Biscayne
6. Great Basin
7. Voyageurs
8. Wind Cave

Which national parks have the best sights and activities?

And here are my fully biased, 100% subjective superlatives for the 37 national parks I’ve been to so far.

Best scenic drive

Bryce Canyon has my favorite scenic drive. You can see so much just from stopping at the stops along the way and getting out of the car.

Honorable mentions: Shenandoah, Acadia, Petrified Forest

Prettiest sunset

White Sands National Park had the most memorable sunset for me. The way the light and colors dance along the rim of the white sands is truly breathtaking.

Honorable mention: Black Canyon of the Gunnison. When I was there, there was a crowd of about 25 people huddled at a lookout spot. It was cold and windy, but the entire group remained silent until the sun went down — even the kids in the group were quiet. It was a really special and reverent experience.

Most worthwhile hikes

Zion has the best hikes, in my opinion. The shuttle makes it easy to get around to different hikes and the hikes in Zion are varied in difficulty and experience, so each hike is worth the work.

Honorable mention: Olympic. If you’re coming from Utah or Idaho like me, then hiking around Olympic feels like a breeze because it’s so close to sea level compared to the elevation levels in Utah.

Best place to spend downtime

There’s a lot to do in Big Bend — there are hot springs, hikes, kayaking and little shops. It’s also extremely vast, so getting around throughout the park takes some time.

Coolest cave

Carlsbad Caverns takes the cave on this one handily. I haven’t been to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky yet, but I’ve seen all the other parks that have caves, and Carlsbad is definitely the coolest and most cavernous.

Best place to see animals in the wild

Yellowstone has been the best place to see animals in the wild for me. Seeing the bison in person is quite remarkable. And one day I hope to see a bear.

Honorable mention: Everglades — seeing alligators up close is a little terrifying but also pretty cool.

Biggest surprises

There have been a few that surprised me. Saguaro National Park surprised me because on the drive into the park, I thought, “Did I waste my day coming here?” It was nothing to write home about. But once I pulled into the park, I saw a sea of saguaros dotting my sight lines, and it took my breath away.

Honorable mention: Badlands.

Most overrated

Pinnacles disappointed me because the pinnacles were so far away that it was hard to see them. I also missed a turn on the hike we did, so we ended up having to basically do the same hike twice. The caves were also really crowded when I was there, so it was hard to really appreciate the grandeur.

Best place for the fall leaves

Acadia was really stunning with the fall foliage on the backdrop to the water inlets.

Honorable mention: Shenandoah

Best island experience

Three of the national parks I’ve visited are only accessible by ferry — they include Isle Royale, Dry Tortugas and Channel Islands.

Channel Islands had the most to do on the island and was also an incredible ferry ride. Dolphins swim alongside the boat for a good portion of the trip, and we also saw a whale a couple times.

Dry Tortugas is pretty stunning with the contrast of the red brick against the blue water and green foliage. To take the trip, you sign up for a historical tour, which is really interesting.

Isle Royale doesn’t have a lot to do for a day trip, so we attended the ranger programs to learn about the moose and birds endemic to the area. The ride to and from the park is on Lake Superior, so it gets pretty chilly.

My advice on visiting more national parks

If you’re hoping to see more national parks, or if you want to see all 63, here’s my advice.

• You have to be willing to drive. A LOT. Many of the parks are very remote, and sometimes far away from anything else. So get ready with the Taylor Swift playlist.
• You have to be OK with either staying in some interesting, if not slightly sketchy, motels or camping. I’ve done both. And both can get interesting, to say the least.
• Most parks are at their peak beauty during the golden hour, so try to get there early or be there for the sunset to see them at their best.
• Decide early if and what you want to collect from each park. I buy a magnet from each park I visit, and it’s a fun reminder of the trip and experience I had.
• If you do get a parks passport, don’t forget it when you go to the park. I have about 10 glued in stamps in mine because I’ve forgotten mine a lot.

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The Junior Ranger program

Another thing I would recommend checking out is the Junior Ranger programs offered at the parks, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

All you have to do is head to a visitor center during office hours and ask the clerk or ranger about their junior ranger program. You will get a packet of activities that you can do either in the visitor center or throughout the park.

When you complete what’s required, you take it back to a ranger, and they have you repeat the junior ranger oath. Once completed and approved, you receive a junior ranger badge you can wear with pride and honor.

“It‘s a special program because it builds the foundations of what we hope transforms into not only a love of nature, but, you know, civic duty, or even just as simple as pick up litter,” Matthew Fink, public affairs specialist for Zion National Park, said.

“It’s building that foundation, those building blocks to what we hope is a lover of nature, a lover of our national parks, a lover of our country, and somebody who is responsible and loves nature and loves conservation,” he added.

The message within the junior ranger program makes the parks even more special, with reminders like how to best take care of the park and to pick up trash if you see it. My 7-year-old niece and I did the book in Bryce Canyon once, and it was heartening to see her take her oath seriously.

“Our parks are the best that nature has to offer in the country, and nature has the healing power for all of us,” Fink said.

Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree with my rankings. I would love to read your opinion on the parks.