Growing up in Wisconsin, we weren’t within close range of many national parks, and I guess they were never an item of priority when picking travel destinations. So it wasn’t until I was almost 21 that I made it to my first national park. Now I’m 24, and I have visited 9 out of the 63 national parks. Slowly but surely, I am making my way across the country to witness for myself the great expanse of public lands that were set aside for our enjoyment and to protect the environment. While everyone has their own preferences and opinions when it comes to their adventure style, I will be sharing my favorite things about each park I visit as well as some potential dislikes (if any). Each trip is different, and I look forward to visiting these parks more than once for new experiences.
Indiana Sand Dunes National Park
Formerly a national lakeshore, the Indiana Sand Dunes was ‘promoted’ in February 2019 making it the nation’s 61st national park. My first visit to the dunes was in August 2019, not long after this redesignation — hence the old patch. This was our first stop on our way to Canada, and it’s an easy stop to add if you’re in the area. It’s a pretty small national park, and if I’m being quite honest, there’s not much to do besides one decent dune hike, swim and make a stop at the Visitor Center. You could probably spend an hour or so here and be quite satisfied. I will say the view of the Chicago skyline is pretty neat on a clear day, and the dunes do make for a fun challenge. Otherwise, this is the perfect destination for a beach day and picnic — just remember to pack it out.
This was my:
1st National Park
Visited:
August 2019, May 2021
Ranking:
5/10
Must-Sees:
Climb the dune (look for designated areas)
Badlands National Park
I wish we had spent more time here! This landscape is absolutely STUNNING. Doesn’t even look like it should be real. The stratification of the rock formations makes it appear as though a steady-handed artist has painted little orange lines across the rock face. We only had time to check out some viewpoints, the Visitor Center and drive the loop on our way east through South Dakota.
Ideally, I would love to spend a weekend camping out amongst the rocks, sleeping under the open sky. Or at the very least getting out on one of the hiking trails. To run through these rocks would be like running on Mars.
This was my:
2nd National Park
Visited:
June 2020
Ranking:
7/10
Must-Sees:
Badlands Loop Road
Everglades National Park
The Everglades is famous for the rich diversity it hosts. We spotted a plethora of species in the park, from alligators, osprey, white ibis and even manatees. We never even left the docks to spot all the wildlife. The manatees were hanging out in Flamingo Bay near the Visitor Center, and just a few hundred feet away there was an alligator sunning itself on a boat launch. Although we didn’t spot one, the Everglades is the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators share an environment.
These are all pretty common sightings at Everglades National Park. You don’t need to look very hard to spot some incredible species hiding out in plain sight. I’d love to visit the Everglades again and spend some time slough-slogging or canoeing the waterways.
This was my:
3rd National Park
Visited:
April 2021
Ranking:
6/10
Must-Sees:
Flamingo Bay
Grand Canyon National Park
This national park lives up to its name — GRAND. If you’re planning to get a headstart on one of the famous Grand Canyon hikes, you need to stay at the Bright Angel Lodge. The lodge is nestled into the Grand Canyon Village and many of the trailheads are just yards away from your door.
There are so many trails to explore and even some that are wheelchair accessible. We explored the South Kaibab Trail on our first day in the park and made it down to Skeleton Point before racing a storm back up the canyon. The next day, we ventured down the Bright Angel Trail all the way to Indian Gardens. The area was surprisingly lush for such an arid descent, but the warmth was welcomed compared to the chilly air at the trailhead.
Whether you plunge into the canyon for a hike or stay up at the rim, the views are spectacular. With over a 1,000ft elevation difference, the geological landforms are a masterpiece to be marveled at. Next time we visit, we’ll be hiking the rim to rim.
This was my:
4th National Park
Visited:
August 2021
Ranking:
10/10
Must-Sees:
South Kaibab Trail, Bright Angel Trail (Indian Gardens)
Petrified Forest National Park
This is what I’d call a drive-through national park. The entire national park is located off one main road that loops from the north to the south end of the park. All the main attractions are just lookout points or side trails that lead you to a historical site or viewpoint.
The park was beautiful but felt more like a driveable museum. The drive started strong with the Painted Desert. Some of my other favorite stops were the historic Route 66, which showed where the original road was before the modern route was shifted over, the Puerco Pueblo, Newspaper Rock and Rainbow Forest.
It wasn’t until the very end of the road that we finally saw some petrified wood at the Rainbow Forest. Massive fallen trees now turned to stone, lay on their sides along the path. The stone was smooth and shiny, colored with golden yellows, burnt siennas and bruised purples.
This was my:
5th National Park
Visited:
August 2021
Ranking:
5/10
Must-Sees:
Painted Desert, Route 66 vintage car, Rainbow Forest
Saguaro National Park
The oldest cactus ever known resided in this national park until the 1990s when the 300-year-old cactus finally laid down its arms. Old Granddaddy was over 40 feet tall, a height that takes hundreds of years for saguaro cactuses to grow to. These cacti are a sight to behold. They tower over everything and there are hundreds of them as far as the eye can see.
The roads that wind through the park are hair pinned and narrow, but they present the best views from a high altitude. Speckled across the rocky, mountainous landscape, the green giants spread across the red rock. Dotting the horizon, there is no better silhouette than that of a saguaro.
One of my favorite stops was at the Sonoran Desert Museum. The walking paths carve their way through the beautiful Arizonan flora and at night, blue light flashlights can be seen picking out the tiny scorpions from between rocks under bushes.
This was my:
6th National Park
Visited:
August 2021
Ranking:
7/10
Must-Sees:
Sonoran Desert Museum
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
This is my favorite national park. The landscape varied so much throughout the park, it felt like we were transported to a different planet. The Chain of Craters road takes you through the lava fields to the edge of the island where the land falls away in dramatic cliffs. The Mauna Loa Summit Trail rises up from the forest to the barren snowy summit of the volcano. The Kilauea Iki Trail takes you down a tropical forest path switchbacking all the way down to a hardened lava lake. And the Old Crater Rim Road leads you to the molten lava erupting from the Kilauea Crater.
Beyond the scenery, the other attractions in the park are also worth a visit. We stopped at Volcano Art Center, which is next to the Visitor Center, to view some local artists’ depictions from within the park. We both fell in love with our own pieces that we ended up taking home. We also ate at the Volcano House and explored an old lava tunnel. We even spotted an endangered nene bird (Hawaiian goose) at one of the trailheads! Everything about this park was memorable and exciting!
This was my:
7th National Park
Visited:
January 2022
Ranking:
10/10
Must-Sees:
Kilauea Iki Trail, Kilauea Crater, Mauna Loa Summit Trail
Rocky Mountain National Park
We had a bit of a rocky adventure at Rocky Mountain National Park — all due to our own negligence might I add. We arrived at the park in the afternoon and began our hike of Flattop Mountain when a huge storm rolled in. We found ourselves directly beneath the storm with lightning striking down all around us. In the midst of sprinting multiple miles down the mountain, it began to hail on us. Luckily, we made it safely back to the parking lot.
I can’t wait to make my way back to the Rocky Mountains, preferably with an early morning start. Maybe then we’d actually be able to complete a proper trail. Either though we didn’t reach a peak, the views were stunning with hazy blue mountainscapes as far as the eye could see. Who knows, maybe Long’s Peak is on the itinerary next.
This was my:
8th National Park
Visited:
August 2022
Ranking:
8/10
Must-Sees:
Bear Lake (need a permit)
Gateway Arch National Park
Technically….this wasn’t a national park when I visited it. Back in 2013, it was known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It wasn’t until 2018 that it became the Gateway Arch National Park. Personally, I think that this should have remained a national monument, in my mind that just makes more sense.
The arch itself was a very unique monument to behold, and it was much larger than I had anticipated. Riding the elevator up to the top was well worth the wait (we wandered around the museum while we waited which was also very cool). The views of the city from above were stunning.
Overall, though, there wasn’t much else to do at the arch. It’s a great photo-op and there are tons of places to pose with the arch around the city, but the aesthetic is the main attraction.
This was my:
9th…included by default.
Visited:
April 2013
Ranking:
4/10
Must-Sees:
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