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When I was a boy, I was given a book published by the National Parks Association called Exploring our National Parks and Monuments (3d ed.) by Devereux Butcher. It was published in 1951, and featured black-and-white photos of all of them. At that time there were 28 National Parks and 64 National Monuments. My father enjoyed National Parks, and we visited quite a number when I was young. When I became 18 and had my own car (a red VW bug), my first trip was to head to Arizona and New Mexico to see as many National Parks & Monuments as I could. Together these 92 sites represented my childhood dreams for future travel in the United States, until became a hardcore birder and priorities changed. Thereafter, I spent more travel time chasing birds. Still, my aim remains to visit as many our our National Parks and Monuments as I can. I've also focused on historic sites maintained by the National Park Service, and many Civil War sites. An eBird list is entered at each site visited. We thus have it all: birds, natural wonders, and American history.
Today, in 2026, I've had the good fortune to visit 56 of the current 63 National Parks (88%), and have read extensively about those I have not yet visited. These are the Parks that inspired, for me, the most awe and wonder. I've visited some of them multiple times. Two of them (Sequoia & Kings Canyon) are adjacent and are administered together. They feel simply like one great park, and I combine them as a single choice in the "Top 10" list below.
During my life, the number of National Parks has expanded from 28 to 63: a 225% increase. Many of our current 63 National Parks were created when Congress elevated large and spectacular National Monuments to National Park status. In addition, seven new ones were created in Alaska in 1980 — I will probably not visit the more remote ones there. Most of the current 63 meet the conceptual standards for National Park but a few do not (e.g., Hot Springs & Gateway Arch do not —see footnote at bottom of this page). |
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Yosemite has felt like home to me. I've been going there since I was a child. While camping in spectacular Yosemite Valley, I learned the names given to all cliffs and domes. I've floated down the Merced River, hiked to waterfalls, chased birds in the red fir forests, and admired unparalleled scenery. Now, though, summer crowding is a concern.
Yosemite has all the seasons: snow-dusted mountains around the Valley in winter (above), reflections on Mirror Lake in spring (right), abundant water during some summers (left: Vernal Falls), and gorgeous high county above treeline in fall (below: Greenstone Lake). There is no other place that compares. |
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Yellowstone NP Wyoming / Montana |
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Yellowstone is huge and there is so much to see and do. In my early visits, I was addicted to geysers. There are over 500, with at least 22 "major" geysers. I spent days hiking to and waiting for geysers to erupt. Now, crowds can dampen enthusiasm in summer at roadside attractions, so hiking is an option. Photographers spend weeks stalking wildlife — bears, wolves, moose, elk.
Famed Old Faithful goes off regularly for all but Beehive Geyser (left) is irregular (intervals 11-19 hours). If you have time to wait — wow . . 150' high blast ! The interval for Castle Geyser (right) is about 13 hours and its dome adds to the event. Jewel Geyser(above), in the Biscuit Basin, varies with its water level, but the short but broad spray is lovely against angry clouds. There are huge geysers (Steamboat) that don't erupt for years. There is so much more, including the tableau formed by Yellowstone Falls and its setting (below). And did I mention the wildlife? . . . |
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Arches NP is a kaleidoscope of bizarre and fascinating rock formations, whether seen by day (right: Turret Arch through the Windows) or night (left: Balanced Rock). The ultimate is Delicate Arch (above), framing a snow-capped sierra. Landscape Arch (below) appears to defy gravity. It will collapse some day . . . see it now. This is the best rock collection anywhere! |
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Denali NP & Preserve Alaska |
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Denali — the former Mr. McKinley — is so big that it creates its own weather. It is so often covered with clouds that locals will tell you that your chance of seeing North America's highest mountain on any given day is just 33%. We hit the averages on our visit — we did not see Denali (above) until our third morning there.
Yet one visits Denali NP & Preserve to become lost in the huge wilderness and encounter wildlife, from a curious male Willow Ptarmigan (left) to Moose (mother & calf, below), and hope you are lucky enough to encounter a Wolf (right). We managed the Denali "big 5" -- Moose, Caribou, Dall's Sheep, Brown Bear, and this lone Wolf — on a single bus ride that transected the park [autos are not allowed in most of the Park].
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Grand Canyon NP Arizona |
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When one walks up to the edge of the Grand Canyon for the first time, it will leave you speechless. It is just too big, too deep — it seems to go on forever. It is not just the size and scope but the colors, the shadows, the clouds and the snow (in season; left). There are numerous viewpoints — these, from the South Rim are Hopi Pt. (above), Wachita Pt. (left), and Moran Pt. (below).
The South Rim has the most tourists but there are other places to go. Hike down to the bottom, drive around to the North Rim, or visit nearby Havasupi Reservation where the unique blue-green waters pour over red cliffs to form Havasu Falls (right). It was a memorable hike with my father to the falls when I was quite young.
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Everglades NP is for wildlife. It is a unique habitat for the U.S., a "river of grass" cut by larger mangrove-lined channels (above right, with canoers). I'm interested in what's below the water (lower right: American Crocodiles) and the plethora of birds (above: rookery
at Eco Pond;
(left) young Red-shouldered Hawk, (below) Roseate Spoonbill).
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Glacier, the 10th U.S. national park, was created in 1910. It, and adjacent Waterton NP in Alberta, Canada, form a single ecosystem and became the first International Peace Park in 1932. The rugged peaks and valleys, carved by glaciers, are spectacular (above, Goose Island viewpoint). Alas, where once there were 150 glaciers, global warming has trimmed them to 24 now.
Going-to-the-Sun Highway, crossing the continental divide at Logan Pass (below), opens each summer in late June or July. Snagging a parking space at the pass requires waiting in lines of idling cars until a spot opens. The crowding in summer is intolerable.
Still, with luck, wildlife can be seen from the roads: Bighorn Sheep (left, at Logan Pass) or a mother Black Bear with cubs (right, in Waterton NP). Overlooks of salt licks attract Mountain Goat, and we saw a Grizzly Bear with cubs on a side trip to Manyglacier and Swiftcurrent Lake. |
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Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP California |
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Two parks for one visit! Adjacent and jointly administered, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks encompass vast stretches of the high Sierra Nevada and spectacular groves of giant Sequoia redwoods (above). The General Grant tree (left, in Kings Canyon NP) was thought to be the largest tree in the world prior to 1931, when the first precise measurements indicated that the General Sherman tree (in Sequoia NP) was slightly larger. The latter is thought to be 1650 years old.
Scenery on the western slope of the Sierra is impressive. The Kaweah River (right) thunders through Sequoia NP, contrasting with placid Crescent Meadow (below).
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Bryce was a favorite among Parks in sw. Utah. Perhaps its red palette was best with a frosting of snow? A winter treat — Bryce Pt. (above) or at Sunset Pt. ('hoodoos,' right, overview below). In March, Utah Prairie-Dog emerges from hibernation (left). |
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Mesa Verde NP Colorado |
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Talk about your antiquities -- they are here at Mesa Verde NP. It was established in 1906 to protect the finest collection of prehistoric Native American cliff dwellings in the U.S. Largest among them is Cliff Palace (below), with 8 floor levels and 200+ rooms. Its setting (above, top center in photo) is spectacular. Tower Ruin (right) is also impressive. Tourists are permitted to visit some sites — such as Spruce Tree Ruin (left) — to view living quarters up close.
Mesa Verde plateau rises 2000 ft. above surrounding country, and is slashed with canyons and caves. The Ancestral Puebloans lived here between 600 to 1300. They kept no written records. In the late 1190s they began to build the cliff dwellings for which Mesa Verde is famous. It is the only cultural National Park set aside by the National Park system.
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National Parks get all the publicity — Ken Burns wonderful PBS film features them — but I've also been drawn to National Monuments all my life. They are over-looked gems. Thus I've expanded my on-line project into 3 parts:
- My top 10 National Park (this page)
- My top dozen National Parks that languished as National Monuments (or other units) for 7 or more years (next page)
- My top 10 National Monuments that feature natural or archaeological wonders [with bonus choices on Monuments that preserve U.S. historical sites]
In addition to these projects, many Civil War battlefields are operated by the National Park Service as National Military Parks, National Battlefields, or similar designations. Many of these are highlighted on-line as:
- My 50 best Civil War sites — ranked on my experience as an interested visitor
Footnote: By 1950, Exploring our National Parks and Monuments listed two National Parks that the author and publisher felt did not meet National Park standards. The National Parks Association's definition required that National Parks be "Spacious land and water areas essentially in their primeval condition and, in quality and beauty, so outstandingly superior to average examples of their several types as to make imperative their preservation intact and in their entirety for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all the people for all time." The author wrote:
"Although designated 'National Parks' . . . neither Hot Springs NP, Arkansas, nor Platt NP, Oklahoma, meet [National Parks Association] standards." Therefore they were not presented in Butcher's book. Hot Spring was "47 natural hot springs reserved by Congress in 1832" and "one and a half square miles of wooded hills added in 1921." Even as a child, I recognized that this was of different quality than my favorite National Parks.
Hot Springs remains a National Park today -- at just 8.5 sq. miles, the next-to-smallest of the current 62 National Parks. The former Platt NP, which embraced one and a third sq. miles of "mineral springs in gently rolling wooded country traversed by numerous springs" was abolished by Congress and made part of the much larger Chickasaw National Recreation Area in 1976. Unfortunately, the man-made Gateway Arch in St. Louis became a "National Park" in 2018 despite its tiny size (91 acres, which is less than 0.15 sq. mi.) and the lack of any natural features. It is very clear that neither Hot Springs nor Gateway Arch meet National Parks standards — and should become "National Historical Parks" instead (currently there are 57 other National Historical Parks). It is only for partisan political reasons that these two are called "National Parks" — the only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree upon in those states is that AK and MO "deserve" a National Park. With this sort of insular thinking, I fear future "National Parks" will be created out of minor sites in all the States that don't have a National Park, and the whole concept of a "National Park" will be degraded beyond repair.
All photos & text © Don Roberson
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