If you could visit only one state to tour its national parks, which state would it be?
Would you head to Utah with its five "national parks," to California with its eight "national parks" and handful of other designated park units, or choose Maine with its one national park (Acadia), a stretch of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and lone international historic site?
Does quantity overrule quality? (Of course, quality is in the eye of the beholder...) Would you be in bliss just to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands and sit on the beach at Virgin Islands National Park, or would you prefer to head to a state to tick off as many park units as possible?
Comments
1st choice would be Alaska followed by Utah and Wyoming.
I would have to say Alaska! There are sooooo many parks there to choose from. And I think if I got lost in Denali, I would be in heaven! After that - Hawaii followed by Wyoming. AND just for the record - ANY National Park is wonderful to me! :)
It's hard to beat the variety of NPS areas in either Arizona or New Mexico, especially if you are interested in early American Indian history. And each state has its "flagship park", Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns. And unlike some of the other states mentioned above, the park service areas in these states are open during the winter months for average visitors.
Rick
I would visit any state or territory to visit an NPS unit of any type. Except of course, for Delaware which doesn't have any. And Guam and American Samoa would be a stretch, but not out of the question.
No question, first is the Utah Canyon Country followed by Alaska, Wyoming, California, Colorado.
Alaska. I've never seen a brown bear in the wild and Alaska would be the ideal place.
Other than that, California. I've actually only visited five of the units with the "National Park" designation in California. There's an absolute wealth of NPS sites in California that I haven't visited or haven't spent much time at.
Wyoming - Home of America's first National Park & the majestic Tetons.
Although it would be hard to choose, I have to put my vote in for Tennessee/North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. My 3 year old daughter would probably vote for the Smokies as well. We just came back from a ten day trip last month. She had a blast and wanted to stay longer. No matter how long we stay, it is never long enough.