This week’s Friday Five is Five Favorites. Since I love being outdoors so much, I decided to list out my five favorite National Parks. So far, I have been to 19 of them and I’m gonna go ahead and list the 5 best! Thanks to Mar on the Run, Eat Pray Run, and You Signed up for What?! for hosting the linkup.
- Glacier National Park
This one obviously had to make first on the list. Frank and I got married at Glacier a little over 3 years ago, where we had our closest friends and family with us to celebrate the wonderful day. The park is more than magical. It teems with wildlife and beautiful flowers. Every direction you look is a more fantastic view than the last. There are tons of day and overnight hikes around the park, and there are even trails that are accessible to people with injuries or are handicapped.
- Canyonlands National Park
Recently Frank and I took a trip out to Moab, Utah and we spent a good amount of time in Canyonlands. Although Arches National Park is more popular for that region, Canyonlands offers trails that are longer and with way less people. We hiked probably about 50 miles around the park, and even did an overnight trip. If you are ever in Utah… this place is pretty amazing!
- Gates of the Arctic National Park
During the summers of 2013 and 2014, I did some fieldwork at Toolik Field Station in the north slope of Alaska. The field station was right up against Gates of the Arctic, which is incredibly inaccessible to most people. The park is pristine and there are no trails. Basically, you just wander around through the tundra in a particular direction to head up mountain peaks. There are bears, porcupines, elk, moose… basically there’s almost any mega-fauna you could think of out there. This park made the list because you really get to feel like an explorer when you are out there. You get to see things that hardly anyone sees, and it really feels like you’re the first person to ever step foot there.
- Everglades National Park
I grew up in South Florida, pretty close to the Everglades. I remember large afternoon storms brewing over the everglades and dumping steamy rain on to Coral Springs. I’ve been to the Everglades many times, but the craziest was when Frank and I paddled 100 miles through the park along the Wilderness Waterway. It took us 7 days. The Everglades is a fantastic place to see a really unique ecosystem. If you live close, you should check it out!
- Smokey Mountains National Park
While in college, I was part of an outdoor club that frequented the Appalachians. Trips with the outdoor club were where Frank and I realized how we felt about each other and some of my favorite trips were at and around Smokey Mountains. There’s climbing, hiking, and some of the best backpacking in the country. The Appalachian Trail runs straight through the park and includes some of the most scenic areas.
I could include so many more parks, but these are probably the most sentimental to me. If you are ever around any of these (especially Glacier), you should really check them out! I really think the National Park System was America’s best idea!
What is your favorite National Park? Are there any that you’ve always wanted to go to? I’ve never been to Yosemite, but I’ve always wanted to.
She Runs the Wasatch 
Wow – that last picture with the waterfall — stunning! What lovely travels you’ve had!
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Thanks! I love traveling so much.
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Our national parks are such a treasure. We have several in the DC area but we went to the Grand Canyon this summer and love Rocky Mountain National Park in CO. I’d love to visit Glacier!
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I’ve been to the ones in the DC area, I actually forgot to include those. Rocky Mountain is a super great park and crazy beautiful. I’ve been there a few times.
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They all sound like amazing parks! I don’t think I’ve been to many National parks. I liked Mount Rainier National Park.
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Rainer is really pretty. When I went there, it was crazy cloudy so I couldn’t even see the mountain. It’s such a nice park though.
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What a great collection of parks! I did a quick scroll through the Wikipedia page on US National Parks, but it doesn’t seem like I’ve been to any of them! 😦
However, I will say that my favourite National Park in Canada is Pacific Rim National Park – on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s wild and beautiful – and I proposed to my sweetheart there, so…ya! Favourite!
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That sounds so pretty. Canada has a great park system too. I’ve been to Banff and Jasper, and both took my breath away. I’ll have to add that one to my bucket list!
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You have enjoyed some fantastic adventures in the National Parks. My sister lives near Grand Teton National Park and that one is very beautiful for hikes. Despite visiting all 7 continents, I have not seen near enough of the US/National Parks.
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I’ve only ever been to two continents, so I need to do more exploring too. Grand Teton is one of my favorites. I attempted to climb Grand, but weather, a late start, and injuries got in the way.
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Beautiful, thank you for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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I’ve been to the last 2, but not the first 3 — Glacier is definitely on my to-do list!
I think my favs are Rocky Mt & Yosemite.
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Glacier is so amazing. I really need to get to Yosemite though. I hear it’s amazing.
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Well, it’s been more than 30 years since we were at Yosemite. But it was amazing — seriously, I think they all are.
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Wow, I did not know you could get married at a national park. That’s beautiful!
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It’s only $100 for the reservation. Best idea we’ve ever had!
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They are all so beautiful. Glacier was magnificent and was so happy to see you and Frank get married there. Cosmic, kinda. It was the best wedding EVER! Our trip to Grand Canyon was amazing too. ❤ ❤
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Grand Canyon would have been next on the list. I just feel like I haven’t spent enough time there to call it a favorite… even though our trip was pretty awesome. 🙂
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ARCHES!! I loved it so much. You’ve definitely got me beat as far as national park trips are concerned. Now I want to visit them all!
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Arches is really pretty. I went there on the same trip that I went out to Canyonlands. I gotta get to Zion and Bryce though… still haven’t hit those up.
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My husband and I go to national parks every year for our vacation and have visited 15 so far. I think we want to visit Glacier this year! When I saw the picture from the Smokies, I was like, Wow, I do not remember THAT and then read your caption, ha ha. My absolute #1 is Yellowstone (just there last fall) followed closely by Denali, Rocky Mountain, Badlands, and Bryce Canyon…but really, I love them all!
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I need to spend a little more time at Yellowstone. When I went it was so crowded that I felt like I was at Disney World. I really want to do some backcountry camping there.
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Thanks for this list. 🙂 I’m going to make it a goal to visit all of these. Happy Friday!
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Thanks for stopping by! My goal is to make it to a few more this year!
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I love the National Park System!! My lifelong goal is to visit them all, and I’m slowly checking them off my list. My favorite (so far) has been Acadia 🙂 I just went to Hawaii Volcanoes yesterday and will be heading to Haleakala tomorrow!
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Oh sweet! That sounds incredible. I hope you post pictures! I loved Acadia… especially the Beehive Trail.
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I loved the Beehive! That was my first real “climbing” experience 🙂
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OMG I WOULD DIE TO GO TO THE GATES OF THE ARCTIC NATIONAL PARK. Seriously. I’ve been to Alaska and I plan to go back, so that might need to get on my list if it’s feasible to get to. Lets see. My favorites: Denali, Kenai Fjords, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and the Grand Canyon. I am dying to head out to Yellowstone and Glacier…actually, I am dying to go to any National Parks. I love them. I think the closest one to me is Cuoyahoga in Ohio. I was there and it WAS cool, but not as breathtaking as the others. Love this post to pieces.
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Haha…. Gates is such a pain though! It was really amazing. Despite spending ALOT of time in Alaska, I never made it to Denali. I did go to Kenai, which was a pretty fantastic place. I also like Cuoyahoga (is that really how you spell it?), but it did have a different feel from the others.
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The only National Parks I have been to are Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest- I think that one is an NP! I would love to go to Canyonland, Glacier, and Yosemite!
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The Grand Canyon is pretty awesome. I only spent a day there and I really want to go back!
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Beautiful!! All of them are stunning and what amazing adventures and memories you’ve had in them!
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Thanks! I love visiting the NPs!
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Oooh that waterfall!! So pretty!
I love Zion Canyon. Of all the canyons in AZ and UT I’ve seen, it’s just the most beautiful to me.
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The waterfall was pretty, but I did get a little bit of my hair stuck in the descender and had to pull it out…which left me with a rather strange hair-do.
I still haven’t been there. It might be next on the list.
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Amazing pictures! I will have to add some of these to my list of places to go!
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Thanks! They really are amazing places to visit.
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I feel like such a slacker! I’ve only been to Grand Canyon! In April, I’m running Big Sur and hoping for a side trip to Yosemite!
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