national parks. what's your favorite?

Pictures are encouraged!

City of Refuge (also known as Pu`uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park) is nice:

But I am a bit biased.

Yosemite.

Isle Royale.

Rocky Mountains Nat. Park - Estes Park side

If you go around October it's almost deserted and it feels like you have the park to yourself. It is an almost haunting and intimidating experience snow-shoeing through the upper parts of the park during that time.

Followed by pretty much every park in Utah, but I especially like Zion National Park. Hiking "The Narrows" is a truly cool experience.

I really want to get out west one day, but "favorite"? There's no place like home.

Glacier National Park

Including a drive up Going to the Sun road while there

Beer Baron wrote: Yosemite.

Hi Beer Baron,

My family and I were camping at Curry Village last summer when the Hantavirus broke out.

We checked out a few hours before the park rangers made their rounds handing out the “you’ve been exposed” notices so we didn’t find out until watching the news that evening. 50% morbidity rate regardless of pre exposure health level and a tortuous six week incubation period to wait out.

Sorry to be a buzz kill…beautiful place, the picture doesn’t do it justice.

Anyway, we’re heading off this Thursday to stay at the Wuksachi lodge in Sequoia…nothin’ sez lovin’ like wallowing in some nice Dear Mice Hantavirus infested feces.

aircooled wrote: City of Refuge (also known as Pu`uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park) is nice: But I am a bit biased.

It is, indeed. Some of my pics

I've only been to one: Yosemite. It's a pretty good one.

Nice pics Joey. My friend manages City of Refuge (and another on the island).

Volcanoes is nice, but is very moist. Driving through battery acid air to get there is interesting also!

I grew up in Salt Lake City and was lucky enough to live within a few hours of Utah's 5 national parks (more than any other state BTW) and a little farther from Yellowstone and Glacier -- all of which we visited on a regular basis. However, I would have to claim my favorite as Grand Teton. My parents met there while rock climbing in the 70's and we went there as a family at least twice a year until I grew up and moved away. In fact, we backpacked into Alaska Basin for a few days last summer along with my sister and her BF. I love that place.

Now I'm lucky enough to live within 6 hours of Glacier, Rainier, and Olympic with Yellowstone and the Tetons just a few hours more...

Beer Baron wrote: Yosemite.

1. Yosemite

2. Kings Canyon (also in California. Looks like Yosemite but without waterfalls and huge crowds)

3. Voyagers National Park (Northern Minnesota). My grandparents owned an island with two cabins and a great beach in the middle of what became the national park. They didn't want to sell so they used every legal resoucrse they had to delay selling to the park service. Eventually the budget to aquire land for the park ran out, so for 20+ years we could go to the middle of a big national park and have our own private cabins to stay in. A lot of memories at that place.

The climbing in Yosemite is amazing. Have a soft spot in my heart for that park.

One of the lesser known parks that we really like is the Great Basin National Park, close to the Utah border of NV.

I love this thread. I'd have to go Glacier, then Bryce Canyon and Zion in a tie, then Yosemite, then Sequoia, then Great Smokey Mountains... we do have a beautiful country. Can't believe I've been fortunate to see so much of it.

Margie

I agree with Margie. What a land we live in. See all you can.

I'll give Zion another nod. Picturesque, great hikes, it's a life-changer. My photo contribution:

I really loved Olympic NP too. It's just enormous, and has so much life and variation that you could spend a lifetime there.

I have never been to a National. Plenty of state parks, Adirondacks being the best.

I have also never been west of the Mississippi, so that's alot of area to see.

Probably Cape Breton Highlands National Park, since it's near roads like this:

It's the only place outside of a racetrack I've caught brake pads on fire.

Oh, and if it was provincial, rather than national parks, it would be Algonquin Provincial Park:

Great roads around there too.

DustoffDave wrote: I grew up in Salt Lake City and was lucky enough to live within a few hours of Utah's 5 national parks (more than any other state BTW)

I'll see your five Utah Parks and raise you three 1. Redwoods NP 2. Lassen Volcanic 3. Yosemite 4. Kings Canyon 5. Sequoia 6. Death Valley 7. Joshua Tree 8. Pinnacles (just elevated from Nat'l Monument status). That's the lineup in CA.

BoxheadTim wrote: One of the lesser known parks that we really like is the Great Basin National Park, close to the Utah border of NV.

Looking forward to backpacking this one. Wheeler Peak is calling me.