Majestic as Hell — The Fox Forum

1. Denali National Park

Denali is majestic. I think that’s the best way to describe it. Not only does the park sport the mountain of the same name, the six million acres of tundra and other mountains are home to incredible vistas and amazing wild animals around every corner. Can you tell I had the thesaurus entry for cool open on another tab when I wrote this? The main mountain only shows its face about 25% of the time, but the Alaska Range around it is almost equally expansive and breathtaking. The huge snowcapped peaks make you feel small. If you want to know what it felt like for the hobbits to cross the Misty Mountains, go here. One of the coolest things about the park in my opinion is that there are no trails. There’s one road going in and out, but you can get dropped off anywhere and roam. I haven’t done that, I just took the bus in like a lame tourist, but it was still awesome. It’s also a great place to see a wide variety of wildlife found nowhere else. In the three days I was there, I saw a lynx, moose, bears, deer, sheep, and lots of old people. I can’t wait to go back to this place.

2. Grand Canyon National Park

I mean, it’s the Grand Canyon. It’s gotta be on the top of any list. I’ve only been to the rim, and it was quite a while ago, but if I had one word to describe it, I would say grand. I apologize for that, but I really can’t help myself. Seriously, though, the full scope and power of the Grand Canyon cannot really be put in to words. Kind of a cop-out, I know, but what can I say? Who knew a hole in the ground could be so freaking glorious? I’ve always wanted to go on a trip that actually goes in the canyon so I can appreciate its inner beauty. I feel like every one of these is going to end with me saying I want to go back, but that’s just the way I feel, and you’re going to have to deal with it.

Pie vs Cake

3. Yosemite National Park

This park, unlike the first two, I’ve spent a considerable amount of vacation time in its hallowed borders. My family went on several backpack trips in and around Yosemite and John Muir National Forest in my early teens. Those were awesome experiences. At the time, I kind of got sick of backpacking. But looking back, I wish we could have gone more. Or at least I wish 23 year-old version of me could go back and do those hikes again. I think 13 year-old me has some baseball to play. I’ve never been to the park’s main attractions like Half Dome or El Capitan. That’d be cool to check out sometime. Maybe it’d move this great park up the list a few spots. The two ahead of it are pretty juggernauty, though.

4. Olympic National Park

The first of two Washington park to make the top ten, the Olympics are a great place to visit when it’s nice out. Unfortunately, they get over 12 feet of rain a year over there, so you really have to pick your spots. This park is very diverse. Within its borders, you can visit a vibrantly green temperate rain forest filled with huge trees and funky moss, the wild, picturesque beaches of the Pacific Ocean, and the snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains. I went on a trip with my dad on those beaches a few years ago (quite a few, actually. I’m getting freaking old.) that might be the most fun I’ve had backpacking. I grew up on Olympic National Park, and it will always have a spot in my heart.

5. Kenai Fjords National Park

From the lifelong favorite to a park I’ve only sort of been to once. But it was recently. Hurray for recency bias! I’m not sure if I ever made landfall in the park itself, but I was definitely in the general area. I took a boat tour cruise thing through one of the fjords and into Resurrection Bay. I might as well list some more wildlife we saw on this trip too. I’ll spare you all of it, but two of the highlights were humpback whales and puffins. It was legit. The glaciers that created the fjord carved out a very unique landscape that’s tough to find anywhere else in the United States. You gotta go to Norway, normally. We also got to see some of those glaciers up close. It’s disturbing how fast they’re retreating, but the glaciers themselves were beautiful. If I had any advice in general in relation to this list, it’d be go to Alaska. It’s seriously bad ass. Also, Utah’s pretty good, which leads me to the next entry.

6. Canyonlands and Arches National Park

I was about ten the last time I went to these two parks, so they kind of run together in my mind. That’s why I put them together. The coolest thing about these two parks might be the arches. It’s even right in the name. The rock formations in general are awesome and my dad, being a geologist, can never resist a good rock formation. So we went to the southwest a lot when I was younger. I don’t think that was the only reason, but I’m sure it contributed a little. Both these parks have thousands of trails that wind in between the rock formations and provide endless hours of entertainment out in the middle of the Utah desert.

7. Mesa Verde National Park

This park is less naturey and more history(y). Mesa Verde is predominately made up of the buildings where the Ancestral Pueblo people made their home from 600 to 1300. The park encompasses 600 cliff dwellings, some with over 150 rooms, many of which are almost perfectly preserved. It’s amazing to walk through the home of a people that lived 1000 years ago, especially preserved so exquisitely. It’s really quite incredible that these buildings, made only out of sandstone plastered together with mortar, have lasted this long. My apartment’s already falling apart and it was probably built in the 90s. Everyone always goes on and on about the ancient Greek ruins and how cool they are, but for my money, taking a trip to Mesa Verde is just as cool.

8. Great Sand Dunes National Park

The best part about this place is not the scenery or the history, it’s how much fun you can have there. I mean, the scenery is cool. The park sports the tallest sand dunes in North America. That’s impressive, though I guess if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be National Park worthy. The tallness of the dunes does lend itself to certain pursuits, namely running really fast down them and falling down. It’s like sledding. On sand. Without a sled. I’m not doing a great job of selling it, but it’s awesome. If you don’t believe me, go to Colorado and try it out for yourself. I think I had sand on my general person for about three months after I went there, but it was totally worth it.

9. Yellowstone National Parks

Unfortunately, I only remember experiencing Yellowstone as a lame tourist. At least I wasn’t so annoyingly touristy that I stopped on the side of the road every five minutes to look at buffalo, but the only thing I did at Yellowstone when I was old enough to remember was visit Old Faithful. The geysers are cool, and the geological process that they result from will eventually end the world, or at least life in North America, but there’s much more to Yellowstone that I definitely want to explore.

10. North Cascades National Park

This one is right in my backyard. It’s so familiar that I’m not really sure when I’ve actually been there and when I’ve been in the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest or whatever. I also think I’ve taken for granted how cool it is to have great hiking so damn close to where I live. That’s why it might’ve slipped all the way to tenth. It’s just not exotic enough. What you can see in the park is amazing views of the Cascades and awesome mountain lakes, all while enjoying a northwest summer in one of the best ways possible (still gets beat by Safeco Field). I’m very grateful to have grown up so close to such a great place.

Honorable Mentions:

Capital Reef National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Zion National Park

Mount Rainier National Park

Crater Lake National Park

Redwood National Park

Most of these parks I know I’ve been to from my mom’s stories, but I don’t actually remember going there. I think many of them would make a top ten list far more difficult if I actually remembered them, but those are the breaks. It’s a tough league, and most National Parks are freaking awesome.