5 national parks to see before you die

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-national-parks-photogallery,0,1361825.photogallery

[yellowdogintexas]

1. good list, so far I have only seen one of his 5: Yellowstone

and boy wouldn't I love to be there today!!!

The gratuitous shot of The President in front of Old Faithful



edited to add: but my favorite is still Mammoth Cave, having spent a great deal of time there over the years. Even met my husband there and was married just outside the park

[Beaverhausen]

2. I've seen the Grand Canyon and the redwoods in Sequoia Nat'l park

Yosemite is next.

[begin_within]

15. You will fall in love with Yosemite.

Go there in late May, on a weekday just before Memorial Day weekend. The waterfalls will be at their peak, it will be about 60 to 65 degrees in the daytime, still relatively uncrowded, wildflowers in bloom, just about perfect. If you want to go hiking in the high country, September is a good time for that. I would avoid mid-June through Labor Day as it is too crowded and can be too hot.

[DevonRex]

32. We're gonna be there in 2 weeks, camping on the way back from

San Francisco.

[begin_within]

33. Well,

the only thing you'll be missing out on is the waterfalls, which are either dry or just a trickle at this time. Bridalveil, Nevada and Vernal Falls will likely still be flowing, but will have much lower flows than in the springtime. Most of the photos you see of the waterfalls were taken in the spring when they are torrents. They will be much less now. However the park itself is still beautiful even without the waterfalls. The late summer is a great time for hiking in the high country, with a lot of hikes starting at Tuolumne Meadows. I would spend time along Tioga Road seeing all the sights from one end to the other. Also spend some time in Yosemite Valley even though it's crowded in some spots. And spend some time on Glacier Point road and the sights there. One hike you might consider is Elizabeth Lake, which starts at Tuolumne Meadows and gives this view.

[grasswire]

3. her list does not include Glacier..

...and that would have been first on my list.

[DevonRex]

31. That's first on my list, too. Although I haven't been to Yosemite yet

I can't see how it could possibly rival Glacier.

[grasswire]

4. dupe

[Bennyboy]

5. Glacier National Park's name has been changed

To Dirt National Park.

[Ptah]

6. I've been to all except Denali.

My favorite, Glacier missed the cut.

[Haole Girl]

7. I've been to all of them except Denali

I think this one should be added to the "must see" list: http://www.nps.gov/havo

[Ex Lurker]

19. Denali is like nothing you've ever seen, it's a different world. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. My dear NNNOLHI...

Seen 'em all but not Denali.

They are all magnificent!

:hi:

[Strong Atheist]

9. #2! Yellowstone, Yellowstone, Yellowstone, Yellowstone, and Yellowstone!

Yay!

[fishnfla]

10. 6. Canaveral national seashore

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Never been to any of them. Been to Acadia lots of times, though.

[Zomby Woof]

12. Yellowstone is my favorite

Grand Teton, Mt. Rainier, Grand Canyon, and Olympic round out my Top 5.

Yosemite awaits. Still #1 on my Must-See List, along with Denali, Glacier, and many others.

[begin_within]

16. Yosemite is simply

the world's best park. I'm not the only one to say it:
http://www.sunset.com/travel/california/yosemite-in-winter-00400000012031/
If you want to see the waterfalls, go in late May on a weekday.
If you want to hike in the high country, go in September. I wouldn't go there between mid-June and Labor Day as it is too crowded.

[Strong Atheist]

20. Agreed on

Yellowstone!


:toast:

[fishwax]

13. Yellowstone is by far my favorite

Though I've never seen Denali. I certainly hope to someday ...

[Strong Atheist]

21. Agreed!

:toast:

[begin_within]

14. Yosemite is the best.

Yellowstone is good, there's a lot of interesting features to see there. Grand Canyon is an awesome sight to behold. But for beauty, nothing tops Yosemite. In fact Yosemite is the world's best park, period. I'm not the only one to say this: http://www.sunset.com/travel/california/yosemite-in-winter-00400000012031/

[Twillig]

17. i've been to Denali about 3 times i think

This was back in the early '70s when you could drive all the way to Wonder Lake. ( I think, I do remember taking the bus once)

I wouldn't have missed that for the world.


I'd say Mt. Ranier National park was a neat trip. (this was 1978)

Crater Lake--meh. Lot's of Oregon mountain locales are beautiful, they just don't have the lake.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (Kilauea) hellacious in '72. It was kinda peaceful then. Travel by road was pretty easy.

Glacier, only ever road(edit: rode, Twillig you shit for brains) the "Empire Builder" through it. Someday, though..

[petronius]

18. Ah, feck - I've been to four of them (better buy the life insurance)

Actually I've seen Denali too - but 'from 30,000 feet' probably doesn't count...

That's a good list, but it really should include Glacier NP.

[Strong Atheist]

22. Funny it mentions "before you die". I hope to do so at Yellowstone, I can be

part of the "Deaths of Yellowstone"...

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Yellowstone-Accidents-Foolhardiness-National/dp/1570980217#reader

[XemaSab]

24. There's death in Yosemite too

:D

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. AND YOU CAMPED AT IT!!

:scared:

[Strong Atheist]

27. Eh, I have been there; Yellowstone is the place for me. nt.

[pokerfan]

23. Guess I can die now

cause I've seen them all plus Glacier, Mt. Rainier, North Cascades, Grand Teton, Crater and Olympic.

[Common Sense Party]

26. I think everyone should see Arches Nat'l Park in Utah

You'll feel like you're on another planet.

I haven't seen any of the others...yet. But I want to.

Did everyone know you can get a free lifetime family pass to all National Parks and monuments if someone in the family is disabled?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

28. Everglades National Park should be on that list.

Obviously there is a bias towards mountain-based National Parks, and not that the Grand Canyon wasn't one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen, but the Everglades is one of the few national parks that rises beyond just simple scenery to being an unique, living, breathing ecosystem all in itself. Just bring your Off.

[livetohike]

29. Whew - glad my favorite National Park did not make the top 5

It helps that it is remote. It's Big Bend National Park (in west TX). :-)

[arcadian]

30. Been there.

Glad it didn't make the list too, the other parks are all clogged with humans. Most people see the desert as a wasteland, guess that works in Big bend'S favor.