Now that Easter and Spring Break are behind us, it is full steam ahead to summer. My friends with kids are diving into the planning stages. So are my single friends. If experiencing the great outdoors sounds kind of good this year, here are the best National Parks for summer vacation. At least the top ten.
The data comes from the National Park Service. However, the folks at CasinoBonusCA compiled everything. They analyzed data to come up with rankings. Most of the data came from those survey cards visitors to National Parks are asked to fill out. Things considered for this report include quality of facilities, very important if you are spending the day outdoors and in the elements. The amount of services and recreational opportunities were also assigned points to come up with the ranking.
Spoiler alert, no Florida sites made the top 50 list. However, the Great Smoky Mountains did, and are not that far for a road trip. There are some places in the Carolina's and Tennessee in that top fifty list as well. Continue up the east coast, Maine makes the list. But, the highest concentration of popular National Parks is out west. That probably comes as no surprise to many folks. The western United States is full of canyons, mountains and dramatic landscapes that are fun to explore. In addition, they are a photographer's dream.
A spokesperson for CasinoBonusCA says, "National Parks offer a unique opportunity to disconnect from technology, reconnect with nature, and make lasting memories with loved ones."
Finally, if you are beginning to plan your next seasonal getaway, consider some of these top ten spots. Have fun planning and day dreaming this weekend with these.
Here are the best National Parks for summer vacation.
#10 Grand Teton National Park
Found in Wyoming, this park takes up the majority of Jackson Hole Valley.
#9 Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This famous park straddles the North Carolina and Tennessee borders. It's a fairly easy and popular drive from Southwest Florida and one of the nation's most visited parks.
https://twitter.com/GreatSmokyNPS/status/1640738608226222084
#8 Wrangell-St Elias National Park
This park in Alaska covers 13.2 million acres, the size of Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined. Mountains top 18,000 feet in altitude.
#7 Arches National Park
This famous Utah Park is dramatic with it's precariously balanced red rocks, more than 2,000 natural stone arches, and hundreds of pinnacles and rock fins.
#6 Congaree National Park
Hello South Carolina and this park that boasts the largest expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States.
#5 Gates of The Artic National Park and Preserve
This Alaskan park does not contain any roads or trails. You have to fly or hike in from Fairbanks.
https://twitter.com/GatesArcticNPS/status/1277700531604070410
#4 Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park stretches along Maine's coastline with 27 miles of historic roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads. The park also has this shuttle bus.
#3 Lewis and Clark National Historic Park
Named after America's most famous explorers, this park is in Oregon has rainforests as well as coastal vistas along the Columbia River and the Pacific Coast.
https://twitter.com/LewisClarkTrail/status/1427673819649613826
#2 Carlsbad Caverns
Found in New Mexico's Chihuahuan Desert, this park is famous for it's more than 119 stunning caves hidden below the earth's surface.
https://twitter.com/CavernsNPS/status/1372655104046817283
#1 New River Gorge National Park
This park covers some 70,000 acres along the New River in West Virginia. It's one of the oldest rivers on the continent.
https://twitter.com/NewRiverNPS/status/1298735396730351617
