America's 30 Most Stunning National Parks

Yosemite, California

Yosemite Valley is a highlight place in this breathtaking glacier-carved landscape. Yosemite Falls, North America's greatest cascade, and the steep El Capitan, the world's tallest granite rock structure, are two of nature's most spectacular sights. Hiking, fishing, rafting, and rock climbing give outdoor lovers tremendous adrenaline rushes.

Yellowstone, Wyoming

Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the United States, having been created in 1872. The park is a thermal paradise with burping mud pots, bubbling fumaroles, and exploding geysers, as well as towering hills, pure alpine lakes, and green woods. The fauna is equally amazing, including bears, bison, moose, sheep, and wolves.

Arches, Utah

Over 2,000 sandstone arches dot the weathered terrain, having been shaped by wind and water over millions of years. These remarkable geological oddities, which resemble rusted horseshoes, are the showstoppers, but keep an eye out for balanced boulders, bridges, and towers on one of your treks.

Denali, Alaska

The park is located in Alaska's interior and is focused on Denali, North America's tallest peak. A single road leads up through high alpine tundra to snow-capped peaks, providing access to six million acres of stunningly austere wilderness. The stunning environment is home to Denali's own "big five": moose, caribou, sheep, wolf, and grizzly bear.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon's awe-inspiring canyon, which is a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide in sections, is one of the world's most photographed natural wonders. It's no surprise that the Grand Canyon is the country's second most visited park. Visitors prefer to crowd around the South Rim, so go for the tree-textured North Rim for a more intimate experience. Every adventurous visitor dreams of rafting the raging Colorado River below.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

The park's 'canyon,' described as a stone forest, is actually a cluster of large natural amphitheaters. Many have odd-shaped pillars called hoodoos in bright rust-red and burned ocher. Hiking this ancient region is spectacular in its distant beauty, with little-trodden routes leading through forests and meadows and over wonderfully eroded plateaus.

Zion, Utah

Zion's curved, vertical relief is breathtaking, punctuated with cream-pink granite spires. The Virgin River, which snakes down the valley floor, created the park's high plateau, which is characterized by gaping sandstone canyons, steep peaks, and hanging valleys. A river journey will put this gorgeous artwork into breathtaking perspective. You may also read this: The Ultimate American Road Trip Guide

Great Smokey Mountains, North Carolina/Tennessee

This is the country's most popular national park, attracting over 11 million outdoor enthusiasts each year. When you walk through this undulating environment in the spring, you'll see a beautiful display of flowering plants that flood the valleys with color. Arrive in the fall, and the gold and copper canopy shimmers. For the greatest views, travel to Clingmans Dome, the park's highest peak at 6,643 feet.

Crater Lake, Oregon

The lake in issue is the deepest in the United States, having plunged into the cup of a dormant volcano that is 8,000 years old. The lake's stunning blue waters mirror the Cascade Mountain Range, a popular winter sports destination. The park itself is the sixth oldest in the country, with well-established walking and hiking pathways. Rim Drive is the park's most popular road, which takes a picturesque route around the caldera rim.

Kenai Fjords, Alaska

In addition to the glacial majesty of the massive Harding Icefield, this pristine park is home to a diverse range of marine species. Take a tour boat to explore Resurrection Bay and get a great view of beautiful humpback whales, orcas, and lively harbor seals. If you want to do something more athletic, consider kayaking around Northwestern Lagoon or trekking the Harding Icefield Trail, which provides stunning vistas of this snowy paradise.

Saguaro, Arizona

Saguaro, named after the country's tallest cactus, embodies the Old West spirit. Aside from these towering plants (some reaching over 50 feet tall and lasting approximately 200 years), the park is home to a variety of smaller cacti, including the tiny mammillaria. Wildlife aficionados should keep an eye out for roadrunners, vermilion flycatchers, and whiskered screech owls.

Hawai’i Volcanoes

The soil actually bubbles beneath your boots in this national park. Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two active volcanoes, spew lava through a network of underground tunnels and caverns into the sea, where it erupts in spectacularly violent way. This is one of the world's most volcanically active areas, and the steaming, billowing scenery is simply breathtaking.

Pinnacles, California

The park was just elevated from a national monument to a national park in 2013, and it is called after the serrated red-rock spires that soar out of the boulder-strewn valleys. The park is also known for its abundance of condors. Take an early morning hike along High Peaks Trail and you'll see these massive raptors whirling lazily in the sky.