All posts by Raven About The Parks

List

Top 10 States for National Park Service Sites

November 16, 2021 Raven About The Parks 3 Comments

When it comes to the distribution of the 423 units in the National Park Service (NPS) system, not all 50 states are represented equally. For example, seven states (plus Washington, D.C.) contain 39% of NPS sites and our top-ranked state alone holds nine of the special places designated as one of the nation’s 63 National Parks. On the other hand, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Delaware only have one NPS site apiece (as did Rhode Island until 2014 and Illinois until 2015). To maximize your vacation time, head to one of these ten best states for NPS sites. Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists.

10. New Mexico (15 NPS units, 2 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Bandelier National Monument

Hidden Gems: Chaco Culture National Historical Park, White Sands National Park

The prettiest cave in the NPS system, impressive ruins, and so much more

9. Pennsylvania (17 NPS units, 0 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Independence National Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Gettysburg National Military Park

Hidden Gems: Steamtown National Historic Site, Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Similar to New York (23 NPS units), Pennsylvania focuses on its history, especially in Philadelphia

8. South Dakota (6 NPS units, 2 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park

Hidden Gems: Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Head underground to fully enjoy the Black Hills, plus go wildlife watching on scenic drives. Click here to view our 7-Day Road Trip Itinerary.

7. Colorado (13 NPS units, 4 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park

Hidden Gems: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Dinosaur National Monument

Incredible natural beauty awaits in this mountainous state

6. Florida (11 NPS units, 3 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Everglades National Park, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Hidden Gems: Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Head for the coastline to enjoy this state’s beaches, wildlife, and historic forts

5. Arizona (22 NPS units, 3 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Grand Canyon National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Saguaro National Park

Hidden Gems: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument

Visiting one of the natural wonders of the world is just the tip of the iceberg in Arizona. Click here to view our 7-Day Road Trip Itinerary.

4. Hawai‘i (8 NPS units, 2 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Haleakalā National Park, Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Hidden Gems: Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Majestic volcanic scenery and some fascinating cultural sites. Click here to view our 14-Day trip Itinerary.

3. Alaska (23 NPS units, 8 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Denali National Park and Preserve, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Hidden Gems: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park

Unparalleled natural beauty and some of the most remote places on the planet

2. Utah (13 NPS units, 5 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park

Hidden Gems: Capitol Reef National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Natural Bridges National Monument

Red rock spectacles are only one aspect of this diverse state of mountains and deserts

…and finally the #1 state for National Park Service sites:

1. California (27 NPS units, 9 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia National Park

Hidden Gems: Death Valley National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Devils Postpile National Monument, Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park

The most National Parks (9 of 63) of any state, plus many interesting historic sites

Honorable Mentions

District of Columbia (23 NPS units, 0 National Parks)

Spotlight Parks: Lincoln Memorial, Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, National Mall

Hidden Gems: Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial, Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument

Washington, D.C. has the greatest concentration of NPS sites anywhere in the country

U.S. Virgin Islands (5 NPS units, 1 National Park)

Spotlight Parks: Virgin Islands National Park, Buck Island Reef National Monument

Hidden Gems: Christiansted National Historic Site, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument

These three small tropical islands include one of the nation’s best National Parks

New York

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

November 11, 2021 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Overview

Anyone who has watched the musical Hamilton is familiar with the life story of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton Grange National Memorial is the only National Park Service (NPS) site dedicated to this “founding father.” It is also the only one of 45 National Memorials built by the person it honors. What you may not know is that his historic home in New York City has been moved twice, once in 1889 and again in 2008.

Highlights

Museum, tour, statue at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Must-Do Activity

The Grange gets its name from the Hamilton family’s ancestral home in Scotland. Built in 1802 on a 32-acre estate in Upper Manhattan, Hamilton only lived there two years before being shot and killed in an infamous duel with Aaron Burr. Today you enter the home through the basement where the NPS runs a museum. Access upstairs is available on guided tours or during daily “open house” hours, but you must leave large items in lockers.

Best Trail

None

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Grange was tucked between St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and an apartment building until 2008 when the NPS moved it to St. Nicholas Park, part of the original 32-acre estate. A statue of Alexander Hamilton still stands where the house resided for more than a century.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/hagr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

It is easiest not to drive into New York City, instead opt to take public transportation.

Camping

None

Federal Hall National Memorial (New York)

Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site (New York)

Explore More – After resuming his law practice in 1795, Hamilton represented free and enslaved African Americans and defended a newspaper editor sued for slander by which future president?

Update

We released our new National Parks coloring book!

November 10, 2021 Raven About The Parks 7 Comments

Just in time for the holidays—we released our first coloring book available on Amazon.com! It is based on the 50 logos we created for our National Parks guidebook, many of which can be seen on our Shop page. It also includes the overview and wildlife information from the guidebook. It would make a great gift for any age!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Mississippi

Natchez National Historical Park

November 9, 2021 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Authorized in 1988, Natchez National Historical Park occupies 82 acres in the riverside town of Natchez, Mississippi. The town started as Fort Rosalie, a French trading post built on the Mississippi River in the early 1700s, now the site of the Visitor Reception Center. National Park Service (NPS) rangers or volunteers are always on location at the William Johnson House and Melrose Estate. Although it is not part of the NPS unit, we also recommend a stop at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians State Historic Site for its free museum, film, historic mounds, and air conditioning (which is important in the humid summer).

Highlights

Melrose Estate, William Johnson House, Fort Rosalie

Must-Do Activity

The museum in the William Johnson House tells the story of a slave freed at age 11 by his owner, also named William Johnson and presumed to be his father. The boy apprenticed to a barber, eventually becoming a successful businessman and slave owner himself. A diary he kept for 16 years provides insight into antebellum Natchez, including the May 7, 1840 tornado that destroyed downtown, which had about 5,000 inhabitants at the time. Inside the NPS museum you will learn the strange story of William Johnson’s murder in 1851 that ended in three mistrials.

Best Trail

Naturally, Natchez is one terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which also preserves its share of history starting at the Elizabeth Female Academy Site (Milepost 5.1) just outside town. There are a few portions of the Old Trace that you can still follow along on the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Melrose Estate recalls the antebellum period when slaves grew cotton in the rich soil of the Mississippi River floodplains.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/natc/planyourvisit/hours.htm

The NPS museum at the William Johnson House is closed daily for lunch.

Fees

None for Fort Rosalie, William Johnson House, and Melrose Estate grounds, but $10 per person for mansion interior tours (no discount for America the Beautiful pass)

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Rocky Springs is the furthest south campground managed by the NPS on the Natchez Trace Parkway (Milepost 54.8) and it has no fees for camping.

Related Sites

Vicksburg National Military Park (Mississippi)

Cane River Creole National Historical Park (Louisiana)

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail (Mississippi-Alabama-Tennessee)

Explore More – In 1839 a fire burned through Natchez destroying the William Johnson House, but the family was living in the country at the time to avoid an epidemic of what disease?

Pennsylvania

Steamtown National Historic Site

November 4, 2021 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

In downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, 52 acres have been turned into a dreamscape for railroad enthusiasts by the National Park Service (NPS). Specifically, the site is dedicated to steam engines, which truly got started in 1830 with the South Carolina Railroad and lasted more than century before being fully replaced by diesel locomotives. A unique opportunity at this park is the chance to take one of several steam train excursions (additional fee) that leave from the site.

Highlights

Museum, film, turntable, tours, steam train excursions

Must-Do Activity

Steamtown National Historic Site is located on the grounds of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, which relied on the region’s cleaner-burning anthracite coal. The park includes a theater, multiple museums, a 90-foot-diameter operating turntable, restoration shops, locomotives, and a collection of railroad cars. A highlight is one of the few Union Pacific “Big Boys” built to haul freight trains through the mountains of Utah and Wyoming. Guided tours are included with your admission fee, although there is enough to read and watch in the extensive museums to keep you busy all day long.

Best Trail

There is no trail, but you will get your daily steps if you tour the entire facility.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The turntable is surrounded on one half by the glass-fronted NPS visitor center and history museum, which makes for some cool photographs.