Tag Archives: Top 10

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Top 10 NPS Sites for Biking

November 2, 2021 Raven About The Parks 5 Comments

Many visitors to the National Park Service (NPS) system bring along their bicycles to fully enjoy their vacation, planning to ride on paved pathways or bumpy trails. Although some NPS hiking and horse trails are closed to bikes, many allow them and some have been built just for them. For example, a paved bike trail now connects Jackson, Wyoming with Grand Teton National Park. The NPS sites we chose for this list all have trails specifically designated for bicycle use. Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists.

10. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

Moab, Utah is a mountain biking mecca and the 100-mile White Rim Road is a popular challenge

9. Point Reyes National Seashore (California)

Although excluded from Wilderness areas, there are plenty of other roads and trails to explore north of San Francisco

8. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

The park has several designated bike trails, including the 9-mile Calumet Bike Trail

7. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

Mountain biking the 32-mile Ferry Loop includes a ferry trip across the Green River, or try the 10-mile Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail

6. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Maryland-West Virginia-District of Columbia)

You can bike the entire 184.5-mile graded towpath that follows the Potomac River, camping at designated sites along the way

5. George Washington Memorial Parkway (Virginia)

The 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail passes NPS sites like Theodore Roosevelt Island and Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac

4. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (Minnesota)

A 72-mile bike path follows the mighty Mississippi River through Minnesota

3. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (West Virginia)

Stone Cliff, Southside, Kaymoor, and Keeney’s Creek Rail Trail all track the New River, or try the 13 miles of mountain bike trails built by the Boy Scouts of America

2. Acadia National Park (Maine)

The 45 miles of carriage roads are excellent for biking, but remember to yield to horses

…and finally the #1 National Park Service site for biking:

1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

A popular day trip is to bike 20 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail then pick up the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a cheap return ticket

Honorable Mentions

Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho)

Every spring when snow plows are working to clear roads, bicycles get exclusive access to the Great Loop Road, but come prepared because there are no services

Glacier National Park (Montana)

Many cross-country bikers choose to take Logan Pass (6,646 feet) across the Continental Divide, but keep in mind that the 50-mile long Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed to bicycles between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee-North Carolina)

Most trails are closed to bicycles, but there are designated times when Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to motorists to allow bikers

Tiff at Great Basin National Park in Nevada

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Top 10 National Park Service Sites for Swimming

October 5, 2021 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Swimming at National Park Service (NPS) sites can range from soaking in hot springs to dipping in mountain lakes to riding ocean waves. We tried to include a variety of experiences in this list, although if you love the beach be sure to check out our ranking of the Top 10 National Seashores. Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists.

10. Olympic National Park (Washington)

If a frigid dip in Lake Quinault does not sound nice, then warm up at Sol Duc Hot Springs

9. Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Oklahoma)

The swimming hole at Little Niagara draws summer crowds, as does the Lake of the Arbuckles

8. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Jenny Lake is shockingly cold, so it might not be appealing except on the warmest days

7. Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida-Mississippi)

Incredible white sand beaches, though not known for its big waves

6. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho)

The hot springs are all off limits except seasonally at the Boiling River near Mammoth Hot Springs

5. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington)

Another cold water spot in an incredibly clear lake that seems to glow turquoise in the sun

4. Haleakalā National Park (Hawai‘i)

In the coastal Kipahulu District, the freshwater Seven Sacred Pools attract tourists

3. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

A variety of sea life is attracted to the human structures in the clear subtropical waters

2. Cape Hatteras National Seashore (North Carolina)

Long stretches of beach, warm water, and awesome waves

…and finally the #1 National Park Service site for swimming:

1. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)

A snorkeler’s (and sea turtle’s) paradise accessible right from the beautiful tropical beaches

Honorable Mentions

Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Hawai‘i)

Swimming is not allowed within the NPS site, but one of the Big Island’s best snorkeling spots is next door

Big Bend National Park (Texas)

The foundation of a bathhouse still holds in hot springs water on the side of the Rio Grande

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (New Mexico)

Lightfeather and Jordan Hot Springs are actually in neighboring Gila National Forest

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

The truly adventurous can jump into an icy pool atop melting Root Glacier

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Top 20 National Parks for Photography

September 23, 2021 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

The 63 National Parks in the United States are among the most photogenic places on the planet, so this was our hardest Top 10 List to choose. Instead, for the first time we ranked the top 20! We still had to leave off some all-time favorites, which says something about the natural beauty of this country. We previously released a ranking of the top 20 photography destinations among the other National Park Service sites. Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists.

10. Arches (Utah)

There are too many fantastic sandstone wonders to count in this park

9. Channel Islands (California)

Giant coreopsis provide nests for western sea gulls atop rocky cliffs rising from the ocean

8. Katmai (Alaska)

Alpine scenery and Brooks Falls, the world-famous salmon fishing grounds of grizzly/brown bears

7. Great Basin (Nevada)

Cave formations, snow-covered peaks, and photogenic bristlecone pine trees

6. Haleakalā (Hawai‘i)

People come from around the globe to watch the sunrise and hike rainbow-hued Sliding Sands Trail

5. Badlands (South Dakota)

Awesome geologic features and a surprising diversity of large mammals

4. Dry Tortugas (Florida)

Fish teem in the turquoise ocean water surrounding a picturesque brick fort

3. Bryce Canyon (Utah)

Bright orange hoodoos fill this giant natural amphitheater that lights up at sunrise and sunset

2. Death Valley (California)

With little vegetation, the earth is laid bare here in all its raw and colorful glory

…and finally the #1 National Park for Photography:

1. Yellowstone (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho)

Unbelievably colorful geothermal features and numerous charismatic wild animals

The Next 10

11. Grand Canyon (Arizona)

12. Yosemite (California)

13. Denali (Alaska)

14. Mesa Verde (Colorado)

15. Grand Teton (Wyoming)

16. Great Sand Dunes (Colorado)

17. Mount Rainier (Washington)

18. Glacier Bay (Alaska)

19. Glacier (Montana)

20. Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands)

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Top 10 Most Depressing National Park Service Sites

September 16, 2021 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Depression is not usually celebrated, but sometimes it is important to remember the terrible events that happened in the past. You can either choose to avoid these National Park Service (NPS) sites or learn from them. Southwest Pennsylvania is somewhat famous in the NPS for having three sites with an unpleasant history. Click here to see all of our other Top 10 Lists, which are much more uplifting!

10. Whitman Mission National Historic Site (Washington)

Following a devastating 1847 measles epidemic , 13 missionaries were killed by grieving Cayuse families

9. River Raisin National Battlefield Park (Michigan)

American prisoners were slaughtered here during the War of 1812

8. Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument (Mississippi)

Like Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers was assassinated for his civil rights work

7. Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site (District of Columbia)

The place where President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth

6. Johnstown Flood National Memorial (Pennsylvania)

More than 2,200 people died when a dam broke on May 31, 1889

5. Freedom Riders National Monument (Alabama)

Site of a 1961 public beating and bus burning where, fortunately, nobody was killed

4. Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (Colorado)

A senseless massacre by the U.S. military took place here and at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma

3. Manzanar National Historic Site (California)

A Japanese internment camp during WWII, as are Tule Lake National Monument and Minidoka National Historic Site

2. Andersonville National Historic Site (Georgia)

This infamous Civil War prison is now site of the National Prisoner of War Museum

…and finally our #1 most depressing NPS site:

1. Flight 93 National Memorial (Pennsylvania)

The freshest wound of any of these historic sites, it is an emotional place to visit

Honorable Mentions

Booker T. Washington National Monument (Virginia)

Representative of the tragic life that all slaves led throughout the United States

Antietam National Battlefield (Maryland)

All Civil War battles were horrifying, but this one had an especially high casualty rate

Fort Necessity National Battlefield (Pennsylvania)

Rounding out the three southwest Pennsylvania sites is this ignominious George Washington defeat

List

Top 20 National Park Service sites for Photography

September 2, 2021 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

The National Park Service (NPS) manages some of the most photogenic places on the planet, so this was our hardest Top 10 List to choose. Instead, for the first time we ranked the top 20! We will be separately ranking the top 20 of the 63 National Parks for photography, since we had a difficult time even paring that list down. Imagine how hard it was to choose from the other 360 NPS sites. Click here to see all of our Top 10 Lists.

10. Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona)

Spider Rock alone would make it worth the trip, but ruins and petroglyphs add to its splendor