Check back here often as we continue to rank our favorite places to hike, camp, and kayak, as well as books to read and gear to purchase.
PARKS
Top 10 National Parks
10. Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska)
9. Grand Canyon (Arizona)
8. Everglades (Florida)
Top 10 National Monuments
10. John Day Fossil Beds (Oregon)
9. Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona)
8. Statue of Liberty (New York, New Jersey)
Top 10 National Historical Parks
10. Manhattan Project (Tennessee, New Mexico, Washington)
9. Lewis and Clark (Oregon, Washington)
8. Dayton Aviation Heritage (Ohio)
Top 10 National Historic Sites
10. Grant-Kohrs Ranch (Montana)
9. Golden Spike (Utah)
8. Weir Farm (Connecticut)
Our Favorite National Park in All 50 States
Alabama – Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Alaska – Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Arizona – Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Arkansas – Buffalo National River
See the entire list or search by map
ACTIVITIES
Top 10 of the 62 National Parks for Wildlife Watching
10. Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota)
9. Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands)
8. Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Top 10 National Park Service Sites for Wildlife Watching
10. Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri)
9. Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas)
8. Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (U.S. Virgin Islands)
Top 10 of the 62 National Parks for Social Distancing
10. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
8. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
Top 10 National Park Service Sites for Social Distancing
10. Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri)
9. City of Rocks National Reserve (Idaho)
8. Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail (Mississippi-Alabama-Tennessee)
Top 10 National Parks for Kayaking
10. Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (U.S. Virgin Islands)
9. Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri)
8. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
Top 10 Sand Dunes in National Parks
10. Cape Lookout National Seashore (North Carolina)
9. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
8. Salt Flat Dunes at Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
Top 10 Caves in National Parks
10. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (Hawai‘i)
9. Oregon Caves National Monument (Oregon)
8. El Malpais National Monument (New Mexico)
Top 10 Forts in National Parks
10. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (Maryland)
9. Fort Pulaski National Monument (Georgia)
8. Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)
Top 10 Museums in the 62 National Parks
10. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennesee-North Carolina)
9. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
8. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Top 10 Museums Run by the National Park Service
10. Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia)
9. Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (Ohio)
8. Fort Necessity National Battlefield (Pennsylvania)
Top 10 National Park Campgrounds (with running water)
10. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
9. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
8. Catoctin Mountain Park (Maryland)
Top 10 Primitive Campgrounds in National Parks
10. Haleakala National Park (Hawai’i)
9. Channel Islands National Park (California)
8. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Top 10 National Parks with Designated Backcountry Campsites
10. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
9. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
8. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
Top 10 National Parks for Dispersed Backcountry Camping
10. Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Georgia to Maine)
9. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska)
8. Buffalo National River (Arkansas)
BOOKS
Top 10 Guidebooks to National Parks
10. Wildlife Watching in America’s National Parks: A Seasonal Guide by Gary W. Vequist & Daniel S. Licht (2013)
9. 10 Best of Everything: National Parks: 800 Top Picks From Parks Coast to Coast by National Geographic (2011)
8. 50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. by Brent D. Glass (2016)
Top 10 Novels Set in a National Park
10. Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen (2004)
9. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (1960)
8. Winter Study by Nevada Barr (2008)
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park
10. Lost in My Own Backyard: A Walk in Yellowstone National Park by Tim Cahill (2004)
9. A Naturalist in Alaska by Adolph Murie (1961)
8. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck (2015)
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Multiple National Parks
10. Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America’s National Parks by Jim Burnett (2012)
9. My Wild Life: A Memoir of Adventures within America’s National Parks by Roland H. Wauer (2014)
8. Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Parks by Mark Woods (2016)
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Alaska
10. The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild by Lynn Schooler (2002)
9. Tracks of the Unseen: Meditations on Alaska Wildlife, Landscape, and Photography by Nick Jans (2000)
8. Stalking the Ice Dragon: An Alaskan Journey by Susan Zwinger (1991)
Top 10 Novels Set in Alaska
10. Heartbroke Bay by Lynn D’Urso (2010)
9. Alaska: A Novel by James A. Michener (1988)
8. A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow (1992)
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set during World War II
10. God Is My Co-Pilot by Col. Robert L. Scott (1943)
9. The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw (1998)
8. Going Solo by Roald Dahl (1986)
Top 10 Novels Set during World War II
10. The Thin Red Line by James Jones (1962)
9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (2009)
8. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean (1957)
BLOG POSTS
Top 10 from Our First 100 Blog Posts
10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
9. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin)
8. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Arizona)
Top 10 from Our Second 100 Blog Posts
10. Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park (Hawai’i)
9. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (Arizona)
8. Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas)
