Check back here often as we continue to rank our favorite parks, activities, and attractions managed by the National Park Service (NPS),* as well as books to read and movies to watch about the parks.
*Note: There are 420+ units in the NPS system, 63 of which are called National Parks.
PARKS
Top 10 of the 63 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 NPS Site 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 63 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 NPS 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 of the 63 National Parks for Wildlife Watching
10. Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota)
9. Virgin Islands (U.S. Virgin Islands)
8. Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Top 10 NPS 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 NPS Sites 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 NPS Sites to See America First
10. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
9. Bandelier National Monument (New Mexico)
8. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
ATTRACTIONS
Top 10 Waterfalls at the 63 National Parks
10. Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
9. Katmai (Alaska)
8. Mount Rainier (Washington)
Top 10 Waterfalls at NPS Sites
10. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington)
9. Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (New Jersey)
8. Buffalo National River (Arkansas)
Top 10 Sand Dunes at NPS Sites
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 at NPS Sites
10. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park (Hawai‘i)
9. Oregon Caves National Monument (Oregon)
8. El Malpais National Monument (New Mexico)
Top 10 Forts at NPS Sites
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 Native American NPS Sites
10. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (Ohio)
9. Pipestone National Monument (Minnesota)
8. Poverty Point National Monument (Louisiana)
Top 10 Desert NPS Sites
10. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
9. Mojave National Preserve (California)
8. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
Top 10 World War II Sites in the 63 National Parks
10. Yosemite National Park (California)
9. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
8. Olympic National Park (Washington)
Top 10 World War II NPS Sites
10. World War II Memorial (District of Columbia)
9. Gateway National Recreation Area (New York-New Jersey)
8. American Memorial Park (Northern Marianas Islands)
Top 10 Civil War NPS Sites
10. Antietam National Battlefield (Maryland)
9. Pea Ridge National Military Park (Arkansas)
8. Manassas National Battlefield Park (Virginia)
Top 10 Museums at the 63 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 at NPS Sites
10. Colonial National Historical Park (Virginia)
9. Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (Ohio)
8. Fort Necessity National Battlefield (Pennsylvania)
Top 10 NPS 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 at the 63 National Parks
10. Haleakala National Park (Hawai’i)
9. Channel Islands National Park (California)
8. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
Top 10 NPS Sites with Designated Backcountry Campsites
10. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
9. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
8. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
Top 10 NPS Sites 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 Park Service Sites
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 Single NPS Site
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 NPS Sites
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 the Civil War
10. Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine by Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf (2002)
9. Andrew Johnson by Annette Gordon-Reed (2011)
8. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (1861)
Top 10 Novels Set during the Civil War
10. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (1997)
9. Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce (1891)
8. Shiloh by Shelby Foote (1952)
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)
FILMS
Top 10 Films Set during World War II
10. Red Tails (2012)
9. Dunkirk (2017)
8. The Imitation Game (2014)
Top 10 Films Set during the Civil War
10. Gods and Generals (2003)
9. The Beguiled (1971, 2017)
8. Glory (1989)
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)
