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Reader Participation Survey: Help Us Name the Top 100 National Park Locations to See Before You Die

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Published Date

December 30, 2009

Earlier this week we touched on the national parks mentioned in the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Somehow, Mammoth Cave National Park didn't make the cut, and if you've been there, you know it should have. Help us compile a list of the top 100 national park locations to see before you die. We'll start the list.

* Mammoth Cave National Park. The longest cave in the world -- and still with no end in sight! -- this underground labyrinth presents geologic wonders sculpted down through the millenia by trickling waters.

* Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park. This geyser has been amazing viewers for hundreds of years.

* Half Dome, Yosemite National Park. Just making the trek to the top of this granite dome is something you'll never forget. Gazing down into the Yosemite Valley is another marvel.

* Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park. Why the architects of the cliff dwellings that drape Mesa Verde fled the region continues to be a mystery. Today the dwellings are a showcase of the tenacity and ingenuity of a long ago society.

* Logan Pass, Glacier National Park. While the Going-to-the-Sun Road is a main attraction for those visiting Glacier, stopping atop Logan Pass to snap photos of the ever-present mountain goats and to look at the whittling long-ago glaciers did to the surrounding mountains is an image that stays with you long after your vacation ends.

* The Racetrack, Death Valley National Park. True, it takes some determination to reach the Race Track, but when you pass Tea Kettle Junction and finally reach the playa with its rocks that mysteriously snake across the landscape, you're left with a mystery that you'll talk about for years.

* Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park. An idyllic setting on an island that is idyllic on its own, the pond and its pond house, where you can snack on over-sized popovers smothered with strawberry jam, or stick around for a lobster dinner, is one of the iconic settings in the National Park System.

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Comments

Submitted by admin on December 30, 2009 - 8:30am.

Devil Canyon Overlook in Bighorn Canyon NRA. A thousand vertical feet of geologic history right beneath you.
Easily accessible and simply stunning!


Submitted by admin on December 30, 2009 - 8:31am.

The Grand Tetons are a wonderous sight. The wildlife is amazing. I felt so peaceful there. This is one place you need to see before you die.


Submitted by Ashley on December 30, 2009 - 8:43am.

I second the Grand Canyon mule ride and Old Rag in Shenandoah, which is great during foliage season. For Glacier, I loved Iceberg Lake - no glaciers there, but the cliffs are stunning. Kayaking in and out of the seacaves dotting Santa Cruz in the Channel Islands is also fantastic, with lots of seals, dolphins, and other sealife to keep you company!


Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 30, 2009 - 8:47am.

We're at 18 folks, quite a ways to go. How 'bout:

* Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

* The amphitheaters are Bryce Canyon National Park

* Zion Canyon in Zion National Park

* The battlefields at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

* Bear Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park

* Moro Rock at Sequoia National Park

* The fossil-studded cliff face at Dinosaur National Monument.

That brings us to 25!


Submitted by admin on December 30, 2009 - 8:57am.

A fall hike and then a boat ride in Pictured Rocks. Absolutely beautfiul.

Sleeping Bear Dunes in the fall!

Also, watching the sunrise in Acadia National Park and then taking a bike ride on the carriage trails.


Submitted by admin on December 30, 2009 - 9:02am.

*Painted Canyon Overlook, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota
*Blackrock Summit, Shenandoah National Park, Luray, Virginia
*East Rim Overlook, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Oneida, Tennessee
*Twin Arches, Big South Fork NRRA


Submitted by Ashley on December 30, 2009 - 9:05am.

I forgot Hawaii Volcanoes National Park! Hiking across Kiluaea Iki and then checking out Pele's home in Halemaʻumaʻu crater is a must.

If we can do National Monuments then going up into the crown of the Statue of Liberty is just awesome.


Submitted by admin on December 30, 2009 - 9:10am.

The carriage roads at Acadia NP
The fruitlands and petroglyphs at Capital Reef NP
The monoliths at Zion NP
The zoodoos at Bryce
Arches NP
The NORTH rim of the Grand Canyon
Natural Bridges NM
I agree with Moro Rock at Sequoia NP, Yosemite Valley overlook, Death Valley zastness, and Glacier NP's Road to the Sun, Rocky Mtn High, Mesa Verde's mysteries, Montezuma's Castle, Painted Desert and Canyon De Chelly!!!!
The solemn area of Gettysburg NP
AND the Chincoteague ponies at Assateague.
Can not leave out all of Washington DC
Everglades
Can I add the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway
The memorial site of Oklahoma City - its simplicity!!
The seldom visited Great Basin NP and caves
I'm sure I am leaving out others that I've visited - will add as I reminisce!

BUT NUMBER ONE FOR ME - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK - the first and still the most wondrous of all that I've visited - over and over and over again.


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