In honour of Veteran’s Day on Saturday, all national parks will grant free admission, so plan your road trip accordingly.
Nov. 11 of 2023 will mark the final Free Entrance Day hosted by the US National Parks Service. With 63 national parks, numerous national monuments, historical sites, and leisure areas, the NPS boasts 423 park sites in total. While a number of these places are always free to visit, most charge an admission fee.
National parks are usually significantly busy in the summer, so visiting in the autumn is always a great time. That makes next weekend an excellent time to visit a national park site, especially with free admission.
Top five national parks
These are the top five national parks in the US, based on NPS’s 2022 Annual Park Ranking report, albeit everyone has different tastes.
- Great Smoky Mountains
The most popular national park in America is situated near the North Carolina–Tennessee border. It’s easy to understand why, with picturesque views of old mountains, dense forests, and thundering waterfalls, it had a staggering 12,937,633 visits last year, according to the NPS report. It’s undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in America.
- Grand Canyon
According to the NPS, this national park in Arizona has 1,218,375 acres, making it the largest on the list. The Grand Canyon Conservancy states that two brothers created the Grand Canyon by launching lightning bolts and piling up mud mounds, in accordance with Hopi mythology. There are excellent views of the canyon, which appears to have been carved by lightning, from the park’s viewpoints or from trails that lead right through the canyon.
- Zion
There are five national parks in Utah, with Zion being the most visited with 4,692,417 people last year. The place is well-known for its amazing hiking experiences, including Angel’s Landing, where hikers have to cling to a chain to cross a narrow ridge and reach the top of the formation. But, in order to prevent crowding the area, plan your trip in advance as some treks and campgrounds require a permit.
- Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountain includes a rough region in northern Colorado, as its name implies. Beautiful meadows and valleys can be found in this park, and those who choose not to climb mountains can also enjoy driving through the Trail Ridge Road and the Old Fall River Road for breathtaking views of the surrounding area.
- Acadia
NPS data shows that 3,970,260 people visited this seaside park in the previous year. Situated on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, it shares a border with the well-known resort town of Bar Harbour. According to its website, despite being well-known for its rocky shoreline, it also has 158 miles of hiking paths, towering mountains, and dense forests.