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    WORLD'S BEST

    The Top 25 National


    Parks in America
    By Liz Cantrell | Published on September 8, 2021

    This year's World's Best Awards survey was


    open for voting January 11 through May 10,
    2021, as destinations around the world
    were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey
    rules have always allowed readers to reIect
    on their travel experiences over a three-year
    period. We hope that this year's honorees
    will inspire your own travels as you get back
    out into the world.

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    America's 63 national parks are beloved


    destinations for both citizens and visitors
    from around the world, even during the
    Covid-19 pandemic. This past year, the
    entire National Park System (which, in
    addition to the parks, includes places such
    as national forests, battleHelds, and scenic
    byways) saw 237 million recreational visits.
    Some of the country's most famous
    landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon in
    Arizona, are contained within these
    federally protected places, so it's easy to
    see why so many people Mock to experience
    what has been called "America's best idea."
    It's for these reasons that Travel + Leisure
    editors decided to add a category for the
    best U.S. national parks to the World's Best
    Awards for the Hrst time in its 26-year
    history.

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    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/IMAGEBROKER RF

    Every year for our World's Best Awards


    survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on
    travel experiences around the globe — to
    share their opinions on the top hotels,
    resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas,
    airlines, and more. U.S. national parks were
    rated on their natural attractions, activities,
    lodging, wildlife, accessibility, and
    cleanliness.

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    Many of the expanses that T+L readers


    chose as their favorites are located in the
    West, with Wyoming, Alaska, Washington,
    and California notching multiple favorites.
    Some parks are quite remote and receive
    few annual visitors. For instance, Katmai, in
    Alaska, only sees a scant 37,000 annual
    visitors each year, but lucky readers who
    did visit rated it highly for its plentiful moose
    and bear sightings, resulting in a third-place
    Hnish. Other parks — including No. 8 Great
    Smoky Mountains, which received 12.5
    million visitors in 2019 and 12.1 million in
    2020 — are incredibly popular year after
    year. In the Smokies, it was the leaf-peeping
    that readers couldn't get enough of.

    Like Katmai, some parks are prized for


    incredible animal encounters, including No.
    2 Grand Teton, which one reader described
    as "transcendent at dawn when wildlife is
    abundant." Other parks, such as Redwood,
    which ranked No. 19, are beloved for their
    natural wonders. As one reader said: "Every
    American should see these trees once in
    their life. Just awe-inspiring." Other places
    earned high marks for impressive non-
    terrestrial features, like stargazing. In fact,
    Mesa Verde, which nabbed the No. 25 spot,
    was recently certiHed as an International
    Dark Sky Park.

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    However, the national park that takes Hrst


    place in readers' hearts is, appropriately,
    America's original: Yellowstone. Read on to
    see why it earned the category's top spot —
    and which other parks made the list.

    1. Yellowstone National
    Park, Wyoming, Montana,
    and Idaho

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/IMAGEBROKER RF

    The nation's Hrst national park, established


    in 1872, has so many iconic features it's
    almost impossible to list them all. Among
    its draws: Old Faithful and other stunning
    geothermal features like the Grand
    Prismatic Spring; herds of bison roaming all
    over; packs of wolves in the Lamar Valley;
    and, of course, sweeping mountain views.
    It's this array of outdoor adventures that
    makes it such a marquee destination and
    keeps travelers coming back. "I was
    overwhelmed, in a good way, by the
    magnitude of this park," wrote one reader.

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    "I visited once in high school with my family,


    but going to Yellowstone as an adult was a
    totally diherent experience. We heard
    wolves at night while camping, swam in a
    gently Mowing river, and loved soaking in
    the vast spaces of the park."

    Many visitors described Yellowstone as one


    of the country's greatest treasures — or as
    one put it, "the granddaddy of them all."
    Said another, "By far the most amazing park
    we have visited out of about 12 national
    parks. Stunning beauty." And while many
    Mock to the park in the summer months,
    some readers noted that winter is just as
    special a time to visit. "The experience was
    wonderful," one voter attested. "It was
    absolutely beautiful with a small group of
    snowmobilers and an informative guide."

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    Yellowstone also gets top marks for its


    attention to accessibility, which can be
    dijcult to come by in some national parks,
    including some wheelchair- and stroller-
    friendly trails that everyone can enjoy. As
    one reader explained, "It was safer than I
    thought it would be with my grandkids.
    They've done an amazing job with
    informative placards, accessible parking,
    and walkways."

    Score: 91.15
    More information: nps.gov/yell/

    2. Grand Teton National


    Park, Wyoming

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 89.76
    More information: nps.gov/grte

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    3. Katmai National Park &


    Preserve, Alaska

    PHOTO: MARK KOSTICH/GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 89.60
    More information: nps.gov/katm

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    4. Rocky Mountain National


    Park, Colorado

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 89.25
    More information: nps.gov/romo

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    5. Yosemite National Park,


    California

    PHOTO: DAVID MCCURRY/500PX/GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 88.61
    More information: nps.gov/yose

    6. Glacier National Park,


    Montana

    Glacier National Park

    Score: 87.41
    More information: nps.gov/glac

    7. Denali National Park &


    Preserve, Alaska

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 87.13
    More information: nps.gov/dena

    8. Great Smoky Mountains


    National Park, North
    Carolina and Tennessee

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 86.55
    More information: nps.gov/grsm

    9. Kenai Fjords National


    Park, Alaska

    PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 86.37
    More information: nps.gov/kefj

    10. Zion National Park, Utah

    Zion National Park

    PHOTO: DON EIM/TRAVEL + LEISURE

    Score: 85.87
    More information: nps.gov/zion

    11. Grand Canyon National


    Park, Arizona

    PHOTO: J.J. TAYLOR/500PX/GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 85.26
    More information: nps.gov/grca

    12. Olympic National Park,


    Washington

    PHOTO: SEAN PAVONE/GETTY IMAGES

    Score: 85.11
    More information: nps.gov/olym

    13. Wrangell—St. Elias


    National Park & Preserve,
    Alaska

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