Most Beautiful Photos from America National Park

I NEVER THINK, when I start itching to travel again, to just seek out the nearest national park. That’s Shenandoah for me, and it’s only about an hour and a half away from my home in DC. For people living out West, there are a ton more options: Less than 10 of the country’s 59 parks are east of the Mississippi, with huge numbers of them in California, Utah, Arizona, and Alaska.

And they’re all truly spectacular. While there are obviously the popular destinations of Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon, there are at the same time less visited ones, particularly in the more remote parts of Utah and Alaska, that are nonetheless mindblowingly awesome. Here are pictures from each of the 59 designated national parks, along with their locations. You know, in case you’re itching to travel a bit.

1 Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is the oldest and probably most spectacular of the national parks in the United States (though that’s a tough competition). It sits in northwestern Wyoming, with edges spilling into southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana. (via)

2 Acadia National Park

Acadia is the oldest American parks east of the Mississippi. It sits primarily on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine. (via)

3 Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park sits on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and covers temperate rainforests, mountains, and the Pacific Coast. (via)

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4 Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming is only ten miles away from Yellowstone, the granddaddy of America’s park system. (via)

5 Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park in northwest Arizona is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and is an absolute must on every traveler’s bucket list. (via)

6 National Park of American Samoa

National Park of American Samoa is spread across three islands, and is the only park on this list south of the equator. (via)

7 Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is in eastern California, and behind Yellowstone, is probably the best known of the 59. Its founding was in large part due to the efforts of John Muir and the Sierra Club. (via)

8 Redwood National Park

Redwood National Parks is in northern California, and is known for its massive trees, as well as for being the place where they shot the Endor scenes in Return of the Jedi. (via)

9 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is on the Big Island of Hawaii and covers two volcanoes: Mauna Loa and Kilauea (which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world). (via)

10 Canyonlands National Park

An excellent park near Moab, Utah, and the perhaps better-known Arches NP, Canyonlands is a popular park for backpackers and hikers. (via)

11 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, in southeastern Alaska near the panhandle, has one of the sharpest reliefs in the world: 10 miles from the coastline are the St. Elias Mountains, some of the tallest on the continent.

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