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Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
National Parks Battle For Bragging Rights
The National Park Service provides the most authoritative rankings through raw visitation data it collects across its more than 400 sites, including 63 national parks. (Photo credit BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) The U.S. National Park Service has been in the crosshairs due to President Donald Trump's budget proposal to cut more than $1.2 billion from the agency, along with the firing of 1,000 Park Service employees. Following the backlash, the administration announced an increase in the number of seasonal workers. But can those temporary workers handle the attention kicked up by competition between the parks? Ranking America's national parks has become something of a cottage industry. Travel websites, magazines and organizations have taken to publishing lists ranking parks from best to worst, and touting niche aspects. Winter at El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park. (Photo) The National Park Service provides the most authoritative rankings through raw visitation data it collects from more than 400 sites, including 63 national parks. What's the most visited park? That continues to be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It had 12,191,834 visits in 2024. Next is Zion National Park with 4,946,592 visits and Grand Canyon National Park with 4,919,163 visits. The top ten list also includes Yellowstone (4,744,353), Rocky Mountain National Park (4,154,349), Yosemite (4,121,807), Acadia (3,961,661), Olympic (3,717,267), Grand Teton (3,628,222) and Glacier National Park (3,208,755). Travel publications create their own rankings by factoring in criteria that appeal to visitors. Those rankings include such considerations as accessibility, natural beauty, scenic diversity, hiking opportunities, the best wildlife viewing (and what kind of wildlife) and an overall range of activities offered. Social media has largely fueled the ranking trend. Parks that are 'Instagrammable' often get inordinate attention because of their striking beauty alone, when other variables can figure into what can make a national park desirable. Backpacker hiking across a river in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Numerous travel blogs rank national parks. The blog, 'Trip Of A Lifestyle' figured in three factors: 'Wow Factor,' 'Fun Factor' and 'Crowd Factor.' Lauren and Steven Keys visited and photographed all the national parks before ranking them. After 'months of nonstop travel and dozens of hours of debate,' according to their blog, they came up with a definitive personal list. The Keys concluded that seven national parks tie for first place: Death Valley (the hottest place on Earth, but otherworldly in feel), Yosemite, Hawai'i Volcanoes, Yellowstone, American Samoa (one drawback mentioned: 'there are feral dogs everywhere on the island'), Carlsbad Caverns (noted for its massive underground caves and magnificent formations) and Canyonlands, which the couple term, 'one of the best-kept secrets of the National Park system.' Travel blogger Lee Abbamonte has ranked all 63 of the parks based on his tastes and experience. Yosemite tops his list. 'Yosemite is big, it has iconic hikes like Half Dome, and it has amazing waterfalls, trees and vistas,' writes Abbamonte on his blog. 'Tunnel View at sunset is the single most beautiful view in America when Half Dome turns orange at the top.' Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, with its thermal springs, hiking trails and nine historical bathhouses, was at the bottom of Abbamonte's list. He found the park 'really boring, uninteresting and I don't understand why it's a national park in the first place.' The Quapaw Baths on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park, in Hot Springs, Ark. (AP Photo/Beth Harpaz) What's the least-visited national park? Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve recorded only 11,907 visits in 2024, no doubt partly because of its remote north Alaska location. Such remote parks, however, are ranked higher by wilderness groups, which value their unspoiled nature, no matter how hard it might be to actually reach them. Forbes has ranked national parks based on crowd size, an increasingly crucial factor given rising popularity. Writer Joe Yogerst compiled ten parks that aren't crushed by urban throngs: Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado), Channel Islands (California), Congaree (South Carolina), Dry Tortugas (Florida), Great Basin (Nevada), Guadalupe Mountains (Texas), Isle Royale (Michigan), Lassen Volcanic (California), North Cascades (Washington State) and Voyageurs (Minnesota). A female leopard relaxes in the branches of a dead tree in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. (Photo by) The race to be the best has recently gone global. In March, the non-profit National Parks Association launched its 'World's Best National Parks,' a year-long campaign that allows the public to vote on favorites. Campaign dates are March 18, 2025, through June 11, 2028. Website visitors can vote for one park per country per day. There are three phases to the campaign: Yosemite National Park currently leads the race, followed by Mkomazi National Park in northeastern Tanzania and Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa.
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Travel + Leisure
17-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Utah National Park Has Canyon Views and Postcard-worthy Landscapes—and One of the Scariest Hikes in the U.S.
Attempt one (or both) of the park's iconic hikes: Angles Landing and The Narrows. Take in expansive views of the night sky from several viewpoints throughout the park. Stay in the park when you book a room at Zion National Park Lodge. Head to Whiptail Grill for their famous goat cheese chile relleno. Plan ahead for any permits needed, especially during the busy summer season. If there was a record for the number of times to exclaim 'This is beautiful!' in 72 hours, I'm positive I beat it on my trip to Zion National Park. In fact, I may have surpassed it within the first hour. My husband, Frank, and I visited Zion on a Southwest U.S. road trip in December 2023. We drove in from small-town Kanab, with the "Into the Wild" soundtrack blaring and our jaws dropping lower and lower with every turn. This 30-mile journey led us through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, a thoroughfare that shocks the system when the inkiness ends and a sea of red rocks begins. It only got better from there. That initial drive was merely the opening act for the hike-able mesas, canyons, and sky-high sandstone beyond the visitor center gates. It's a desert mosaic that attracts over five million people each year, and for good reason. Zion National Park is among the most beautiful places I've ever visited—hence my 'no, seriously, this is beautiful! ' refrain throughout the trip. Yet visiting 146,597-acre Zion National Park does require a bit of know-how, particularly with permit logistics and a shuttle system established to minimize the effects of high-season crowding. In this guide, you'll find everything you need to plan your Zion adventure, from how to climb nerve-wracking Angels Landing to lesser-known park pockets to dodge the crowds. View of Zion National Park through a tunnel. Zion National Park sits near the Utah-Arizona border. It's within a few hours' drive of other Southwest national parks like Bryce Canyon (70 miles) and Capitol Reef (175 miles). To reach it, fly into Las Vegas, grab a rental car, and drive 150 miles northeast, or take a flight into nearby St. George Regional Airport, which is located roughly 47 miles from the park. Of the park's main entrance gates, the southern entrance, by the Zion Canyon Visitor Center in Springdale, is the most popular. It leads to Zion Canyon Road, where trailheads to hikes like Angels Landing and The Narrows await. You can't drive the road with a private vehicle from March through November; instead, you'll park near the visitor center in Springdale and take the shuttle. (Or, if it's extra busy, you'll park farther away and take the Springdale Shuttle to the Zion Canyon Visitor Center; from there, you'll hop on the Zion Canyon Shuttle.) See the National Park Service website for the latest shuttle timetables; the shuttle is free and does not require a reservation, although you will have to pay the national park entrance fee. The east park entrance takes you through the mind-blowing Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel along State Route 9. This road can get busy during peak season, but the crowding is still nothing like Zion Canyon. Drive it for the dramatic tunnel, as well as access to less-trodden hikes like the one-mile Canyon Overlook Trail. To further avoid the crowds, try the Kolob Canyons Entrance. This route is located off of Interstate 15 on the park's more remote western side. This entrance does not connect with Zion Canyon—it's 40 miles northeast of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center—but it does provide access to a host of low-crowd trails. Finally, there's Kolob Terrace Road, another remote and minimally visited Zion wilderness option. It's 14 miles west of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, with more under-the-radar trails and canyons like the Subway, which requires a permit to traverse. Visitors on top of Angels Landing. While you can visit Zion on a whim, some of the park's highlights do require planning. For example, you'll need a permit to hike popular Angels Landing. You can apply for it either two months before your trip, or via a day-before lottery. Frank and I applied in the day-before lottery and got lucky—likely because we were visiting in the off-season. Another jaunt that benefits from a game plan: The Narrows. Your feet and legs will get wet on this amble through the Virgin River. That's why local businesses, such as Zion Outfitter, rent gear like poles and canyoneering boots for summer and dry bibs for the off-season. It's best to reserve your equipment well ahead of time since there's high demand. Weather-watching is also essential, especially in summer. July to September brings the chance of pop-up storms and monsoons, which can cause flash flooding and dangerous conditions, especially in slot canyons. The park entrance fee starts at $35 per vehicle. If you're visiting multiple parks on your trip, consider the $80 America the Beautiful pass, which gets you into most public lands for one year. While most people visit Zion for outdoor recreation, not wildlife, you may see some animals while you're here. Keep your eyes and ears perked—we heard howling coyotes while watching the sun set on the Pa'rus Trail—and always keep your distance. Zion National Park's red rock formations. Zion National Park is open year-round, and each season brings a different flavor of adventure. According to Bryan Terzi, chief marketing officer of AutoCamp, one of the most popular glamping sites near the park, autumn in Zion is particularly exceptional. 'Fall is an incredible time to visit Zion National Park,' he told me. 'The summer crowds thin out, the temperatures become more comfortable for hiking—typically in the 60s or 70s—and the canyon is full of autumn colors, between the red rock landscapes and golden cottonwoods.' Summer is the peak season, with around 40 percent of the total annual visitation during these months, according to the NPS, and the temperatures can get sizzling. If you are visiting from June to August, plan to hit the trail early in the morning or in the evening. Summer does provide more hours for adventure, with long days and incredible nighttime stargazing. That said, remember that it's monsoon season. Be prepared for closures and keep an eye on the weather. Like fall, spring is also the shoulder season, but the weather is more unpredictable. From March to May, you could have warm days, or you could be bundling up for a hike in the 30s, so layers are key. If The Narrows is on your list, you may be better off in a different season. It closes intermittently this time of year due to snow melt. Finally, there's winter, and I cannot recommend this season—particularly December—enough. The freedom of driving the Zion Canyon Road alone makes it worth the cold weather. The park was by no means empty during my trip, but we were always able to find parking spots, and the trails never felt too busy. That said, winter in Zion is also a gamble. It could be a pleasant adventure with weather in the 40s and 50s, or you could face snow and ice. Bring layers, and be ready to adjust your plans based on what the day brings. Stargazing in Zion National Park. Zion is a birdwatcher's paradise, with over 290 species found within the park. One of the greatest avian highlights is the California condor, which you can view from perches like Scout Lookout (the starting point for the Angels Landing ascent). Alternatively, head to the Watchman Trail to scan for hawks and turkey vultures, or hike the Riverside Walk along the Virgin River for the chance to see belted kingfishers or hummingbirds. Rangers often lead birdwatching adventures, so keep an eye on the park schedule. Dramatic slot canyons abound in and around Zion. Unless you're an expert, you'll need a canyoneering guide to traverse them. Book a tour with rappelling, climbing, and trekking via companies like Zion Guru; they offer beginner to advanced sessions. If you want to go cayoneering nine miles through the Subway, among the most famous Zion slot canyons, you'll need a permit due to its technicality. While the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to the public for most of the year, you can ride the most popular park on two wheels. Bring your own bike or rent a traditional or e-bike via Zion Outfitter and Zion Cycles. You can cycle the scenic Pa'rus Trail or the main Zion Canyon drive. This is a great way to dodge the crowds and see the park sans shuttle. Head outside the park for one of the wildest Zion-area adventures: a Jeep tour, says Terzi. 'Taking a sunset Jeep tour just outside the park is an amazing way to experience Zion's stunning landscapes from a different perspective,' he says. 'These off-road adventures take you to breathtaking viewpoints, hidden canyons, and desert terrain that most visitors never see.' As a DarkSky International-certified park, Zion's starry skies are straight-up spellbinding. I'm a major fan of stargazing, so this is one reason I was especially thrilled to visit. I recommend the Pa'rus Trail for a scenic and easy stroll with wide-open twilight views. I also spent a night photographing the night sky from the Court of the Patriarchs—a perch that overlooks three of the park's most popular peaks—as well as outside of Zion National Park Lodge. If you need a break from the outdoors or the heat, head to the Human History Museum, which spotlights stories of the area's past, as well as a rotating art exhibit. Don't miss the bookstore to buy park gear as well. Visitors hiking in Zion National Park. Angels Landing is arguably the most popular hike in Zion National Park, and it's not for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights. But the views are well worth the nerves and lactic acid (and I say this as a fearer of heights myself). The five-mile, out-and-back journey begins at the Grotto Trailhead and takes you up to the nearly 5,800-foot summit. Expect to get your burn on early, with the heart-pumping Walter's Wiggles, a series of 21 switchbacks that drop you at Scout Overlook, where the Angels Landing ascent begins. From here, you'll grip chains as you traverse a narrow spine of crag. If heights terrify you, don't look down. Just keep schlepping until you reach the hard-earned Zion Canyon view from the peak (and don't get too close to the edge). Permits may be frustrating, but they are essential here, as crowding on the ascent can get dangerous. You only need a permit to hike the portion from Scout Overlook to Angels Landing; we downloaded our permits on our phones, although you can print it out and keep it on your person, too. Equally as breathtaking is The Narrows, a hike into the North Fork of the Virgin River. You'll get your feet and legs wet as you walk through the narrowest stretch of Zion Canyon and beneath sky-high salmon-tinged rock. To begin, join the Riverside Walk from the Temple of Sinawava, then amble into the trickling waterway. You can hike as far as Big Springs, around 4.5 miles from where the shuttle drops you, without a permit. After that, a wilderness permit is required. Gear is important given the water-trekking conditions; either bring your own or rent proper equipment from companies like Springdale's Zion Outfitter. The Emerald Pools Trail is a mild option when compared to Angels Landing and The Narrows; you don't need a permit, and you won't be sauntering through calf-high water. Instead, you'll hike along a sandstone path to one of three colorful pool overlooks—Upper, Middle, and Lower—with a waterfall and a trickling creek along the way. The route is open all year, but the scenery varies by the season. Spring's snowmelt produces the most dramatic waterfall display. You can hike the 1.2-mile loop to the lower pool, a two-mile trail to the middle and lower pools, or a 2.5-mile route to visit them all, according to Visit Utah. This is a great first-day jaunt to give your legs a shake-out after the drive. The Watchman, a 6,545-foot sandstone monument, is an icon of Zion. A 3.1-mile out-and-back jaunt on the Watchman Trail gets you up close and personal with the beloved crag. The view across the shrub-studded red rocks is pretty mind-blowing, too. Even better: You can access the trailhead on foot, without the shuttle. It's located right near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. Since the Watchman Trail is less popular than other hikes like Angels Landing, you'll also see fewer crowds, even in busy summer. For a less-trodden Zion hiking day, head to Kolob Canyons, a mosaic of sky-high cliffs and red Navajo sandstone that sees a fraction of the Zion Canyon crowds. There are several hikes to explore this quiet corner of northwest Zion. My favorite, Taylor Creek, weaves through a narrow box canyon and crisscrosses its namesake creek before reaching the eye-popping turnaround point: a double-arch alcove. Before you leave the area, drive the five-mile Kolob Canyons Road to soak up even more splendid views. Guest room in Cliffrose Springdale. There's nothing like waking up right in the park, and Zion National Park Lodge makes that possible—but you'll have to reserve your room early. The lodge books up quickly during the peak season; it accepts reservations up to 12 months in advance, and it's well worth planning ahead for. In addition to trail proximity—both the trail to Angels Landing and the Emerald Pools Trail are reachable on foot from the lodge—you don't have to worry about busy Springdale parking. Guests can drive to the lodge via the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, park their cars in the lodge lot, then use the shuttle to reach destinations they can't get to on foot. The main luxury here is your location; the cabins and lodge suites are nice, but not over the top. Another perk for Zion National Park Lodge guests: easy access to the onsite restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are recommended; non-guests can dine here, too. Set along the Virgin River, and a half-mile from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, the Cliffrose Springdale is a great option for travelers who want close park proximity without compromising on luxury. The accommodation includes heated outdoor pools and hot tubs, as well as an onsite fitness center and airport shuttle, with quick access to Springdale's excellent dining scene—more on that below. About 15 minutes from the Springdale Zion entrance you'll find AutoCamp Zion, a glamping escape with Airstream, cabin, and safari-tent accommodations. AutoCamp is like its own little national park village, with a well-stocked market, bonfire area, pool, and restaurant. These amenities are ideal for unwinding after a long day of park adventures. An extra bonus: several rooms are pet-friendly, so Fido can join, too. Zion offers three campgrounds, although one—South Campground—is closed for a long-term construction project. Watchman Campground is close to the visitor center and the Pa'rus Trail. It's open year-round, and you can reserve it up to six months ahead of your trip (reservations are required). Lava Point Canyon is located on remote Kolob Terrace Road; reservations are required here as well. A meal from Red Rock Grill. Courtesy of Zion National Park Lodge Enjoy Mexican fusion in a hip converted gas station at Whiptail Grill, one of the best lunch and dinner haunts near Zion. The grill is roughly one mile south of the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, and its famous goat cheese chile relleno—which I devoured the night after our Kolob Canyon hike—is delectable. My husband and I hit up The Bit and Spur Saloon for dinner the night after our Angels Landing ascent, and we couldn't have picked a better spot to splurge. The joint may be laid-back, but its Tex-Mex food was perhaps the best of our entire Southwest adventure. Vegetarians, like me, will be especially well-fed here, with everything from sweet potato tamales to roasted poblano mac and cheese. If you're looking for a solid coffee, fancy java, or fresh pastry on your way in or out of Zion Canyon, try Canyon Coffee. We stopped here at least once per morning for a fresh brew and muffin and often in the afternoons for a chai tea latte pick-me-up. The café is less than a mile from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. For a low-key lunch or dinner with a side of local beer, head to Springdale's Zion Canyon Brew Pub. The hangout is part sports bar, part brewery, with around 10 beers on tap and a handful of bites, including salads, tacos, and burgers. While the Springdale establishments get more inventive with their fare, the Red Rock Grill at Zion Canyon Lodge is convenient for those staying at the lodge or those who want to grab lunch or dinner in between adventures. It's your typical American grub, with staples like burgers (including a black bean burger), pasta, and steak. Grab a window seat for gorgeous red rocks views, especially if you're dining around golden hour.
