Top Ten Best National Parks You Don't Know About

While the same standard list may come to mind whenever you ponder the United States' National Parks, it is our hope here at HuffPost Green that this slideshow of our top ten best national parks you don't know about may just rearrange your mental checklist.

August 15th-16th marks the last in a series of three fee-free weekends to many United States National Parks. Here is the directory of national parks with waived admission.

Ready for a trip? Find a park near you or read up on the National Park Service's Family Fun activities.

To step your visit up a notch, why not participate in Geocaching, a global game in which participants hide geocache treasure, revealing its location via GPS device, and then geocachers search for the buried surprise. Get started here.

After voting on your favorite secret retreat, tell us what we've missed. What are you favorite National Parks?

Arches National Park, UT

Arches National Park hosts the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. These majestic monuments preserve millions of years of geological history in their layered rock formations. Visitors can hike around the Park’s forty mile trail to view its many sites including Skyline Arch, Double Arch (pictured), Fiery Furnace, Delicate Arch and the Devils Garden.

comments(89)

Rate This Photo

(Current Rank: loading...)

Possibly Worth A Visit Better Go Pack!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Now Make Your Own Top 5

And Share with Your Friends

Average rating: loading... out of 10

Current Top 5 Slides

loading...

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

Share Your Top 5 Slides

Users Who Voted on this Slide

loading...

loading...

HuffPost Community Top 5 Slides:

«»

 | Become a fan

Share Your Top 5 Slides

 

Comments

[ChristianS]

09:23 PM on 08/07/2009

We agree. Glacier is #1! Check this out for more photos from Glacier National Park:

http://www.globeschooling.com/2009/08/just-the-cold-hard-facts-about-glacier-national-park.html

[LB14]

05:14 AM on 08/07/2009

it would be great if the govt. could put more money into our national parks, but I guess they have more pressing needs right now

[DONDOLAN]

03:48 PM on 08/06/2009

I have been to all Nat. Parks (usually camping, hiking) except Samoa, Alaska 7, and Isle Royale and would be hard pressed to choose a top ten. I know my favorite is Death Valley, but Canyonlands is beautiful and too scary for casual tourists, except to view from the car. One thing I would like to correct, however, is that White Sands and Jewel Cave are not PARKS; they are MONUMENTS. It doesn't negate their beauty, just their designation. Monuments are created by Presidential decree, parks by congress. Interestingly, I find the Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado equal to the White Sands NM and in some ways, superiour. Every park is unique and worthy of a visit. Well, maybe Hot Springs barely makes it for me, but that's another story. And most important to remember is, every person has a different experience even if they are together at the time. I just finished 10,000 miles with my sister along for half of the trip, and our memories almost belie the fact that we were together. -30-

[agunawanika]

12:44 PM on 08/06/2009

I knew the best national park in the world...there is comodo island in indonesia....
stop dreaming start action

[nicolasa]

01:34 AM on 08/06/2009

Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego is a little-known gem and not to be missed! It overlooks the original landing spot where Cabrillo first set foot in California in 1742. The view over the Pacific Ocean, the cities of San Diego and Coronado and towards Tijuana and the Baja Peninsula of Mexico is exquisite and unforgettable. Best of all, it's an in-city national park, the only one in San Diego County, and is readily and quickly accessible to tourists and other travellers. Its highlights include the original, restored Point Loma Lighthouse, the rebuilt assistant lighthouse keeper's quarters recreated as a museum with a working Fresnel lighthouse lens, tidepools with easily visible sea creatures at low tide, hiking trails, a whale watching overlook, bird watching opportunities along the Pacific flyway, typical Southern California native plants and species plus an excellent visitor center/bookstore/gift shop. Because of its location visitors can experience most of the park within a couple of hours. Don't miss it if you're visiting Southern California and San Diego!

[LiberalBuzz]

08:02 PM on 08/05/2009

Strange but I've heard about all of those extensively except for the one in Maine. Going to have to check that one out if I ever get there from here.

[katyann]

09:35 PM on 08/06/2009

Arcadia National Park is one of the few places where a couple of hours of easy hiking through beautiful woods leads to panoramic views of lovely island-dotted harbors. By the way, on your way to Maine don't miss the fascinating National Park in Lowell that reconstructs the history of the Industrial Revolution in Lowell, Massachusetts that includes textile mills and power canals. If you want another fabulous, though not national park, travel first to Old Sturbridge Village, an extensive reconstruction of an early 19th century New England village at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution.
Old Sturbridge Village: http://www.osv.org/
Lowell National Historic Park: http://www.nps.gov/LOWE
Happy vacationing!

[Mondayboy]

07:37 PM on 08/05/2009

I am disappointed the Mesa Verde is not on the list. WTF?

[princessk]

04:49 PM on 08/10/2009

Second that!

[EvoMan]

07:20 PM on 08/05/2009

Does HuffPo pay for the shots pulled off of flickr?

[EvoMan]

07:14 PM on 08/05/2009

Arches? Unknown? Yeah right. Just try to get a campsite anytime after 7am. Acadia? Pack chock full of tourists last time I visited. If you want solitude, check out the surrounding National Forests.

[Lendall]

06:09 PM on 08/05/2009

Don't get me wrong: I am always happy to see this sort of article on this site.

But as usual, I do have a complaint.

This piece perpetuates what might be called "the Ansel Adams view" of our National Parks. The idea that they are mainly scenic wonders, like Mount Rushmore and the Washington Monument. Now I suppose you could argue that people driving through in a car, snapping photos with their iPhones and emailing same to their friends back home is inherently less damaging to the ecosystems of these areas than more active usage. Things like backpacking, rafting, climbing. Nevertheless I would suggest that we have become an increasingly sedentary nation, and also one which prefers pre-packaged, pre-digested experiences. One's experience of our national parks can, and should (IMHO) be more participatory and interactive than one's experience of a theme park. It is only by exulting in the wilderness, in the wildness, in the unknown and yet-to-be-discovered of these magnificent places that one can truly appreciate them, and cherish their value not only for us, but for the planet.

[eighteesix]

12:20 PM on 08/05/2009

I'm extremely confused. Why the hell is this article dubbed "Top Ten Best National Parks You Don't Know About" ? Exactly which of these parks do people not know about? They're National Parks for christ sake. On top of that, they're all pretty well known for something each of them specifically contains.

Total genius, HuffPost.

[Frances Raskin]

04:01 AM on 08/05/2009

National Parks we don't know about? I think every one knows about Glacier and Arches. Two of the best are not mentioned here: Glacier Bay National Park and Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Obviously, the writer has never been to Alaska. I have been to dozens of National Parks and none beats Katmai, with its abundant brown bears, spectacular mountains and glaciers, and the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

[GoodwithWood]

12:28 AM on 08/05/2009

Utah national parks.
Arches.
Bryce.
Canyonlands.
Capital Reef.
Zions.

Utah national monuments.
Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Hovenweep.
Cedar Breaks.
Dinosaur.
Natural Bridges.
Timpanogos Cave

Utah national Recreation areas.
Flaming Gorge
Glen Canyon (Lake Powell)

Not to mention the many state and tribal parks and places that should be parks or wilderness.
There’s a reason this Liberal lives in conservative Utah.
But beware there are lots of Mormons here you might want to stay away.

[GoodwithWood]

12:31 AM on 08/05/2009

BTW. Bryce Canyon is the most spectaular of all the paks here.

[GoodwithWood]

12:33 AM on 08/05/2009

Spectacular

[GRANDCANYONGAL]

06:40 PM on 08/04/2009

Glacier is fantastic and they do have grizzlies around there so be careful. Arches is cool too. I of course love the Grand Canyon! (and Yellowstone, Grand Tetons). The gov needs to put more money into our Nat'l Parks. They are treasures for us and future generations.

[baomike]

05:48 PM on 08/04/2009

Obviously written by someone on the east coast who doesn't get around much.