America's Best Idea (Worldwide)

[StonedLemur]

I think it's just that there's way more animals in Yellowstone, so there are more interactions between animals and idiots.

Yosemite has more idiots, but way less animals for them to harass.

Both are beautiful places though. I would just recommend not going during the peak times in summer.

I would rather go in fall tbh sir.
Also, I never thought about it the way you put it.

I appreciate you for that.

 

[StonedLemur]

I'd opt for the spring personally, sir. The flora of Yosemite is predominantly evergreen, so the visual characteristics associated with the magic and vibe of autumn won't really be apparent, and the flow rate of the waterfalls will be at its lowest of the year; some of them will be dried up completely until the next snow pack. It seems like a tight rope of a timing issue because if you go too early, then there's a high chance that Glacier Point and Tioga Road will still be closed.

Very cool thought process sir.

I can tell you that it wouldn't even be an option until my house is done.

 

[Cole train]

The summer months, weekends, and holidays. But if you're young, adventurous, in-shape, and traveling solo (without kids) then you really won't have much problem finding solitude even on the 4th of July. Because they are huge, and 90% of visitors don't scratch the surface of exploration. Moreover, the US itself is gargantuan, which is a blessing but also comes with a number of logistical challenges. Which ones do you sort of tentatively have in mind? There are some particularly special regions where a lot of parks tend to "bunch up" within reasonable distance (i.e., the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Plateau, Sierra Nevada).

Oh nothing particular, just generally asking since thread is up lol Got a goal with friend about driving around states visiting national parks someday

 

[deviake]

The US Park Service is my favorite government entity by far. Also, I should travel more. Great thread

 

[Wetarmpits]

I would prefer Africa because there are no indian people around.

 

[Prutfis]

Banff, Jasper, and the American crown jewels? I'm giving Yosemite a full week during late spring and peak waterfall flow in May this year; it'll have every opportunity to blow me away and possibly surpass the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone (x2) experiences. It's less than two hours away by plane and well short of a 12 hour road trip, so it's kind of ridiculous that I haven't already been there.

The Serengeti seems like an incredibly sort of privileged and exorbitant excursion from where I sit, less so if I go solo and don't take any of the kids along. On the other hand, Ranthambore is comparatively dirt cheap, as well as to stay in some pretty god damn nice resorts just minutes outside the park. I want to take my youngest there because he shares my affinity for tigers, but only once he's old enough to really lock in the memory.

Make sure you go up to glacier point in Yosemite, it´s an amazing view.

We drove from Vegas to Mammoth Lakes (Via area51) and over the Tioga pass to Yosemite. Insanely beautifull trip. Mariposa grove is also close for the sequoias

 

[crabmeat]

Banff and Jasper are icons of the continent that are consistently rated and ranked among the top 5-10 national parks in the world, no chance that they weren't going to garner mentions here. The only reason Jasper didn't get its own entry is because the nature of the thread title required geological and geographic diversity (actually a wonderful thing in this instance, lol). It's also not like Yoho or Waterton - which is contiguous with Glacier in America - are anything to sneeze at. The US and Canada could throw up their best against the rest of the entire world.

As far as the Grand Canyon, I'm glad I don't need to strongly recommend that you actually hike down into it because that's a foregone conclusion. It's kind of cliché to say "photos don't do it justice!" with various places and things, but that is legitimately the case here. I don't mean in terms of scenic beauty either because the colorful sedimentary rock layers can be captured fine -- but the size and scale? Hell no, they literally can't. It is absolutely massive and will fuck your brain up the first time you gaze out over the rim. It almost looks fake, like a painted hoax being pulled on your eyes and senses.

The VA obviously got rated by those that that aren't veterans.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

@ObsoleteSoul Another national park that I haven't mentioned in this thread - because I knew the OP was getting a little overlong - but absolutely put on the same level as many of those mentioned is the other gem of the Sierra Nevada: Sequoia, named after and home to the largest trees living things on the planet in the aptly named Giant Forest. They are nothing short of awe-inspiring and borderline spiritual, mature giant redwoods that sprouted before the days of the Roman Empire and birth of Jesus Christ. They have stood for thousands of years.



JESUS CHRIST!

The Red Woods /Sequoia are something I’ve always wanted to see. That world looks insane.

 

[blaseblase]

We are spoiled by parks in California

 

[Deorum]

We are spoiled by parks in California

Most of the attention on California centers around its economy, politics, and population if not the mega-sectors of agriculture, entertainment, and technology but there are also no fewer than 9 national parks, 18 national monuments, and 20 national forests (!). It is home to the oldest tree(s) in the world, largest tree(s) in the world, tallest tree(s) in the world, tallest granite monolith in the world, tallest waterfall(s) on the continent, largest alpine lake on the continent, lowest point on the continent, tallest peak in the contiguous 48 and hottest place on earth. It's a fucking straight up country.

 

[zapataxiv]

I think my next vacation will be to there. Or the one in China. Got to go before my visa expires. As a fellow nature lover, it’s just so hard to choose. Paralyzed by the sheer amount of options lol

What is your number one park outside of the States? That you would wish to visit? I’m assuming you’re from the states or Canada.

I think you alluded to being close to Banff, so outside of North America then.

here in china zhangjiajie is awesome
but some others if you haven't seen them yet
yunnan stone forest and the leaping tiger mountain. shangrila and times are now open to travelers to.
I want to hit tibet for a good portion of time before I move back to the west.

 

[Morning Star]

I was going to say the Internet or hamburgers but National Parks is a good one. Nice pics and write ups. Might have to add a couple of those to my list.

 

[IIIIIIII]

@ObsoleteSoul Another national park that I haven't mentioned in this thread - because I knew the OP was getting a little overlong - but absolutely put on the same level as many of those mentioned is the other gem of the Sierra Nevada: Sequoia, named after and home to the largest trees living things on the planet in the aptly named Giant Forest. They are nothing short of awe-inspiring and borderline spiritual, mature giant redwoods that sprouted before the days of the Roman Empire and birth of Jesus Christ. They have stood for thousands of years.



JESUS CHRIST!

i was going to mention the redwoods. it's a magical place. it's sort of sad that they had to drill a hole between a tree, but there is a tree there where you can actually drive your car through it. that gives you an idea of how wide they are, let alone how tall they are.

 

[Aegon Spengler]

Most of the attention on California centers around its economy, politics, and population if not the mega-sectors of agriculture, entertainment, and technology but there are also no fewer than 9 national parks, 18 national monuments, and 20 national forests (!). It is home to the oldest tree(s) in the world, largest tree(s) in the world, tallest tree(s) in the world, tallest granite monolith in the world, tallest waterfall(s) on the continent, largest alpine lake on the continent, lowest point on the continent, tallest peak in the contiguous 48 and hottest place on earth. It's a fucking straight up country.

I mean this sincerely; it’s a travesty that California is so often on fire.

Those wildfires have to be stopped. I don’t know what money or time it would take to do it, but whatever the cost, they have to be stopped.

 

[Deleted member 110072]

here in china zhangjiajie is awesome
but some others if you haven't seen them yet
yunnan stone forest and the leaping tiger mountain. shangrila and times are now open to travelers to.
I want to hit tibet for a good portion of time before I move back to the west.

Juizhaigou in modern Sichuan maybe the most picturesque place I'v ever visited...

Jiuzhaigou - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[zapataxiv]

Juizhaigou in modern Sichuan maybe the most picturesque place I'v ever visited...

Jiuzhaigou - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

that looks amazing
I haven't hit up Sichuan yet but it has to be added to he list of amazing places in Sichuan that I'll need to see

 

[Natural Order]

You are exceptionally well traveled, man.



If you want an experience unlike that of the overwhelming majority (90%+) of all people who visit and manage to swerve the throngs of tourists, opt in for the North Rim. AZ locals make a point of not drawing attention to it, but I like you.

The plateau sits at an elevation 1200-2000 feet higher than the South Rim (8000-9200 above sea level overall). The formations and interconnected canyons from that perspective are more colorful and dramatic, and the surrounding scenery is essentially heaven on earth -- dense evergreen forest cover and quaking aspens interspersed with pristine alpine meadows, punctuated by wildflowers.

It drastically subverts any hot, high desert expectations: peak summer highs are mid-70s fahrenheit, and it gets 150+ inches of snow in the offseason. It's also the only place on the continent that you have the opportunity to see North America's largest land mammal (American Bison) and bird (California Condor) in the same park or vicinity. The condors have a wingspan of damn near 10 feet and are one of rarest birds in the world.






Some bloke actually took the time to concoct (and allegedly visit) a global top 100 list (!!!). Just imagining how much travel something like that would require almost makes me nauseous, lol.

The 100 Best National Parks in the World for Travelers to Visit - Part 1 (81-100)

There are some absolutely spectacular national parklands across this planet, and I am counting down my list of the 100 Best National Parks in the World for Travelers to Visit. In this installment, I cover the 81-100 ranked national parks on my list!

wanderlustphotosblog.com

01. Grand Canyon (USA)
02. Zhangjiajie (China)
03. Serengeti (Tanzania)
04. Galápagos (Ecuador)
05. Torres del Paine (Ecuador)
06. Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
07. Ranthambore (India)
08. Sagarmatha (Nepal)
09. Jotunheimen (Norway)
10. Iguazú Falls (Brazil)
11. Yellowstone (USA)
12. Fiordland (New Zealand)
13. Volcanoes (Rwanda)
14. Banff (Canada)
15. Denali (USA)
16. Kruger (South Africa)
17. Dolomiti Bellunesi (Italy)
18. Fuji Hakone Izu (Japan)
19. Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
20. Gir (India)
21. Göreme (Turkey)
22. Los Glaciares (Argentina)
23. Yosemite (USA)
24. Plitvice Lakes (Croatia)
25. Ao Phang Nga (Thailand)

Appreciate the tips and info my brother

 

[Deleted member 110072]

You are exceptionally well traveled, man.

As much that I tend to travel to a lot of places were landscape is the main attraction, not a real holiday if mountains are not present.

 

[chardog]

While its not a park, the volcano on the big island is pretty wild. The transition from thick rainforest to barren volcanic rock from a stroll is a bit trippy, full of life vs instant death. Caves formed from magma, steam from the floors that is boiling hot, the scale is amazing as well, not GC level, but massive.

 

[I Am Legion]

I absolutely love National Parks. I love looking at things that looked the same hundreds of years ago. I also love to look at old pics from the 40s and 50s when familes would take road trips. No devices, just scenery.