#1 Steep, rugged ocean cliffs extending in an island chain.

Channel Islands National Park

CA · 263K visitors/yr

Comfortable

California's Galápagos lies 12 miles offshore with 145 endemic species. Sea lions, island foxes, and rare seabirds inhabit five islands.

#2 Coral reef with two snorkelers diving below the surface

Biscayne National Park

FL · 512K visitors/yr

Busy

Miami's skyline floats on the horizon while you snorkel over the continental United States' only living coral reef system.

#3 A deep canyon with a forested floor and steep granite cliffs

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

CA · 2.0M visitors/yr

Comfortable

The giant sequoias here include General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth by volume, anchoring a forest where trunks exceed 30 feet wide.

#4 View of the Congaree River during the Fall

Congaree National Park

SC · 242K visitors/yr

Moderate Crowds

The largest old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the Southeast protects champion trees you'll reach via elevated boardwalk.

#5 A few of the stars at night with a view of Fort Jefferson.

Dry Tortugas National Park

FL · 84,873 visitors/yr

Busy

Seven coral islands 70 miles west of Key West, anchored by Fort Jefferson—a massive 19th-century fort that was never finished or fired upon.

#6 sun rising over the New River Gorge

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

WV · 1.8M visitors/yr

Busy

The East Coast's deepest river gorge cuts 1,000 feet through ancient rock, with Class V rapids and 100 miles of trails above.

#7 Photo of blue sky with fluffy white clouds reflect in calm lake with mountains in the background.

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

AK · 30,815 visitors/yr

Room to Breathe

Two active volcanoes, 42-mile glacial lake, and bears fishing roadless salmon streams you can only reach by floatplane.

#8 Black Canyon near Tomichi Point

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

CO · 336K visitors/yr

Moderate Crowds

Gunnison River carved North America's steepest gorge through 1.7-billion-year-old rock, with 2,000-foot walls that trap the sun.

#9 Backpackers in North Fork Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton behind

Grand Teton National Park

WY · 3.6M visitors/yr

Busy

The Tetons rise 7,000 feet without foothills—granite and glaciers visible from every corner of Jackson Hole. Thirteen peaks top 12,000 feet.

#10 A cascade of water pours over a rock ledge. Green foliage is in the background.

Mammoth Cave National Park

KY · 747K visitors/yr

Moderate Crowds

The world's longest cave system—over 400 miles mapped—lies beneath Kentucky's limestone plateau, explored for over 200 years.