America's Best Idea (Worldwide)

[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.

 

[moreorless87]

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

 

[Deorum]

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

Jiuzhaigou - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You are exceptionally well traveled, man.

Veteran of Banff/Jasper, can’t recommend them enough. Bucket list definitely includes Grand Canyon and Yosemite. Planning on free soloing El Capitan with one hand….

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.

Great to see Redwood on there. Used to work there, and it is truly a hidden gem. No giant crowds, especially compared to the others on that list.

rankings: It all depends on what you're looking for. One of the things I want my wife to see is a sunset in Saskatchewan. It might sound silly to many people, but I think the sun setting on a endless wheat field is magical.

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 (Chile)
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)

 

[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

 

[Deorum]

Appreciate the tips and info my brother

Yeah, it's just an option to consider for someone looking to experience a natural wonder of the world and national park as originally intended. The South Rim is iconic and nothing to sneeze at, but having no fewer than a half dozen hotels and like 20 restaurants with modern amenities to accomodate millions of annual visitors is a bit excessively commercialized. The North is rustic and serene. There is 1 visitor center, 1 lodge, 1 campground, and 1 general store. It's perfect.

EDIT: And I mean, you can always just make the time to visit both to contrast and compare. There's only about 10-12 miles that separate the south and north rims...as the condor flies, anyway. By automobile, that's actually a 220 mile drive separating them. This is a rather large canyon.

 

[moreorless87]

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.