Bored at Home? Take a Virtual Tour of the Country's Best National Parks (PHOTOS) | The Weather Channel
By: Bryce Canyon (The Weather Channel)
Enjoy the visual tour of some of America's National parks.
Be sure to click on the arrows on each photo. There will be numerous photos of each national park.
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For more than 100 years, America's national parks have been a source of wonder and awe. Last month, Thrillist compiled a list of the top 25 National Parks, with Yosemite as number one, using algorithms to determine the parks most visited.
In this time of global and national strife, it's great to remind ourselves of our country's natural beauty. While many of our National Parks are still open, some have started to close or close certain parts such as bathrooms and visitor centers, and travel is not advised due to the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing is encouraged to keep the virus' spread at a minimum. But the internet allows us various escapes, so why not tour some of the nation's most beautiful places virtually? Click through the slideshows below to see the top 10 national parks from Thirllist's list.
(MORE: National Parks Adapt to Social Distancing Practices to Protect the American Public)
10. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
1 of 7 March 11, 2011: View of the distinctive geological structures called 'hoodoos' in an amphitheater at the Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Bryce Canyon is filled with unique landscapes and geological formations, such as its iconic, spire-shaped hoodoos and natural amphitheaters. It has been often cited as one of the most beautiful places in America, according to Thrillist, and is home to an annual four-day astronomy festival in June.
9. Joshua Tree National Park, California
1 of 8 The sun sets against mountains at Joshua Tree National Park in California. (Mate Steindl/EyeEm/Getty Images)
The Joshua Tree National Park landscape looks like someone tore a page out of a Dr. Seuss storybook. Joshua Tree proves that deserts are teeming with wildlife, and not the dried-up, barren land one might picture. Keep an eye out for lizards, rattlesnakes, insects, road runners, rabbits, bighorn sheep and coyotes. There have even been a few bobcat and mountain lion sightings. Hike along the Barker Dam trail to see some ancient Native American rock art. Named for the wonky Joshua trees that speckle the desert, it's a great place for hiking, camping, climbing and taking Instagram photos. Not to mention it's less than a 3 hour drive outside Los Angeles.
8. Arches National Park, Utah
1 of 4 Delicate Arch, is the most famous and photographed arch at Arches National Park, Utah. (Mark Brodkin Photography/Getty Images)
Utah's Arches National Park is famous for the world's largest concentration of sandstone arches. The most famous is the Delicate Arch, but the 120-square-mile park houses more than 2,000 natural stone arches, according to the National Park Service (NPS) website, as well as towering pinnacles, balanced rocks and other red rock formations. Visit Devils Garden within the park to see North America's longest natural arch, as well as many other rock formations and unforgettable hiking, camping, stargazing and backpacking.
7. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
1 of 5 A moose takes an early morning wade at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Wayne Boland/Getty Images)
Boasting 415 square miles of mountainous landscape and 300 miles of hiking trails, Rocky Mountain National Park is a must-see if you're in Colorado. It's home to some of the highest mountains in the continental U.S. If you're lucky, you might spot elk, bighorn sheep, moose, pika and black bears, hopefully at a distance. Drive above the treeline on Trail Ridge Road, also called the "highway to the sky," the highest continuous paved road in the country.
6. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
1 of 6 A view of layered colored hills in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota, is seen above. (Posnov/Getty Images)
Coming in at number six on Thrillist's list is Badlands National Park. The rugged landscape is home to one of the world's richest fossil beds, with ancient mammals such as rhinos, horses and saber-toothed cats. You can check out the Fossil Prep Lab throughout the summer and learn about paleontology work. Visitors can climb through the Badlands natural formations and trek on any of the park's various levels of hiking trails and view perhaps the most striking features of Badlands National Park: its towering layered colored hills, pictured above.
5. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
1 of 7 This photo was taken at dawn at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, California. (Mimi Ditchie Photography/Getty Images)
The lowest point in the western hemisphere, Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest and lowest national park, according to the NPS website. With a name like Death Valley, you may picture a barren wasteland, but the ecosystem houses a great diversity of wildlife, and is a landscape of striking contrasts: consistent drought and record hot summers are met with winter snow on the Death Valley peaks, and sometimes spring rains can bring an explosion of wildflowers. Must-sees include the famous sailing stones at Racetrack Playa, the Devil's Golf Course and Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America.
4. Sequoia National Park, California
1 of 6 Giant Sequoias are, of course, the biggest draw to Sequoia National Park. (lucky-photographer/Getty Images)
Known for its giant trees, Sequoia National Park is a top destination for U.S. National Park visitors. It is home to the biggest tree on Earth, the lovingly named General Sherman, which is 275 feet tall and a staggering 60 feet wide. The park boasts the highest peak in the lower 48: Mount Whitney, and, along with the neighboring Kings Canyon National Park, is home to half of the more-than-one-mile-long caves in California.
3. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
1 of 5 Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, is seen from above at Yellowstone National Park. (Ignacio Palacios/Getty Images)
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the country, and is ranked as the U.S.'s third most visited park. The park's hot springs are perhaps its biggest attraction, and many of the park's attractions can be seen via a scenic drive, Thrillist reported. According to the NPS website, there are well over 10,000 different hydrothermal features within the park, and more than half of the world's active geysers can be found here. This March, the park is celebrating 25 years since the reintroduction of wolves to the ecosystem.
2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
1 of 7 Sunset is seen over Cape Royal, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. (Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty Images)
The Grand Canyon is perhaps one of the biggest attractions in the U.S. With wild views and challenging hikes, the otherworldly landscape is certainly something to behold. The park offers plenty of activities like ziplining, Colorado River rafting and a skywalk with stunning views.
1. Yosemite National Park, California
1 of 10 Yosemite is home to the tallest waterfall in North America and the largest slab of granite in the world (El Capitan). (Artur Defat/Getty Images)
Number one best National Park in the U.S. goes to Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is home to the tallest waterfall in North America and the largest slab of granite in the world (El Capitan). It was the sixth most visited park in 2018, according to Thrillist. Before Yosemite was a national park, the park's preservation was the first time the government protected land due to its natural beauty for the use of the public. The park offers opportunities for hiking, climbing, swimming and stargazing, as well as rafting.
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