World's Best

Travel + Leisure Readers' 25 Favorite National Parks of 2023

National parks with jaw-dropping scenery and abundant wildlife were the most adored by readers in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2023

By

Annie Archer

Published on July 11, 2023

A national park adventure is a classic all-American vacation every traveler should experience at least once in their lifetime. After all, spending time amid towering forests, majestic mountain peaks, white sand dunes, and active volcanoes reminds us of all the unique beauty right in our own backyard. And according to Travel + Leisure readers, the best national parks in the United States set themselves apart with tantalizing natural attractions and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 T+L readers completed the 2023 survey, an increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels. A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

U.S. national parks were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Natural attractions
Activities
Lodging
Wildlife
Accessibility
Cleanliness

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

Denali National park view of river and mountains on a blue sky day during summer — Taylor McIntyre/Travel + Leisure

What Readers Loved

Similar to previous years, national parks in the West dominated the list of reader favorites, nabbing more than half of the 25 spots. Denali National Park (No. 8) in Alaska is home to the highest peak in North America, measuring at a whopping 20,310 feet above sea level, while Yosemite National Park (No. 3) in California draws visitors with its gushing waterfalls, ancient sequoias, and world-famous vistas, like Tunnel View and Glacier Point. “Yosemite is one of my favorite places on Earth,” remarked one reader. “The stunning park's views will never cease to amaze me, and there's truly something for everyone here. I'll keep visiting for the rest of my life.”

Voters had plenty of praise for national parks on the East Coast, in the South, and the Midwest, too. In fact, according to one reader, Acadia National Park in Maine (No. 17) is “one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Northeastern U.S. It’s perfect for hiking and taking in the breathtaking scenery, especially the sunrise.” Great Smoky Mountain National Park (No. 7), which straddles the North Carolina/Tennessee border, made the list again this year — no surprise since it has been the most-visited national park in the country for more than a decade. Readers raved about its abundance of wildlife and all-ages appeal. One voter said, “Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a very family-oriented destination where you can feel the real spirit of America. People are friendly, the air is pure, and the views of the mountains and nature are just breathtaking."

Read on to see which other U.S. national parks landed a spot on the list — and what makes this year’s No. 1 pick, Yellowstone National Park, stand out from the rest.

The Winner

Yellowstone National Park: Wyoming, Idaho, Montana

Bison as wild animals in Yellowstone National Park at spring season — Getty Images

Though Yellowstone technically falls within three states, Wyoming encompasses 96 percent of the park’s 2.2 million acres. Home to fewer than 600,000 people, it’s the least populated state in the U.S., leaving ample space for nature's fascinating creations to take center stage. (Montana and Idaho are also in the bottom half of states population-wise.) Abundant wildlife sightings and access to more than half of the world’s active geysers — that’s about 500 of them — have been drawing visitors to the world’s first national park for more than 150 years. T+L readers specifically applauded the National Park Service’s crown jewel for its wildlife, natural attractions, hiking, and accessibility. “Yellowstone is so majestic, so beautiful, and so glorious,” gushed one reader. “We have spent hundreds of hours in this park and still have so much to explore.”