Mother Nature Was Showing Off When She Made These Parks

There’s something grounding about walking through places that remind you how old and complex the planet really is. These national parks are full of layered history, ecological variety, and terrain that has shaped entire cultures. If you’re looking to see Earth at its most expressive, this list is a good place to start.

Banff National Park, Canada

Banff doesn’t ease you in—it hits you right away with glacial lakes that seem lit from beneath and mountains that edge up into the sky with no warning. The town of Banff itself has elk that wander through as if they belong there more than the people, which they arguably do. The Icefields Parkway, connecting Banff and Jasper, is a geological crash course with glaciers, limestone cliffs, and braided rivers. In winter, skiing and ice climbing take over. In summer, hiking trails like Plain of Six Glaciers give you access to rarely quiet alpine views.

Glacier National Park, Montana

This park is more rugged than polished, and that’s part of its appeal. It’s known for the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is impressive, yes—but don’t stop there. Glacier is best understood on foot. Trails like Highline or Grinnell Glacier take you past wildflower meadows, up alpine passes, and near wildlife that’s been here longer than the borders around it. It’s not uncommon to see mountain goats navigating narrow cliffs like they’ve done for centuries.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Unlike many mountain ranges, the Tetons have no foothills. The peaks just rise straight from the ground and give the valley below a sense of immediacy. Jenny Lake is a good place to start—accessible by shuttle boat, with trailheads leading to waterfalls and panoramic views. Aside from the landscapes, the park has a deep connection to early American alpinism and ranching culture. In fall, the cottonwoods and aspens shift into brilliant yellows, and elk bugles echo through the valley.

Zion National Park, Utah

Instead of being a drive-by park, this park is actually vertical. The experience is in the movement: hiking up, climbing down, squeezing through. Angels Landing gets the headlines, and yes, it’s worth the nerve if you have the footing for it. But The Narrows offers something different—walking upstream through water between canyon walls that close in tightly. Zion’s geology is dramatic: Navajo sandstone, slot canyons, and sheer cliffs shaped by millions of years of flash flooding and uplift.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone works on two levels: the visible and the hidden. Sure, the geysers, mud pots, and hot springs are the most obvious attractions, but the real Yellowstone is found in places like Lamar Valley, where wolves hunt and bison graze in wide, open fields. The park sits on top of an active supervolcano, which is why the ground behaves the way it does.

Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite is often over-summarized as “mountains and waterfalls,” but that barely scratches the surface. This place was the birthplace of the national park idea, shaped by naturalist writers like John Muir and pushed into preservation by photographers like Ansel Adams. The granite faces of El Capitan and Half Dome are dream destinations for climbers who train for years to scale them. In spring, runoff from the Sierra snowpack turns the valley into a roar of water. Later in the year, it's quieter, which is when you can really appreciate the structure of the place—the interplay between light, rock, and sky.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC

The Smokies aren’t dramatic in the way western parks are, but they have a different kind of power. These mountains are among the oldest in the world, worn down over millions of years into gentle, rolling ridges. The biodiversity here is extraordinary—over 1,500 species of flowering plants and more salamander species than anywhere else on Earth. Trails like Alum Cave or Clingmans Dome give you access to views that stretch over several states.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia is where the Atlantic meets the mountains. Cadillac Mountain, once thought to be the first place to catch sunrise in the U.S., offers expansive views over Frenchman Bay. The trails vary from short coastal walks to challenging scrambles like the Precipice Trail, where iron rungs and ladders take you up steep granite faces. The park is compact but dense with features—tide pools, pine forests, granite cliffs, and carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller that are perfect for cycling.

Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali isn’t for passive sightseeing. Access to the heart of the park requires commitment—a bus ride along a single gravel road or long backcountry hikes without trails. But what you get is unmatched: grizzlies foraging on tundra hillsides, caribou crossing rivers, and, if the weather cooperates, a full view of Denali, North America’s tallest peak. This mountain often hides behind clouds, so catching it in the open is a rare moment. At night, if conditions are right, the northern lights put on a quiet, surreal display.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Mount Rainier stands alone, both in location and appearance—after all, it’s a 14,000-foot volcano that dominates the skyline around Seattle. The mountain’s glaciers feed rivers that cut through forests and meadows filled with wildflowers. Paradise is the most popular section in summer, but the park also has old-growth forests, backcountry trails, and subalpine zones where you can find more solitude.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

The Serengeti is the setting for one of nature’s largest wildlife migrations. Every year, millions of wildebeest, zebras, and other grazers move across the plains in a cycle dictated by rainfall and grass growth. The predators follow. This system has been in motion long before humans arrived. Safari drives take you into open savannas and acacia-dotted landscapes where elephants, lions, and cheetahs live by instinct.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

This part of Patagonia is defined by extremes. Strong winds, towering granite spires, and rapidly changing weather are all part of the experience. The W Trek is the most well-known route, and for good reason—it links lakes, glaciers, and valleys with clear, well-marked trails. Guanacos, a wild cousin of the llama, are common here, and if you’re lucky, you might spot a puma in the early morning.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

Kruger is vast, often unpredictable, and very real. Covering nearly 7,500 square miles, it’s one of the largest game reserves in Africa. You can self-drive or join guided tours, but either way, sightings are frequent. Lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo—the “Big Five”—are all here, along with hundreds of bird species and smaller mammals. The infrastructure is well-developed, but the wildlife is anything but staged.

Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

This park is defined by water and verticality—fjords, cliffs, and rainfall that feeds hundreds of waterfalls. Milford Sound is the main draw, but the Kepler and Routeburn tracks provide deeper access to a region carved by glaciers and constantly shaped by rain. It’s not always comfortable—wet and windy days are common—but the rewards come in quiet moments when clouds lift, and peaks appear reflected in still water.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Plitvice is a network of lakes and waterfalls that cascade through a forested limestone landscape. Wooden boardwalks guide visitors over clear pools and along cascades, some of which change color based on mineral content and light. It’s not a big park, but it’s one of Europe’s oldest and most unique, protected since the 1940s and designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Go early or off-season if you want space to linger.