The Blue Ridge Parkway spans more than 450 miles and connects the Shenandoah National Tennessee Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo courtesy Bill Russ – VisitNC.com
There is no mistaking the beauty of the National Parks in the United States. Since the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916, transient travelers across the nation have been drawn to the various regions year after year. Following the recent details of the 2015 Annual Park Ranking Report by the National Park Service on the most visited parks, parkways, and significant State monuments by recreational visitors, we highlight some features of the most visited parks and attractions of the NPS Park Ranking Report.
Azaleas in Bloom on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Photo courtesy of Bill Russ – VisitNC.com
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
More than 15,054,603 recreation visitors (and more than 30,000 RV campers) motored their way through the Blue Ridge Park Way, ranking this area as the most visited site in the country. Although Blue Ridge is not a National Park, it is part of the National Park system. It stretches more than 450 miles and connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It offers some of the most breathtaking and scenic drives anywhere with many RV parks, services and amenities. To find a campground during your travels visit www.campgroundreviews.com
Quick Facts:
- The concept of the parkway was first devised during the Great Depression and completed in 1987. It is considered the longest road planned as a single unit in the U.S.
- Traveling through this area means passing 17 North Carolina and 12 Virginia counties.
- Enjoy birding, fishing, and wildlife viewing? The area has a variety of species including 99 fish, 70 mammals, and 225 birds.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area is considered one of the largest urban parks in the world. Photo courtesy of Scott Chernis-San Francisco Travel Association
2.Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The recreational opportunities are nearly endless in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and during 2015, 14,888,537 visitors came to see and enjoy everything it offers. Considered one of the largest urban parks in the world, Golden Gate National Recreation Area doesn’t resemble most national parks as it is comprised of various areas across several counties. Stroll along mighty Redwoods in Muir Woods, enjoy a day at Stinson Beach and Crissy Field, or take a visit to Alcatraz. For accommodations that are nearby to major attractions, check out Marin RV Park, San Francisco RV Resort, Candlestick RV Park, and Treasure Island RV Park.
Quick Facts:
- The park consists of a series of regions that stretch from San Mateo County to Marin County and areas of San Francisco.
- It’s home of the Nike Missile Site SF-88L, the only fully restored Nike missile site in the country.
- The Presidio is a former military base on the San Francisco Peninsula and is home to one of the most acclaimed collections of military architecture in the country.
The park was established in 1934 and has evolved into the most visited National Park in the United States in 2015. Photo courtesy of Bill Russ – VisitNC.com
3.Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Located on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a natural wonderland and very RV-friendly. The park was established in 1934 and has evolved into the most visited national park in the United States with a recorded 10,712,674 recreation visitors in 2015. With its acclaimed plant and animal life, the scenic mountains, historic buildings, and vast display of seasonal wildflowers, there is always something to see and do. With 384 miles of roads, take any one of the four Auto Tours in your RV, or enjoy some of the many of the activities. There are approximately ten campgrounds in the park and we suggest you navigate here to find one that suits your needs.
Quick Facts:
- The first Europeans settled in the area between 1818 and 1821.
- The park habitats 412 different wildlife species and there`s more than 700 miles of streams.
- One of the popular attractions is Cades Cove, offering the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park.
Lincoln Memorial is located on the west end of The National Mall and is directly adjacent to the Washington Monument. Photo by Steve Fennell
4. Lincoln Memorial
Of the many sites in The Nation’s Capital, Lincoln Memorial is perhaps one of the most significant. While not a National Park, the Lincoln Memorial is a National Monument and administered by the National Park Service. Lincoln Memorial is located on the west end of The National Mall, directly adjacent to the Washington Monument. Built to commemorate the 16th President’s many historical accomplishments, The Lincoln Memorial is just as commemorative now as it was when it was dedicated in 1922. It’s also ranked as the fourth most popular attraction of the National Park Service as it attracted nearly $8 million visitors in 2015. As RV Parks are not available in the immediate D.C area, there are parks nearby to all the attractions in the surrounding States of Maryland and Virginia. We suggest Greenbelt Park, Greenbelt, MD, Pohick Bay Regional Park, Lorton, VA, and Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD.
Quick Facts:
- Construction began in 1914, which was completed and dedicated in 1922.
- Henry Beacon designed the building, Daniel French sculpted the Statue and Jules Guerin painted the two murals.
- The north and south side chambers feature carved inscriptions of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address.
Lake Mead is operated by the National Park Service and spans approximately 1.5 million acres, which is approximately twice the size of Rhode Island. Photo courtesy of Chris Moran – Travel Nevada
5.Lake Mead National Recreation Area
While many communities and attractions are often over shadowed by the glitter and glam of Las Vegas in Nevada, Lake Mead Recreation Area is an outdoor-enthusiast’s jackpot as it attracted 7,298,465 recreational visitors in 2015 (with more than 135,000 being RV campers). Located in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona, Lake Mead is operated by the National Park Service and spans approximately 1.5 million acres, which is approximately twice the size of Rhode Island. Several full service campgrounds are available and there are many opportunities to enjoy kayaking, fishing, hunting, boating, and more. RV parks also surround the lake. Visit www.campgroundreviews.com to find a handful of RV parks to stay at during your visit.
Quick Facts:
- Lake Mead is 16th largest man-made lake in the world and one of the largest man-made lakes in the Western Hemisphere.
- The lake was formed by the Hoover Dam along the Colorado River and the National Park Service established Lake Mead as a national recreation area in 1964.
- It is also surrounded by red sandstone, black lava rock and some of the lava hills are approximately six million years old.
Great list Steve, and all worthy of a visit. But these aren’t all National Parks so the title of this article is deceptive.
There are only 59 National Parks, I was expecting to find the top 5 out of the 59 for 2016 in this article and reasons why you thought they were the best for this, the centennial year.
Hi Eric,
These results are from a calculated report from the NPS, which includes all the parks, historical sites, etc in the NPS system. The title of the report was the Annual Park Ranking Report so I had to correspond very closely with the actual title of the report. When you think about it, Lincoln Memorial is not really a park at all, rather a National Monument. To offset this, I did stipulate in the content what attractions were actual National Parks and those that were not to avoid confusion (while still highlighting their significance). I also added a link to the NPS report for further reference so visitors could see just the top National Parks.
Steve
Park Type: (All)
I have been to all on your list but my top 5 would include Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole and Glacier. After those I would include Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Redwoods in N Calif and Acadia. There are lots more that I have visited too, but these are my favs. We have tent camped the length of the Blue Ridge many times and also tent camped most of the camp grounds in Great Smokey Mtns. And we have hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail including Mt Khatahdin in Maine located in Baxter State Park. Our National Park System is truly a national treasure. We make a point of visiting these parks in spring and fall when the summer crowds are gone.
Thanks for your input Bill. I will be sure to consider your favorite choices for up coming story concepts.
Steve Fennell, Editor
I agree. I much prefer your list.
Sorry, meant Blue Ridge Parkway instead of Shenandoah! Been to all those places on both lists and know from experience. Left out many other parks that are so much better than what the Author listed.
You have real some nice choices on your list Bill, and thanks for the insight. Be sure to visit the full NPS statistics report for 2015 (its in the first paragraph in the story – the link is too long to post here). I am most certain that your choices are high on their list as well.
Steve Fennell, editor
It’s really sad that none of the northeast made the list, Arcadia is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. Its the first place the sun touches each day in the US. There is so much history and sights to see. So many activities. You guys really need to expand your horizons and look at other areas of the country.
Hi Kathi,
Just so you understand, the five destinations that were highlighted were in fact from a National Park Service annual survey based on report on how many visitors went to these areas in 2015. The stat report is in fact very credible and is conducted every year. It is also attributed in the story and we thought it would be a great idea to share that information – and mention all the highlights – for our readers. However, thanks for mentioning Arcadia and as we are looking into doing an upcoming story on the Northeast we will definitely check it out as its sounds very interesting. If you wish to read about other interesting areas to visit this season see the links below.
http://rvlife.com/six-unique-festivals-you-should-visit-in-2016/
http://rvlife.com/top-spots-every-snowbird-should-visit-on-north-carolinas-coast/
http://rvlife.com/28690-2/
http://rvlife.com/top-places-in-south-carolinas-low-country/
I was privileged to spend 5 months working just 2 miles from the entrance to Acadia NP and we visited the park multiple times a week. We barely scratched the surface on all that Acadia has to offer. It is truly a magnificent park. Everyone should make the pilgrimage to see it.
I want to add to any BUCKET LIST the GOLDEN SPIKE NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE in northern Utah. From May 1st to Oct.12 every year 7 days a week the Central Pacific Jupiter and the Union Pacific 119 will be running every day.
Steve,
I think that you did a remarkable job of showing all of us places of great beauty and historic quality, places that we might not ever think about. They look like 5 jewels to me and I appreciate that you have shown me some of the less known. Thanks
Great article. I agree with your selections 100% My wife and I have been to several of these locations – but none of those visits have been a trip with our Airstream. Thanks for prompting us to add these on our list to visit again.
Each of our National Parks, National Monuments, State Parks, and public preserves are there for all to see and use. People have taken time to build exhibits at the visitor centers that tell the story of the history and specialness of each of these locations. They are truly national treasures that depend on future generations to continue to use and support them. We cannot afford for a single one of them to be taken for granted.
Corrections: Bill Macy and others, Jackson Hole is not a National Park, but is the gateway to Grand Teton National Park. I am sure that is what you meant, but wanted to set the record straight for other readers. Grand Teton is simply awesome and should be on everybody’s bucket list.
Kathi, the park you referred to is Acadia, not Arcadia. A commonly made error as the two words look almost the same.
The link I clicked was “Five National Parks You Must Visit In Your RV”.
Some of those maybe, but the Lincoln Memorial??? Think I will leave my RV home for that one. And my automobile for that matter.
Nice list anyway, just not so much for the RVers. IMHO.
Hi Larry,
Thanks for your message. I think one of the great things about RVing is there is always a destination for every type of RVer. Lincoln Memorial (and the National Mall) is a pretty nice place to visit with its many attractions (plus the camping options in the area are varied as well).
But thanks for reading as we really appreciate your feed back.
Steve Fennell, Editor
We have visited many and have loved them all, but our very favorite is Big Bend National Park in Texas. If you love starlit nights where the universe FEELS very close, visit Big Bend National Park when it’s warm enough to sit outside and stargaze. The sky in a dark environment (lights are restricted) is BREATHTAKING!
Hi Betty,
We did a recent feature on The Lost Alaskan RV park in the Big Bend NP area. Here is the link for further reading.
http://rvlife.com/lost-alaskan-rv-park-is-a-texas-treasure/
I have to question the number of visitors to GSMNP.
Having lived in East Tennessee for 50 years and have visited the Great Smoky Mtn NP too many times to count, I have never seen any means of counting visitors. There are numerous entrances and have seen no way to count visitors. Also, a lot of the traffic on 441 is just crossing the mountain to get to Cherokee, NC.
We have been to these and they are wonderful, but would suggest a list of five that are even more impressive. Zion, Rocky Mountain Estes Park, Acadia, North Rim of Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Cavern, and of course, Denali!
keep the list going
Thoroughly enjoy the Natchez Trace every time I drive it, whether all 444 miles or just a part.
I appreciate both the column and the comments following it.
Just after the Vietnam Wall in DC was completed my family and I took our RV (Motorhome) and stayed at an RV park near DC. We took the campground bus and the train into DC and then got around by foot and bus. Our children were teenagers which made getting around no problem, and we saw many other things besides the Lindcoln Memorial and the Vietnam rembrance wall, both of which moved me to tears.
Larry
Muir Woods is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and it has beautiful hiking trails through its redwoods. As far as I know, it’s the closest redwood forest to San Francisco. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is also part of the GGNRA. Among the often-missed treasures in the Presidio is the Fort Point National Historic Site, a brick Civil War era fort that’s at the tip of the Presidio, right under the Golden Gate Bridge. It was built in the 1800s to protect the San Francisco Bay and the commerce derived from the Gold Rush. It became strategically important during the Civil War, even though the Confederacy never attacked the west coast.
Another often-missed site in the Presidio is the Walt Disney Family Museum, put together by his family who still live in Northern California. It’s more about Walt Disney, the man, but it includes the history of major accomplishments in his life, such as the building of Disneyland, the early television shows, the making of the classic animated features and the backstories of some of the Disney movies.
This museum also has one of the few surviving multiplane cameras. Before computer animation, animators created realistic looking scenery by painting sheets of glass with various parts of the setting in the movie. These were then stacked inches or feet from each other. The camera would film action as it moved between the layers, creating a 3D effect. The multiplane camera at the museum starts in the basement bookstore and continues to about two stories above.
Below the other end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model, also part of the GGNRA. This scale model of the San Francisco Bay shows how water moves from the Sierras, through the Central Valley and out to the ocean through the bay. A few years ago, it was closed for repair. When asked about it, they told people that there was a leak in the Pacific Ocean.
Hi Larry,
Thanks for your insight and pointing out all the additional attractions!