A sign welcomes guests to Buck Island, in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands. Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
In celebration of National Parks Week, Travel Lemming, a popular travel website, released a comprehensive ranking of all 63 U.S. national parks. Virgin Islands National Park ranked 60th overall, primarily due to factors such as crowds, affordability, and accessibility. Despite its lower overall ranking, the park secured the top spot for weather conditions.
The ranking methodology used by Travel Lemming took into account six factors: affordability, accessibility, biodiversity, crowds, reviews, and weather. Shenandoah National Park in Virginia earned the top spot, boasting exceptional scores in affordability, accessibility, and biodiversity.
Several lesser-known parks secured positions in the top 20, challenging the conventional notion of the most popular U.S. national parks. Virgin Islands National Park may have ranked 60th overall, but its favorable weather conditions helped it stand out.
Among all U.S. National Parks, Virgin Islands National Park was the 50th least crowded, with 13.07 visits per acre. However, it ranked 61st in affordability and 57th in accessibility. Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park emerged as the most biodiverse park, while North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park was the most affordable, Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park the least crowded, and Missouri's Gateway Arch the most accessible.
Notably, some of the most renowned national parks did not fare as well in the ranking due to issues with crowds and affordability. Grand Canyon National Park ranked 15th, Yellowstone National Park 23rd, and Yosemite National Park 34th.
Travel Lemming Senior Travel Writer McKenna Mobley shared her thoughts on the rankings: "Every US national park offers its own special flair, so in some sense, ranking them is like ranking music genres — they're all good!" She also expressed her hope that the report would highlight the lesser-known parks that offer exceptional experiences off the beaten path.
The top 10 US national parks, according to Travel Lemming's report, are as follows:
- Shenandoah National Park (VA)
- North Cascades National Park (WA)
- Biscayne National Park (FL)
- 4 (tie). Kings Canyon National Park (CA)
- 4 (tie). Sequoia National Park (CA)
- Everglades National Park (FL)
- Big Bend National Park (TX)
- Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
- Death Valley National Park (CA, NV)
- Channel Islands National Park (CA)
The report's methodology considered various data sources, including the National Park Service, Google Maps, TripAdvisor, NOAA, FAA, and Wikipedia.
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