US National Park Rankings

1. Badlands - Seriously underrated. In the middle of the central plains are canyons and rocks. Think Arizona, but a lot more green.

2. Grand Canyon - One of the crown jewels. Can make it as easy (just walk out to the canyon from the parking lot) or as hard as you want (hike down the canyon and back up)

3. Big Bend - Remote part of the Texas desert, but definitely worth a visit - you'll hardly remember you're in Texas when in the wonder of the Chisos Mountains and seeing the Rio Grande.

4. Saguaro - Split into two parks, near Tucson, a quick and easy getaway to a beautiful area of the Arizona desert. The saguaro cactus are super neat.

5. Everglades - Super close to Miami and a lot of biodiversity to see in the swampland

6. Joshua Tree - its proximity to Coachella and LA/San Diego (plus social media hype) brings many visitors, but a lower-level park for me - the Joshua Trees are frankly a little ugly and the rock formations are not as impressive as others

7. Hot Springs - Lots of trees and rivers and streams in a scenic area of Arkansas

8. Carlsbad Caverns - The caves are immense and worth a visit, but it definitely gets a little boring after a while. The last time I was here, the elevator was broken and we had to walk the 79 stories back to the top!

9. Gateway Arch - Like others, no idea why this became a national park. Definitely more of a National Landmark