5 National Parks to See Before You Die

These are the most visited parks in the United States -- and for good reason. Their grandeur and beauty have made them destinations for generations. The conservation movement was based, in part, on their preservation, and many U.S. presidents have burnished their legacies by protecting these American icons. Worried about affording the trip this year? Look for volunteer vacation opportunities to explore beautiful landscapes while helping to preserve them.

1. The Smokies

America's most visited park logged 9.4 million visitors in the National Parks Service's latest survey). And for good reason.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts 800 miles of hiking trails, up rugged Appalachian Mountain peaks -- 16 of them greater than 6,000 feet. Straddling the mountainous border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the park is traversed by rivers and streams that reveal countless waterfalls. Part of the park's appeal is the diversity of recreation available there, from picnics and scenic drives to hiking and wildlife watching.

Founded in 1940, the park owes its creation, in part, to some of the biggest names in American conservation: John D. Rockefeller Jr., who donated $5 million to the effort, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was in the White House when the park was dedicated.

There's no bad time to visit, but the spring and early summer profusion of wildflowers earned this park the nickname of Wildflower National Park, and fall leaf peeping through the park's undulating ridges and its namesake mist can be magnificent.


2. The Grand Canyon

What, you haven't seen the Grand Canyon?

With 4.4 million visitors a year, Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park is the nation's second-most visited park. It's also generally included in every list of 7 Natural Wonders of the World, often as the only U.S. site.

You could have seen a zillion photos of the canyon, and it will still make your jaw drop to see it in person. Millions of years of geologic history are laid bare by the Colorado River, the colors are breathtaking and shift with the angle of the sun, and the hiking or white-water rafting experience is second-to-none.

President Theodore Roosevelt preserved the Grand Canyon as a national monument in 1908, and it was designated a national park 11 years later.

If you want to see the more remote North Rim, visit between late May and early October, before heavy snows close the roads. Most people stick to the more easily accessible South Rim, and they don't regret it.


3. Yosemite

At 1,200 square miles, Yosemite National Park approaches the size of Rhode Island. More than 3.5 million people visited in the last survey year, making it the third-most visited park in the United States.

Its fierce granite cliffs make it a world-renowned destination for rock climbers, but Yosemite's giant sequoia groves and scenery make it popular with hikers, bikers, families who stay in the car, photographers, wildlife watchers... Virtually everyone can find something to love in this vast expanse of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The central California park was the third designated in the U.S., in 1890, but its preservation traces its origins back to Abraham Lincoln, who signed a law guaranteeing the land's protection in 1864 -- a foundational swipe of the pen that led to the establishment, decades later, of a national parks system. (Read more about Lincoln and the other greenest U.S. presidents.) The great naturalist John Muir popularized Yosemite.

Yosemite is best known for its stunning waterfalls, and to appreciate them the best time to visit is late May, when mountain snowmelt keeps them flowing. Visitors at other times of the year won't be disappointed, however.


4. Yellowstone

Its geysers, its free-roaming bison and grizzly bears and its name made Yellowstone National Park the nation's fourth-most popular, with nearly 3.2 million visitors.

Old Faithful itself is so popular, the roads leading to it can get jammed up with cars. Even in 1915, more than 1,000 cars visited the park. About the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, the park is plenty big enough to lose yourself in, if you're looking for a wilderness experience.

Established in 1872 in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, Yellowstone was America's first national park, dedicated by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Many of the parks roads close in the fall and winter, so spring and summer are the best times to visit for all but snow enthusiasts. Old Faithful spouts -- reliably -- all year long, but you can't reach it by road until mid-April from one side, or mid-May from another.


5. The Olympic Mountains

One can hardly do better than the National Park Service's description of Olympic National Park: "Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike."

With nearly 3 million visitors in 2007, the park is the fifth-most trafficked. Located west of Seattle, Wash., this is another park that owes its existence to the Rooselvets: Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the Olympic National Monument in 1909 and Franklin D. Roosevelt named it a national park in 1938.

Some parts of the park are inaccessible in winter, but it's open year round.

Read about the other most popular national parks, and the people who made their conservation possible. (Photos courtesy National Parks Service.)

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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.