7 national parks to add to your bucket list right now | National Park Wedding Photographer | National Park Elopement Photographers | National Park Landscape Photographer
Okay - so all National Parks deserve to be on your bucket list, but these 7 need to be added to your bucket list right now!
National Parks are one of my favorite things that exist. As much as I love to travel abroad, I also LOVE to get my butt in National Parks for an equally amazing yet completely different experience.
I've been to 16 of the US National Parks and seriously have a list of a mile long of the places I need to visit, but for now, here are 7 of my absolute favorite National Parks and why I love them so much!
***Disclaimer - some of these photos were taken back in my amateur phase and aren't the most incredible but will give you an idea ;)
Acadia National Park
Bass Harbor Lighthouse
Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain
Jordan Pond
Thunder Hole
Acadia is like the Pacific Northwest of the east coast. It's an absolutely stunning landscape filled with ocean, likes, pines, bays etc. I spent a week there (going back this summer, woop woop!) and we packed in just about everything you can do here. From the lighthouse, to Jordan Pond, to Cadillac Mountain, to Bar Harbor, Thunder Hole and so much more. Acadia was the first place I saw whales in the ocean, ate blueberries off a trail, and had lobster rolls! I wrote a blog post giving you all the things to do in Acadia which you can find here!
The Redwoods National Park
Drive through tree
The redwoods are super epic. These trees are thousands of years old and still just hangin! I spent an overnight here and walked a few of their smaller trails to see these giants, and then camped in the middle of them! It's really hard to wrap your head around just how old these massive trees are and something you just have to see in person. Towards the north end of the park is Fern Canyon which is really neat as well - and my favorite campsite on planet earth is right there too ;)
Yosemite National Park
Tunnel View
From the valley
Of course I had to throw Yosemite in here - and it's well deserved! Goodbye Disney, Yosemite is the most magical place on earth. The way that two sides of massive granite mountains surround a beautiful valley is more than incredible. The way the clouds dance through it, and sunshine illuminates the inside and lights it up with magical colors - it's just something you need to see in person.
The Grand Tetons National Park
The Tetons were a place that I wasn't expecting to love as much as I did. But once I was there and truly saw the peaks of the mountain range, I fell in love. It's incredible how these massive, jagged peaks appear out of nowhere from the flat land that surrounds it. The Tetons like to go zero to one hundred really fast, but I'm okay with it. Also, Jackson Hole, which is the town right on the edge of the Tetons, is such a charming little place. You'll quickly fall in love if you spend much time here.
Joshua Tree National Park
Sadly, the few Joshua Tree landscape images I had were deleted before I got a chance to upload them - so these two have humans in them, but you can still get an idea of the park! Joshua Tree is really neat. It's basically a desert that is filled with Joshua Trees and big blonde boulders stacked upon each other. It's a beautiful sight that always has a golden tint to it. The towns surrounding JTree are fun little hippy towns, with lots of cute thrift and antique shops. Definitely an experience and you have to check it out!
Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon is on this list and well deserved. This place is nuts. Walk to the edge and see miles and miles of massive canyons, that go so deep you can sometimes miss the bottom. There are some great trails to walk into the canyon, and even cool overnight trips you can sign up for if you're feeling extra adventurous. But even just walking around the rim and seeing it from the top is incredible. This is one place that you HAVE to wake up for sunrise. One of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever witnessed.
Zion National Park
Last but definitely not least is Zion. EPIC Zion. This is my favorite of the 5 national parks in Utah. The drive through the park will seriously drop you jaw. You're surrounded by massive red rock mountains that make you feel like the smallest little human. There are some rad hikes through Zion as well. Angels Landing and the Narrows being two of them. All of Utahs national parks are epic but Zion really stood out to me.
Well, thats a wrap! Let me know your favorite national park and which one I should add to my bucket list! The next few on my list to see are Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, Glacier, and any of the parks in Alaska - they'd all make beautiful spots for elopements and adventure sessions too so get at me ;)
Thanks for reading!