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Here are the 10 most underrated, less visited U.S. national parks

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McBride Inlet, Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park was rated America’s least-recognized national park by ParkSleepFly.

Stone – Getty Images| Stone | Getty Images

Ever since Covid-19 first made social distancing a thing, Americans looking to escape lockdown boredom and work-from-home isolation have sought out open spaces at the country’s 63 national parks — and hundreds of national monuments, preserves and other federally protected spots — in historic droves

Ironically, popular destinations such as Muir Woods National Monument in San Francisco or Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine are so overcrowded that reservations have to be made with National Park Service.

Acadia hosted 802,926 visitors in August alone, which was 71.38% higher than the previous year. To respond, the Park Service established a reservation program for drivers who wanted to take Cadillac Mountain, which is arguably the park’s most famous attraction.

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This year’s increase in tourists isn’t just due to the depressed travel market. According to the park agency, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming had 752,114 visitors during June. While that was a 61% jump from June 2020, it was also a 20% increase from June 2019 — and represents an all-time high for that month.

Access restrictions and larger crowds have reduced the park’s open appeal. Even though you might have more people than you would like to visit Yosemite, Grand Canyon or other parks, many national parks are still under-explored.

Where should you pack your luggage? Website for travel ParkSleepFly compiled lists of what it termed the most “underrated” and “overrated” U.S. national parks, by which it meant parks that, respectively, earn high visitor reviews but attract fewer people or — conversely — draw large numbers but get lower grades.

Ten of the most overlooked national parks in America

(Rank / Park/# of Visitors / Excellent Reviews / %

1. Glacier Bay, Alaska: 5.748; 92.99%
2. Kenai Fjords, Alaska: 15/82; 89.9%
3. Crater Lake (Oregon): 670.500; 87.1%
4. Redwood (California): 265,177; 86.22%
5. Badlands, South Dakota: 916.932 ; 86.1%
6. Sequoia (California): 796.086; 83%
7. Dry Tortugas (Florida)48.543; 81.99% (tie).
7. Haleakala in Hawaii: 19.147; 82.9% (tie).
9. White Sands New Mexico: 15383; 82%
10. Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico): 183.835; 81%

ParkSleepFly

It did this by using Tripadvisor’s visitor review data to compare with 2020 official attendance figures for parks receiving fewer or more than 1,000,000 visitors annually.

Martin Jones is ParkSleepFly CEO and said that visitors are drawn to the numerous breathtaking national parks of the United States.

He said that there was something special about “underappreciated” national parks. The serenity and beauty of these untouched areas offers a rare experience and allows you to appreciate their stunning views far from all the noise and hustle. 

Glacier Bay is the No. 1 underrated — or undervisited, given a high satisfaction rate — national park on the ParkSleepFly list is Glacier Bay. The park is situated in Southeast Alaska. It received just 5,748 visits last year. However, it had 92.9% of Tripadvisor reviews as “excellent.” This may have been due to its remoteness from the rest of the United States.

Many of these parks, also known as “underrated”, are located in remote locations. They can be reached by plane from the U.S. mainland. The second-place Kenai Fjords is also located in Alaska and tied for No. 7, Dry Tortugas — a remote island chain west of Key West, Florida — and Haleakala, on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Indiana Dunes was voted the best national park in America. Even though it attracted nearly 2.3 million tourists in 2020, just 51% were impressed by the park’s Tripadvisor review.

Rounding out the bottom five were Cuyahoga Valley, in eastern Ohio; Hot Springs, in Arkansas; Yosemite, in central California; and Zion in Utah — all incredibly popular in terms of visitor numbers.

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