Updated June 29, 2026 03:21PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Let me start by saying this is not a competition. All of our national parks are amazing and no one park is better than another. It\u2019s like being a parent and someone asking you to choose a favorite. No kid is better than the other, they\u2019re just different. At least, that\u2019s what parents are supposed<\/i> to say, but we all know that\u2019s not true: Parents have favorites. They just don\u2019t say it out loud. So yes, all national parks are wonderful, it\u2019s not a competition. But if we\u2019re in the trust tree, I\u2019ll tell you that Eastern national parks are better than Western national parks.<\/p>\n
There, I said it. It feels good to get that off my chest.<\/p>\n
I totally get the hype that surrounds some of the iconic parks in the Western United States. I\u2019ve stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplated the insignificance of humankind. I\u2019ve been hit by vertigo on Angels Landing<\/a> and stared up at Half Dome<\/a> and been awestruck at the sheer size of the rock. Western parks are immense and full of dramatic features. As Outside<\/em>\u2018s national park columnist who lives in Asheville, I have a soft spot in my heart for parks in the Eastern U.S., and I\u2019m tired of everyone saying all of the cool stuff is out West. So I\u2019m going to use this column to stand up for Eastern national parks.<\/p>\n If we\u2019re going to just look at the numbers, Western parks win the race handily. There are 63 full-fledged national parks in the U.S., and 40 of them are in the Western half of the country.\u00a0The East has just 13, and that\u2019s only if you\u2019re willing to lump Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota into the Eastern U.S. These are not Eastern states. (Just listen to the accent of a Michigan native and you know they\u2019re not from the East.)\u00a0So take the Midwest out of the equation and the East is left with just nine national parks.<\/p>\n In no particular order, we have Acadia, Shenandoah, New River Gorge, Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Congaree, Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a short list, but every national park in the East is an absolute banger.<\/b><\/p>\n Now, there\u2019s no denying that Western national parks protect a lot of landscape superlatives. Tallest mountain in the U.S. (Denali National Park), tallest vertical rock face in the world (El Cap in Yosemite), deepest lake in the U.S. (Crater Lake National Park). I mean, the water is boiling and tie-dyed in Yellowstone. That\u2019s pretty cool. But Western parks are just trying too hard. \u201cLook at me! My mountains are so big!\u201d<\/p>\n We get it, you have very big mountains and very deep ditches. Settle down. Meanwhile, Eastern parks contain a quiet dignity that\u2019s expressed through more nuanced landscapes. It\u2019s like the difference between watching an episode of Temptation Island<\/i> and The Great British Baking Show<\/i>. Sure, Temptation Island<\/i> is flashy, but we all know which show puts you in a better mood.<\/p>\n So, here are three reasons why Eastern national parks rival Western national parks.<\/p>\n Great Smoky Mountains National Park is considered one of the most biodiverse regions in the temperate world, with more than 22,000 known species documented within its borders. And that\u2019s just the beginning, as scientists are constantly discovering new species and estimate the park holds around 80,000 to 100,000 life forms in total. There are probably more species in a parking lot in the Smokies than in all of Rocky Mountain National Park. Bucket list animal sightings in\u00a0 GSMNP are black bears and massive elk, which stand five feet tall at their shoulders.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s just one park. Look at the Everglades, which is one of the last spots where you can find the Florida panther, and one of the only spots in the world where both alligators and crocodiles coexist, thanks to the mix of saltwater and freshwater habitats. Not to mention manatees, pythons (invasive, but still\u2026) and more than 350 species of birds. Gators, crocs, panthers, and manatee\u2014now that\u2019s a safari.<\/p>\n OK, there\u2019s nothing like the Grand Canyon on the East Coast. We\u2019ve got canyons, but not to that scale. And scale is where Western Parks steal the show. They\u2019re just bigger. The mountains, the gorges, the cliffs\u2014<\/strong>Yosemite Valley is unlike anything else in the country. The sheer volume of the trees inside Sequoia National Park is awesome in the most literal sense of the word. I get it.<\/p>\n But you want grandeur? How about exploring the longest-known cave system in the world. Mammoth Cave has more than 425 miles of known passages lurking beneath the surface. If you\u2019re looking for in-your-face beauty, show up to Shenandoah National Park in late September and early October when the entire hardwood forest has been painted red, yellow, and orange. It\u2019s a showstopper of a performance.<\/p>\n And have you ever seen fireflies lighting up a meadow during a summer night? It\u2019s spectacular. Even more spectacular: The species of synchronous fireflies found inside GSMNP that coordinate their light show. This park is one of the few places in the world where you can see these synchronous fireflies.<\/p>\n The East has big parks too. The Everglades is 1.5 million acres, making it the largest tropical wilderness in the U.S. The Seminole called it \u201cthe river of grass\u201d because it contains an actual moving river that\u2019s up to 60 miles wide.<\/p>\n Grandeur. Boom.<\/p>\n Sure, some of these Eastern parks get crowded, but that\u2019s actually the biggest asset these parks bring to the table: they\u2019re accessible. Half of the country\u2019s population lives east of the Mississippi. You can dream about going to Yosemite Valley, but you can actually drive to Shenandoah from the nation\u2019s capital in just a few hours and experience America\u2019s best idea in person.<\/p>\n I grew up at the base of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, which is a historic park within the National Park System located on the edge of Atlanta. It has an extensive trail system that traverses about 3,000 acres of surprisingly rugged hills and mountains. I run there every time I visit my parents and I\u2019m astonished at the variety of languages I hear on the trail. It\u2019s a national park inside a major, diverse city, and people of all backgrounds get to enjoy it. That\u2019s the sort of accessibility that typifies parks on the East Coast:<\/b> The Everglades is essentially a suburb of Miami; Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day\u2019s drive of half the country\u2019s population; and Acadia is just seven hours from New York City.<\/p>\n That proximity to the masses brings the grandeur and beauty of our National Park System out of the magazines and documentaries and puts it in our backyards. That\u2019s invaluable.<\/p>\n Those are just the top three reasons why Eastern parks are the best parks. I could keep going. The Eastern U.S. has the most famous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail, which has gorgeous stretches through Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah. The Blue Ridge Parkway, managed by the National Park Service, is a two-lane road that travels 469 miles through the Southern Appalachians, making it the longest linear park in the country. Think about that. The Park Service had the foresight to preserve an entire road corridor through the Southern Appalachians. No stoplights, no development, just farms, forests and long-range views. A drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway is like traveling back in time. And it\u2019s here,\u00a0in the Eastern U.S.<\/p>\n Can you travel back in time in Glacier or Grand Teton? I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n Graham Averill is <\/i>Outside magazine\u2019s national parks columnist. He travels to Western parks often and thoroughly enjoys his time there, but it\u2019s possible he\u2019s biased because he was born and raised in the East and has a chip on his shoulder because everyone says all the cool stuff is out West.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\nEastern vs.Western National Parks<\/h2>\n
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National Parks out West: Superlatives Galore<\/h2>\n
Why Eastern National Parks Are Better.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
1. Biodiversity<\/h3>\n
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2. There\u2019s Grandeur Here, Too<\/h3>\n
3. Accessibility<\/h3>\n
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