Whenever I think about summer vacation, I know there is a pretty good chance I’ll be going to one of America’s beautiful National Parks. 

This past summer, I did a summer research project that focused on the changing of National Park natural landscape names back to their Indigenous place names. The combination of that and all the recent changes that have been endangering the parks, I started to reminisce about my past trips.

Over the years, I have visited many of these parks with my family and accumulated a list of my favorites.

I chose to write about my top four, each gaining a place on my list for different reasons. In spite of these differences, visiting each of them reminded me why protecting these places is so essential.

First up, Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

This past summer, my family and I road tripped through Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. I had been to the other two, but it was my first time at the Grand Teton.

Due to my visit being so recent, part of my admiration for this park is because it is so fresh in my mind. Even so, the Teton range captured me completely. 

I can still see the jagged peaks rising sharply from Jackson Hole, their mirrors in the glacial lake with the wildlife grazing and soaring.  I had been watching social media posts about this place for years before going. It truly felt like stepping into those videos or seeing a post card in real life.

Jackson Hole, both the town and the valley, complemented the high alpine grandeur of the park. 

The town had a rustic cowboy feel to it. There was a perfect blend of good food, accessible trails, great coffee and local culture. 

Waking up at 5 a.m. to get a head start on the hikes before they got busy was totally worth it for all of the end views.

My second favorite is Glacier National Park in Montana.

Glacier was less about single hikes, even though there were plenty. It was more about the drama of landscapes.

Watching the scenery unfold as my dad drove us through was unforgettable. The mountains and valleys were waiting for us around every turn. 

Even when just going through the scenic drives, slowing down to absorb the true beauty, it felt restorative. 

I have been to Glacier a couple of times, and I still haven’t explored everything  it has to offer. Some hikes still await me, but the mood and vastness of the scene made it one of my favorites. 

The number of glaciers might be shrinking, but the beauty of the park stays undiminished.

My third is Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.

It has been a while since I last visited Mount Rainier. I remember a lush, deep green forest.

Hanging moss and misty waterfalls made me have a sense that the land is alive, moist and breathing. I remember the thick forest canopy at the base with the snow-capped peak looming over in the distance. 

Beyond just the park, the gateway towns were charming, full of cozy coffee shops and small businesses.

I remember viewing the mountain on our first day in town while we were eating breakfast in one of these shops. The mountain was watching us through the window while we were eating our pancakes.

I’m going a bit further south for my fourth park, Arches National Park in Utah.

The hotter climate here was a change, and yes, the temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit are brutal. But the Arches’ red rock formations, stark desert beauty and carved archways are undeniably beautiful, even in the sun and heat.

Highlights like the Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch are sculptures in stone, full of color and texture. 

It was my first time in one of the more southern parks, and the environment felt so different – desert heat — but the sky was so wide and clear. 

The heat did make the trails harder, but the reward — all of the views — made it unforgettable.

My honorable mention for this list is Banff National Park in Canada. 

If Banff was in the United States, I would have had it at number one on my list. But since it isn’t, I thought I would still mention it.

It is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The turquoise lakes that look unreal combine with the unbeatable hikes. Banff sets a high bar for any other park to clear. 

Beyond their beauty, this is a place where ecosystems thrive. As much as these places continue to inspire, they do not exist in a vacuum.

The policies and priorities of the federal government affect how well our national parks are preserved, staffed and accessible.

I believe that visitors, citizens and communities should care. Not just for the sake of recreation but for the sake of heritage, ecology and economy. 

We must stay informed, support policies that properly fund and protect these places and speak up when budget cuts threaten what makes national parks not just beautiful, but vital.

Stephenson can be reached at [email protected] .