State Parks That Should Be National Parks, According To Reddit

If you love the outdoors, then you probably have a few national parks on your bucket list. However, with the recent surge in hiking over the last few years and more people wanting to get outside and explore, our national parks have been receiving more visitors than ever. While this is great, it also leads to larger crowds. So, to avoid the crowds found at some of America's well-known national parks, some people have begun turning to state parks.

Although they don't get as much time in the limelight, state parks have plenty of advantages when compared to national parks — including that they are often lesser-known and less busy, don't require hiking permits, and are generally cheaper to enter. On top of this, if you like to hike with a furry friend, state parks are the way to go, as the majority of state parks allow dogs on the trail whereas many national parks do not (although here are a few of the national parks that do allow dogs).

But, can state parks really hold a candle to some of America's most beautiful national parks? Well, according to some Redditors, there are a select few that can. In fact, when asked whether "anyone [has] been to a State Park that you think could be a National Park" on the r/NationalParks forum of the website, many commenters chimed in with state parks across America that they believe are worthy of national park status. Let's talk about some of their best recommendations.

The most highly voted answer to the question of which state parks should be national parks on Reddit was by far the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada — and it's easy to see why. This state park, located around an hour drive from Las Vegas, contains 40,000 acres of red sandstone formations along with petrified trees and Native American petroglyphs dating back 2,000 years. As explained by one poster on the r/hiking forum of Reddit, "the scenery [of Valley of Fire State Park] rivals all of the Mighty 5 national parks." The park also has an informative visitor center that explains the history of the area and how its interesting rock formations came to be, as well as some souvenirs, drinks, and food options.

The most popular thing to do in Valley of Fire State Park is to explore the beautiful natural scenery, and the best way to do this is by hiking. When visiting this state park, first make sure to check out the famous Elephant Rock at the east end before heading to some of the most popular hiking routes like White Domes Trail, Natural Arches Trail, Rainbow Vista Trail, and Fire Wave Trail. The best time to visit this park is between October and April when the weather is more comfortable. Because this area of Nevada experiences extreme temperatures in summer, many trails in the park are closed from the middle of May through the end of September.

The next state park that was recommended by the original poster on Reddit (and is the second-highest voted comment) is Custer State Park in South Dakota. Located only about 40 minutes from Mount Rushmore, one of the main reasons why many people think this state park should be a national park is not only the scenery, but also the sheer amount of incredible wildlife. In fact, Custer State Park contains around 1,400 free roaming bison, as well as various pronghorns, burros, bighorn sheep, coyotes, mountain goats, elk, and deer. As one commenter on Reddit noted, "this place had more wildlife, beauty, and tranquility than almost anywhere and about 2% the crowds."

Plus, seeing wildlife in Custer State Park is easy because you can explore the entire park by driving along the 18-mile-long Wildlife Loop State Scenic Byway. This byway takes around an hour to complete and also leads travelers past the visitors center, two restaurants, multiple lodges, and the Blue Bell Stables, where you can book guided horseback tours. If you'd like to explore this state park on foot, you can choose from the many hiking trails. The best rated hikes in Custer State Park on AllTrails include the Black Elk Peak Loop and the Cathedral Spires Trail.

The third most-highly upvoted answer to the question of which state parks could be national parks on Reddit was Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. Located in the Texas Panhandle around 40 minutes south of Amarillo, Palo Duro Canyon was actually considered a national park candidate and almost became a national monument in the late '30s; however, the National Park Service found that making this area a national park would be too expensive and they also struggled to gain the support necessary to undertake the change. As a result, Palo Duro Canyon — the second-largest canyon in the U.S. — is one of America's most beautiful state parks.

One of the best ways to experience Palo Duro is by walking along the canyon floor. You can do this by hiking the Lighthouse Trail — a 6-mile, moderate in-and-out trail that takes trekkers through the canyon and ends at a beautiful rock formation called The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse itself is also climbable, but does require some scrambling. Other great trails in the park include the Palo Duro Caves Trail and the Rock Garden Trail. You can also explore Palo Duro on horseback or simply take in the views from your campsite or from one of the park's rim-side cabins and glamping units. You can also explore the park by car and, as mentioned by one reviewer on TripAdvisor, "there were many places along the way to pull over for photographs."

Last on the list, we have the Midwestern beauty that is Tettegouche State Park. Located on the shores of Lake Superior a little over an hour northeast of Duluth, Tettegouche offers the national park views in a state park package. In fact, Tettegouche is often compared to Acadia National Park in Maine — but without the crowds. As one Redditor put it, "Tettegouche would fit in as a [national park] for sure." Another reviewer on TripAdvisor gushed, "I went to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan to visit two National Parks, Voyageurs and Isle Royale. However, the highlight of the trip was the time I spent in seven Minnesota state parks on the North Shore of Lake Superior and Tettegouche was my favorite."

The best way to experience this state park is to take in the views of Lake Superior from the jagged cliffs of Palisade Head or Shovel Point and then head to the interior of the park to explore the 23 miles of hiking trails, including the popular Baptism River Trail which ends at a 70-foot waterfall. After checking out the first waterfall, you can continue a little further up the Baptism River to check out the 100-foot-tall High Falls. In the winter, many trails within the park become cross-country skiing and snowshoeing routes.

When ranking which state parks should be national parks, we looked first at which suggested parks were the most highly rated on Reddit because comments with the most votes (or "upvotes," as they are called on the website) are typically the ones that the highest number of people agree with. In cases where a highly upvoted comment listed many state parks that should be national parks, we compared the photos of each park and chose the one that looked the most breathtaking.

That being said, there were also some honorable mentions that were left out of the list. Along with Tettegouche State Park, the same commenter also listed Ricketts Glen in Pennsylvania, Goblin Valley in Utah, and Henderson Beach in Florida. However, other commenters disagreed to the idea of Ricketts Glen and Goblin Valley being national parks, due to concerns that the park trails couldn't handle so many people or that they were too small. Then, when comparing Tettegouche State Park to Henderson Beach State Park, the photos of Tettegouche looked more impressive and along the lines of those once-in-a-lifetime national park views.