On Top
These 16 parks are virtually pristine and usually on good terms with local people.
1. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (Score: 88)
2. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
WISCONSIN (Score: 78)
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA (Score: 78)
Gros Morne National Park
NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA (Score: 78)
3. Great Basin National Park
NEVADA (Score: 77)
Kootenay/Yoho National Parks
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (Score: 77)
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
ALASKA (Score: 77)
4. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
HAWAII (Score: 75)
5. Chaco Culture National Historical Park
NEW MEXICO (Score: 72)
Crater Lake National Park
OREGON (Score: 72)
Point Reyes National Seashore
CALIFORNIA (Score: 72)
Waterton Lakes National Park
ALBERTA, CANADA (Score: 72)
6. Denali National Park & Preserve
ALASKA (Score: 71)
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
ALASKA (Score: 71)
Jasper National Park
ALBERTA, CANADA (Score: 71)
7. Kenai Fjords National Park
ALASKA (Score: 70)
Still Doing OK
These 23 parks cope with a few challenges, some of them in gateway areas.
8. Big Bend National Park
TEXAS (Score: 69)
Olympic National Park
WASHINGTON (Score: 69)
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
NORTH DAKOTA (Score: 69)
9. Fundy National Park
NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA (Score: 68)
Redwood National and State Parks
CALIFORNIA (Score: 68)
Zion National Park
UTAH (Score: 68)
10. Death Valley National Park
CALIFORNIA (Score: 67)
11. Antietam National Battlefield
MARYLAND (Score: 66)
Glacier National Park
MONTANA (Score: 66)
12. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
COLORADO (Score: 65)
Bryce Canyon National Park
UTAH (Score: 65)
North Cascades National Park
WASHINGTON (Score: 65)
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (Score: 65)
13. Acadia National Park
MAINE (Score: 64)
Petrified Forest National Park
ARIZONA (Score: 64)
14. Joshua Tree National Park
CALIFORNIA (Score: 63)
Mesa Verde National Park
COLORADO (Score: 63)
Mount Rainier National Park
WASHINGTON (Score: 63)
Tallgrass Prairie National Park
KANSAS (Score: 63)
15. Arches & Canyonlands National Parks
UTAH (Score: 62)
Cumberland Island National Seashore
GEORGIA (Score: 62)
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
CALIFORNIA (Score: 62)
16. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
MICHIGAN (Score: 60)
Facing Trouble
Major problems confront 13 parks; often it's unsuitable gateway development.
17. Colonial National Historical Park (Yorktown/Jamestown)
VIRGINIA (Score: 59)
18. Mammoth Cave National Park
KENTUCKY (Score: 58)
19. Rocky Mountain National Park
COLORADO (Score: 56)
Yosemite National Park
CALIFORNIA (Score: 56)
20. Banff National Park
ALBERTA, CANADA (Score: 55)
Hot Springs National Park
ARKANSAS (Score: 55)
21. Mount Rushmore National Memorial/Badlands National Park
SOUTH DAKOTA (Score: 54)
22. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
NEW MEXICO (Score: 53)
Grand Canyon National Park
ARIZONA (Score: 53)
Point Pelee National Park
ONTARIO, CANADA (Score: 53)
23. Gettysburg National Military Park
PENNSYLVANIA (Score: 51)
Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks
IDAHO, MONTANA, WYOMING (Score: 51)
24. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
NORTH CAROLINA (Score: 50)
Rock Bottom
Destructive external pressures and major internal difficulties afflict three parks.
25. Shenandoah National Park
VIRGINIA (Score: 48)
26. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE (Score: 40)
27. Everglades National Park/Big Cypress National Preserve
FLORIDA (Score: 34)
