Eastern vs Western National Parks: Which Are Better?

National Parks Out West: Superlatives Galore

Now, it cannot be denied that the Western National Parks protect a lot of landscape excellences. Highest mountain in the US (Denali National Park), highest vertical cliff in the world (El Cap in Yosemite), deepest lake in the US (Crater Lake National Park). I mean, the water in Yellowstone is boiling and dyed. This is great. But Western Parks is trying too hard. “Look at me! How big my mountains are!”

We understand, you have very big mountains and very deep ravines. settle down. Eastern parks, meanwhile, have a quiet dignity expressed through more subtle landscapes. It’s like the difference between watching an episode temptation island And The Great British Baking Show. Sure, temptation island Tempting, but we all know which show puts you in a better mood.

So, here are three reasons why the Eastern National Parks compete with the Western National Parks.

Why are the Eastern National Parks better?

1. Biodiversity

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is considered one of the most biodiverse regions in the temperate world, with over 22,000 known species recorded within its boundaries. And this is just the beginning, as scientists are constantly discovering new species and estimate that there are approximately 80,000 to 100,000 life forms in total in the park. There are probably more species in the parking lots of the Smokies than in the entire Rocky Mountain National Park. The list of animals seen in GSMNP includes black bears and giant elk, which stand five feet tall at their shoulders.

And that’s just one park. Check out the Everglades, one of the last places you can find a Florida panther, and one of the only places in the world where both alligators and crocodiles live together due to the mix of saltwater and freshwater habitats. Not to mention manatees, pythons (aggressive, but still…) and over 350 species of birds. Gators, crocs, panthers, and manatees—now that’s a safari.

2. There is grandeur here too

Well, there’s nothing like the Grand Canyon on the East Coast. We have valleys, but not on that scale. And scale is where Western Park steals the show. They are just bigger. mountains, valleys, rocks—Yosemite Valley is unlike anything else in the country. The sheer amount of trees inside Sequoia National Park is amazing in the most literal sense of the word. I understood.

But you want grandeur? How about discovering the world’s longest known cave system. There are over 425 miles of known passageways hidden beneath the surface of Mammoth Cave. If you’re looking for in-your-face beauty, visit Shenandoah National Park in late September and early October, when the entire hardwood forest is painted red, yellow and orange. It’s a showstopper of a performance.

And have you ever seen fireflies lighting up a meadow on a summer night? This is fantastic. Even more spectacular: the species of synchronous fireflies found inside the GSMNP that coordinate their light shows. This park is one of the few places in the world where you can see these synchronized fireflies.

There are big parks in the east also. The Everglades covers 1.5 million acres, making it the largest tropical forest in the US. The Seminole called it “River of Grass” because it contained an actual running river up to 60 miles wide.

Grandeur. Boom.

3. Accessibility

Sure, some of these eastern parks tend to be crowded, but that’s actually the greatest asset these parks have: they’re accessible. Half the country’s population lives east of the Mississippi. You may dream about visiting Yosemite Valley, but you can actually drive from the nation’s capital to Shenandoah in just a few hours and experience the best of America in person.

I grew up on the grounds of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, a historic park within the National Park System located on the edge of Atlanta. It has an extensive trail system that traverses nearly 3,000 acres of stunningly rugged hills and mountains. Whenever I visit my parents I run there and am amazed at the different languages ​​I hear on the way. It’s a national park inside a major, diverse city, and it’s enjoyed by people of all backgrounds. It’s the kind of access that epitomizes parks on the East Coast: : The Everglades is essentially a suburb of Miami; The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day’s drive of half the country’s population; And Acadia is only seven hours from New York City.

Closeness to the public takes the grandeur and beauty of our National Park System out of magazines and documentaries and puts it in our backyard. He is priceless.

These are just the top three reasons why Eastern Park is the best park. I could go on. The eastern US is home to the world’s most famous footpath, the Appalachian Trail, which stretches majestically through the 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 the entire road corridor through the southern Appalachians. No stoplights, no development, just fields, forests, and long-distance views. Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway is like traveling back in time. And it’s here, in the eastern US

Can you travel back in time to Glacier or Grand Teton? I don’t think so.

Graham Averill is Outside The magazine’s national parks columnist. He frequently visits western parks and thoroughly enjoys his time there, but it is possible he is biased because he was born and raised in the East and has a chip on his shoulder because everyone says all the good things are out west.