For the Love of State Parks
National Parks get all the love—and for good reason. But the 10,234 state parks in this country also have rugged good looks and outdoor adventure in spades—and they’re often less crowded. That’s what we’re all about these days, right? So we talked amongst ourselves. We talked to a handful of outdoor experts. And we pulled together a mix of totally off-the-grid parks, green spaces within a quick drive of major urban cities, and dozens that are perfect for a late-season fall getaway. So whether you’re looking to zoom-school on the road or dreaming about 2021, here’s a slightly biased, but always impassioned, guide to 50 of our favorite state parks. —AFAR editors
West
Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
Photo by Mark Higgins/Shutterstock
From Washington to New Mexico, 13 Great Parks in the West
There are so many reasons to go park-hunting out West. Under-the-radar rock formations in Utah. Moss-draped rain forest in Washington. Soft sand dunes, not along the coast, but deep in Idaho—perfect for late-season exploring. Read on to learn more about the best state parks in the western states of California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. And then book a campsite—or maybe a yurt! or a cabin!—whether for a late-fall getaway or as a reason to dream about spring 2021.
Alaska
Kachemak Bay State Park
Arizona
Catalina State Park
California
Montaña de Oro State Park
Colorado
State Forest State Park
Hawaii
Kōkeʻe State Park
Idaho
Bruneau Dunes State Park
Montana
Makoshika State Park
Nevada
Cathedral Gorge State Park
New Mexico
Cerrillos Hills State Park
Oregon
Sitka Sedge State Natural Area
Utah
Goblin Valley State Park
Washington
Bogachiel State Park
Wyoming
Hot Springs State Park
Midwest
Turkey Run State Park, Indiana
Photo by Seth Passfield/Shutterstock
From North Dakota to Ohio, 12 Great Parks in the Midwest
The states between the East and West Coasts have long been dubbed “flyover country”—places many only see by air and don’t bother to explore on the ground. But ask anyone familiar with the Midwest, and most will tell you that this designation has its pros: It means fewer people in some of the country’s most scenic state parks. Comprising 12 states—Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri—the region has old-growth forests, million-year-old sandstone gorges, ambling bison, and an abundance of water in the form of rivers, waterfalls, and lakes galore.
Illinois
Starved Rock State Park
Indiana
Turkey Run State Park
Iowa
Backbone State Park
Kansas
Mushroom Rock State Park
Michigan
Mackinac Island State Park
Minnesota
Grand Portage State Park
Missouri
Elephant Rocks State Park
Nebraska
Platte River State Park
North Dakota
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Ohio
Hocking Hills State Park
South Dakota
Custer State Park
Wisconsin
Devil’s Lake State Park
South
Chicot State Park, Louisiana
Photo by Jay L/Shutterstock
From Texas to Florida, 14 Great Parks in the South
The parks here may be bundled beneath one geographic designation—the South—but they couldn’t be more different from one another, encompassing some of the most mind-boggling features of this country. Just try to compare the bayou-like waterways of Louisiana’s Chicot State Park with the otherworldly desert landscapes of Big Bend Ranch in Texas, or the dark lava rock moonscape of Oklahoma’s Black Mesa with the waterfall splendor that is Tennessee’s Fall Creek Falls. The best way to understand them, of course, is to visit. So consider this list of the best parks in the South—Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas—your starting line.
Alabama
Gulf State Park
Arkansas
Lake Ouachita State Park
Florida
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Georgia
Red Top Mountain State Park
Kentucky
Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park
Louisiana
Chicot State Park
Mississippi
Tishomingo State Park
North Carolina
Hanging Rock State Park
Oklahoma
Black Mesa State Park
South Carolina
Paris Mountain State Park
TennesseeFall Creek Falls State Park
Texas
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Virginia
Natural Bridge State Park
West Virginia
Babcock State Park
Northeast
Watkins Glen State Park, New York
Photo by Kenneth Keifer/Shutterstock
From Maryland to Maine, 11 Great Parks in the Northeast
Wild waterfalls. Wilder horses. The Grand Canyon of the East Coast—sorta. All that and more can be found in the state parks that span the 11 states of the Northeast, which includes New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. A majority of them are less than two hours from a big city, which means a weekend getaway is not only feasible but also recommended. So what are you waiting for?
Connecticut
Harkness Memorial State Park
Delaware
Cape Henlopen State Park
Maine
Camden Hills State Park
Maryland
Assateague State Park
Massachusetts
Nickerson State Park
New Hampshire
Franconia Notch State Park
New Jersey
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
New York
Watkins Glen State Park
Pennsylvania
Leonard Harrison State Park
Rhode Island
Brenton Point State Park
Vermont
Smugglers’ Notch State Park
