There’s no doubt that the United States has some of the most incredible national parks in the world. However, many people assume that the only magnificent national parks in the country are only found on the west coast. On the contrary, the east coast is also endowed with some astounding national parks with striking wonders.
This article offers the top 10 National Parks on the east coast that you should explore.
10 National Parks on the East Coast
1. Acadia National Park
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Located in Maine, Acadia National Park sits on a 47,000-acre piece of land on the coast of Maine, most of which is located on Mount Desert Land. This park is a perfect spot for numerous activities for holidaymakers, including hiking, nature exploration, romping, among others. Another major highlight of Acadia is the 27-mile drive on Park Loop Road, which takes you to every major sight in the park.
You should also visit Sand Beach to bathe in ice-cold waves or take a short hike to Thunder Hole to enjoy the roaring sound of ocean waves as they fill up the cavern beneath.
If you are a cycling enthusiast, you will love biking the Park Loop Road or one of the 45-mile old-fashioned carriage roads, meandering through the park. It will take you 2 to 3 days to get a glimpse of the park’s main highlights, and 5 to 7 days to get a deeper experience of the park.
Although you can visit Acadia National Park at any time of the year, it’s highly recommended that you visit it between September and mid-October when there are fewer visitors and the weather is still awesome. At this time, the park is full of color from the fall foliage. The park receives the largest number of visitors in summer.
2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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This park is located in Tennessee, North Carolina, and it is the most visited park in the United States. It is also the most biodiverse national park in the country. The other interesting aspect of this park is the fact that its name came from the smoky fog that floats over the mountains. The fog has a blue tinge originating from the foliage that emits the gas isoprene.
The distinctive blue smog is generated when the isoprene interacts with other molecules in the air. It’s also important to note that this park is among the few national parks in the US that don’t have admission fees. The park offers over 800 miles of hiking trails and a lot of beaten paths where you can just take a stroll while enjoying some lonely bliss.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park receives over 10 million visitors every year. The main highlight of the park is the long drive along the Cades Cove Loop and the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail. Since both trails are one-way, the traffic is usually a bit slow with regular stops. This should give you enough time to take photos or catch a glimpse of the beautiful nature and black bears.
If you love hiking, then there is plenty of hikes to enjoy, including hikes to the tallest waterfall in the park and the diverse, Alum Cave hike. You will also find a wide range of wildlife, including black bears, elk, and turkeys. The best time to visit this park is between September and October so that you can hear the male elk make the typical bugle call.
You will also love watching the fireflies perform the synchronic light show as they mate. Although their mating season isn’t exactly known, they are normally seen between May and mid-June.
3. Shenandoah National Park
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Located in Virginia, Shenandoah National Park boasts close to 500 miles of nature trails, 100 of which are part of the magnificent Appalachian Trail. With the amazing Blue Ridge in the background, this park is the perfect spot for nature enthusiasts. Situated in the east of the Mississippi River, this park is home to wonderful waterfalls, caves, and wildlife.
It also offers some incredible hikes, including the relaxed 1-mile hike to Blackrock Summit, which is a one-of-a-kind boulder field right opposite the valley, and the strenuous 9.2-mile hike to the Old Rag. There is also the Whiteoak Canyon hike, which offers some spectacular waterfalls and deep swimming holes.
If you love road trips, you will enjoy the long drive on the historic 105-mile Skyline Drive. Along the way, you will enjoy over 75 scenic views. It will take you 2 to 3 days to see the main highlights of the park and 5 to 7 days to visit all the sights in this vast national park.
The best time to visit Shenandoah National Park is fall because of its wonderful colors and gentler weather. You can also visit the park in May and June because the weather is pleasant and there are no large crowds.
4. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
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Located in West Virginia is one of the oldest rivers in the world. Although its name suggests it is new, this river is estimated to be about 360 million years old. However, the national park is the newest addition to the National Park system. Before it was recognized as a national park, this garden had stayed under the radar for many years, serving as a hot spot for outdoor activities.
One of the main highlights of this park is the fact that the mystical river flows from south to north. It also boasts 53 miles of unregulated rapids and a guided white water rafting tour. You can also enjoy some serenity out on the water, you can spend some time in the upper section, which includes Class I, II, and III rapids. For a more paddling thrill, try the Lower Gorge, which has Class IV and V rapids.
You can also explore the 2.4 miles of the stunning Endless Wall Trail together with cliffside lookouts of The New River and the scenic New River Gorge Bridge. You should also watch out for the annual Bridge Day festival that happens in the fall. It’s the only day that you can legally walk across the bridge or BASE jump off the side.
If you are a hiker, try the 12-mile Glade Creek Hike, with swimming holes along the way. You can also take a short but beautiful hike on the Canyon Rim Boardwalk that starts at the New River Gorge Visitor Center. This park also offers superb rock climbing and biking baths for different experience levels.
It will take you 1 to 2 days to explore the main highlights of the park. The best time to visit this national park is in spring, especially if you love white waters. The park is more crowded in summer because the weather is perfect for swimming.
5. Everglades National Park
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Tacked away in Florida, Everglades National Park is the only place in the world where you can find alligators and crocodiles living together. Several features of this park make it one of the most distinctive parks in the East, including the massive wetlands, covering 1.5 million acres. It’s also endowed with incredible biodiversity, including manatees, alligators, crocodiles, flamingos, panthers, and an array of rare birds.
The only way to explore this park is on a boat or kayak, especially since the park is a wetland. Make sure you visit Cape Sable and Florida Bay to see the gulls, shorebirds, and pelicans. You can go scuba diving, bike riding, or take a short walk through the park. Your kids will be thrilled to spot alligators and crocodiles in the water.
It will take you 2 to three days to explore the main highlights of the park and 5 to 7 days to experience the deeper beauty of the wetlands. The best time to visit this national park is between December and April when the weather is temperate and there are fewer mosquitos.
6. Dry Tortugas National Park
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Dry Tortugas National Park is another gem in Florida. Its name Tortugas is a Spanish word for turtles. There are five types of turtles inhabiting the island. This park is the perfect spot for people looking for solitude. The park is located 70 miles west of Key West. The park can only be accessed by ferry, chartered boat, or seaplane.
The park is made up of a group of seven islands called the Dry Tortugas and the nearby water. The only major sight in the park is Fort Jefferson, an incomplete fortress built in the 1800s. This fortress is the largest brick structure in the western hemisphere, with more than 16 million bricks.
You can explore the massive site and learn its history. The park also offers unmatched beauty and powder white sand. You can also swim, bask, snorkel, dive, watch birds, kayak, or have your own Robinson Crusoe escapade and camp out on the mostly deserted island, Garden Key. The park receives about 60,000 visitors a year, making it the best getaway spot.
The best time to visit this national park is June to September because it offers the calmest water and best visibility. It’s also the time when turtles come to lay eggs, which is an incredible annual event. However, you will have to deal with the likelihood of rain.
7. Biscayne National Park
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This national park is another great site to visit in Florida. While Biscayne National Park appears to be a massive swath of water, it holds four different ecosystems, including the mangrove trees, the Biscayne Bay, the islands of the Florida Keys, and the world’s third-largest coral reef. It is also one of the toughest national parks on the east coast to access, mainly because it’s 95 percent water.
Since there are no public ferries or a road to the park, you have to join a tour or charter a boat to access this national gem. This is a perfect spot for water lovers. The most popular activities at this site include snorkeling at the Maritime Heritage Trail to view the debris of old shipwrecks and the abundant sea life, kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding. The water is too shallow to allow speedboats.
You can also go for a short nature walk about 75 miles near the visitors’ center, especially if you have kids or you have limited mobility. There is also a gravel path leading to mangroves and a bird preserve. You will need a day to enjoy a guided ranger tour and a small outing, and two to three days to experience the park’s deeper beauty and enjoy all its activities.
The best time to visit this national park is mid-December to mid-April when it’s dry. Temperatures are very hot and humid between June and November, with the possibility of tropical storms.
8. Mammoth Cave National Park
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Located in Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park is one of only 13 natural US sites to be listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. It also hosts the longest-known cave in the world. The cave system is estimated to be 600 miles long, but only 400 miles have been explored so far. This mammoth limestone labyrinth offers grand caves, tight passageways, and otherworldly canyons.
The park offers various types of guided tours including tours for people with limited mobility, historical tours, daring spelunking tours, kids-based tours, and more.
Several different tours are available from historical tours, tours for people with limited mobility, kid-based tours, adventurous spelunking tours, and more. Apart from visiting the cave, you can also take a hike, go fishing, kayaking, or horseback riding through the lush forest. It will take you a day or two to explore the park.
The best time to visit this site is November to February when the crowds are smaller. The park is more crowded in summer.
9. Congaree National Park
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Congaree National Park, which is located in South Carolina, is an underrated national park on the east coast with some incredible sights. It is the perfect spot for you if you love big trees. You will also enjoy listening to the horned forest owls calling at night and watching the glowing fungi on trees.
The park has the most “champion trees” (largest individual trees of their species) anywhere in the US. Its warm and lengthy growing season, as well as the moisture and nutrients brought by flooding from the Congaree River annually, offers the perfect environment for these champion trees to flourish. You will enjoy exploring the swamplands of the park on a kayak or canoe.
If you love nature trails, you will have a good time exploring the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail, which winds for 15 miles through the Congaree wilderness. While you are exploring the park, watch out for turtles, otters, birds, and alligators. The park also offers several hikes to help you get a perfect view of the forest.
It will take you one day to explore the park by boat and take a short hike. The park is accessible all year round, but summer brings high humidity and mosquitoes. You can also visit it in spring, but you have to deal with the possibility of rain and flooding.
10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
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Located in Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National covers 51 square miles and claims land along the river between Akron and Cleveland. The central feature at the park is the Cuyahoga River, which means “crooked river”. Before it became a national park, the Cuyahoga River had caught fire more than a dozen times since the 1800s because of decades of toxic waste dumping.
It offers 125 miles of hiking trails, especially when visiting the Virginia Kendell Hedges hike. This 2.2-mile moderate hike is flanked by huge limestone rocks and intense sandstone ledges. It also gives you a fantastic view of the vast Cuyahoga Valley. You can also visit the few waterfalls scattered throughout the park. The main ones include Blue Hen, Buttermilk Falls, and the 65-foot Brandywine Falls.
If you are a biker, you will enjoy riding through the converted canal trails. Initially, this trail was used by mules towing boats. It’s now a flat trail system for walking and biking. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which runs through the park, is perfect for kids and people with limited mobility. The road offers special expeditions like themed expeditions, murder mystery trips, and four-course dinners.
If you are tired of biking, enjoy a one-way train ride with your bike for a small fee. It will take you a day to enjoy the main highlights, but you’ll need at least three days to do several hikes and activities. The best time to visit this site is in autumn because of its amazing fall foliage and good weather.
