Top National Parks in the American West

Popular Family Vacation Destinations

Top national parks lie throughout the Western United States. Beautiful land formations, forests, rivers and lakes, and numerous species of wildlife can be seen at these popular family vacation destinations. Below is a list of the top national parks in the west.

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Glacier is located in Northwestern Montana, bordering Alberta and British Columbia. With slightly over 1,000,000 acres, the park holds beautiful meadows, forests, lakes, and mountains, carved out by tremendous glaciers, most of which have been gone since the last ice age. Bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk,grizzly bear, black bear, mountain lions, wolves, badgers, and wolverines are some of the notable mammals found in Glacier National Park, and other animals and plants thrive. This is a great place to spend some quality time surrounded by nature.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Grand Teton encompasses the tallest peaks in the Teton Range in Northwest Wyoming. Grand Teton is the tallest peak in the range (part of the Rockies), after which the nearly 310,000 acre park is named. With diverse plants and animals, Grand Teton National Park is a great getaway destination for those who love the mountains. The Teton peaks are tall, sharp, and jagged, and offer visitors breathtaking views.

Olympic, One of the Top National Parks in the Western United States

Olympic is located in coastal Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. With much of the park a temperate rainforest, Olympic has masses of towering conifers covered in mosses on the western side (closer to the coast) which receives tremendous amounts of rainfall annually. One of the largest national parks in the Western United States with over 900,000 acres, Olympic has diverse terrain that also includes glaciers, such as Blue Glacier, and snowcapped mountains like Mount Olympus, the park's tallest mountain peak. Flora and fauna in the park are also diverse, making it a great family vacation destination for those who enjoy nature.

Yellowstone National Park, One of the Most Popular Vacation Destinations in the West

Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, Yellowstone has over 2,000,000 acres of beautiful wilderness. Attractions include Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone Lake, numerous hot springs, and the wildlife which can be seen in meadows or forests, including bison, elk, moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, wolves, grizzly bear, black bear, and mountain lions. Numerous species of birds, and several types of trout, including the Yellowstone cutthroat are found in the park. Tall conifers form beautiful forests adjacent to meadows in which grazers can be seen feeding. Wildlife diversity alone is an adequate reason to plan a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park.