{"id":416467,"date":"2026-07-29T12:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/416467\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T12:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:29:16","slug":"best-us-national-parks-yosemite-sequoia-redwood-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/416467\/","title":{"rendered":"Best US national parks? Yosemite, Sequoia & Redwood ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"People<\/p>\n

People walk through tents at Yosemite Valley campground in Yosemite National Park, California on Oct. 25, 2025. The national park is one of the best in the United States, according to Travel + Leisure.<\/p>\n

Frederic J. Brown\/AFP<\/p>\n

TNS<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a beginner hiker or avid rock climber, national parks across the United States offer maybe opportunities to lean into your nature lover side.<\/p>\n

Travel + Leisure readers recently ranked the top 25 best national parks<\/a> in 2026, based on a voting survey.<\/p>\n

Three national parks in California made the list, including a couple of Sierra Nevada standouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what you\u2019re searching for, this winning list is proof that there\u2019s always more to explore,\u201d the travel magazine said.<\/p>\n

See what California national parks were voted the best in the country:<\/p>\n

\"El El Capitan, left, and Half Dome are seen in Yosemite Valley from the perspective of a helicopter looking east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com What is California\u2019s best national park?<\/p>\n

Yosemite National Park<\/a> landed the No. 5 spot on Travel + Leisure\u2019s 2026 ranking of the best national parks in the United States.<\/p>\n

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite features waterfalls, meadows, giant sequioas and granite cliffs spread across 748,542 acres.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s home to El Capitan, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, which all can be seen while hiking in Yosemite Valley.<\/a><\/p>\n

At 7,573 feet high, El Capitan is \u201cone of Yosemite\u2019s most iconic landmarks<\/a> with one of the mountain\u2019s many legendary routes,\u201d the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau said.<\/p>\n

The park also offers guided tours, astronomy programs, camping and lodging.<\/p>\n

\u201cYosemite boasts five of the planet\u2019s tallest waterfalls, pristine streams, three sequoia groves, picturesque meadows and rich biological diversity,\u201d the travel magazine said.<\/p>\n

According to National Park Service data, Yosemite was the most popular national park in California<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n

That year, it attracted more than 4.2 million visitors<\/a>, The Fresno Bee previously reported.<\/p>\n

\"On On the road in Redwood National Park. Getty Images Which other national parks in California made the list?<\/p>\n

Redwood National Park ranked No. 13 on Travel + Leisure\u2019s list of the top destinations for national park fans.<\/p>\n

The 70,300-acre park on the northern California coast is home to the world\u2019s tallest trees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Redwood National Park and its three sister state parks<\/a> \u2014 managed together as Redwood National and State Parks \u2014 are \u201cglobally recognized for their rich ecological diversity,\u201d the National Park Service said, with species ranging from banana slugs and salamanders to elk, sea lions and endangered California condors.<\/p>\n

Redwood National Park offers hiking trails running along the coast, as well as camping, swimming and horseback riding.<\/p>\n

\"A A visitor takes photos at a pair of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Located in the Giant Forest it is one of the park\u2019s largest groves. Paul Bersebach TNS <\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park<\/a> ranked No. 15 among the best national parks in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns and the world\u2019s largest trees exemplify the diversity of landscapes, life and beauty here,\u201d the Park Service said.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re into camping, fishing, rock climbing or overnight backpacking, Sequoia National Park has something for everyone, park officials said.<\/p>\n

\"Hikers Hikers crowd together to get a view of Vernal Fall on Yosemite National Park\u2019s Mist Trail on a busy Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 23, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com What are the top 10 national parks in the US?<\/p>\n

According to Travel + Leisure, these 10 national parks were the best in the United States in 2026:<\/p>\n

Yellowstone National Park<\/a>, Wyoming, Montana and IdahoGrand Teton National Park<\/a>, WyomingKatmai National Park<\/a>, AlaskaRocky Mountain National Park<\/a>, ColoradoYosemite National ParkGlacier National Park<\/a>, MontanaGreat Smoky Mountains National Park<\/a>, Tennessee and North CarolinaKenai Fjords National Park<\/a>, AlaskaZion National Park<\/a>, UtahGlacier Bay National Park<\/a>, Alaska<\/p>\n

The first national park in the United States<\/a>, Yellowstone National Park has earned the No. 1 spot six years in a row, according to Travel + Leisure.<\/p>\n

\"Water Water pours from Yosemite National Park\u2019s famous Upper Yosemite Falls on a spectacular spring day in the park, Thursday, May 21, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com How did Travel + Leisure rank the best national parks?<\/p>\n

To determine the winners of its World\u2019s Best Awards, Travel + Leisure said it asked readers to \u201cweigh in on their favorite travel experiences across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Readers made nominations and shared their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cruise ships, spas and more.<\/p>\n

In 2026, more than 207,000 readers voted in the 2026 survey, casting 661,000 votes across more than 10,088 total properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome winners have consistently ranked in the awards for more than two decades,\u201d Travel + Leisure said, while \u201cothers are catching your attention for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loading\u2026<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Alexiah Syrai Olsen<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tribune<\/p>\n

Alexiah Syrai Olsen is a service journalism reporter for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism and design from The New School in New York City.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People walk through tents at Yosemite Valley campground in Yosemite National Park, California on Oct. 25, 2025. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-416467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}