Well-known travel publication Travel Lemming has released their annual data-backed ranking of the 63 national parks found around the United States, and as noted by their editorial staff, the results are surprising.
Despite the widespread outdoor recreation appeal in Colorado, no national park in the Centennial State even managed to crack the top 30 on their list.
For starters, let's take a look at how this ranking is scored. A total of 15 metrics are at play, coming together for a final score that determines rank. Various factors involved in the ultimate ranking including crowding, reviews, weather, affordability, jobs supplied, accessibility, and biodiversity.
The highest ranking park in Colorado was predictably Rocky Mountain National Park – but in a relatively low ranking at 33, tied with Utah's Arches National Park. While this 2024 placement of the Front Range destination was a 15-spot jump compared to its 2023 ranking, this top Colorado natural attraction got dinged for factors like crowding (ranking 50th in this metric), weather, and affordability. It did however rank high in the number of jobs it provides – 4th – and in accessibility – 12th.
In terms of the numbers behind these lower rankings, it was determined that Rocky Mountain National Park had 15.48 visits per acre and an average spending of $141.89 per visitor. On the plus side, the park does help support more than 8,000 jobs.
The next Colorado park in order of ranking is found much lower on the list of 63 places – Great Sand Dunes National Park in 48th. Great Sand Dunes performed fairly average across the board, but ranked low in data categories of jobs and biodiversity (ranking 52nd there with 827 species found in the park). Even with the park's low overall ranking, it was still a seven-spot jump compared to last year.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison wasn't far behind the Great Sand Dunes, ranking 50th – a five-spot jump compared to its 2023 ranking. The Black Canyon ranked the lowest in categories of crowding (48th), jobs (55th), and biodiversity (54th).
The lowest ranking national park in Colorado was Mesa Verde National Park, tying Texas' Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 52nd place. Mesa Verde was the only national park in Colorado that saw a year-over-year dip in its ranking, sliding 13 spots compared to 2023. The park ranked poorly in terms of crowds (44th), affordability (41st, average spending of $115 per visitor), and biodiversity (42nd).
The top three national parks nationwide were Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, California's Joshua Tree, and Washington's Olympic.
The lowest ranking national park was Kobuk Valley in Alaska, where you'll need to hire a pilot to access the area. According to the National Park Service, "you'll find no roads, no gift shops, and no parking facilities within the park. Trails don't exist; neither do campgrounds. Not even the park headquarters or visitor center are within the park. Both of these facilities are in Kotzebue, Alaska" – which is a town of about 3,000 more than 70 miles away, and remember, no roads.
Also interesting is that Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio was the least expensive to visit, with each visitor spending less than $20 on average during their trip. This compares to Alaska's Lake Clark National Park, the most expensive, where average visitor spending is $1,793.
Do you think this ranking is representative of how Colorado's national parks stack up against other national parks found around the country? Do you think there were some factors that were missed that would give Colorado's national parks a boost? Let us know in the comments.
Find the full ranking of America's 63 national parks from Travel Lemming here.
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(5) comments
They lost many at 'Governor Polis'.
It boils down to billing tourons instead of locals.
Affordability and accessibility are the killers.
Really tough to enjoy that “Rocky Mountain High” with the crowding and the negatives that come with it.
I absolutely love seeing lists like this.
Now, I know which parks people will be avoiding so I can go and visit to have a better experience!
The only National park we really use is the Great Sand Dunes.
Far too many neat places I would never tell outlanders about.
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