Here Are the Top 10 State Parks in the U.S. Right Now

Oregon, Washington, California, and New York each have two entries on the list.

Whenever I set foot in any greenspace — whether it’s a New Jersey state park, a New York reserve near me, or a trail in the Saskatchewan prairie or New Mexico desert — I always load up the AllTrails app. Not only does it show the most popular crowd-sourced routes, but it also gets into the nitty gritty of the maps. With distances marked for every section on the path, I know I’ll always be able to find my way back after a mountain hike or lovely walk in the park.

So it was no surprise when Apple sent me their latest Apps of the Moment newsletter, announcing that the iPhone App of the Year was going to AllTrails. “This incredibly comprehensive trail guide and community of nature enthusiasts helped us reach new heights — literally,” the tech company said of the trail map app.

We looked through some of the most popular lists on AllTrails, including its best state parks, with a whopping 2,220 sites on the list.

Currently on top is Silver Falls State Park in Oregon’s Marion County. Known as the “crown jewel” of the Beaver State’s system, the highlight is the Trail of Ten Falls, a 7.2-mile loop passing through craggy canyons, curvy creeks, lush forests, and several waterfalls, including the 177-foot South Falls, which you can walk behind. As one AllTrails user put it, it’s “probably one of the prettiest areas I’ve ever seen.”

Next on the list is Washington State’s Wallace Falls State Parks in Gold Bar. With 12 miles of pathways alongside rivers and lakes, one of the favorites is a 2.8-mile to the top of Wallace Falls, with viewpoints all along the way. (Pro tip: the middle one has the most sprawling vantage points of Skykomish River Valley and Olympic Mountain.) One user, who said it’s “incredibly beautiful,” also was “impressed to see hikers aged 8 to 80 traversing it.”

The third place spot, as of today, is Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona’s Pinal County. About 45 minutes east of Phoenix, the Sonoran Desert setting draws hikers to its routes, from the Native Plant Trail and 0.7-mile Prospector’s View Trail and four-mile Siphon Draw Trail to the two-mile Treasure Loop Trail, which users called “peaceful” and a “super nice” hike with “beautiful views and lots to explore.”

The rest of the current top 10 includes Washington’s Olallie State Park, New York’s Minnewaska State Park Preserve, New York’s Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, California’s Topanga State Park, Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park, California’s Mount Tamalpais State Park, California, and New Hampshire’s Monadnock State Park.

To see the ever-evolving list, visit alltrails.com.

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