Parks Madness: Nature (Mostly) Beats History in Round One!

Another iconic human creation, No. 2 seed Mount Rushmore National Memorial, lost in a 60-40% rout to the Triassic fossils of Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park, the No. 15 seed. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a No. 3 seed, proved no match for No. 14 Redwood, falling by 89-11%. And in the intra-state rivalries, Haleakala defeated Pearl Harbor and Big Bend overtook The Alamo.

All was not lost in the realm of national heritage, though, with No. 1 seed National Mall and No. 4 seed Gettysburg moving on to Round Two over the Gateway Arch and Indiana Dunes, respectively. This year was the first to include national trails, and all three – the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Lewis & Clark Trail – made it through Round One.

SCHEDULE

First Round (Round of 64): April 25 – May 4. Winners announced on Monday, May 5.
Second Round (Round of 32): May 5-8. Winners announced on Friday, May 9.
Sweet 16: May 9-11. Winners announced on Monday, May 12.
Elite Eight: May 12-15. Winners announced on Friday, May 16.
Final Four: May 16-19. Winners announced on Tuesday, May 20.
Championship: May 20-22. Winner announced on Friday, May 23.

Have comments on the plan? Send ‘em our way below…

What an incredibly impossible tournament when all entries are so worthy in their own right. – David Bryant

Love the new additions!! – Laura Robinette

You haven’t offered enough Alaska parks!! – Dailyn Matthews

This is a great list, and I love to see the smaller and historic sites getting recognition! But where is Sleeping Bear NL?! So beautiful! But I love seeing Indiana Dunes, considering that is a fairly recent addition to the NPS. – Lauren Schwartz

Arches, Petrified Forest, Bryce, and Death Valley are underseeded!! – Alexandra Gakos

Great to see the bracket mixed up this year. Interesting seeding choices. Love to see devils tower on here but sad it was pitted against Zion. – Ashley Clark

About to complete all 800 miles of trails in the Smokies. – Joe Pflanz

Grand Teton is so beautiful and so many animals. It was very hard to choose a winner since I have been 16 of these places so far. Each place on your list has something special and different to enjoy.😉 – Catherine Cooper

Great selection of famous parks and lesser known ones, including monuments. – Steve Burns

Mt Rainier vs Arches is tough, those are arguably both top 5 parks from this overall list going against each other
Shenandoah is often overlooked when talking about the “big” National Parks. – Ryan Moore

Rocky Mountain vs Bryce as a first round match is wrong! Both the Hoodoos and Bears Lake should move to 2nd round (easily). But in Rocky Mountain, my soul is filled. It is accessible to all levels of outdoors people (or non-outdoors types). And you find yourself feeling like the cover of a John Denver album… in the best way. – Emily Langan

North Cascades National Park should have been included. – Cami Gray

Arches versus Mount Rainier in the first round is BRUTAL. Those two are easily in my top 10 overall. – Amber Gomez

I enjoy these surveys. So many tough decisions but such beautiful choices! – Bob McMillan

Shenandoah offers something for everyone in every season. Appalachian Trail hikers, day visitors, college students, and the youngest adventurers can find their peace in this beautiful park. There are mountains and meadows, wildlife, incredible sunrises from atop Old Rag, and gorgeous sunsets in Sky Meadows. Just a short drive from Washington DC and easily accessible. – Christine Varanelli

I choose Olympic National Park! Why? It has The Tree of Life which has been suspended its entire life between rocks and defying gravity- it is one of the most beautiful jewels in the National Park System! The entire of the area is adorned with a lush rainforest, sparkling yet powerful ocean waves, and beaches made for exploring. Olympic National Park Deserves this honor, especially with the Tree of Life possibly nearing the end of its own life. – Shelly Smallwood

Teddy Roosevelt offers way more activities, wildlife sightings, and history within the park, plus it has three units, with one showcasing the former site of TR’s cabin. – Zach Hochhalter

Our son was a seasonal ranger 2024 at glacier. He wants to be a career ranger. Maybe in 3 years 🤞. I was able to visit from the east coast three times. the park offered endless opportunities to see wildlife and different landscapes with vast changes in weather. Each visit was different. – Jennifer Hales

Glacier is one that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetimes. The landscape views, the wildlife, and stunning mountainscapes are some of the best in the lower 48! – Grant Eaton

Grand Teton’s jagged peaks are one of the most spectacular views you can see, and that’s fifty miles from even making it to the park. They look like a masterpiece painting from afar, and once you arrive, you add to the splendor with the lake and wildlife. Imaginary worlds in fantasy novels fall short of the breathtaking beauty of those mountains. – William Stonick

Sequoia checks off all the boxes for me. Landscape is interesting, home to an endemic species, chance to see great wildlife, there’s no service, and there are great trails – some of which are accessible to everyone. The more access, the more learning 🙂 Bonus – it’s a great place ANY season. – Delaney McClain

Love a good Nat. Park competition! Keep em going! – Ryan Danford

Bryce!! Underrated and unworldly! Took me totally by surprise when I visited! – Amber Black

Almost impossible to choose a winner, but Glacier is the place that I tell myself and others that is an absolute MUST see. Wildlife, waterfalls, views for days, majestic mountains, turquoise lakes, glaciers, and you can’t forget the Huckleberry bear claws! – Jared Askins

Mt Rainier in autumn is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen!! The glaciers, marmots, waterfalls, and salmonberries make this park the most beautiful place on earth! – Miriam Rainwater

I’ll always pick a natural park when in competition with a manmade one, so maybe pitching manmade against manmade would be better. – Tawnie Black

A large variety of nature is available at Oympic National Park to including features such as waterfalls, rivers, rain forests, beaches, ocean, and mountains. Go Banana Slugs! – Bill Muni

I have spent many years travelling from the UK to the USA and Zion was my favourite park. I love the way you can stay right in the middle of it all. Other parks may be bigger or more popular but Zion just does it all for me. – Simon Browning

Yosemite. So many options for hikes. I have been to 48 parks and this is still my favorite. When you come out of the tunnel, it takes your breath away. I don’t k ow how people climb there and to me that is part of the thrill, seeing people sleeping on the edge. – Kris Latka

Saguaro National Park gives travelers the feeling of truly being in an American western film. From the stunning golden sunsets, to rising Saguaro cacti, to the javelinas, coyotes, and roadrunners roaming the desert landscapes, Saguaro is one of the most underrated National Parks. – Joshua Hennings

Evert single park is beautiful in their own way, but the one that takes our breath away will always be Grand Tetons! – Karen Molnar

Zion for me was a stunning park and everywhere you turn the views just made one pause in the natural beauty. So much to do and see each and everyday one would stay there. – Bryan Neely

I love many places on this list including Cuyahoga Valley National Park (a jewel among urban sprawl), but how can anything on this list be better than an over 2000 mile trail in the most beautiful places along the east coast?! – Wrenn Nicodemo

The Appalachian Trail is the most magical place on earth! It has given us sanctuary from the demands of everyday life. It has brought us closer together as a family. It was where we decided to create a new life. It is where we brought our beloved dog for his last adventure. It is where we go to restore our souls. If everyone could spend time in the quiet beauty of the trail, there would be more love and peace in this world. – Tiffany Weber

How can you not love Yosemite!!! Most iconic and beloved parks in our country. Breathtaking every time we lay eyes on it. – Wanda Bawden

Bryce Canyon is one of the most popular National Parks in the US. It’s shouldn’t be a seed 13. A match up against Rocky Mountain (which is also a popular park) is a tough draw. I love this idea though! I’m looking forward to seeing who wins. – Thomas Moss

There’s a reason Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited. It has something for everyone. – Christopher Marshburn

Match ups need to be better like Denali and Katmai is unfair so as Bryce vs Rocky Mountain. I think either Grand Canyon, Yosemite or Olympic should win it as Yellowstone is out. – Debashish Sarker

The A.T. is for everyone, and once you have hiked even for an afternoon, you feel part of something, beautiful, big, and beyond yourself. The Trail represents so much! Cooperation and accessibility even before it became an incorporated NP. Community that spans states as well as generations (3 generations of advocacy and support, in our family’s case). The stewardship of this NP as our country’s premier national treasure brings us closer together, even in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. It is, “A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the widerness”, and is our favorite NP. – EK Vincett

The A.T. has always been an important touch point for several generations of my family long before it was a National Park. Always ‘the trail’. My grandfather was a trail maintainer along with my Aunt. Our family would frequently go for hikes on the A.T. or some of the side trails. Before we had children my wife & I thru-hiked the trail and have always marked that as an important milestone in our marriage. Our children Laurel and Holly were named after plants on the trail and we frequently have given our pets trail related names. In retirement we now live within a days drive of the trail and continue to make pilgrim. – Mark Vincett

Bryce is the absolute – most unique landscape in the USA. People literally tear up and become emotional over the breathtaking beauty when they see it for the first time….some are speechless. No other place on earth has the soaring views, stunningly all they way down the Grand Staircase Escalante to Page AZ. Bryce is a true treasure. – Debbie Ponder

Cuyahoga Falls is one of the most underrated NP’s. Just an amazing little oasis in otherwise urban Ohio. Just not fair to put it up against Canyonlands! The Committee obviously didn’t want Cayahoga Falls to make it past the first round. Maybe next year they could get a play-in game against someone like Indiana Dunes or Gateway Arch so they could get a victory before losing out to a big guy. – John Witman

Lassen Volcanic is unique…being able to hike up a volcano and see the crater. The rest of the park is stunning as well with its volcanic activity at Bumpass Hell including boiling mud pots. There are also many beautiful lakes and forests and meadows to hike through …a truly magical place worthy of a win. – Sharon Gies

Appalachian Trail all the way! Huge fan of the AT, especially up north in the White Mountains of New Hampshire❤️⛰️❤️ – Brooke Carmody