Best National Parks in the World

The world’s first national park sits atop a restless supervolcano: Old Faithful erupts on schedule and the Grand Prismatic Spring glows orange and blue. The Lamar and Hayden valleys are among the best places anywhere to watch wolves, bison and grizzlies from the roadside at dawn.

A mile deep and eighteen across, this immense chasm lays bare two billion years of Earth’s history in walls of red, ochre and rose. The busy South Rim strings sunset viewpoints along a free shuttle, while hikers descend the Bright Angel trail toward the Colorado far below.

Glacially sculpted granite defines this Sierra Nevada valley, where the sheer face of El Capitan and the dome of Half Dome tower over meadows and the winding Merced River. Spring brings thundering snowmelt waterfalls, and the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove rank among Earth’s largest living things.

Vermilion sandstone cliffs rise straight from a lush canyon floor, and the signature hikes push you into the rock itself. Wade upstream through the Virgin River in the slot-canyon Narrows, or edge along fixed chains to the vertiginous summit of Angels Landing, reached only by lottery permit.

Canada’s oldest national park compresses the best of the Rockies into glacier-fed lakes, evergreen forest and jagged peaks. The impossibly turquoise water of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake draws photographers before dawn, and the Icefields Parkway ranks among the world’s great mountain drives. Visit in June or September.

Three granite towers rise like a stone crown above turquoise lakes and hanging glaciers at Chile’s wild southern tip. The multi-day W and O circuit treks pass the calving Grey Glacier and grazing guanacos. Fierce winds and four seasons in an hour are part of the Patagonian appeal.

The colossal Perito Moreno Glacier calves into the lake with a crack like thunder here in Argentine Patagonia, its blue ice cliffs fed by a vast ice field. To the north, the granite spire of Mount Fitz Roy draws trekkers to the laid-back village of El Chalten.

Straddling the Argentina-Brazil border, some 275 cascades stretch nearly two miles through subtropical rainforest, dwarfing Niagara in height and breadth. Walkways lead to the lip of the Devil’s Throat, where the river plunges in a deafening, mist-drenched curtain patrolled by toucans, coatis and butterflies.

New Zealand’s largest park is a primeval realm of deep fiords, temperate rainforest and countless waterfalls. Milford Sound, where sheer Mitre Peak rises from dark water, is the star, best seen by boat as dolphins surface and cascades stream down the cliffs. Pack waterproofs; rain suits it.

The great red monolith of Uluru rises abruptly from the flat desert of Australia’s Red Centre, glowing crimson and violet at dawn and dusk. Sacred to the Anangu people, its base walk reveals ancient rock art, hidden waterholes and caves, with the domes of Kata Tjuta nearby.

Towering quartzite-sandstone pillars wrapped in swirling mist inspired the floating mountains of Avatar. Glass walkways, a vertigo-inducing skywalk and the 326-metre Bailong elevator carry visitors among the spires, while cable cars up Tianmen Mountain reach a cliff-face road of 99 hairpin bends. Allow two full days.

Sixteen terraced lakes in shades of emerald, turquoise and azure tumble into one another over travertine barriers and countless waterfalls. Wooden boardwalks cross directly above the crystal-clear water, letting you watch fish and cascades beneath your feet. Arrive at opening to escape the summer crush.

These pale limestone peaks in the Italian Alps turn rose-pink at sunset in a glow locals call enrosadira. Cable cars and daring via ferrata routes open up jagged summits, high meadows and mirror lakes, while cosy rifugio huts serve hearty Tyrolean food. Base yourself in Cortina.

Ireland’s oldest national park cradles a chain of lakes beneath the country’s highest mountains, ringed by rare ancient oak woodland and ruined abbeys. Traditional jaunting cars and boat trips explore the shores, native red deer roam the hills, and the Gap of Dunloe cuts a dramatic glacial pass.

This high-altitude Himalayan park contains Everest itself, known locally as Sagarmatha, amid a cluster of the world’s tallest peaks and plunging glaciers. Trekkers pass Sherpa villages, prayer wheels and monasteries such as Tengboche on the classic route to Everest Base Camp. Go slowly and respect the altitude.

Cape Town’s flat-topped mountain rises more than a thousand metres straight above city and sea, often draped in a swirling tablecloth of cloud. A revolving cable car or a hike up Platteklip Gorge reaches the summit, carpeted with unique fynbos plants found nowhere else. Go on a clear morning.

The largest living structure on Earth stretches over 2,000 kilometres along the Queensland coast, a shimmering mosaic of coral teeming with turtles, rays, reef sharks and thousands of fish species. Snorkelling reveals a riot of colour, while scenic flights show its staggering scale and heart-shaped coral.

One of the few glaciers still advancing, this vast wall of fractured blue ice puts on a constant show as huge chunks calve and crash into milky Lake Argentino. Steel boardwalks bring you face to face with the five-kilometre-wide front, close enough to hear it groan and crack.

Wales’s wild heart gathers rugged peaks, glacial lakes and heather moorland around Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales. Walkers tackle the airy Crib Goch scramble or ride the historic mountain railway to a summit cafe with views to Ireland. Pack layers for ever-changing weather.

The hottest, driest and lowest place in North America is a surreal landscape of blinding salt flats, sculpted dunes and painted badlands. Below-sea-level Badwater Basin, the swirling colours of Artist’s Palette and some of the country’s darkest skies make this desert feel like another planet. Carry ample water.