There isn’t much that is more American than the US National Parks system.
Just in time for the 4th of July, and summer vacations, there is a new list of the most ‘picturesque’ National Parks in America.
A travel site called “Places to Travel” published the ranking, and you may be surprised at the park that tops the list … or at least by what Americans consider “picturesque.”
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Ironically, the national park that topped the list is based on a manmade structure and the ranking doesn’t actually have anything to do with national beauty.
Places to Travel said it created the list by analyzing Instagram hashtags. It then took the size of each US National Park to figure out the park with the highest “hashtags per acre.”
Based on that theory, “Places to Travel,” named Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri, as the most Instagrammable national park in the country — with more than 123 hashtags per acre.
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Here is the rest of the Top 10 List:
Top 10 Most Instagrammable National Parks
- Gateway Arch
- Bryce Canyon
- Acadia National Park
- Zion National Park
- Arches National Park
- Hot Springs
- Haleakala
- American Samoa
- Indiana Dunes
- Yosemite National Park
It’s no secret that social media had a huge impact on tourism around the world, and people often turn to friends and influencers to help plan vacations.
“Social media continues to play a pivotal role in where we decide to travel to for vacation or for a weekend trip, with many social media users taking to their favorite platform to see the best beauty spots at their chosen destination,” according to a spokesperson for Places to Travel.
Don’t get me wrong. I think social media has overall increasing tourism and the desire to travel. I actually love that!
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There are dozens of national parks that deserve to be on this list for their natural beauty. As you can see, parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, and Denali National Parks did not make the list.
The ranking is just another reminder that everyone has a right to travel as they wish … but make sure you take the time to pause and truly experience where you’re at when you go.