The national parks in USA and Canada rated by National Geographic Traveller!

The highest rated 16 parks are virtually pristine and usually on good terms with local people (Source: National Geographic Traveller: text by Jonathan B. Tourtellot, and photograph by Jerry Kobalenko/Getty Images).

The winner is Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, British Columbia, Canada. It`s considered by National Geographic Traveller`s expert panel as following: "High cultural integrity. Haida are very involved in park management. Residents display a real stewardship ethic." Authenticity, too: "Archaeological and historic artifacts are left to their natural processes as per Haida tradition, which surprises visitors who expect 'preservation.'" "Beautiful and intact. A great model for other regions." This park have few visitors, but has apperantly opportunities for unique adventures.

How has survey been conducted?
According to National Geographic Traveller, since simple numerical measures cannot do justice to the task, they turned to informed human judgment: a panel of some 300 well- traveled experts in a variety of fields—ecology, sustainable tourism, geography, park management and planning, travel writing and photography, historic preservation, indigenous cultures, archaeology.

National Geographic Traveller asked panelists to evaluate just the places with which they were familiar, using six criteria weighted according to importance: environmental and ecological quality; social and cultural integrity; condition of any historic buildings and archaeological sites; aesthetic appeal; quality of tourism management; and the outlook for the future.

Some popular parks for vistitors are Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska, and Redwood National and State Parks. National Geographic Traveller`s comment about the last mentioned park is: "Sleepy, foggy fishing villages, bays, and coves; remote, unspoiled, charming, and attractive. The magnificence of the redwoods is unparalleled, but logging and now tourism have created a degraded mosaic of landscapes."

It`s amazing that Rocky Mountains National park and Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA (22nd place) are so far down on the scoreboard list. At this "geological wonder of the world," South Rim throngs dominate the visitor experience.

U.S. and Canadian national parks today face modern pressures inside and outside their borders—pollution, budget cuts, development, soaring visitation, ecological decline. Traveler's expert panelists grade the condition of park destinations, including the gateway towns you visit on the way in and out. Some parks do better than others. One country does better than the other.

Link to the article about the ranking of national parks in USA and Canada: National Geographic Traveller - parks.

Stein Morten Lund, 13 December 2005

Additional information
National Geographic Website: www.NationalGeographic.com.