Top 10 State Parks

I have recently returned from camping in northern Colorado, staying at one of the many wonderful state parks across the area. It was likely my last trip of the year - a season closer set in the changing colors of the aspens. The trip caused me to reflect, thinking over the years of all the campgrounds I have haunted.

The state park experience represents a special tier of camping and the outdoors. Not truly roughing it - there are often great facilities with running water, showers, and amenities. But it’s also not a hotel. You are outdoors, in and amongst the natural world, sharing the experience with your friends, family, and the group over in the next campsite.

So I have decided to evaluate my time at state parks, and issue my declaration of the 10 best, aiding you in your travel planning.

What makes a great state park? To me, there are several criteria. First, location and access to nature. The park must be in a place of wonder, with access to great activities, hikes, scenery, history, and natural beauty. Second, you need the right amount of infrastructure - well spaced, roomy campsites. Hot showers are a plus. Bike trails, a visitors center, etc. Last is accessibility to interesting places - a town nearby to go have lunch, or a mountain to climb, or a lake to swim in. There must be things to do, places to see, and ways to entertain yourself either in or near the park. After all, we don’t travel to be bored.

For this list, I limited the candidate pool to parks that I have actually spent time at - preferably camping - and have a personal connection with. I am certain there are greater, more magnificent parks out there, but I can only provide guidance on those I know and love.

So in no particular order, I offer my list of the Top 10 state parks:

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas.

• Enchanted Rock kickstarted me on a life-long tangent of camping, photography, hiking, and the outdoors. The seeds had always been there, but soon after I graduated from college I drove out to the Texas Hill Country and clambered around that pink granite and became hooked. It’s unlike any other part of Texas, a geological oddity of raw rock overseeing the scrubby prairie. It offers prime hiking, but the best activity is simply climbing around and exploring the cactus, oak groves, and boulders. From the top, views across the Hill Country are amazing, and when you’re done you can drop into the fun town of Fredericksburg, TX for some bratwurst and a beer. The park is so popular now you need reservations. But for the lucky few who can walk along the stream-bed, looking at the timeless geology during the spring bluebonnet bloom, few experiences can match.

Cottonwood Canyon, Oregon.

• Just a couple of hours east of the wet forests of Portland, Oregon, Cottonwood Canyon offers a wildly different ecosystem. Rolling grass prairie, dramatic rock formations, and the wild John Day River shape an environment that surprises even lifelong Oregonians. One of the state’s newest parks, the small campground of less than 30 sites sits next to the river with beautiful buildings and amenities. Hiking trails, snakes, bighorn sheep, and a constant wind all add to the drama of this central Oregon wilderness.

South Beach State Park, Oregon.

• The parks up and down the Oregon Coast could take an entire travelogue to describe. But for our family, one in particular became a staple of summer weekends. South Beach State Park, just below the scenic town of Newport, offers everything you might want from a Pacific Coast weekend. Biking trails take you through the forest to a huge expanse of sand where you are likely to spot whales offshore. The campground is huge but well laid out, with playgrounds for the kids and all the amenities you need. You’re close enough to ride your bike to the world famous Oregon Coast Aquarium, one of the finest in the country. We were fortunate to camp here during the 2017 eclipse, which remains one of my most memorable weekends of all time.

Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah.

• I’ve been to three different state parks in Utah and each one has been spectacular. Utah really invests in these places, and Kodachrome Basin State Park is one of the best. Named after the classic camera film, which in turn describes the amazing and colorful rock formations, the park is spectacular in its own right but also a wonderful base camp to explore Central/Southern Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park is a short drive away, as well as untold number of slot canyons, desert hideaways, rock arches, and millions of acres of raw wilderness.

Fort Worden Historical State Park, Washington.

• Representing a unique flavor of state park found along the Pacific coast, Fort Worden is actually a decommissioned military base. Set against the spectacular Straights of Juan de Fuca - where ships of all kinds pass into the Puget Sound - the park has a crazy array of history and buildings to explore. Former army barracks are now rented out like B&B’s, decaying artillery batteries invite kids to climb and explore, and a small aquarium is on site to provide environmental education to even the most jaded visitor. Film historians will recognize the site as where scenes from An Officer and a Gentleman were filmed, and the cute port town of Port Townsend is a few minutes away for further touristy adventures.

Wallowa Lake State Park, Oregon.

• Another park that seems to have everything - a glacially carved gem of a lake set against miles of alpine wilderness, the history of Chief Joseph and the tragic tale of the Nez Pearce, the artsy town of Joseph, Oregon nearby. Wallowa Lake State Park serves as an amazing base camp for all sorts of exploration - historical, natural, artistic, and spiritual. If that’s not enough, nearby Zumwalt Prairie Preserve and Hell’s Canyon offer more wildlife and wilderness than you can imagine. It’s miles from anywhere and hard to get to, but the Wallowa region cannot be bested in terms of adventure and rugged splendor.

Goblin Valley State Park, Utah.

• Another Utah gem, Goblin Valley State Park takes a bit of driving to get to…out of the way from just about anything. But once there, you are treated with a splendid small campground isolated in the desert. Star gazing is top notch here, as is the hiking and access to the sandstone playground of the southwest. Not many parks can claim their own slot canyons and geological oddities like hoodoos, buttes, and anticlines, and swells. But Goblin Valley delivers.

Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon.

• This one is a bit of a cheat, as Sunset Bay State Park is part of a series of amazing costal parks on the Oregon Coast. Running to the south are Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago State Park, offering miles of stunning Pacific Ocean scenery. Sunset Bay has the campground and a tidy little protected cove - perfect for swimming and teaching kids to kayak and paddle board. Shore Acres was once a rich person’s estate - which was donated to the people of Oregon (remember when rich people did things like that?). It provides a contrast between manicured gardens and ocean battered cliffs. Lastly, Cape Arago presents the wild, untamed coastline and the famous Simpson Reef, home to hundreds of sea lions and seals, barking and frolicking in the surf. Threading it all together are hiking trails, temperate rain forests, and views to die for.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California.

• Another cheat, as Jedidiah Smith is sort of a hybrid national park/state park, part of a series holdings that protect some of the last old-growth Redwoods in the country. The trees, of course, are the main feature. Spectacular forests that defy logic in size and scale. Nearby are scenic beaches absorbing the cool Pacific air, and fern laden hiking trails such as the famous Boy Scout Tree Trail invite exploration and gratitude. And of course, Jedidiah hosts possibly the world’s greatest campsites - #55 and #56 - nestled against the Smith River and sheltered by some of the largest trees you will ever encounter.

Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington.

• Living in Portland, Oregon for many years, I found myself again and again drawn to Cape Disappointment. Famous for being visited by Lewis and Clark, this park offers a little bit of everything. Not one, but two, lighthouses! White sand beaches, wildlife galore, bike trails, the mighty Columbia River crashing into the Pacific, and a large, well laid out campground with everything you could want. You’re a short drive from the scenic and historic city of Astoria, Oregon, but you may not want to leave. One of my fondest memories was sitting on a bench, watching seals in the water and an Osprey fighting a Bald Eagle over a dead fish. Where else can you find something like that?

And there you go, my Top 10. This was much more challenging that expected - I left out some amazing places across a number of states. Pushed to write this another day, my list might look substantially different.

I hope you enjoyed this list - and make an effort to go out and visit these amazing places yourself. You won’t regret it.

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Disclaimer:

All content and opinions are solely those of the author (Jack), and not representative of my employer, former employers, clients, anyone in Congress, my family, former college roommates, Baptists, the good citizens of Colorado, or my dog Mabel.