Fall colors: Zion makes list of top national parks to visit this season
Utah's Zion National Park has made another list of the top places to visit in the U.S. this fall, celebrated for the dramatic color contrasts of its changing riverside leaves and towering sandstone walls.
The southern Utah heat has given way to cooler temperatures as well, making for comfortable hikes and crisp view from its panoramic vistas.
"The summertime crowds have long since dispersed at Zion National Park when fall rolls around," according to the new list published by FamilyVacationist.com. "From September to November, the colors of the leaves make a very pretty contrast to the high red rock canyon walls."
Zion ranked second on the online list, trailing only Acadia National Park, located in Maine. That park is famous for its changing fall colors.
It's no secret Zion is a popular place to visit. The park drew nearly 4.7 million visitors in 2022 and ranks among the most-visited parks in the U.S.
But the brilliant fall colors found at the bottom of the park's canyons typically don't get the same attention as the iconic red-rock formations that tower above.
The contrasting colors, combined with the cooler weather and smaller crowds, make fall an ideal time to visit.
Here are the other top-rated parks to visit this fall, according to the article:
Acadia National Park, Maine
Zion National Park, Utah
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
Yosemite National Park, California
13 best national parks to visit in the fall originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.
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This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Zion makes makes list of top places to visit to see fall colors
