We have so many things to be grateful for as we look back on 2019. When we started this site back in 2015, it was because so many family and friends were asking to see photos and hear more about our trips. We never dreamed it could become what it is today.
Here are some of our highlights from the year:
- More of you stopped by to say ‘hi’ than ever before in 2019. We also met some new friends through our Park Chaser Profile series.
- We were fortunate enough to cross 12 more national parks off our #parkchasing list.
- Our Facebook and Instagram communities also saw growth this year, and have now become an exciting place to hear your #parkchasing stories and help others connect for trip planning questions, advice, and sharing our love for the parks.
Today we’re looking back on our top posts of 2019. The ones that received the most visitors during the year or had the most comments. We hope you enjoy looking back on a year of travel and storytelling as much as we have this week.
Didn’t see your favorite post on the list? We’d love to hear what you thought should have made the list of Top Posts of 2019. Leave us a comment or tag us on social media.
Park Chaser’s 10 Top Posts of 2019
#10 – The Most Visited Parks in 2018
Every year the National Park Service posts visitor statistics for the most popular national parks. It’s exciting to see which parks make the list each year, and which park continues to be the most popular in all of the United States. More than 300 million people visit a park each year, with places like Yellowstone and Zion each receiving several million visitors annually.
We’re looking forward to posting the latest list when it arrives sometime in early 2020.
#9 – Hiking the Redwoods – The Fern Canyon Trail
Of all the hiking posts we shared this year, The Fern Canyon Trail is the only one that makes our list of Top 10 posts. It’s with good reason. The Fern Canyon Trail ranks as one of our favorite days of hiking in ALL of our national park visits.
The Fern Canyon trail is famous for being the filming location for Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World and one of the most unique places in all of Redwoods State and National Parks. If you’re planning an upcoming trip, check out our other posts about the park:
- Camping in Redwoods NP: The Jedediah Smith Campground
- Hiking the Redwoods: The Coastal Trail to Enderts Beach
- 3 Best Places to See Wildlife in Redwood National Park
- How to Plan the Ultimate Oregon National Park Road Trip
- 14 National Parks with Big Trees
#8 – Trip Recap: Indiana Dunes National Park
Posted after our visit in May 2019, Indiana Dunes was our 71st of the more than 400 national park units. It was also on the same day the National Park Service was holding the official dedication of the new signage after Indiana Dunes was elevated from a national lakeshore to national park designation. It was an exciting time to be in the park.
Not only does the park recap the time we spent hiking the dunes, but it also includes travel advice and things to know before you visit our 61st national park.
#7 – National Parks Near San Diego
In just a few days of vacationing in San Diego, it quickly became one of our favorite places to travel in the United States. Beaches, brisk morning walks, great hiking, and museums. There’s so much to love about the city. During our stay we also hit up as many of the national parks near San Diego as we could.
Our list of National Parks Near San Diego ranks as one of the top posts of 2019. In it, we share the list we used to research the NPS units we could cross off our #parkchasing bucket list while we were in California.
#6 – Places to Watch the Sunrise in Acadia National Park
Not only is this one of our personal favorite blog posts of the year, frankly it’s one of our favorite memories EVER in a national park. We think sunrise in Acadia should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.
As soon as we planned our Acadia itinerary, we started looking for spots to start the day with a sunrise. Today we’re sharing some of the most popular (and secret spots!) we found while researching where to watch the sunrise in Acadia National Park. Here are our other Acadia National Park posts from 2019:
- 25 National Parks Like Acadia
- Hiking in Acadia National Park: The Ocean Path Trail
- Hiking Acadia National Park: The Jordan Pond Path
- Camping in Acadia National Park: The Blackwoods Campground
#5 – How to Choose the Best NPS Passport for Your Next Adventure
One of the first things we purchased when we started #parkchasing was a national park passport book. Found in almost every bookstore in the NPS, our passport books has become one of the most treasured objects we own.
In 2019 we shared our complete guide to how to choose the best national park passport for every national park adventure. We wanted everyone to have the perfect way to document the parks they visit in 2019 and for years to come.
#4 – The Best National Park Podcasts to Listen To In 2019
One of our personal goals for 2019 was to spend less time dwelling on the 24-hour news cycle, and more time with the amazing and exciting content that other National Park lovers create. There are so many blogs, Instagrams, and podcasts dedicated to the national parks now. We love being inspired by other’s trips and would much rather read about cool travel plans than government shutdowns or trade wars.
Podcasts became a big part of our longer road trips and when we logged time in the airport or at the gym this year. We continue to turn on an episode while making dinner or when we’re done being in front of a screen for the day. Our list of national park podcasts quickly become one of our most popular posts of the year. We’re looking forward to posting an updated list in January 2020!
#3 – The 3 Best Places to See Wildlife in Glacier National Park
One of the reasons we have loved our vacations in Glacier National Park was the park’s incredible wildlife. The amazing network of hiking trails means that up-close encounters with the wildlife in Glacier National Park are frequent if you know the right places to be in the park.
Along with our Glacier National Park Trip Planning Toolkit, one of our top posts of 2019 was this guide to the best wildlife watching in the park.
#2 – National Parks Near Chicago
Chicago may not be as famous as a national park destination as Yellowstone or New York City, but there’s plenty of #parkchasing options near the Windy City. Our guide to the National Parks Near Chicago was our first to include a custom Google Map that links to directions to each national park unit.
It was the top post of 2019 for many weeks and continues to rank high among first-time visitors to our site.
#1 – The Least Visited National Parks in 2018
It’s funny to us that our most popular blog post of 2019 was about the least popular national parks. There’s something intriguing about the most remote, wildest places in the National Park Service. When the list comes out, we’re always excited to see how many people took on the challenge to travel to the farthest corners of our country to enjoy a place where few others venture.
Watch out for our updated list of the least visited national parks of this year. We’ll post it in early 2020 as soon as the National Park Service statistics are published.
