I'm from the West Coast. My national park experience includes Yosemite, Volcanoes, Arches, Zion, Bryce, Redwood, Crater Lake, and Lassen. (I've technically also been to the Grand Canyon, but it was so foggy, it was more like going to the Sears Portrait Studio - you couldn't even see the canyon.)

I used to say "I've never been to a national park and wondered why it's a national park - they all have an obvious and immediate majesty to them."

Then I went to Pinnacles, and Acadia. I'd honestly forgotten about Pinnacles until I started writing this comment. It's also one of the newest parks, so even though it was underwhelming, it didn't impede my belief in park majesty.

Acadia, though, just doesn't have the magic. It's an island, which is strange because that means there's a town in the park where people live. Honestly I think I liked the coffee shop I had breakfast in more than the rest of the park. There's a summit you can take photos from and a hike that goes along the rim of the island. That seemed to be it. As a West Coast boy, it didn't have the same specialness as the other parks I've seen. Even my Mainer friends say "we don't know why Acadia is a park - there are so many other places in Maine that are at least as pretty."

If this guy thinks Yosemite, Zion, Arches, and the Grand Canyon are among America's worst parks, he's bonkers or trolling.

> they all have an obvious and immediate majesty to them.

"Grandeur" is not the only criteria for nice national parks. I'm from the east coast, and while all of the breathtaking views in California were amazing, after a few years of living there I began to get frustrated that I couldn't find anywhere "cozy" to visit during the weekends. Some locations along the Russian River probably came the closest, but the jagged rocks and coniferous trees still didn't manifest the sort of "warm and snug" feeling one gets while river tubing along a mountain river in the Blue Ridge mountains. Temperature deciduous rainforests are actually quite rare across the planet, and particularly when the leaves change colors, it's a sight to behold.

Strong disagree on Pinnacles being underwhelming. The California condors acord woodpeckers and alone are worth the visit. The caves are also very cool if you go when they're open.

> Even my Mainer friends say "we don't know why Acadia is a park - there are so many other places in Maine that are at least as pretty."

I believe that private ownership of land is the biggest answer.