10 Best National reserves in United States
Best National reserves in United States
At a glance
Data updated: October 2026
- Places listed
- 34
- Average rating
- 4.8 / 5
- Reviews
- 413,900
- Rated 4.5 or higher
- 94%
- With a website
- 85%
10 best National reserves in United States compared
| Rank | Place | Score | Rating | Reviews | 5★ share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Jeremy Point | 4.81 | 4.9 | 8 | 88% |
| #2 | National Mall | 4.80 | 4.8 | 268,438 | 82% |
| #3 | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area | 4.80 | 4.8 | 23,583 | 86% |
| #4 | Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area | 4.80 | 4.8 | 13,266 | 83% |
| #5 | Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park | 4.80 | 4.8 | 9,864 | 88% |
| #6 | Brandywine Falls | 4.80 | 4.8 | 4,546 | 83% |
| #7 | Fort Point National Historic Site | 4.80 | 4.8 | 4,237 | 81% |
| #8 | Dinosaur National Monument | 4.80 | 4.8 | 3,129 | 83% |
| #9 | Buffalo National River | 4.80 | 4.8 | 3,052 | 89% |
| #10 | Bandelier National Monument | 4.80 | 4.8 | 2,964 | 86% |
LocalGuideWorld score: the average rating weighted by the number of reviews, so a 4.8 from 2,000 reviews ranks above a 5.0 from 3 reviews.
Best for
How the places are rated
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★ 4.5 – 5.032 places (94%)
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★ 4.0 – 4.42 places (6%)
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★ 3.5 – 3.90 places (0%)
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★ < 3.50 places (0%)
What reviewers talk about
Share of 246 recent reviews that mention each topic.
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Price & value12%
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Service & staff10%
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Cleanliness9%
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Waiting & crowds9%
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Location5%
Top Cities for National reserve in United States
Top Rated National reserves
Top Reviewed National reserves
View Place
Washington Monument Grounds
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Vicksburg National Military Park
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Piscataway Park
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Gateway National Recreation Area
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Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
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Bandelier National Monument
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National Mall
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Golden Gate National Recreation Area
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Dinosaur National Monument
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Garret Mountain Reservation
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Manassas National Battlefield Park
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Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
Quick facts
- How many places in the “National reserve” category are listed in United States?
- There are 34 places in the “National reserve” category in United States on LocalGuideWorld.
- What are the 10 best places in the “National reserve” category in United States?
- By LocalGuideWorld score: Jeremy Point, National Mall, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.
- Which place in the “National reserve” category in United States has the highest rating?
- Jeremy Point, rated 4.9 out of 5 based on 8 reviews.
- Which place in the “National reserve” category in United States has the most reviews?
- National Mall, with 268,438 reviews.
- Which place in the “National reserve” category in United States is a hidden gem?
- Jeremy Point, rated 4.9 from only 8 reviews.
- What is the average rating of places in the “National reserve” category in United States?
- 4.7 out of 5 on average, based on 413,900 reviews.
Reviews
Unfortunately, the prime reason for going was to see the fossil wall and skeletons, but the center is closed for renovation. Both the Utah and Colorado sides have their inate beauty! Would have loved to have seen the wall, but.
Biking hiking looking at the views are amazing. Getting out in the bridge on bike or foot is something you must do.
Car Traffic is slow over the bridge as expected. Check out fort Spencer and fort point
Car Traffic is slow over the bridge as expected. Check out fort Spencer and fort point
Beautiful hiking. Fun trails. Incredible vistas. This place is great. And there’s ample parking and bathrooms!
If you’re a history buff, this is a great place to explore. It was a gorgeous day and we really enjoyed riding through the park on the motorcycle. Didn’t have a lot of time, but you really could spend all day there exploring all the different sites in the park. Beautiful grounds and well kept with tons of history and information. Well done!
museum with movie at every hour
animated map of the battleground inside
free guided 45 min tour.
Ask for starting time ( today 2pm )
animated map of the battleground inside
free guided 45 min tour.
Ask for starting time ( today 2pm )
This is a remarkable and historical place among with great bucolic beauty. There are plenty of hills along with different species of animals including horses, deer and so on. Specially the ducks. The view is enchanting.
So glad we stopped in to visit this site. It's a somber and informative place to learn more about the greatest civil rights leader in history and pay your respects. If you haven't visited and are interested in this topic, it's a must. Thanks to the staff for keeping it beautiful and operating well.
This is a nice simple park to spend time at. There's a lot of history associated with it and they play a movie in the visitor center. The staff is friendly and there's a big parking lot. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but if you're in the area, it's certainly worth a visit. Would recommend!
This place is a climbers paradise! So much to do and so much to climb! The sport and trad routes are super fun and the approaches aren’t bad at all. The shade is truly a god send when you’re climbing all day. Kraft has some killer bouldering routes as well. We stayed at the campsite literally 2 minutes away from the crag! Perfect place.
Absolutely loved this experience. I hadn't been since the exhibit was complete but am so happy to have the experience. Wonderful job Atlanta!! It would be nice if the home tours started a little earlier but this exhibit is a must see. I'd say do this over the Civil Rights Museum. At least this paints a positive picture of the happenings of the times. If we are going to tell the story...tell it right or tell it right. Those that have gone to both will understand what I mean. Thank you to this center for being beautiful. Thumbs up👍🏽!
This place is so great you have to go there. There's so many different places to go hike or go out on the water. They have like five different campsites if you want to go camping. They have a live fossil bed and you can go see dinosaur bones, and you can even touch them. If you go to the visitor center in Utah you can see the dinosaur bones and they have a shuttle to take you from the visitor center to the dinosaur center.
This place was incredible and very peaceful in the right spots. The most lovely colors in the rocks and biiig open sky, and so much history. We hiked several paths and sites along the scenic highway. We drove around quite a bit but the destinations were worth it.
One of the gem 💎 of DC. This has history, nature, tranquility and peace all in one area. Walk as much as you want, sit as long as you want and play until dark on the sprawling grass. You can watch the beautiful sunset as well when the weather is good. Fall and Spring are the best time to enjoy nature here
We visited four national parks on this trip. Three were heavily congested to the point of being unpleasant. Dinosaur was much less congested. The fossil exhibits and scenery were some of our favorite. Also, they had one trail along the river where they actually ALLOWED us to walk our dogs. All things considered, it was very much worth the detour.
National Park. 1300 monuments to all of the different states and military divisions who fought here. Cemetery has 17,000 union soldiers interred. Also see the ironclad battleship the Cairo.
Well worth the visit.
Well worth the visit.
Loved this monument. Beautiful mountains and woods and great history. There are some steep ladders and heights so be aware of you are nervous of heights. I would not say some parts of this are child friendly, but some areas are. Paved paths for most of it. Great views. The area has petroglyphs and ladders into some of the dwellings.
We took the grand kids to explore the battlefield. The guided tour was terrific. The ranger was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the battle, especially the context (our tour covered the 1st Battle of Bull Run). The visitor center has a great museum and the movie about the battles was extremely well done. I would caution that the scenes are very graphic and parents may want to discuss the movie before/after if your kids are 14 and younger.
Really cool monument. One of the cooler things I saw while going around New Mexico.
Pros:
Old structures, artifacts, great information, and you can GET IN the old structures. Climb ladders, walk on trails, etc. to get up to these old places. One of them was like 150 feet up a cliff face!
Cons:
Not super easy to get around. I had a hard time finding my way to some of the more obscure places, partially because I had no service there. The main loop trail is easy enough to follow, but there are a lot of branching trails and places where I could have missed something cool. It was also very hot and the water fountains were not working.
All that being said, the pros outweigh the cons, super cool
Pros:
Old structures, artifacts, great information, and you can GET IN the old structures. Climb ladders, walk on trails, etc. to get up to these old places. One of them was like 150 feet up a cliff face!
Cons:
Not super easy to get around. I had a hard time finding my way to some of the more obscure places, partially because I had no service there. The main loop trail is easy enough to follow, but there are a lot of branching trails and places where I could have missed something cool. It was also very hot and the water fountains were not working.
All that being said, the pros outweigh the cons, super cool
Garret Mountain Reservation is a well maintained facility in the surrounding area of Woodland Park and Clifton. It is a giant loop that means you can easily drive through most of the areas of the reservation, and it is free. Entire reservation is very well maintained and lush green. I visited on Sunday, August 27, and it was crowded but manageable.
The best part is the boat house looking over the lake, and one can hike around the giant lake in the loop. There is an equestrian center in the reservation, which was closed on the day of my visit. Lambert Tower and Castle is another attraction worth checking out.
Lambert Tower was one used as a lookout for enemy aircrafts by the military during World War II. There is another scenic overlook with very limited parking of may be 15 cars is there which is always crowded. I saw Park Ranger giving tickets to unofficial parking.
Restrooms in the reservation are well kept and on busy day, difficult to find parking.
The best part is the boat house looking over the lake, and one can hike around the giant lake in the loop. There is an equestrian center in the reservation, which was closed on the day of my visit. Lambert Tower and Castle is another attraction worth checking out.
Lambert Tower was one used as a lookout for enemy aircrafts by the military during World War II. There is another scenic overlook with very limited parking of may be 15 cars is there which is always crowded. I saw Park Ranger giving tickets to unofficial parking.
Restrooms in the reservation are well kept and on busy day, difficult to find parking.
I was surprised at the size of the MLK Jr Historic Park. The architectural design of the Visitor's Center is beautiful both inside and out. The inclusion of the neighborhood homes and fire house made this amazing journey so much more interesting. The videos, photos and audio-visual all worked together to make this an unforgettable experience.
I loved this place. I got my fill of adventure. I saw amazing pueblos, snakes, bears and I climbed up to some incredible views. If you plan to visit, I would recommend bringing extra water or Gatorade and a few hours to enjoy yourself. I would set aside at the very least 4 to 5 hours. The trail is short, but there are other trails on the loop to explore and I don't recommend missing them.
So much to learn here. Monuments to some of the world's most influential figures, and more world class museums than you can possibly see in one trip. Friendly, clean, and safe, with ice cream trucks in absurd abundance!
One of the best parts of our father/daughter trip. Views are outstanding!
Lovely park! There’s water and lots of land. It’s quiet and peaceful. There’s a nice trail and even seating! I saw people fishing as well. Kind of in the cut you definitely have to look for it a little bit, but it was worth the trip :)
This is beautiful and well taken care of. The grass is green and clean, the whole area feels airy and not crowded. It looks bigger on a map than it really is, you can go around the whole national mall seeing all memorials in about 2-3 hours. Just note that buses don’t reach some areas.
There are also several restrooms around which is greatly appreciated, as well as little overpriced shops that offer refreshments.
There are also several restrooms around which is greatly appreciated, as well as little overpriced shops that offer refreshments.
Beautiful place not far from Las Vegas. If you're visiting Vegas and got tired of the madness of casinos, restaurants, and shows, this place can provide a nice respite and is only 40m away from the strip (by car). There are also tours directly from Las Vegas for those who don't want to drive.
We went during the summer so hiking was off the menu. At least on the maps, the trails are well mapped and should be pleasant to hike during more moderate weather. I also heard they have E-bike tours which seems like an interesting option.
Even if you only have an hour or two, there's a one way loop around the park with very nice views. Many stops (but not all) have a restroom open to the public. Drive slowly and stop around to enjoy the views.
Entrance fee was $23 (as of July/2023) per car. The place is clean and well documented so I felt that the experience was more than worth the price charged.
We went during the summer so hiking was off the menu. At least on the maps, the trails are well mapped and should be pleasant to hike during more moderate weather. I also heard they have E-bike tours which seems like an interesting option.
Even if you only have an hour or two, there's a one way loop around the park with very nice views. Many stops (but not all) have a restroom open to the public. Drive slowly and stop around to enjoy the views.
Entrance fee was $23 (as of July/2023) per car. The place is clean and well documented so I felt that the experience was more than worth the price charged.
The Piscataway Park is definitely a place we are looking forward to visiting again.
WOW! So much to see!!! Now there are parts that you cannot swim, we were not there to swim, but it was odd that you couldn’t swim.
This year, 2023, the light house is only open from Friday to Monday. We were told, so we missed it. The old base was a gem to see and glad they are repurposing the buildings!
Check out the pictures, we enjoyed it!
This year, 2023, the light house is only open from Friday to Monday. We were told, so we missed it. The old base was a gem to see and glad they are repurposing the buildings!
Check out the pictures, we enjoyed it!
This was a very pleasurable experience as well as an area of the park that can only be experienced by being there!!! Campsites are very clean and easy to set up camp on. All of the rangers that were encountered had very positive attitudes and friendly interactions with the campers. Parking is blocked off to non camp patrons. Will def go again and again!!!
What an experience to see such an iconic memorial to one of our founding fathers and first president. I never realized that it was completed in two stages and that there is a slight color difference in the stones used to build it.
Family and I go year round. Beautiful views along the shorelines on both sides of the peninsula. Clean beaches and the bike/walking path are easy to use along the ocean side. Free access from Labor Day to Memorial Day.
A very peaceful and amazing place. You can appreciate the structure and the surrounding buildings. The grounds were full of school tours and people walking through the park.
The grounds are very well kept and clean.
The grounds are very well kept and clean.
Great space, people are super friendly. A wonderful place to connect with nature
An amazing place to visit if you like history. Has a nice drive with audio tour stops. Some locations have been closed as of early 2023 due to flooding that washed away some roads. This does not take away from the tour. Plenty of signage to explain how this battle took place. Has a great visitor center.
The area is beautiful during the day. So much to see and do around the capital. Plenty of museums, the White House, Capital Building, Smithsonian museums, Washington monument. All within easy walking distance. The Natural History Museum was awesome. So was the White House Visitors Center. Take note, though, there are not too many restaurants around so pack a lunch or plan on hitting a food truck. We prepaid to park, which took off some stress of finding a spot and it was qctually cheaper. I highly recommend doing a weekend trip.
My boys wanted to experience something more natural, since they don't get the opportunity in the city. I just happened to come across this little gem. It was right up my alley in the price, Free but donations are welcome! We got to interact with the animals, observed the drying of tobacco in the tobacco house, look at colonial homes. We even walked out onto the pier and saw Mt. Vernon. Make sure to pack bug repellent when you visit!