Wallace Stegner, novelist and environmentalist, once said that National Parks were, 'The best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.' I for one would agree. National Parks let us explore the uninterrupted world. They let us connect with nature in the raw and tune into our most basic instincts. Being among the trees and being immersed in the sweet woodsy smell of the earth immediately calms the mind. You slow down, you revel in the sounds of the wind in the trees, the birds and the bugs. Some of the most visited National Parks are on this list from aaastateofplay.com. The Blue Ridge Parkway tops the list. This 469-mile-long road connects to beautiful parks in two different states. In Virginia it's the Shenandoah National Park and in North Carolina it's the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blue Ridge Parkway had 15,948,148 visitors last year.
Infographic by: aaastateofplay