National & State Parks: The best of the best state parks

This is a feature that I'm very excited that on my website. I wrote five editions of a book called Parks Directory United States, the descriptive information about national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and included more than 3,300 state parks, historic sites and natural areas. By collecting information about the book, I realized that there are a number of state parks that compete the most famous national parks in terms of beauty, cultural and historical significance, and natural resources, even though many of these parks are not good by known to the public.

I have always had in mind the idea of a list of "best" state parks in the United States.

Of course I knew that this list is very subjective, as the best parks to be not the best park to a skier or rider of the road in a birdwatchers. But I went ahead with my idea and in contact with the directors of all state systems and 50 Parks asked the following question:

If you try to present your national park system, this would be your recommendation to 2-3 visitors must see "Parks and why?

In its replies, underlined most directors the difficulty of the task was to select only 2-3 state parks for this project, if they were to choose from tens or hundreds. Some routes, the rules a bit and 4-5 mentioned parks. (I decided to leave these additional options.) In many cases, selections are accompanying information that can be accessed by clicking on the link "Quote", which appears just below each state name. Each state name is a hyperlink to the official website for each state park system.

A feature that is certainly up for debate, here are a list of the "best of the best state parks."

Alabama

DeSoto State Park
Joe Wheeler State Park
Lake Guntersville State Park

Alaska

Chugach State Park
Denali State Park
Totem Bight State Historical Park
Bois-Tikchik State Park

Arizona
what you say

Kartchner Caverns State Park
Red Rock State Park
Tonto Natural Bridge

AR
what you say

Crater of Diamonds State Park
Ozark Folk Center State Park
Petit Jean State Park

California
what you say

Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Hearst Castle
Huntington State Beach
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Colorado
what you say

Mueller State Park
Roxoborough State Park
Steamboat Lake State Park
Sylvan Lake State Park

Connecticut
what you say

Dinosaur State Park
Gillette Castle State Park
Hammonasset Beach State Park

Delaware
what you say

Cape Henlopen State Park
Fort Delaware State Park
Trap Pond State Park

Florida
what you say

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Myakka River State Park
Paynes Prairie State Preserve
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Wekiwa Springs State Park

Georgia
what you say

Cloudland Canyon State Park
Providence Canyon State Park
Tallulah Gorge State Park

Hawaii

SP Koke'e State Park and Waimea Canyon
Iao Valley State Park
Diamond Head State Monument

Idaho

Bruneau Dunes State Park
Ponderosa State Park
Priest Lake State Park

Illinois
what you say

Cache River State Natural Area
Chain O'Lakes State Park
Pere Marquette State Park

Indiana
what you say

Brown County State Park
Falls of the Ohio State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park

Iowa
what you say

Backbone State Park
Ledges State Park
Waubonsie State Park

Kansas
what you say

Cheney State Park
Scott State Park
Tuttle Creek State Park

Kentucky
what you say

John James Audubon State Park
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Louisiana
what you say

Bayou State Park Segnette
Fontainebleau State Park
Fausse Pointe State Park Lake
North Toledo Bend State Park
Tickfaw State Park

Maine

Reid State Park
Sebago Lake

Maryland

Assateague State Park
Elk Neck State Park
Gunpowder Falls State Park
Swallow Falls State Park

Massachusetts
what you say

Mount Greylock State Reservation
Nickerson State Park
Walden Pond State Reservation

Michigan
what you say

Ludington State Park
Porcupine Mountains State Park Desert
Tahquamenon State Park
Waterloo Recreation Area

Minnesota
what you say

Blue Mounds State Park
Itasca State Park
Forestville / Mystery Cave State Park

Mississippi
what you say

John W. Kyle State Park
Percy Quin State Park
Tishomingo State Park

Missouri

Ha Ha Tonka State Park
Meramec State Park
Montauk State Park
Prairie State Park

Montana
what you say

Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
Makoshika State Park
Ulm Pishkun State Park

Nebraska

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Fort Robinson State Park
McConaughy Lake State Recreation Area

Nevada

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park
Cathedral Gorge State Park
Valley of Fire

New Hampshire
what you say

Franconia Notch State Park
Mount Washington State Park
Odiorne Point State Park

New Jersey
what you say

High Point State Park
Iceland Beach State Park
Wharton State Forest

New Mexico
what you say

City of Rocks State Park
Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park
Sugarite Canyon

NY
what you say

Jones Beach State Park
Niagara Reservation State Park
Riverbank State Park
Saratoga Spa State Park

North Carolina
what you say

Hammocks Beach State Park
Hanging Rock State Park
Morrow Mountain State Park
Stone Mountain State Park

North Dakota
what you say

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Icelandic State Park
Lake Sakakawea State Park

Ohio
what you say

Hocking Hills
Hueston Woods State Park
Mohican State Park

Oklahoma
what you say

Beavers Bend State Park
Quartz Mountain State Park
Robbers Cave State Park

Oregon
what you say

Ecola State Park
Shore Acres State Park
Silver Falls State Park
Smith Rock State Park

Pennsylvania
what you say

Ohiopyle State Park
Presque Isle State Park
Ricketts Glen State Park

I have always had in mind the idea of a list of "best" state parks in the United States. Of course I knew that this list is very subjective, as the best parks to be not the best park to a skier or rider of the road in a birdwatchers. But I went ahead with my idea and in contact with the directors of all state systems and 50 Parks asked the following question: