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01/30/2015 10:05 AM EST


Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada


Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota


Badlands National Park in South Dakota


Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska


Congaree National Park in South Carolina

Yesterday, Yahoo! released a list of The Nation’s Worst National Parks,” but we think these stunning pics prove these national parks are some of the most beautiful places in the U.S. — and are definitely worth the visit!

Called “America’s Best Idea,” our national parks protect some of the most spectacular places in the U.S. From Alaska to Florida — and every state in between — the more than 400 national parks help preserve local history and provide visitors a chance to explore America’s great outdoors. We think all of them are pretty special and worth preserving.

Photos from top to bottom:
Death Valley National Park
(located in California and Nevada) never disappoints with 3.4 million acres of desert and mountains — making it the largest national park in the lower 48 states. This gorgeous picture of the park was taken as a storm rolled in, giving more color and contrast to the Grapevine Mountains while churning sand creates the illusion of fog. Photo by Donna Fullerton (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Swaying prairie grasses, forested hillsides and an array of wildlife — such as bison, elk, and prairie dogs — welcome visitors to one of our country’s oldest national parks and one of its few remaining intact prairies. Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota protects one of the world’s longest caves. Photo of the park’s Red Valley at dawn by Glen Fredlund (www.sharetheexperience.org).

The rugged beauty of the Badlands National Park in South Dakota draws visitors from around the world. The park’s striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds, and its 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live today. Photo by Harlan Humphrey (www.sharetheexperience.org).

At Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska, wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys, caribou migrate along age-old trails and endless summer light fades into aurora-lit night skies of winter. Pictured here is a beautiful mountain vista near Anaktuvuk Pass in the Brooks Range. Photo by Carl Johnson, National Park Service.

A hidden gem on the East Coast, Congaree National Park in South Carolina preserves the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern United States. Congaree provides a sanctuary for plants and animals (including otters), a research site for scientists and a place for visitors to explore wilderness amidst giant hardwoods and towering pines. Photo courtesy of Jacob Frank.