Can't decide where to start? Give me some suggestions. am thinking about out West

I was really impressed with Crater Lake National Park. I've visited Yosemite and Tahoe and a few out east but for some reason, Crater Lake just really stands out to me. Since you're kind of "in the area", check out the redwoods between Eureka, CA and the Oregon border. Cool! Have fun!

I used to have a boss whose imperative for a lengthy conference was "Gotta minute?" More like half a day.
Let me first run the table of the National Parks, "out west", which is a huge territory.
Carlsbad Caverns - about the only cave I will ever go back to. Huge, scenic, and fascinating.
Rocky Mountain -- good trails to water falls, moutain lakes, and scenery. Great drive over the top of the ridge via Trail Ridge Road
Yellowstone - a spectacular wonderland of geysers like no place else on this planet, beautiful lakes, spectacular waterfall, other volcanic features like mud pots, bubbling this and that. A fantasy world set to nature.
The Grand Canyon - awesome to say the least, almost more than one can fathom.
The parks of Southern Utah: Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reefs. All of these have the central theme of red sandstone carved by wind and water, except for Bryce, which is soft limestone.
Mesa Verde - the only NP I know of that features former human habitation as the main attraction. Consists of ancient stone dwellings set under the overhang of sandstone cliffs.
Glacier NP - a world of former glacial activity with a few remnant alpine glaciers. A hiker's park to back country chalets and scenic vistas of towering vertical walls deep into the mountain valleys.
The Tetons, arguably the most scenic of the easily reached mountain parks. Can be combined easily with a trip to Yellowstone.
Along the Pacific Coast -- from south to north -- Kings Canyon/Sequoia, Yosemite, Mount Lassen, Crater Lake, Mount Ranier, Olympic, and the North Cascades.

Each has its own theme and wonderful sights. Yosemite is a deep glacial canyon with hanging waterfalls like no other place I have seen, except possibly Lauterbrunnen Switzerland. Crater Lake is a blown up volcano with a lake in the old crater. Ranier is a huge dormant volcano that rises over 14,000 feet seemingly out of the ocean. Olympic is a rain forest of mountains, snow, and big trees.

Oops, forgoet Redwood NP - preservations of those awesome sequoia sempervirens trees that grow to more than 300 feet in height.

And one area that is not a national park is the Oregon Coast. Beautiful, combinations of rocky headlands with pounding waves, towering volcanic cliffs, and wide but windy and somewhat cold beaches.

It will take you several visits to see this collection and do it justice. So you have to decide what type of scenery you like best. My top 4 choices: Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce, and a tie between Glacier and Yosemite. (Had to hedge that one.)
And ask me in a week and you might get different answers. But remember, you are trying to select among diamonds.
Where am I going this year? Yellowstone and Glacier, with an excursion to Canada. And don't get me started on those parks or I will be here another while. But the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Lake Louise is the most spectacular long drive you will ever take this side of Alaska.

Bob Brown has it all. This description of Yellowstone and Glacier from an old Indian friend: Yellowstone is comic opera and Glacier is grand opera. If you haven't seen the Oregon coast, this is high on the list. How about San Francisco (Muir Woods National Monument is across the Golden Gate Bridge and north on Rt. 1.)

We planned a 15-day trip for Australian friends that started from Los Angeles to San Franciso to Yosemite to Las Vegas to Utah to Arizona and covered 11 national parks and monuments.

What are your special interests?

Have visited 41 national parks and my three favorites are (in no particular order) Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. Second tier would be Rocky Mountain, Arches/Canyonlands, Glacier, Zion/Bryce, and Sequoia/Kings Canyon.

If forced to pick one to recommend I'd say Yellowstone/Grand Teton for the widest variety of unique attractions.

Dear James,
If you are heading West, then I recommend Glacier, Mt. Saint Helens, and the Olympic National Park in Washington. If headed South, The Great Smokey Mountains is the nations number one most visited national park, more that doubling the second most visited park. It is a Great place to visit. Also I recommend Cumberland Island off the Georgia coast. Good problem to have!

If we look to the East then, in addition to the Smokies, there is the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has one terminus close to Cherokee, NC, and the other close to Charlottesville, VA. Over 450 miles of scenic driving. Living in Georgia, I second the nomination of Cumberland Island.

On my western National Parks list, I left out Great Basin park in Nevada. It is one I have not been to, but others have commented that it is worth the trip. The problem is that it is somewhat isolated. Petrified Forest was also not on my list. I have trouble thinking of it as a National Park because I first saw it a long time ago.
Also, there are several sites that are technically classified as National Monuments that rank highly. Canyon de Chelly is one that many contributors to this forum have praised. Cedar Breaks, close to Bryce Canyon, is another.
The only park I have visited that I would not much of an effort to see again is the North Cascades. What is has to offer less than most of the others, unless one is into backpacking and climbing technically.

WOW - Bob's answer was teriffic. Nowhere did I see mentioned Death Valley, a spectacular place lying mostly in California, with a tip edging into Nevada. The vastness of this National Park is overwhelming. Terrain ranges from below sea level salt flats, to towering mountains, to sand dunes, to canyons. The summer heat,however, is a definite factor when visiting this NP. Have visited other Parks, and each has its own natural beauty, but for me, DVNP is among my favorites.

I haven't been to Glacier National Park, so Yosemite comes in first for me. It is incredible!

Hi again. For Debbie. My knowledge of Death Valley is a little old now (I have to remember that.)
Has it been elevated to National Park status? I always think of it as a National Monument. But anyhow, regardless of what it is, you are absolutely right about the appeal of the place. My big concern is the heat.
Our old geologist friend, the man who played a major role in my learning to love the parks, always took his geology classes there in late March or early April.
His lectures on the geology of the place were fascinating, even to a non scientist.

James: Along with the above, I'd add Denali in Alaska. It was wonderful to see more wildlife than people there!

Hi Bob - Death Valley is among our newer National Parks, being elevated to a NP from a NM in Oct 95. At over 3+ million acres, it's also one of the largest!! With summer temperatures of 120+ deg, also one of the hottiest, driest climates in the US.

You were certainly a good student of your geologist friend. Hope he was also a teacher, because he sounds like a very interesting person who would have had well attended classes !!

Our most recent visit to DVNP was late March 98, and at that time, the park was suffering the effects of El Nino...cold, rainy weather, but the rain turned the desert floor into a carpet of yellow flowers that was magnificent.

Well, my family and I have been to the Grand Canyon twice in the last two years. My Mother and Brother have been three times, and we have a trip planned for 2000 as well. The Canyon is so awesome!! Check out these websites:

http://www.thecanyon.com/

http://www.kaibab.org/

http://www.amfac.com/

http://www.hitthetrail.com/

All the best,

Anders

Hands down! Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.. as long as Kilauea is erupting, it is the place to be & to see! Lots of great hikes & all that red hot lava. Also a rainforest & views, views, views!