No. 1 is No. 1: Yellowstone Defeats Zion for 2024 National Park Championship

In a Face-Off of America’s Most Iconic Parks, Narrows Fall to Geysers to Take the Parks Madness Trophy

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In the end, nothing was going to stop Yellowstone. The world’s first national park received the only first-round bye in the inaugural Parks Madness tournament to honor its place in history. It breezed past Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic in Round Two before facing slightly stiffer winds against its Wyoming neighbor, Grand Teton, in the Sweet Sixteen and the “Crown of the Continent,” Glacier, in the Final Four. In the match to determine the 2024 National Park Champion, it turned out that even mighty Zion didn’t have a prayer, with Yellowstone winning 64-36%.

“So much beauty, so much to do!” said Parks Madness voter Shelly Smallwood. “There’s a reason it’s called ‘first and best!’”

Another voter, Andrew Miller, said: “Yellowstone is, and always will be, the undisputed King of the National Parks.”

Just over two years ago, on March 1, 2022, Yellowstone celebrated the 150th anniversary of President Ulysses S. Grant signing the law that established the world’s first national park, over 3,400 acres of stunning natural beauty in Wyoming and part of Montana. Early promoters of tourism propagated a myth that Native Americans feared the “evil spirits” of the slumbering but active supervolcano that powers more than 500 geysers. In fact, over a span of 11,000 years, no fewer than 27 indigenous tribes worshipped, hunted and gathered food in what the Crow called “the land of vapors.”

While the National Park Service has worked to tell a fuller history, the appeal of Yellowstone has only grown deeper. “Yellowstone is the park that made me fall in love with nature & exploring the outdoors when I was a child,” voter Elizabeth Entwhistle wrote. “The wonder and awe of the geysers, springs, the paint pots, and of seeing bears & buffalo. Family jokes started there with my 4-year-old brother and a buffalo hat bought as a souvenir, memories from camping & seeing elk. It’s magical. It’s the one park that opened my eyes to them all.”

Yellowstone “coach” and Superintendent Cam Sholly might have the win, but Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh can take solace in the much tighter photo contest. The Utah national park came within a facial whisker of beating Yellowstone, across the full Parks Madness tournament, for most photos submitted by voters depicting their overall winner.

“Zion National Park should win because it is heaven on earth!” voter Jane Falk said. Others called Zion’s scenic views “jaw-dropping” and said the park is “breathtaking every single visit.”

Even voters who chose the winner were conflicted. “I love both of these parks!” voter Shane Sprowl wrote. “While Zion might be the more photogenic and awe-inspiring of the two, Yellowstone simply overwhelms with the amount of wildlife, geothermal features, and untouched wilderness it has to offer, and for that it has my vote as the ultimate Parks Madness champion :)”

Voter Margaret Ligares summed it up: “No matter who wins, we all win, because the national parks are the best of us!”

Many voters expressed a desire to see Parks Madness return – and find more ways to showcase some of the lesser-known jewels of America’s treasured spaces. “Parks Madness is fun, but I am sorry to see the end competition ended up with overwhelmingly popular parks and little gems were dashed aside,” voter Laura Geroulis wrote. “Sure, it's a popularity contest, but how about one that lets the smaller parks shine?”

“Please bring back Parks Madness next year!” voter Lauren Schwartz added. “Sorry to see it end. Thanks to the Parks Channel for putting this together. It has been so much fun to read the stories and memories of other Park Lovers!”

For more comments on the tournament, visit https://theparkschannel.com.

ABOUT THE PARKS CHANNEL

The Parks Channel is a new platform for “America’s Best Idea” – at home, on the journey and for making memories. Our mobile-optimized website, theparkschannel.com, features over 500 curated and geotagged videos, enabling visitors to discover amazing places to go, informed by park superfans and others dedicated to public lands. Users can create their own pages, unlock park badges by submitting content and create curated gear checklists for travel based on where they want to go and what they like to do. Coming soon, Parks Channel will be available as an advertising-supported free app on connected TVs.

Alanna Zahn Davis
The Azure Group for Parks Channel
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