The 20 safest and most dangerous national parks

Seqoia was the national park I've felt the least safe in. I guess it's flat and not big but I remember walking on one of the main trails and suddenly hit a bunch of snow and quickly was lost in a large area of endless snow and ran into a few other people who had the same issue and there was no service. It was deep snow and there were ponds and stuff around which we knew we could slip into. Eventually just walked around and got lucky enough to hit a trail. Was mega sketchy and I guess like Muir or some shit wanted it to be untouched so there were no warning signs or anything.
Morro Rock was also sketchy as shit. Mega steep walk up with no railings and way too many people with barely enough space to go past each other.
Sequoia NP stretches from ~1300ft to Mt. Whitney at 14500, the highest point in the 48. Sequoia is legitimately the least flat National Park in the 48, and it's huge. In combo with Kings Canyon NP it's even huger (it's essentially one park, really). Anyway, I've climbed several 14ers in Sequoia NP and boy are they anything but flat. I had to correct this record.

Careful out there Woolley. Cell service and warning signs on trails are very rare in national parks. The warning signs are at the entrance to the park, trailheads, visitor centers, and in your senses. Gotta have your wits about ya, most importantly, or you'll end up on this list!

That being said, snow is no joke, and it's probably the biggest killer/maimer on this list. Especially scary when melt/freeze cycles start in spring and around tree wells. Lots of risk for those things in the lower Sequoia elevations.
It was a learning moment. Was legit like 10 minutes of walking away from getting out of my car then 10 minutes later was like oh shit, I don't know where I am.
Aren't national parks and the areas surrounding supposedly havens for unsolved murders too - creeps lurking around knowing a lot of young women go on solo treks in the parks?
No, especially for the young solo woman on a trek thing. It's a fanciful thought that appeals to our Hollywood senses, but no. Murder in national parks is extremely rare and a young solo woman walking through a grocery store parking lot or Discovery Park is far more risky. Not to say it hasn't happened and there aren't cold cases. Not many young women though.

Cold Cases - Investigative Services (U.S. National Park Service)
 
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Only park on either list that I've been to is Hawai'i Volcanoes. Great drive from the west side of the Big Island. Arrived in shorts and tees to 55 degrees and a slight drizzle. The rain cleared up, but it didn't warm much so the tourist shop made a nice sum of money off of my wife and I. Ate dinner at the restaurant at the rim of the crater and got to watch and listen to it erupting at dark. 10/10 would recommend.
Not really big on the outdoors parks and camping stuff. Maybe when the kids get older.
 
Only park on either list that I've been to is Hawai'i Volcanoes. Great drive from the west side of the Big Island. Arrived in shorts and tees to 55 degrees and a slight drizzle. The rain cleared up, but it didn't warm much so the tourist shop made a nice sum of money off of my wife and I. Ate dinner at the restaurant at the rim of the crater and got to watch and listen to it erupting at dark. 10/10 would recommend.
Not really big on the outdoors parks and camping stuff. Maybe when the kids get older.
My old man has been to 60/63 of the national parks. He's missin' the 3 in deep Alaska. He got Denali though. Shout out to the old man.
I'm somewhere in the 30-40 range. I was born a ramblin' man.

Hawaii Volcanoes is sick.
 
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Only park on either list that I've been to is Hawai'i Volcanoes. Great drive from the west side of the Big Island. Arrived in shorts and tees to 55 degrees and a slight drizzle. The rain cleared up, but it didn't warm much so the tourist shop made a nice sum of money off of my wife and I. Ate dinner at the restaurant at the rim of the crater and got to watch and listen to it erupting at dark. 10/10 would recommend.
Not really big on the outdoors parks and camping stuff. Maybe when the kids get older.
My old man has been to 60/63 of the national parks. He's missin' the 3 in deep Alaska. He got Denali though. Shout out to the old man.
I'm somewhere in the 30-40 range. I was born a ramblin' man.

Hawaii Volcanoes is sick.
I think I'm at 15 give or take. A little light.
 
Christ - if there ain't no grizzly bars then you can't top the list.
I can remember hiking around Glacier and Yellastone in High School being terrified of getting eating alive.
N. Cascades has hardly any grizzlies compared to the Alaska stuff.
I once was camping between Yellowstone/Teton at a dispersed site, one other guy camping a few hundred yards away. We set up our tent and this dude comes strolling over with his camera. He then proceeds to show us his camera and scrolls through pictures of a mama grizz and cubs and says "This was in your campsite last night! Better be careful!"

We then had a fire in pitch black darkness, putting out a small circle of light, I was shifty eyed as fuck, scanning the perimeter, bear spray in one hand, imagining which fire torch I was gonna grab with my other hand to do battle with a grizzly. We then slept in the car. Fuck all that!
Even small black bears get into cars like they're made of cardboard.
 
Christ - if there ain't no grizzly bars then you can't top the list.
I can remember hiking around Glacier and Yellastone in High School being terrified of getting eating alive.
N. Cascades has hardly any grizzlies compared to the Alaska stuff.
I once was camping between Yellowstone/Teton at a dispersed site, one other guy camping a few hundred yards away. We set up our tent and this dude comes strolling over with his camera. He then proceeds to show us his camera and scrolls through pictures of a mama grizz and cubs and says "This was in your campsite last night! Better be careful!"

We then had a fire in pitch black darkness, putting out a small circle of light, I was shifty eyed as fuck, scanning the perimeter, bear spray in one hand, imagining which fire torch I was gonna grab with my other hand to do battle with a grizzly. We then slept in the car. Fuck all that!
Even small black bears get into cars like they're made of cardboard.
Bears don't break into cars with screaming humans often though. Our food was hung elsewhere. Even so, the only other options were the tent or cowboy style under the moon. Might as well slather ourselves with bacon grease at that point.
All this is pretty normal out there but we got to this site late and weren't prepared for the information that nice man brought us. Tripped us out. That nice man had a trailer and he was far. It was just him, us, and mama griz w cubs out there.
 
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Christ - if there ain't no grizzly bars then you can't top the list.
I can remember hiking around Glacier and Yellastone in High School being terrified of getting eating alive.
N. Cascades has hardly any grizzlies compared to the Alaska stuff.
I once was camping between Yellowstone/Teton at a dispersed site, one other guy camping a few hundred yards away. We set up our tent and this dude comes strolling over with his camera. He then proceeds to show us his camera and scrolls through pictures of a mama grizz and cubs and says "This was in your campsite last night! Better be careful!"

We then had a fire in pitch black darkness, putting out a small circle of light, I was shifty eyed as fuck, scanning the perimeter, bear spray in one hand, imagining which fire torch I was gonna grab with my other hand to do battle with a grizzly. We then slept in the car. Fuck all that!
Even small black bears get into cars like they're made of cardboard.
Bears don't break into cars with screaming humans often though. Our food was hung elsewhere. Even so, the only other options were the tent or cowboy style under the moon. Might as well slather ourselves with bacon grease at that point.
All this is pretty normal out there but we got to this site late and weren't prepared for the information that nice man brought us. Tripped us out. That nice man had a trailer and he was far. It was just him, us, and mama griz w cubs out there.
Just an amusing thing to point out. I would've slept in the car.
I'm doing a pack in, float out trip in "The Bob" in Montana in early September. The guys I'm going with only carry bear spray. I'm going to consider options but will be a little more heavily armed than that.
 
please tell me @chuck you aren’t gone be slinging gear on the South Fork.

Sounds like it’s time to buy a large caliber wheel gun or 10mm.
 
please tell me @chuck you aren’t gone be slinging gear on the South Fork.

Sounds like it’s time to buy a large caliber wheel gun or 10mm.
Nah I won't bring any spin gear. I had a very nice, home built 6 weight that was stolen years ago from my house. I don't have any other fly gear and I don't want to borrow so I'll probably be purchasing sometime soon.
I'll probably just pack one of my .40s with 200 grain hard cast. 40s&w, according to the only reasonable research of documented encounters I've seen, is 5/5 at stopping bears. Just gotta shoot them where it hurts.
If the first I see of a bear is a dead on charge from 10 yards I think I can draw the pistol fast enough to put it in my mouth.
Also I know for a fact that I can run faster than my friend who is taking me on the trip...
 
@chuck
I have read about this adventure in Bob Marshall. That's awesome. Someone in the group packing some heat in there is fair game. Air horn too. I love my rechargeable air horn. Haven't used it on a charging grizzly bear though. It's good to have all options on Montana rivers. Not just for bears, but for Kevin Bacon, too.
 
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I don’t know why I’m surprised but the whole park rape and bear eating went in a direction I wasn’t prepared for.
 
I don’t know why I’m surprised but the whole park rape and bear eating went in a direction I wasn’t prepared for.

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It's a gateway drug to western national parks
It was fine as a National Monument or National Memorial e.g. the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, DC sites, etc. These aren't simply names, they do have meaning. Teddy Roosevelt is rolling in his grave!
rolling in his grave with a young Filipino boy, enjoying libertine delights. Teddy was a classic groomer.

Although I agree national monument is a better fit for the Arch.
 
please tell me @chuck you aren’t gone be slinging gear on the South Fork.

Sounds like it’s time to buy a large caliber wheel gun or 10mm.
Nah I won't bring any spin gear. I had a very nice, home built 6 weight that was stolen years ago from my house. I don't have any other fly gear and I don't want to borrow so I'll probably be purchasing sometime soon.
I'll probably just pack one of my .40s with 200 grain hard cast. 40s&w, according to the only reasonable research of documented encounters I've seen, is 5/5 at stopping bears. Just gotta shoot them where it hurts.
If the first I see of a bear is a dead on charge from 10 yards I think I can draw the pistol fast enough to put it in my mouth.
Also I know for a fact that I can run faster than my friend who is taking me on the trip...
I’d bring a .22 and kneecap anyone close to you so you don’t have to run too much.
 
If OBK were still among us, he could share insight on National Parks being designed as a cover for human trafficking and a home for other worldly creatures.

Which could explain the frequency of disappearances.
 
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