USA TODAY 10Best
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Park Wins!
Best National Monument (2015)
After four weeks of voting, the polls are closed and the winners of the 10Best Readers' Choice contest for Best National Monument have been selected.
The category winner, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington, features a rugged volcanic landscape to explore as well as a visitors center filled with interesting insights into volcanoes and how they work.
Runner-up for Best National Monument, Devils Tower, holds a special place in U.S. history as the first ever national monument, designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
The top 10 winners in the category Best National Monument are as follows:
- White Sands National Monument - N.M.
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument - Ariz.
- Muir Woods National Monument - Calif.
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - Fla.
- Giant Sequoia National Monument - Calif.
- Statue of Liberty National Monument - N.Y.
- Fort McHenry National Monument - Md.
- Oregon Caves National Monument - Ore.
- Devils Tower National Monument - Wyo.
- Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument- Wash.
Photo courtesy of RobertWaltman
No. 10:
Like a visit to somewhere totally “other,” a drive through the largest pure gypsum dune field in the world (at 275 square miles) enthralls. The rolling sand hills invite such unusual recreational pursuits as sledding and, in the summer and fall, full moon programs. Five trails encourage visitors to study closely the site’s subtle, seemingly stark, ecological communities.
Photo courtesy of kojihirano
No. 9:
Occupying Navajo tribal lands in its entirety, this natural monument boasts striking rock formations and other dramatic features which visitors can view from its rim drives or by private tours into the canyons via hiking, horseback or vehicle. Navajo families have lived on and farmed these lands for nearly 5,000 years and continue to do so today.
Photo courtesy of sansara
No. 8:
Part of an extensive complex of federal and state protected lands, Muir Woods is an awe-inspiring forest of old-growth coastal redwood trees – the tallest living organisms in the world. Six miles of asphalt trails and boardwalks are wheelchair and stroller accessible and connect with other loop trails in the vicinity.
Photo courtesy of FloridasHistoricCoast.com
No. 7:
On the shores of colonial St. Augustine, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the continental New World, this fort was 23 years in the building, from 1672 to 1695. Francis Drake, James Oglethorpe and other British troops assaulted its thick coquina rock walls in attempts to gain control of the city. Today, historic re-enactors demonstrate colonial and military life in the oldest and only 17th-century fort still standing in North America.
Photo courtesy of Derek Kendzor/Wikimedia Commons
No. 6:
This monument protects 33 giant sequoia groves, paying homage to the amazing 250-foot-plus trees, which can grow to 20 feet in diameter and larger. Visitors can enjoy six of the groves on hiking trails and campgrounds within the national monument. The fully accessible Trail of a Hundred Giants, for instance, travels for a half mile, interspersing flora and fauna among the giant sequoias.
Photo courtesy of tupungato
No. 5:
Surely America’s most recognizable national monument, the 151-foot statue has graced New York Harbor since 1886, when France presented it to the United States as a gift and gesture of ideological support. Nearly 4 million people visit the monument each year to check out the pedestal or the 24-window crown. Ferries provide transportation to Liberty and Ellis Island.
Photo courtesy of Visit Baltimore
No. 4:
Shaped like a star itself, Fort McHenry’s greatest claim to fame is inspiring Francis Scott Key to write a poem called The Star-Spangled Banner. Of course, it later became the U.S. national anthem, based on the fort’s victorious 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Ranger programs, historic reenactments, demonstrations and flag ceremonies interpret the “Birthplace of the American National Anthem.”
Photo courtesy of National Park Service
No. 3:
One of only a few marble cave formations in the world, the monument also boasts rare plants found nowhere other than here, nestled deep inside the Siskiyou Mountains. Admission to the complex labyrinth of caves is by guided tour only. Seasonal tours include summer Candlelight Cave Tours and October Haunted Candlelight Cave Tours.
Photo courtesy of McIninch
No. 2:
Long before Close Encounters brought this natural monument to the surface of the collective American consciousness, it already ranked as one of the most visited attractions in the nation. President Theodore Roosevelt declared the 1,267-foot-high rock formation the first national monument in 1906. Once a sacred Native American site, it today attracts rock climbers and geology geeks.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Slocum
No. 1:
The 1980 volcanic eruption that shook the American West has left the landscape of Mount St. Helens a contrast of old growth and devastation that is giving way to new growth. Drive, bike or hike the rugged, fascinating landscape that weaves the story. Visitor centers prepare people entering the site for the telltale signs of the earthquake, which measured 5.1 on the Richter scale, and its aftermath.
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Mike Wendland (Roadtreking.com), David and Kay Scott (Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges) and Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl (Trans-Americas Journey) were chosen based on their extensive travel experience in the U.S.
Additional nominees included Pipestone National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, San Juan Islands National Monument, Misty Fjords National Monument, Fort Sumter National Monument and Booker T. Washington National Monument.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners. The contest was promoted on 10Best and USA TODAY.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
David and Kay Scott
David and Kay Scott have been traveling since the... Read More
David and Kay Scott have been traveling since the late 1960s and writing about it since the 1970s, when they authored their first three-volume series of books about America's national parks. They subsequently authored the book Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges (currently in its 8th edition) plus numerous travel articles for newspapers and magazines. The Scotts have discussed travel on various radio programs and twice been interviewed on NBC's Today. Visit them at www.valdosta.edu/~dlscott/Scott.
David and Kay Scott
David and Kay Scott have been traveling since the late 1960s and writing about it since the 1970s, when they authored their first three-volume series of books about America's national parks. They subsequently authored the book Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges (currently in its 8th edition) plus numerous travel articles for newspapers and magazines. The Scotts have discussed travel on various radio programs and twice been interviewed on NBC's Today. Visit them at www.valdosta.edu/~dlscott/Scott.
Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and... Read More
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and photographer Eric Mohl left their jobs and apartment in New York City and embarked on their ongoing Trans-Americas Journey working road trip through North, Central and South America. The SATW award-winning pair freelance from the road for outlets including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, American Cowboy Magazine, BBC.com, Slate.com, RoadsandKingdoms.com, the Sunday travel sections of the Dallas Morning News and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune other outlets. Follow their Trans-Americas Journey travel blog as their little road trip continues south.
Karen Catchpole and Eric Mohl
In 2006 journalist Karen Catchpole and photographer Eric Mohl left their jobs and apartment in New York City and embarked on their ongoing Trans-Americas Journey working road trip through North, Central and South America. The SATW award-winning pair freelance from the road for outlets including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, American Cowboy Magazine, BBC.com, Slate.com, RoadsandKingdoms.com, the Sunday travel sections of the Dallas Morning News and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune other outlets. Follow their Trans-Americas Journey travel blog as their little road trip continues south.
Mike Wendland
Mike Wendland is an Emmy-winning journalist who... Read More
Mike Wendland is an Emmy-winning journalist who travels North America writing and videoing stories about camping, travel and the interesting people and places he encounters while RVing across North America for Roadtreking.com.
Mike Wendland
Mike Wendland is an Emmy-winning journalist who travels North America writing and videoing stories about camping, travel and the interesting people and places he encounters while RVing across North America for Roadtreking.com.
