USA Today readers name top 10 state parks in the US

With more than 7,800 state parks in the U.S., vacationers have a lot of places where they can get their nature fix. But which ones are the best to visit? USA Today set out to answer that with a reader poll.

The number one spot went to Letchworth State Park, also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East," in western New York. The park attracts about 650,00 visitors each year to its three major waterfalls and 66 miles of hiking trails. It's about 45 minutes from Rochester.

New York's State Park Commissioner Rose Harvey issued a statement on the ranking, saying New York was "extremely honored" to have not one, but two parks selected in the top 10 results. The second featured park was Watkins Glen, also in upstate New York, which came in at No. 3 in the poll. New York was the only state to land two parks on the poll.

Other top parks include Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan, which came in second, and Missouri's Ha Ha Tonka State Park, which landed at No. 4.

USA Today had travel experts sort through thousands of U.S. parks and pick their top 20. After that, the readers voted on the top 10.

USA Today's 10 best state parks

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