Best State Natural Areas
86 places · 86 rated by visitors · ranked honestly, never by who pays.
These are the best places we track for state natural area visits, ranked purely by real visitor approval. We show every qualifying place; any without enough reviews yet carries an Insufficient ranking data marker instead of a guessed score.
Top of the list right now: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve at 98% approval.
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
- Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve
- Gibraltar Rock State Natural Area
- Bear Rocks Preserve
- Macbride Nature Recreation Area
- Central Park
- Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
- DuPont State Recreational Forest
- Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area
- Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
- Lost Maples State Natural Area
- Ozone Falls State Natural Area
- Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park
- Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve
- Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area
- Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site
- Ayres Natural Bridge Park
- Indian Creek Nature Center
- Bell Smith Springs Scenic Area
- Celery Bog Nature Area
- Devil's Gulch Park
- Kohler Park Dunes State Natural Area
- Laurel Snow State Natural Area
- Nolde Forest - Sawmill
- Bandon State Natural Area
- Hidden Valley Preserve
- Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
- Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve
- Virgin Falls State Natural Area
- Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
- Saco Heath Preserve
- Hughlett Point Natural Area Preserve
- Ferry Bluff State Natural Area
- Colditz Cove State Natural Area
- Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve
- Quarry Park Scientific and Natural Area
- Pu'u Wa'awa'a Forest Reserve
- Mowry Conservation Area
- Painted Rock Conservation Area
- Pine Hills Nature Preserve
- Devils River State Natural Area
- Virginia Safari Park
- Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
- Government Canyon State Natural Area
- Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
- Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area
- Hammonasset Natural Area Preserve
- Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve
- Weldon Spring Conservation Area
- Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve
- Little Blue Park
- Volo Bog State Natural Area
- Woodard Bay Conservation Area
- Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area and Wildlife Management Area
- Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area
- Fossil Flats Trailhead
- Toadstool Geological Park and Campground
- Hueston Woods Nature Center
- John H. Chafee Rome Point Preserve
- Succor Creek State Natural Area
- Seven Pillars Nature Preserve - ACRES Land Trust
- Patuxent River Park - Jug Bay Natural Area
- Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve
- Window Cliffs State Natural Area
- Acadiana Park Nature Station
- Fort Rock State Natural Area
- Pulpit Rock Conservation Area
- Huzzah Conservation Area
- Assawoman Wildlife Area
- Savage Neck Dunes State Natural Area Preserve Parking Lot
- Great Wass Island Preserve
- Lower Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area
- Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
- Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area
- Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve
- Mississippi Petrified Forest
- Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area
- Spitler Woods State Natural Area
- Wolf Hill Forest Preserve
- Three Creeks Conservation Area
- Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve
- Oglala National Grassland
- DuPont Nature Center
- Ableman's Gorge State Natural Area
- Palmyra Cove Nature Park
- Blackwater Conservation Area
Common questions
How many places are on this list?
86 places, 86 of them rated by visitors.
What is the top pick for state natural area visits?
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve leads with 98% approval from 10,774 reviews.
How does ParksRanked decide the order?
By real visitor approval only. Membership reflects our curated selections from the directory; no advertising or partnership ever influences the ranking, and sparse-data places are clearly marked.