America's oldest national park is also one of the most dazzling, a fact which has gained it our number one spot. This is a wonderland of epic proportions with geysers spitting fiery water into the air, mud pots gurgling and belching, and the park's star, Grand Prismatic Spring, unfolding in bands of blue, orange, and yellow.

Yellowstone's resident animals draw visitors too – you've the chance of spotting lumbering black bears and grizzlies, bison, elk, moose, and more. Lamar Valley is a wildlife-watching hotspot.

Now take a look at historic photos of America's national parks

American beauties: the best national park in every state, ranked