In a recent survey, more than 600 TripAdvisor(TM) users weighed in on their top U.S. national parks and natural wonders to visit this summer. By a gaping margin, the Grand Canyon was selected by travelers as the most popular location while Niagara Falls fell short, finishing in second place.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050628/NETU025 )

In a loftier race, voting for the president they would most like to see added to Mount Rushmore, travelers selected Ronald Reagan, who barely edged Franklin Delano Roosevelt for newly chiseled chief. JFK came in third, while Bill Clinton finished fourth in the poll.

While Americans enjoy the great outdoors in the summer, interestingly enough, more than 70 percent of respondents noted they would prefer seeing the country's most famous parks and wonders from the comfort of a hotel or resort, compared to about 25 percent who would prefer experiencing the sites by roughing it.

Among the most underrated national parks and wonders were Zion National Park in Utah, Glacier National Park in Montana and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park that straddles Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

"Travelers are rediscovering America's treasures this summer," said Michele Perry, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "From natural wonders like Glacier National Park in Montana and The Grand Canyon, to national landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore, packing up the family and experiencing our nation's parks and wonders is a great way to spend a summer vacation."

In terms of the quirkiest finding and proving that some just never heed the word of caution, about four percent of respondents said the best way to see Niagara Falls is from a barrel.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor.com is the leading global travel information and advice destination, with more than two million unbiased reviews and opinions and covering more than 200,000 hotels and attractions. With more than 13 million unique monthly visitors worldwide, TripAdvisor.com offers easy access to major online travel sites, including Expedia, Orbitz, Hotels.com, American Airlines and Travelocity, for the best deals on the Web. TripAdvisor offers travel suppliers a cost-per-click marketing platform, so customers pay only for leads, not impressions, with every campaign. Winner of dozens of awards, including PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites and Forbes Best of the Web, TripAdvisor is part of IAC/InterActiveCorp .

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor