Hudson River Valley Heritage Area Named New York’s Best National Park

The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area has been named New York's finest National Park. Travel and Leisure has highlighted the nations best parks in honor of the National Park Service celebrating 100 years of operation.

There are 59 official national parks and 411 areas in the National Park Service network.  But they oversee more than just your standard park. 

Not everything under the National Park Service’s purview is a park—not in the way we think of Yosemite or Crater Lake. But every expanse of wilderness, every heritage site, and every meandering trail has helped define the country’s character.

Travel and Leisure cites the Hudson Valley's scenic parks, outdoor recreation opportunities and historic background as reasons for selection.

The debate rages on regarding exactly what exactly constitutes the Hudson Valley but it turns out it's actually a clearly defined thing.