15 national parks to visit this summer in the USA
“This land is your land, and this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me”
~Woody Guthrie
In 1916 the United States Congress established the National Park Service (NPS), taking steps to preserve America’s amazing natural wonders.
Almost a hundred years later, as we face new and ongoing challenges, still striving to make the words of Woody Guthrie’s protest song for equality and inclusion ring true, we need our parks more than ever.
Today there are 62 national parks and this summer most are open (or at least partially open), ready to welcome, teach and soothe visitors.
Why visit a national park
If the awe-inspiring beauty found at these parks isn’t enough to persuade you, let’s see if we can find a few other reasons.
Most states are located near at least one national park, so you don’t need to fly to get somewhere epic this summer.
Many parks offer free entrance days, while others are free year-round. If you know this is going to be your go-to escape this year, invest in an annual pass, which gives you and a friend unlimited access to all parks, all year.
Parks offer a variety of activities and have something for all fitness levels.
This year, national parks can really help with social distancing, whether in your campground site, hiking in the open air, or driving their scenic roads in your car.
Which park to visit
If proximity isn’t a factor, then you’ve got 62 incredible options! (And we’ve got local photographers near all of them, as well as an amazing new Outdoor photoshoot package to capture your visit.)
Still, too many options can be overwhelming (speaking for myself!), so we’ve curated a list of fifteen parks to get you inspired! There’s something for everyone, everywhere. We’ve included headliners as well as some you may not be familiar with, not because they’re any less beautiful, but often just overshadowed by their more famous neighbors.
Here they are in alphabetical order (because we’re not playing favorites!) with a few highlights and links to more information.
Acadia, Maine
This park along the Atlantic coast is 47,000 acres and offers 158 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of carriage roads for bicycling, and a scenic 27-mile drive along historic roads. Experience rolling fog, salty air, spruce-fir forests, cozy camping and serenity.
Arches, Utah
Envision 76,519 acres filled with more than 2,000 red sandstone arches with evocative names like Devil’s Garden and Fiery Furnace. (Perfect photo ops!) Rent a Jeep or mountain bikes, do some climbing and hiking, or drive through during sunset.
Canyonlands, Utah
If you’re not in Arizona, or looking for a less crowded version of the Grand Canyon, consider this more personal but no less dramatic landscape of carved canyons, towering rocks, panoramic plateaus, and Native American rock paintings.
Everglades, Florida
A 1.5 million acre park of big skies and vast wetlands. Here the wildlife and sense of tropical adventure draws you in. Do some backcountry camping, explore the coastline, take a guided tour, and keep a lookout for American crocodiles and Florida panthers.
Glacier, Montana
Established even before the NPS, this park is over 1 million acres of everything you dream of: forests, meadows, mountains, lakes, and 25 active glaciers. Take a scenic drive or go boating, biking, horseback riding, white water rafting, and hiking along 700 miles of trails.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
A park that needs no introduction. Carved by the Colorado River, this canyon is a 277 mile gorge with 40 layers of rock, one mile deep and 18 miles wide at spots. In other words: epic. It offers breathtaking views from its rim and adventures within.
Grand Teton, Wyoming
Only an hour from Yellowstone, this park offers a two-for-one option if visiting Wyoming. Though with fewer crowds you may want to focus all your time in this natural wonderland of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and meadows, and 200 miles of trails.
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
This park offers surreal landscapes and irresistible fun. Like travelling to the Sahara but without the long flight, you gaze at snow-capped mountains in the distance, while sledding or rolling down steep sand dunes. A stunning place for play, proposals and photoshoots.
Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina & Tennessee
A subrange of the ancient Appalachian Mountains, this park is mostly seen by people traveling the highways between the states. But its forests, rivers, flowers and waterfalls are perfect for camping, hiking, picking wild berries and enjoying wildlife.
Olympic, Washington
This park may be the most biodiverse in the country, with three rainforests, almost 200 glaciers, 49 mountain peaks, over 700 miles of trails, and 70 miles of coastline. Let’s just say that you could probably spend the entire summer here and still not experience it all!
Redwood, California
Both a national and state park, here you can see those famous, centuries-old trees towering into the sky with entire ecosystems housed in their branches. But you can also camp, hike, and explore the 40 miles of spectacular, wild coastline.
Rocky Mountain, Colorado
A perfect park to enjoy from the car, with its 48-mile Trail Ridge Road lifting you far above the treeline. But if you feel like stopping or staying, this is also the perfect spot, with 150 lakes, 60 mountain peaks, and 359 hiking trails.
Shenandoah, Virginia
This park is 200,000 acres of wildlife, waterfalls, and wildflowers, with hiking for all levels. Skyline Drive is incredibly scenic, taking you across the park on 105 miles of road with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley.
Yellowstone, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
We promised headliners. This park, covering three states, was the first to be called a national park. Best known for its geothermal wonders (think Old Faithful Geyser), it's a wondrous landscape of geysers, sulphur lakes and waterfalls. Stay for backcountry camping, intense hikes, and iconic wildlife like buffalo and black bears.
Yosemite, California
Another headliner, this park is guaranteed to take your breath away. A valley in the Sierra Nevadas, with granite cliffs, waterfalls, meadows, canyons and forests, everything is epic. Right now only day passes are available but you’ll savor every moment and visit again and again.
Things to keep in mind
Planning
While we’ve confirmed (as of the publishing of this article) that all these parks are open or partially open, we all know things are changing daily! So this year, no matter where you go, put in a little extra planning time. Check the National Park Service for regular updates on the parks you’re interested in.
For those who have to get to a national park by air or road trip, consider traveling to an area where there are multiple parks in the same vicinity. For example, Utah has five national parks. Make the travel worthwhile!
It’s also worth noting that with limited vacation options this year, even the quieter parks are busier than usual. That doesn’t mean give up on a nature escape! It means also check out all those national forests, seashores, lakeshores and monuments.
Other ways to experience the parks
If you just can’t get to a national park this year, or don’t feel comfortable traveling yet, all is not lost!
There are many ways to still enjoy and explore some of America’s most epic national parks. Check out Time Out’s Virtual Tours of America’ National Parks. On PBS.org you can stream all six episodes of Ken Burn’s “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” for one perspective on the founding of the NPS. For another perspective, read the influential book by Michael Francis Turek and Robert H. Keller, American Indians & National Parks, and learn about the fraught relationship between the National Park System and the Native Americans who first inhabited these lands.
Finally, use this time to plan a future trip to the national park of your choice. After all, they’re not just for summer visits. Many are even more breathtaking in other seasons. For example:
Zion: perhaps one of the most beautiful parks with fewer crowds in winter.
Death Valley: cooler in spring when you can marvel at the wildflowers.
Hawai’i Volcanoes: a perfect winter getaway after hurricane season.
Capitol Reef: offers amazing winter stargazing experiences.
We hope we’ve inspired you to get out and experience our national parks, whichever of the 62 captures your imagination and speaks to your soul. When you go, whether this summer or later in the year, take us with you! Our local photographers have their hiking boots on and gear packed. Book our Nature Escape promotion and capture epic memories in epic surroundings.