There are many things that distinguish Haleakala from all other U.S. national parks, including the enormous size of the Haleakala Volcano. In this post, you’ll find the top things to do at Haleakala National Park, from sunrise watching to stargazing to bird viewing. Hiking and swimming are popular activities as well.
Grand Teton National Park encompasses both the Jackson Hole valley and the majestic Teton Range, together forming one of America’s most scenic national parks. Although relatively small in size, there’s lots to see and do in Grand Teton for everyone, from hiking and kayaking to photography and wildlife viewing.
A sprawling area of forests, volcanoes, mountains and lakes south(west) of Bend, Oregon, Deschutes National Forest is a dream destination for hikers, kayakers, rock climbers, campers and other adventurists. Check out the top attractions in this spectacular national forest here.
Home to all four volcano types in the world, Lassen Volcanic National Park is a remote wilderness of volcanoes, cinder cones, hydrothermal areas, lakes, meadows and forests. This post highlights our favorite things to do in this underrated Northern California park.
I wholeheartedly believe that you can’t experience a national park to the fullest without spending the night there. As the saying goes, in many national parks “half the park is after dark.” So far, these are our all-time favorite national park campgrounds.
Home to the tallest trees on Earth, many of which soar more than 350 feet above the forest floor below, the Redwood National and State Parks are unique in the world. This four-park complex preserves some of the last remaining groves of coast redwoods. Other attractions include a rugged coastline, prairies and wildlife.
Honoring one of America’s greatest ever Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota is home to thousands of wild animals. Spread out over three different units—the South and North Units and Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch—, it’s a superb place for scenic drives and up-and-close wildlife encounters.
From car camping in the Haleakala Summit cloud belt or next to the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean to wilderness camping deep in the crater, there are a few different camping locations in beautiful Haleakala National Park, Maui.
Piles and stacks of huge boulders dominate a landscaped dotted with iconic Joshua trees. Blue skies create a vibrant contrast with the yellows and browns of the Southern Californian deserts. A park filled with life and seemingly made for adventurers, there’s a myriad of Joshua Tree National Park highlights.
In the far south of Arizona lies Saguaro National Park, America’s first national park created primarily to protect a plant species. And rightly so—even though this is a desert area, it’s plants that run the show. Pretty much all the best things to do in Saguaro National Park have something to do with saguaros, the largest cactus species in America.
From backpacking trips into the rugged Painted Desert to seeing the remains of Old Route 66, hiking in multi-colored badlands and among enormous collections of petrified wood, Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park may be small, but it has a lot to offer.
One of my favorite ever camping experiences was in the Painted Desert in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. It was neither a particularly difficult hike nor was it extremely remote, yet the amazing solitude and absolutely beautiful landscape took things to the next level.
Awe-inspiring, unique, bedazzling and perfect. These are just a few words that have been used to describe Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. By all accounts and standards, it’s one of the most enticing national parks in America. And unsurprisingly, there are plenty of things to do in Crater Lake National Park.
Although it’s the national parks that get all the spotlight, it’s often the state parks where families, friends and couples go for weekend outings. Whether it’s for a Saturday hike, a Sunday picnic or an overnight camping trip, the state parks in America might just be more closely interwoven with people’s everyday life than their national cousins.