Preserving some of America’s last remaining pristine night skies, many national parks offer amazing stargazing and Milky Way viewing opportunities. From Mesa Verde and Death Valley to Glacier and Voyageurs, these national parks have the most spectacular star-peppered night skies. “Half the park is after dark!”
The most colorful of all seasons, fall brings spectacular foliage to national parks all across the United States. From Acadia and Shenandoah in the East to Glacier and Mount Rainier in the West, these are the absolute best national parks to enjoy the warm colors of autumn.
If you’d like to put on your paleontology hat, learn about prehistoric fossils and dinosaurs, and maybe even look for them yourself, the national parks and monuments in this post can’t be beat. From Badlands and Petrified Forest to several Fossil Beds National Monuments, they’re the absolute best National Park Service sites for fossil hunting.
One of the largest animals in North America, the massive moose is an imposing sight, especially when you see one while hiking. Many of America’s northern national parks are home to moose; these parks offer the best chances to spot them in the wild.
The National Park Service (NPS) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced the designation of Mesa Verde National Park as the world’s 100th International Dark Sky Park. This important certification is the result of the park’s efforts to implement responsible lighting policies, which enhance the already-exceptional quality of its night sky.
A major city in southern Arizona, Phoenix is a gateway to the national parks of the Southwest. On a road trip from the Arizona capital, you can visit several of America’s most famous parks, including Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and Saguaro.
From the five Utah national parks in the south to Rocky Mountain parks like Grand Teton and Yellowstone to the north, Salt Lake City is less than five hours from several epic parks. So, pack your camping and hiking gear, rent a car and go for a once-in-a-lifetime national parks road trip from Salt Lake City.
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.
One of the best things about American national parks is their variety. From different landscapes to iconic wildlife to usually a historical aspect as well, there’s plenty to discover in these epitomes of nature conservation, especially if you have a car at your disposal.
Of all major attractions found in America’s national parks, sand dunes may just be one of the most underrated. Yet, you can explore and enjoy some of the most spectacular sandy landscapes in a handful of national parks, from the Southwest to the Great Lakes and even Alaska.
When many parts of America are still dusted with snow and suffer from below-freezing temperatures, others begin waking up after a long winter’s rest. Spring brings with it pleasant temperatures, roaring waterfalls and unique wildlife sightings, often including baby animals frolicking in spectacular landscapes.
Have you always wanted to ascend an epic mountain pass? Or encircle a volcano rim? Maybe ride through a desert or along a historic trail? Perhaps even share the road with iconic wildlife? Luckily, you can find all that asphaltic amusement in the following best national parks for road cycling.
Approaching through the San Luis Valley, you might at first think that the rolling sand dunes set against the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains are some kind of fata morgana. The opposite, however, is true. This landscape, however surreal it may look, is actually real.
See the Rocky Mountains, towering sand dunes, deep canyons and countless Native American archaeological sites in these amazing national parks Near Denver, Colorado: Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison.