Our national parks are big, beautiful places, and they contain some of the world’s most spectacular and most beloved scenery. There are several “crown jewels” that almost everyone knows about and which thus are often really busy– Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Canyon are three examples.
However, many more are relatively obscure to a lot of people, and these are hidden gems that serve up incredible scenery without huge crowds. This article is the first of two that will describe these hidden gems.
Gates of the Arctic, Alaska
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Gates of the Arctic is one of two U.S. national parks that lies entirely north of the Arctic Circle. There are no roads leading to it, so access is by chartering a flight. This keeps this wilderness of mountains, lakes, and tundra lightly visited and a place for true adventure.
Kobuk Valley, Alaska
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Kobuk Valley is the other U.S. national park entirely within the Arctic. It was established to protect the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, but it’s also a key habitat for wildlife. Thousands of caribou travel through the park each year as part of their migration route. Like Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley has no roads leading to it.
Lake Clark, Alaska
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Lake Clark isn’t in the Arctic, but it’s another national park inaccessible by car. The park’s namesake lake is a must-see, but so are the impressive mountains, including two volcanoes, one of which is active and erupted as recently as 2009.
American Samoa, Samoan Islands
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The only U.S. national park south of the Equator, American Samoa is way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which goes a long way to explain why it’s one of the least-visited parks in the system. Those who do make the journey will enjoy hiking and snorkeling and viewing exciting and beautiful wildlife on the land and in the sea.
North Cascades, Washington
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Only one paved road passes through this park, connecting towns east and west of it. The only real way to appreciate the park is by foot, and since many of the trails are long and steep, you can find plenty of solitude in these heavily glaciated mountains.
Lassen Volcanic, California
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Mount Lassen is a Cascade volcano that last erupted in the early 1900s. Nearby Mount Shasta is much higher and more iconic and thus gets more attention, and the parks of the Sierra Nevada further south help overshadow Lassen. You can hike to the top of Mt. Lassen, and you can also tour an amazing geothermal site called Bumpass Hell as some of the best things to do here.
Great Basin, Nevada
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Great Basin National Park is in Nevada’s Snake Range, a “sky island” rising out of the desert. It’s a long drive from almost anywhere to get there, and the park doesn’t get close to the visitation it would if it were closer to a major population center. Highlights include mountain lakes, a natural arch, caverns, a rock glacier, and groves of bristlecone pines, the oldest and longest-living things organisms on Earth (the oldest, in a grove in California is around 6500 years old). And you can’t miss Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain entirely within the state of Nevada.
Capitol Reef, Utah
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Southern Utah has five national parks. World-famous Zion and Bryce Canyon are on the western side, and world-famous Arches is on the east. Many people drive through Capitol Reef on their way between these parks, and a lot of them make only quick roadside stops or don’t stop at all. They’re missing out– this park has a bit of everything you find in the other four, and it’s easy to get far away from the crowds.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
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“The Black” was a national monument for a long time and thus much less-known than it otherwise would have been. Now that it’s a national park, it’s busier, but it’s still pretty out of the way. If you really want to avoid crowds, though, visit the north rim, only accessible by dirt roads, or hike down into this dark, deep, narrow, and very steep canyon.
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
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The Great Sand Dunes were also a national monument for a long time, the dunes themselves have what some lists note as the tallest sand dunes in North America. When the area became a national park, it also expanded, including parts of the Sangre De Cristo Range that looms above the dunes as an unforgettable backdrop.
White Sands, New Mexico
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Another national monument that became a park and also expanded, White Sands is famous for its white gypsum sand dunes. They’re not that high, but they’re incredible to see and wander among. Just don’t forget eye protection; even on overcast days “snow blindness” can be a risk.
Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota
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In Western North Dakota just a short distance from the Montana border, you’ll find this colorful interruption in the mostly flat plains of the region. This park has two detached units that you can visit, and each has a scenic drive within it. Theodore Roosevelt honors the conservationist and president who did so much to protect America’s wild lands. In addition to admiring the rugged scenery, you can enjoy seeing herds of bison and wild horses. Note– there’s a lot of controversy over the horses because the Park Service wants to remove them since they’re not native to the area.
The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World That Everyone Must See
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
30 Breathtaking Places You Must See Before You Die
The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States
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The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.
Following are our choices for the top two must-see outdoor locations in each of these seven states.
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