A lot of people get gloomy in winter because of the short days and the cold weather.
The answer to this is to get outside! Let’s look at some national parks that are stunningly beautiful in the winter or which are great escapes because the weather is very much not like winter!
Acadia, Maine
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The winters in Maine can be brutal, but they can transform Acadia into an amazing landscape of snow, rock, and ice. Fresh snowfall on granite cliffs as the ocean pounds them is an especially striking sight.
Shenandoah, Virginia
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Views both of and from Shenandoah are best in winter for a couple of reasons. The first is that the winter skies are less hazy. The second is that after the leaves fall from the trees, views that formerly were obscured open up. Plus, places where water seeps develop huge icicles, and there’s often a cold snap that lasts long enough for the waterfalls to freeze over, which is amazing to see.
Badlands, South Dakota
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Winter is harsh on the Dakotas, but the main road through Badlands stays open all winter except after recent significant snowfalls. The contrast between the multicolored badlands and undisturbed snow is simply incredible. Wildlife such as bison also congregate in large herds to help keep each other warm.
Glacier, Montana
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Glacier’s roads are mostly closed during the winter, but the eastern and western ends of Going-to-the-Sun Road allow limited penetration by car. Under a blanket of snow, this landscape takes on an ethereal beauty, and you can use cross-country skis or snowshoes to travel the closed roads on your own. Just be aware of the signs of avalanche danger.
Yellowstone, Wyoming-Montana-Idaho
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The winters in Yellowstone are infamous for being among the harshest in the U.S. outside Alaska. Snow and ice transform the park into a magical landscape, but the real draw is the wildlife. Rivers fed by geothermal features don’t freeze over, and these areas become hotspots for wildlife such as bison, elk, and wolves that tough the winter out instead of hibernating.
Grand Teton, Wyoming
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Just south of Yellowstone is Grand Teton. The mountains here are among the most iconic in America and indeed in the world. They’re even more amazing when coated from summit to base in winter snows. Nearby is the National Elk Refuge, where thousands of elk gather for the winter and where wolves come to hunt them.
Rocky Mountain, Colorado
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Although Trail Ridge Road, the park’s main thoroughfare, is closed from mid-fall through late spring, many trailheads are still open. Frozen lakes and waterfalls make the backcountry into a fantasyland, and a favorite activity is to cross the frozen lakes with skis or snowshoes.
Sequoia, California
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The high country is inaccessible to all but the hardiest and most-skilled backcountry travelers in winter, but the roads to the sequoia groves. There’s something magical about the contrast of the white snow and the red bark of these massive trees.
Death Valley, California
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Winter in Death Valley is one of the few times you might need a coat in the world’s hottest place. Temperatures are mild, with highs usually in the 50s and 60s at lower elevations, so this otherworldly park is a nice respite from “real” winter elsewhere. If you do crave the white stuff, though, you can take on the trail up Telescope Peak, which often requires an ice axe and crampons in winter.
Big Bend, Texas
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Big Bend occasionally gets slammed by a freak winter storm, but for the most part, the lower-elevation areas like the desert flats and river canyons stay pretty warm. This is the time to enjoy the desert beauty without the desert heat.
Everglades, Florida
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At the southern tip of Florida’s mainland, Everglades is almost in the tropics and stays warm but not hot almost all winter long. Wildlife enthusiasts love winter here because so many bird species fly south here for the winter.
U.S. Virgin Islands
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If you really want to get away from the winter cold and gloom, why not go to the tropics themselves? U.S. Virgin Islands boasts wonderful winter weather, beautiful scenery, and incredibly clear ocean waters.
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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