Some of our incredible national parks are justifiably world-famous, which unfortunately means they can get very crowded.
At the same time, there are many that don’t get as much attention but which are awesome in their own right. Let’s look at 12 national parks that you may not have heard much about but which will make you fall in love with nature or deepen the love you already feel.
Kobuk Valley, Alaska
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Kobuk Valley is one of two U.S. national parks above the Arctic Circle (Gates of the Arctic) is the other, and it’s one of our least-visited parks. That’s because in addition to being in the Arctic, there are no roads to or within it, and travel there is by charter plane only. Two things the park is known for are its massive caribou migration and its field of tall sand dunes.
Lake Clark, Alaska
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Reachable only by boat or small plane, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is, in addition to being beautiful, is also critical in the life cycle of countless salmon, who are born in the waters here, spend most of their lives at sea, and return here to spawn and die. The park also features an active volcano, Mount Redoubt, which last erupted in 2009.
North Cascades, Washington
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You can see the heavily glaciated North Cascades from far away, but no roads penetrate much into these mountains. This makes the park a paradise for hikers and an excellent place to find solitude.
Capitol Reef, Utah
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Capitol Reef is one of five national parks in Southern Utah and is centrally located among them. Many people drive through this park on their way east-west to and from the other, more-famous parks, and most just make a few stops for pictures and keep going. Comparatively few spend time to discover the backcountry wonders if this park that has a bit of everything you find in the other parks plus its own unique features.
Canyonlands, Utah
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Arches National Park outside Moab is almost always crowded, but not as many people flock to this vast park nearby. Maybe that’s because there aren’t a lot of short trails, making many visits quick drive-throughs. Seeing the best the park has to offer– including huge natural arches, desert towers, fascinating pinnacles, ancient rock art, and more– mostly requires long hikes and/or driving on rugged four-wheel drive roads.
Great Basin, Nevada
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Many people think of the massive Great Basin as a seemingly endless parched landscape with little more than sagebrush, so they don’t get too curious about this national park near the eastern edge of the state. It’s also quite remote for most people. But the park itself is amazing. Here are some of the highlights: snowy mountain peaks, alpine lakes, ancient bristlecone pines, and underground caverns.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
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Once a national monument, “The Black” got an upgrade not too long ago. It’s several hours from and on the other side of the Continental Divide from the crowded Denver area, so it doesn’t see the weekend traffic outdoor areas around there do. Most visits here are just sightseeing visits, but experienced hikers can travel rugged trails to the bottom of this deep, dark canyon.
Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota
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The Black Hills of South Dakota draw a lot of visitation, and for good reason, but far fewer make the journey to this remote park just a few miles from the Montana state line. Roads allow you to access two separate units (the North Unit is the more remote and less-visited), where you can enjoy river views, hikes to petrified wood sites among colorful badlands, and herds of bison and wild horses (keep a safe distance from both).
Isle Royale, Michigan
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Isle Royale national park is out in Lake Superior, and despite being part of Michigan, it’s actually much closer to Minnesota. Access is by floatplane or boat only, limiting visitor numbers and helping keep this park perennial one of the least-visited in the system. Hiking trails allow you to access the interior of this isolated wilderness which itself has many lakes of its own.
Guadalupe Mountains, Texas
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Many people driving to or from Carlsbad Caverns National Park, also in the Guadalupe Mountains but in New Mexico, drive past the Guadalupes and do little more than take some roadside pictures. No scenic drives or through roads penetrate the park, so this is a hikers’ park and a place to find solitude. Out here is Guadalupe Peak, the highest in Texas, and you can hike a very steep trail to its top.
Congaree, South Carolina
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For a long time, this area just minutes from downtown Columbia was Congaree Swamp National Monument. The Congaree is actually a slow-moving river, hence the renaming when this site became a national park. Hiking trails allow to to experience the serene beauty here, but a better way to see the native plants and wildlife is by kayak or canoe.
Dry Tortugas, Florida
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The westernmost and most remote of the Florida Keys, the Dry Tortugas are about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Many tropical birds make these islands home, and there’s a huge unfinished fortress to see, but the real action is underwater, where you’ll find shipwrecks, sunken treasures, and relatively pristine, colorful coral reefs. Access is by boat and seaplane only.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
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Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border makes a lot of lists of the most beautiful places in America. There’s also a lot to do there, with a wide range of outdoor recreation, great dining, resorts, nightlife, and more. If it’s your first time going or if you’re going back, consider adding some of the following places to your itinerary.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
The World’s 5 Friendliest and 5 Unfriendliest Cities
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Some cities welcome visitors and want them to be there. Other cities are rude to visitors and would just as soon see you leave. It can be jarring to be in an unfriendly city, though some of the world’s most enticing cities rank high on the rudeness scale. When you visit a friendly city, it’s much easier to soak in the culture and meet the locals. Rough Guides readers voted on the cities for their level of friendliness. According to Rough Guides, these are the world’s friendliest and unfriendliest cities.
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