When you think of the U.S. National Parks, chances are the awe-inspiring geysers of Yellowstone, the towering granite cliffs of Yosemite, or the magnificent red rocks of Zion immediately come to mind.
Those sights are indeed some of the most spectacular natural wonders anywhere in the world. But they're just a small part of what America's 63 national parks have to offer - and they're often packed with crowds, especially during the summer months.
Here are five parks that are off the beaten path - but still fairly accessible - where you can escape the entry lines and still enjoy fresh air, great hikes, and breathtaking natural beauty.
Great Basin National Park - White Pine County, Nevada
With less than 150,000 recreation visits in 2021, Great Basin is the 10th least-visited National Park, and the 4th least-visited in the contiguous U.S.
Most of that is due to the park's geographic isolation - the nearest major airport is a four-hour drive away in Salt Lake City, Utah. The closest town, Baker, Nevada, is home to just 36 people. The closest large town, Ely, Nevada, (population 4,000) is over an hour away.
Nonetheless, Great Basin is home to some of the most unique and impressive sights of any National Park. From the dusty and barren desert floor, visitors can drive up more than 10,000 feet in elevation to lush alpine forests that seem oddly out of place. Wheeler Peak, the tallest in the Snake Range, soars more than 13,000 feet above sea level and contains Nevada's only glacier. When we visited in July, it was a scorching 100 degrees at the entrance to the park but a chilly 40 degrees near the summit.
Great Basin also features one of the world's great ecological treasures - the Bristlecone Pine. These trees have been recognized as the oldest in the world, with some having stood for more than 5,000 years. Many of these trees were already thousand years old as the Ancient Egyptians laid the foundations for the Great Pyramid of Giza or as Chinese artisans sculpted the Terra Cotta Army. Their gnarled shapes and incredibly dense trunks are a testament to many millennia spent rocked by wind and water.
Best of all, visitors can easily see the Bristlecone Pines along a 2.8-mile loop trail just steps from the Wheeler Peak Campground parking lot.
The International Dark-Sky Association has also recognized Great Basin as an official dark sky park, meaning that it is one of the best places anywhere in the country to stargaze. Although we didn't stay for the nighttime on our trip, we're definitely planning to visit again for an overnight stay.
Visitors can also book a tour of Lehman Cave, located within the park. The cave features large stalactites and stalagmites and a number of beautiful marble formations.
North Cascades National Park - Newhalem, Washington
With less than 18,000 visitors in 2021, North Cascades takes the prize as the least-visited in the contiguous U.S. But don't let the low visitation numbers fool you - this National Park contains some of the most breathtaking mountain vistas anywhere in the country, and lives up to its nickname of "the American Alps."
Just a three hour drive from Seattle, North Cascades is also one of the most accessible national parks to make this list. Visitors can enjoy pristine backcountry hiking, climbing, and camping without having to worry too much about permit limits filling up.
Though parts of the park do close in the winter, the low visitation numbers means this park is a great one to check off your bucket list when the warmer weather hits in June and July.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - Montrose, Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison clocks in as the 48th most-visited National Park in the country, with just over 300,000 visitors in 2021. It is by far the least visited of Colorado's four national parks, but is nonetheless home to one of the most spectacular and unique river canyons in the entire country.
The canyon walls, which tower more than 2,000 feet above the Gunnison River, are some of the oldest visible rock in North America at more than 1.8 billion years. Striking black metamorphic rock composed of ancient sea floor and volcanic ash is crisscrossed by white and pink intrusions of igneous rock, deposited by magma chambers tens of millions of years ago. Today, it gives the appearance that the canyon walls are "painted."
Many of the best views in the park are just a few steps from parking spots along the canyon rim road. There are a few trails throughout the park, although most are only a few miles long. For more adventurous types, climbing and backpacking permits are available. Black Canyon is also another great park to enjoy world-class stargazing.
Kings Canyon National Park - Three Rivers, California
Kings Canyon is California's hidden gem. While the Golden State's other National Parks like Yosemite and Joshua Tree routinely draw more than three million visitors each year, Kings Canyon sees relatively few - just over 550,000 in 2021.
Kings Canyon - which is managed jointly with Sequoia National Park by NPS - is situated in the southern part of the Sierra Nevadas, about two hours northeast of Visalia, California.
In addition to being home to many Giant Sequoia trees - the largest trees on Earth - the park features stunning mountainscapes and a scenic drive that rivals anything in Yosemite. Kings Canyon is also a hiker's paradise, with many hundreds of miles of trails for everyone from beginners to experts.
Whether a quick day trip or a multi-day excursion, Kings Canyon has plenty of adventures and breathtaking views to make it well worth a stop on your next road trip.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Salt Flat, Texas
With just over 240,000 visitors in 2021, Guadalupe Mountains ranked 49th out of the 63 National Parks.
If you're a fan of sweeping desert landscapes and isolation, Guadalupe Mountains is the place for you. Located in West Texas just south of the New Mexico border, the park is just under an hour's drive from Carlsbad, New Mexico. (Tip: if you're staying in Carlsbad, be sure to check out nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park as well!) The nearest major population center is El Paso, about a two-hour drive west.
The biggest highlight of the park is Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet above sea level. Kno
wn as the "top of Texas," the summit can be reached along a strenuous 8.4-mile roundtrip hike.
McKittrick Canyon is another must-see spot on your trip to Guadalupe mountains. The area has a number of day hikes for adventurers of all skill levels, and is accessible year-round.
Commentaires