Best National Parks

A summer road trip to one or more of the national parks is arguably the quintessential American holiday. And although summer is an amazing time to visit many parks, there …

With all that overwhelming natural splendor, it’s easy to forget that the National Park System also preserves a wealth of other things and places. In fact, there are literally thousands of Native American heritage and cultural sites in America’s national parks, preserving archaeological sites, battlefields and cultural landmarks.

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.

Few natural phenomena are as magical and captivating as the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights. This is Mother Nature’s greatest show, a dazzling display of dancing lights in the sky. In the U.S., there are various places to see this amazing show, including these national parks.

More often than not in America’s national parks, your dog is only allowed in campgrounds, on and near paved roads, and/or in some accommodations. Only in developed areas, in other words. Some parks, however, also welcome dogs on hiking trails. Here are the most dog-friendly national parks of them all.

If you’re a national parks lover who enjoys gardening, collecting wild edibles and foraging, you might wonder if foraging is allowed in the national parks. And, as surprising as it …

Nearly all U.S. national parks encompass the ancestral homelands of Native American Tribes. Having lived in, or at least traveled through, these areas, they left behind plenty of archaeological artifacts …

Besides wildlife and outdoor adventures, many people visit America’s national parks to see some of the country’s greatest landscapes. While some views require several miles of hiking, there are also many spectacular, easily accessible overlooks and viewpoints in the national parks.

There are dozens of National Park Service sites dedicated to African American history and culture. They commemorate Black American education and innovation, as well as the era of slavery and civil rights movement, music, and prominent and influential Black Americans, such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Even at home, you can see various animals going about their daily lives. Whether you live in a big city or small town, there’s usually a bunch of different birds flying around, while squirrels play in trees and deer forage fields. If, however, you’d like to really focus on the “wild” in wildlife, you should consider visiting these national parks for wildlife watching.

Besides such famous places as Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Death Valley, and iconic buildings like the Statue of Liberty and the San Antonio Missions, the National Park Service (NPS) …

Decades, even centuries, before the United States gained independence, Hispanic and Latinx people were shaping the history and culture of present-day North America. Today, this wealth of Hispanic heritage is …

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!”

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.