Graham Averill

Timed-entry reservations are back. Our national parks columnist reveals how to get into these popular parks.

A searching mother, a headless gunslinger, a mysterious light to show you the way: these national parks are home to hair-raising tales

Our national forests are brilliant, underappreciated, and uncrowded compared to most national parks. Here’s the intel on where to hike in these stunning landscapes.

Testing a tent, chair, table, and more from Moosejaw’s new beginner friendly collection

Road damage, projected flooding, delayed openings: here’s how the big winter will affect national parks this summer

“Conditions are amazing right now,” says Cory Goehring, lead naturalist for the Yosemite Conservancy, the park’s nonprofit partner. “Yosemite has transformed into a winter wonderland.”

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Closes at least seven sites, while Redwood National Park shuts down and Yosemite braces for a blizzard that could drop four feet in the high country

If you haven’t snagged a reservation to the growing list of timed-entry parks, it might seem like a trip there this summer is out of the cards. But fret not—we found some legal ways to visit.

At these creekside, shorefront, and mountaintop spots, the views are so gorgeous that you may never want to go to sleep.

Get on a high ledge, a crumbly cliff, or a knife-edge ridge and your body will recognize the feeling before your brain catches on.

While Great Smoky Mountains might be the most visited park in the system, Cataloochee is far from the crowds—with a bit of luck, you can see as many elk as people.

Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho

Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington

Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia

Baxter State Park, Maine

Mt. Sneffels Wilderness, Colorado

St. Regis Canoe Area, Northern Adirondacks, New York

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, Tennessee/North Carolina

High Unitas Wilderness, Utah

Pasayten Wilderness, Washington

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota