Trips by National Park

The perfect dozen: Embark on one of these 12 treks, and turn America's most iconic preserves into your own private paradise.

This shoulder-season cruiser delivers you to some of the best views in West Texas.

Venture off the path to find solitude in one of America’s busiest parks.

This climber’s peak should be on every hiker’s life list.

Rocky peaks, meadows, and squeaky little pikas: this hike showcases the northwest in all its glory.

Head to this preserve's Greenstone Ridge Trail for a deep-wilderness experience in the Midwest.

Traveling in bruin country can bring out any parent's inner grizzly.

Last month, Lisa Jhung hit the road with her husband and two sons. Their mission: go on the most epic national parks road trip that they could in two weeks.

For more than 100 years, our national parks have provided life-list experiences, adventures, and stop-in-your-tracks views. But not all parks—or hikes—are equal. So what’s a trekker to do? Start with these 25 trips, the new classics of the system. Consider them the merit badges of a very well-traveled backpacker.

Hundreds of millions of people visit the national parks every year. Lucky for backpackers, you just have to know where  they go to avoid them.

When was the last time you said, “let’s go” and actually went? It’s time to hit the trail.

Reap the rewards without rubbing elbows.

America's biggest park is almost six times the size of Yellowstone and has next to no trails. Make the most of your trip there with these tips from a guide.

The only thing better than Yellowstone in summer? Yellowstone in winter. Picture herds of bison and elk, low-hanging steam shrouding evergreen forests, gem-hued pools blazing amid the snow-dusted landscape—and savoring it all in solitude.

On Hawaii, Halape’s secret snorkeling holes, coconut trees, and white-sand beaches stir any hiker’s wanderlust. But the Puna Coast Trail’s rough volcanic terrain keeps the hordes away.

Granite domes, long-limbed cacti, prehistoric wildlife, and legendary night skies should land this park on every hiker’s bucket list, so beat the spring rush by going now. We bet mild temps, quiet trails, and late blooms will leave you thinking this is the sleeper season, after all.

Destinations Editor Maren Horjus shares four spooky, Halloween-ready tales from her new book, Haunted Hikes.

Sick of the snow? South Florida is your ticket to sun, warmth, and wildlife.

All hikes end. Sometimes that's a blessing.

Hike up to 9,000', set up camp, and put on your best suit or dress and enjoy a chilled cocktail.

NPS to pay $6.8 million for Nature Conservancy land.

When the Americans with Disabilities Act required better trail access for all, Yosemite saw an opportunity.

In Canyonlands’ backcountry, a family learns that the wonder of our parks belongs to anyone who goes looking for it.

You voted, we listened. Meet Clay Hanna, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Supervisor for Grand Teton National Park, a model for his peers, a protector of visitor experiences, and one heckuva ranger.

In the early days of Yosemite, a woman could be anything—including herself

Some people fall for the parks so hard, they can’t bring themselves to leave.

Don't let the manicured paths trick you: Workers in Washington state's mountains wage an endless war to keep the trails open.

Yellowstone National Park, Montana

North Cascades National Park, Washington

Cross 70 miles of one of Alaska's loneliest wilderness areas to peek into North America's past.

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

Olympic National Park, WA

Check out Madison Perrins and Aidan Lynn-Klimenko's author page.

Check out Dennis Lewon's author page.

For backpackers, there’s nothing better in the entire park system. How much of it can one hiker see in a week?

Finding a hike of your own is as easy as getting off the trail—and this Sierra spot makes it easy.

It may be in a popular park, but you won't find any crowds on this underappreciated trail.

Get wet in late summer when the Queets River is easily crossed to see a rainforest most hikers never knew existed in Olympic National Park, Washington.

Negotiate a climb just shy of 14,000-feet. Hike MT. Meeker's solitary trails escaping the mobs of people across the valley on Longs Peak ridge.

At eight thousand feet in Guadalupe Mountains, the Texan desert seemingly stretches forever.

Sequoia National Park, California

These 10 miles of pure Alaska experience are among the best 100 miles of trail in the whole national park system.

The Tetons are showy enough to make roadside views almost as good as the backcountry ones. Almost. This wilderness lake is a haul to reach, but the journey is just as good as the destination.

By Melissa Avery

Explore Badlands National Park's trailless interior on a backpacking trip along Spring Draw Creek.

Hike past expansive beaver ponds and prime elk habitat on this loop through Yellowstone’s scenic northwest corner.

Take the lesser-traveled route up one of Shenandoah National Park's most storied peaks.

Find solitude in Yellowstone's mountainous northwest corner.

Score Swiss-Alps scenery without the trans-Atlantic flight.

Why visit iconic Glacier Point with the rest of the tourists when you can ski there—and have it all to yourself?

Our expert's top tips for hiking Big Bend National Park in spring

Lose yourself in the Lower 48's wildest park.

Our expert reveals his top dayhikes, overnights, and tricks for your best trip ever.

Try your luck at finding solid ground—in order to see a Technicolor sunset and flocks of cormorants.

Navigate your own route through grizzly terrain in Elias National Park, all to access seldom-seen panoramas of the 16,000-foot Wrangell Mountains.

Get the story behind Angels Landing, Zion National Park, Utah—and how to see it yourself.

Get a front row seat of retreating glaciers on this challenging 8-mile out-and-back to the Harding Icefield. No crampons or ice axes are needed during the summer hiking months.

Squeeze this 4.3-mile dayhike in before the ferry departs for the mainland. Highlights: super rare pine trees and breezy views of the mighty Pacific.

One great thing about being out on the trail is allowing your schedule to be ruled by the rising and setting sun. Here are the best sunrises and sunsets you photographed and submitted to our photo contest this year.

See the best the Big Ditch has to offer with these stunning photos from Matt & Agnes Hage.

Trek along a series of High Sierra lakes nestled in sculpted granite basins below towering alpine peaks on this 11.6-mile out-and-back.

In America's most celebrated park, adventure doesn't begin at the trailhead; it begins at trail's end.

Thanks to only a little elevation gain, this 7-mile loop offers flatlanders great rewards (big views, wildlife, solitude) without much suffering. Pack plenty of water and sunscreen.

This 4.2-mile out-and-back hike is a local's favorite, climbing gently from the flood-torn banks of the Moormans River to one of the most impressive waterfalls in the park.

Take this 8.8-mile out-and-back dayhike or overnight to escape high-season crowds; it stitches together a lesser-known route leading to a photo-worthy waterfall.

Windswept ridges, jigsaw peaks, and a bulldozing glacier are just few of the highlights on this 9.8-mile half-circle route near Going-to-the-Sun and Matahpi Peaks.

This old 11.1-mile carriage loop is a family-friendly adventure complete with lakes, streams, easy walking, and beautiful ocean vistas. Open to cyclists and hikers.

Hike across twisted, tortured landscape on this 11.2-mile overnighter through the High Chisos Mountains to the South Rim escarpment. Bring plenty of water; this is dry country.

Get high fast on this 9.1-mile, out-and-back to Fern and Spruce lakes, which sit in gorgeous alpine valleys beneath the Little Matterhorn and several other commanding peaks.

Wander from bubbling cascades to scenic balds to wide ridgelines to old-growth forest on this classic 12.5-mile, 2-day loop in the shadow of several 5,000-foot peaks.

Can't afford a full week in Glacier? Try this daylong sampler, a 5.2-mile hike that passes waterfalls and jagged peaks, climbing to an alpine lake pinched in by 3,000-foot walls.

Gurgling mountain streams and peaceful vistas line this 9-mile loop in southern Shenandoah National Park

Capture the renowned mystique of Lake Superior's solitary atoll on this traverse of Isle Royale, a pristine archipelago untouched by development and home to thriving wolf and moose populations.

This 6.6-mile out-and-back canyon hike is fantastically verdant and loaded with glistening cascades, including the park's second highest waterfall.

From the Chisos Mountains to the Chihuahuan Desert, this 3- or 4-day hike samples it all.

A 24-miler in the the Big Bend's remote west corner.

Camp under sharp peaks and sharper stars on this 4-day, 20-mile tour along the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park. Summits, swimming holes, and trout abound.

Paddle the Rio Grande through massive gorges on this exciting overnight. This 22-mile trip is easily done in 2 days.

Explore a desert moonscape of otherworldly cacti on this 4.2-mile hike to an abandoned gold prospect. Take plenty of water and sunscreen.

Solitude rules on this 6.2-mile out-and-back past the headwaters of a lively mountain stream where deer and black bears roam by the skeleton of a weatherbeaten homestead.