National Park Vacations

National Park Guides & Reviews

So you're thinking about some national park vacations this year but they're usually SO crowded.

If you're tired of waiting in lines to drive into one of our nation's crown jewels, our goal is to share information on when is the best time to visit; how to enjoy the parks without the crowds; and the most frugal ways to experience our parks.

Has this ever happened to you?

It's a beautiful sunny day and you decide to spend it hiking in the mountains to a nearby lake, only to find a crowd of people tramping along the trail and crowds around the lake. So much for a peaceful afternoon listening to the water lapping the shore.

Yes, that actually happened to us once. Ironically, the name of the lake was Secret Lake (or Cecret by some spellings). Some secret!

It's a known fact that most tourist destinations are less crowded from Sunday to Thursday. This is especially true with our National Parks as they are well-traveled tourist attractions. (Picture bus loads of people on weekends!)

Best seasons to visit.

We humans love to vacation in the summer. Why? Because of the usually nice weather. However, fall can be a great time to hit the National Parks also. A visit to Bryce Canyon National Park during the Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be warm enough to hike, see plenty of color, and the famous sandstone spires were gorgeous covered in snow.

Cold weather vacations do take more or different planning. This is also true for areas of the country that have so-called "monsoon" seasons. A trip to Zions National Park in April provided scenes not available in the summer months - more water falls than we could count. April is typically rainy in Utah, so we went prepared with our ponchos and warm coats underneath. It was a weekend to remember!

Some of my favorite National Parks

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Capitol Reef is nearly a 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust called the Waterpocket Fold. The variety of rock formations and colorful scenery is amazing. There are also many choices for lodging, from motels, B&Bs, developed, primitive and back country camping.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO
Take off your shoes and socks and wade across the Medano Creek. The water is cool and only a few inches deep. You'll envy the small children nearby sitting in the water splashing and laughing. Join in! What a great beach these sand dunes provide. There's also camping and plenty of hiking - from the beginner to the avid.

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Have you ever stood on both sides of the Continental Divide? That's possible in this Park. Many other activities are possible in this Colorado wonderland also, like camping, fishing, hiking, enjoying the cool, clean air, taking pictures of some of the most beautiful scenery in the West. And MORE . . .

(Photo from NPS)

What's your favorite National Park?

Since there isn't room on this web site to list all of our great National Parks, I'm sure our visitors would love to read about YOUR favorite. Feel free to share it here!

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Acadia's Longer Hiking Trails Are Seldom Crowded  My daughters and I have vacationed in Acadia National Park many times over the past two decades. If you read the statistics, it's one of the most crowded ...

Beautiful & Serene  I was perusing your site and thought I would make a little comment about a national park I went to while in Colorado. Actually I went there twice. The ...

Enjoy a relaxing National Park Family Vacation – time away from the crowds with your family in a natural setting.

Return Home from National Park Vacations