Plan Now to Visit Our National Parks

National Parks are an iconic symbol of America. The US has been a world leader in the conservation of stunning scenic areas, wonderful wildlife, and magnificent mountains. America has over 60 National Parks, with another 350+ Historic Sites, Monuments, Seashores, and Recreation Areas and together they span 84 million acres (about the area of California). Established in 1872, Yellowstone was the first ever National Park closely followed by Yosemite (1890) and Mt. Rainier (1899). Utah has the most of any state with five National Parks! Once unregulated – camp anywhere, feed whatever you like, and step wherever you wish, tourist attractions – National Parks are now not only more regulated, but they are also busier than ever.

Since leaving our home in California, we’ve visited more than a dozen National Parks and countless monuments, and historic sites. We’re sharing our tips on how to visit the parks without being overwhelmed by the number of people, and vehicles or exhausted by the sheer size.

1. Buy a Pass

This is the first and probably the best tip we received before heading out on the road. America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass is just $80 and once you’ve visited three parks (or the same park three times), it has paid for itself. If like one of us (it’s not Cat) you’re over 62, you can buy the Lifetime Senior Pass for just $80, and it lasts you the rest of your life! We cannot stress enough how amazing this is. Link to the National Park Passes at the end of the blog.

2. Time of Year Matters

If you’re planning to visit any of the iconic parks, such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion etc., the time of year you visit is of utmost importance. Summer is obviously the busiest time of year for any travel or vacation, but it’s not always the best time to see our National Parks; especially those in the deserts where the temperatures can reach unbearable highs or lows. We love to visit National Parks in Spring or Fall during what is lovingly referred to as ‘Shoulder Season’. The most popular parks will be slightly less busy during these times. Parks such as Glacier, Tetons, and even Yellowstone can be cut off in the winter and many roads are closed, plus you take a huge risk with the weather. We understand if you’re traveling with children, summer is usually the only time you can take the time out for vacation. However, if you’re traveling sans children, we highly recommend Shoulder Season. That way you’ll get great weather but will be able to avoid too much of a crowd.

3. Choose Your Experience

Most National Parks are enormous, and you could easily get overwhelmed if you don’t have a good idea of what you’d like to do! You don’t want to turn up and just wing it. You truly need to have a plan and decide upon the experience you would like to have. Do you want to hike? Plan ahead for the hikes you most wish to do; keep in mind that some hikes require a permit, ahead of time. Do you love car tours? Plan to arrive early to avoid being part of a long line of cars snaking through the park. Alternatively, enter the park after 4 pm and do a sunset drive. Are you a photographer? You’ll want to arrive at the golden hours to get the best shots – earlier in the morning is best when people are just waking up!

Keep in mind that you simply cannot see it all.

4. Get the Most Out of Your Visit

Visiting a National Park can be exhilarating or exhausting depending on how well you plan. You can get the most out of your visit by following these guidelines.

A. Arrive as early as humanly possible. Now we understand if you have small children this could be tough, but you’ll thank us for it. The earlier you arrive, the more chance you have of seeing wildlife, of having the park to yourselves and getting the best photographs. We plan to arrive at a park no later than 6:30 a.m. and we’re usually heading home by 11 a.m., just as the parks begin to fill up. Also, for parks that require a timed entry in the peak season, you can bypass this by arriving before the first pass time. However, you must then stay in the park; you will not be allowed back in if you leave.

B. Pack a picnic! Most parks do not have any restaurants or snack bars and you will spend way too much of your time leaving the park and returning if you must go out to eat lunch! Find a quiet spot and enjoy a picnic – just be bear aware if you’re heading into bear country,

C. For car tours, go to the furthest point on the map first! This way, as you return you should meet far fewer people. Of course, as you get close to the end of the tour, you’ll meet more.

5. Stay Safe

National Parks are called the great outdoors for a reason. Unless you only plan to do car tours, you will be spending a great deal of time outside. You need to have the right gear and knowledge of the safety requirements of each park.

Bring a daypack. Even if you only plan to walk to the lookout and maybe some smaller loops trails, you need a place for your water, hats, and sunglasses, etc.
Opt for a backpack versus a suitcase. If you plan to camp or stay at a lodge, backpacks are a far better idea than suitcases. You’re more mobile with a backpack and lugging a suitcase around a campground is never fun.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. We cannot stress this enough. Some parks, especially those in the Southwest have water stations, but most do not, and you’ll get dehydrated far faster than you expect. Dehydration can be deadly and at higher elevations, you can become dehydrated quicker than at sea level. Take more water than you think you’ll need – we even recommend having extra in your vehicle.
Bug Spray is Essential You’ll be far more comfortable if you have applied your bug spray before heading out into the wilderness.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat. This is really for those hot summer months, but it can never hurt.
Be Alert Around Wildlife. In the old days, people were encouraged to feed the wildlife as it brought the animals closer to the people, which in turn brought more visitors to the parks. We all now know this is a terrible idea. Never feed wildlife! Each park has its own wildlife and bears are not in every park, however, there are bison, wolves, moose, elk, deer, and big horn sheep in many of the parks. All these animals can be deadly! Stay as far away as suggested or further – 25 yards for most wildlife 100+ yards for predators such as bears or wolves.

6. Camping Reservations!

In order to get the most out of any National Park, we recommend at least a three-day visit. That being said, you’ll need to have somewhere to stay. People love the idea of camping within the boundaries of the national parks and some of the best campgrounds are inside the parks, however, they are also a nightmare to get into – especially the most popular spots. First of all, you will need to get a Recreation.gov account. Please do this before you begin to research as you cannot book without it.

The National Park Campgrounds can be booked up within hours of the reservation space opening up. Also, for major parks like Yosemite, there is a lottery for their most popular campground, North Pines, which begins in November and ends in December. There are also cancellation websites you can join if you aren’t lucky enough to snatch a site. Most National Parks have plenty of private and state campgrounds in the surrounding areas and we’ve never been locked out when it comes to finding a spot. However, the longer you wait to book the less chance you have of getting a site close to the park or paying less for your stay.