What happens when you gather a lively mix of women from all over North America, each bringing their own stories, skills, and comfort levels in the wild? Magic, pure and simple. Our four-day adventure in Zion National Park delivered full hearts, camera rolls bursting with memories, and choruses of supportive “woos” that helped conquer fears and discover newfound confidence in the outdoors.

 

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This blueprint, called the Escape Series, was developed by , which has crafted an authentic way to bring its mission to life. The program provides national park experiences to women鈥擣P Movement team members, editors, and brand enthusiasts鈥攁nd elevates community building alongside outdoor exploration. The Escape Series is a natural evolution of FP Movement鈥檚 partnership with the . Now in its eighth year, the collaboration has resulted in $700,000 in donations to the National Park Foundation and 3,200-plus employee volunteer hours.

Welcome to Zion

When I unzipped my tent at , located in the foothills of Zion National Park, I was met with thoughtful surprises from my hosts: in all my favorite colors. The desert welcome only got better when I met the nine women I鈥檇 be sharing this adventure with at a sunset dinner overlooking glowing red cliffs.

The 国产吃瓜黑料 Unfolds

Canyoneering with was my first adrenaline rush in Zion. The guides taught us about the land and Leave No Trace principles and created a supportive environment where vulnerability thrived. While I rappelled down the first boulder, encouraging shouts echoed off the stone walls. My layers were so comfortable and supportive, no readjustments required, and my provided incredible traction so I could focus on the experience.

Later, horseback riding with offered a new perspective of Zion鈥檚 trails, with the stunning Vermilion Cliffs in the distance. That night, conversations flowed under twinkling lights, cementing a palpable sense of shared experience and newfound confidence. As one woman remarked, 鈥淚 feel more capable than I realized. I got to experience things I wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise on my own.鈥�

We greeted the new day with a hike up to Scout Lookout. The challenging 3.4-mile ascent with 1,700 feet of elevation gain rewarded us with sweeping views of the winding Virgin River.

At Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, our guides awaited with powerful Polaris RZR side-by-sides. After a quick fit change into our sand-ready FP Movement and , we were zooming across the dunes, ready to sandboard. Overheard among the laughter, someone exclaimed, 鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice to be outside with a group of women versus on my own or with a partner. There鈥檚 a different kind of support and understanding.鈥� Before heading back, we stopped at Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon, a hidden gem among the dunes.

Beyond the Escape Series

The best trips, like this one, give you more than great memories. After Zion, I couldn鈥檛 help but think about the larger lessons we came away with: We鈥檙e all on our own trail, but the beauty lies in simply putting one foot in front of the other, taking the time to really experience our surroundings, and moving through this world with a sense of freedom.

The FP Movement collection, with its empowering spirit and focus on movement, encourages women to do just that: express themselves fully, embrace every adventure, and live life in motion鈥攁 mission that鈥檚 brought to life by the Escape Series.

As Seen in Zion:

Established in 2012 as a category on Free People, has been at the forefront of redefining activewear, introducing performance-ready styles that extend beyond the gym. Rooted in community, individuality, and the spirit of #movingtogether, FP Movement鈥檚 activewear for hike, run, racquet, studio, and ski bridges the gap between fashion and function.

In 2020, FP Movement emerged as an independent brand, opening its first stand-alone store in Los Angeles. The brand currently has 56 stores nationwide, offers online shopping at fpmovement.com, and collaborates with wholesale partners such as Dick鈥橲 Sporting Goods and independent fitness studios.

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The National Park Service recently released their annual , reporting the most guests in the system鈥檚 history, with almost 332 million people exploring our parks, preserves, recreation areas, and historic sites in 2024.

Unfortunately, this surge in popularity is coinciding with a staffing crisis within the park service, as the Trump Administration has dictated the organization cut 1,000 employees. In addition to the staff cuts, the Park Service was initially ordered to freeze the hiring of seasonal staff, a workforce that helps bolster park management and care during the busiest months of the year.

鈥淧arks have been understaffed for a long time, with the percentage of full-time employees on the decline while parks have been getting more popular every year,鈥� says Cassidy Jones, the senior visitation program manager for the (NPCA), a nonprofit devoted to advocating for our parks.

Before Trump鈥檚 round of cuts, the overall National Park Service staff had eroded by 20 percent since 2010, while visitation had increased by 16 percent in that same time period. Jones says this latest round of cuts, which eliminates another 9 percent from the overall Park Service staff, will only exacerbate the understaffed and overcrowded conundrum that plagues many of our popular parks. While the hiring freeze of seasonal staff was eventually lifted, the delay caused most parks to be two months behind on hiring the employees that visitors most often encounter鈥攖he teams that work the visitor centers, manages the gates, and clean the bathrooms.

As a result, Jones says visitors to national parks this summer might not have the same experience they鈥檙e used to, with reduced hours at certain visitor centers, bathrooms that are still closed from winter, longer lines at entrance stations, and some cancelled guided ranger programs. It鈥檚 possible that certain recreation facilities, like campgrounds or staffed boat ramps, will also be closed temporarily.

There鈥檚 been a lack of transparency from the federal government as to how many employees each park has lost, but the nonprofit Association for National Park Rangers has an unofficial tally that shows the hardest hit parks are also some of the most popular, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which lost 10 full-time employees during the initial round of layoffs. And this is likely just the beginning, as the Trump Administration has ordered the National Park Service to reduce its payroll by 30 percent.

鈥淓very park has experienced some staffing cuts, so all of the parks will be stressed this summer,鈥� says Jones.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean you should stay home. The 433 units that make up the National Park System are publicly owned, and we have the right to enjoy them. It鈥檚 also our responsibility to make sure they鈥檙e protected for future generations to enjoy. More than ever, it鈥檚 imperative that all visitors have a thoughtful approach to exploring our parks this summer. Here are four things to keep in mind.

1. Be Kind

We鈥檙e all looking for a parking spot. We鈥檙e all waiting in the entrance line. That ranger who doesn鈥檛 know the answer to your question is doing the best they can. A little kindness can go a long way in a crowded park when people are hot, tired, and just looking for a place to park.

2. Stay Prepared

What are you going to do if the snack shack is closed? What about the bathroom? This summer, more than ever, you need to practice when you visit a national park, which means you need to pack out everything you pack in. Bring the food and water you鈥檒l need, take all your trash with you,听 and consider packing a few in case the bathroom at the trailhead is closed.

3. Make a Plan

A ranger might not be around to ask for directions or suggestions for easy hikes that your 5 year old would enjoy. So research your trip before you enter the park and acquire the maps you鈥檒l need ahead of time.

4. Speak Up

Like visiting our national parks? Awesome. Follow up that visit by reaching out to your elected officials and let them know how much these places matter to you, and that they need to be fully staffed and funded for everyone to enjoy. The NPCA has a you can use to get your message across.

This is how staffing cuts and surging crowds might impact your favorite parks this summer.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to be the most popular national park in the system, attracting more than 12 million visitors in 2024. It also might be the park hardest hit by the Trump Administration鈥檚 cuts. In addition to the impacts from the initial hiring freeze, DOGE initially eliminated 12 employees from the park staff. It鈥檚 unclear how many of those have been hired back, but the staffing conundrum has already caused problems with managing park facilities, as GSMNP has announced temporary closures to a variety of facilities, including several campgrounds.

Abrams Creek, Big Creek, Balsam Mountain, Cataloochee, Cosby, and Look Rock campgrounds typically open in the middle of April, but that date has been pushed back indefinitely because of staffing. The park typically offers , all of which are full on a regular basis. Six of those campgrounds are now closed until further notice. If you booked a site at any of those campgrounds, you will receive a refund.

The park is also postponing the popular Vehicle Free Days in Cades Cove, where the 11-mile loop road is closed to vehicles so cyclists and walkers could roam freely on certain days from May to September. That program will be delayed until June. Seven picnic areas are also closed due to lack of maintenance staff.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a scramble to find camping alternatives, because there are only a handful of campgrounds open inside the park,鈥� says Vesna Plakanis, owner of , a guide service that runs trips inside the park. She says it鈥檚 not just the campgrounds that are closed, but access to many of the trails that begin at those campgrounds are also shut down for the summer. 鈥淏ecause those areas are closed, it鈥檚 putting pressure on other areas that generally aren鈥檛 as crowded. I鈥檓 seeing a lot more destruction of wildflower paths and people parking where they shouldn鈥檛.鈥�

Cutting the camping options in half will make spending the night inside the park more difficult this summer. Fortunately, there are plenty of privately owned campgrounds outside of the park that you can turn to if your trip has been impacted by the closures. And Nantahala National Forest borders the park in North Carolina, offering inexpensive and less crowded camping on public land.

Check out the Nantahala鈥檚 , which has 42 tent sites tucked into the woods on the edge of Lake Fontana near Bryson City, North Carolina. They鈥檙e all first-come, first-serve ($20 per night) and will give you relatively quick access to the quieter North Carolina side of the park.

Or you can treat yourself to a weekend at , which is located on the Tennessee side of the park, roughly 20 minutes to the popular hikes and scenic drives near Gatlinburg. The safari-inspired glamping tents sit on 182 acres complete with a restaurant and live entertainment on weekends (from $179).

Fortunately, it鈥檚 relatively easy to ditch the crowds in America鈥檚 most popular national park as the majority of the visitors tend to stick to the corridor surrounding Newfound Gap Road, in the heart of the park. And Plakanis says that spreading out is more important this summer than ever before.

鈥淭here are 900 miles of trails inside the park, so you don鈥檛 have to be relegated to the newfound gap corridor,鈥� says Plakanis. 鈥淛ust make sure you鈥檙e prepared with a good map, layers, plenty of water, and tell someone where you鈥檙e going.鈥�

To avoid the crowds, head to the Lake Fontana Area, a 29-mile-long finger lake that forms part of the southern border at GSMNP. From there, you can hike a piece of the Lakeshore Trail, which follows the shore of the lake for 30 miles. Or hit one of my favorite hikes in the park, the seven-mile out and back to , which includes a beastly 2,500-foot climb but ends with an incredible view from that tower overlooking the park, the lake, and the Nantahala National Forest.

Arches National Park, Utah听

According to the park service鈥檚 annual statistics, visitation to Arches increased 74 percent between 2011 and 2021, when it hit a record 1.8 million visitors. It hasn鈥檛 slowed down much, attracting 1.4 million people in 2024. That popularity led the Park Service to implement a for all visitors, which they鈥檙e extending through 2025.

While the reservation system will be consistent and help manage crowds, staff cuts and delayed hirings have caused some changes to the visitor experience in Arches. First, the park is removing some trash cans and picnic tables from day use areas to reduce the need for maintenance, so plan on packing out whatever you pack into the park.

The biggest loss to visitors this summer is the closure of the area, a maze of slot canyons that can only be explored on a guided ranger hike or with a Self-Guided Exploration permit. As of now, because of staff limitations, the park is not offering guided hikes or individual permits, so the entire Fiery Furnace area is closed until further notice.

Arches has no extensive backcountry hikes (and no backpacking), so Fiery Furnace is traditionally a visitor鈥檚 best chance for ditching the crowds and exploring the landscape in solitude.

The next best option is the , which climbs steep, sandstone slabs and sand dunes while passing between tall fins on its way to Tower Arch. On a clear day, you can see the peaks of the La Sal Mountains through the opening of that sandstone bridge. It鈥檚 a tough 2.6-mile out and back hike, but the crowds stay away because of the required eight mile drive on a four-wheel drive only road to reach the remote Klondike Bluffs area of Arches.

Yosemite National Park, California听

Yosemite is the sixth most popular park in the system, with more than 4 million visitors last year. The park is also notorious for its traffic jams, as the majority of those visitors are funneled into Yosemite Valley via a few two-lane roads. The South Entrance to the park on Highway 41 is particularly slow, and park management tells visitors to expect up to a two-hour delay on weekends during the summer.

The crowds have resulted in park management implementing a temporary timed entry reservation system during the last few years. Park officials were planning to put a permanent reservation system in place in 2025, but the plan was scrapped by the Trump Administration. Instead, another temporary reservation system for spring and summer was just that includes mandatory reservations from June 16 to August 15 between 6 A.M. and 3 P.M., on weekends between 6 A.M. and 3 P.M. from May 24 to June 15, and from August 16 to August 31. Every park entrance but the Hatch Tetchy station will require reservations. However, the has not been activated on Yosemite National Park鈥檚 website at press time.

鈥淩equiring reservations is controversial because it throttles the amount of people coming through, but I鈥檓 a fan of it personally as a guide,鈥� says Gabriel Mann, owner of , which leads photography workshops, backpacking trips, and climbing adventures within the park. 鈥淗aving a governor on crowds makes a huge difference and gives visitors so much more room to breathe and take in the sights.鈥�

As to what visitors can expect once they鈥檙e inside the park? That鈥檚 still unclear as the seasonal hirings that park management depend on have been delayed by the Trump Administration. Yosemite also lost nine employees during the initial wave of firings. Oh, and Yosemite鈥檚 superintendent, Cicely Muldoon, retired in February. It鈥檚 already impacting the visitor experience, as Yosemite announced a in their reservation system for five of the park鈥檚 campgrounds (Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow).

Mann hopes visitors will step up to do their part to keep Yosemite running smoothly by packing their own trash out with them and helping to pick up trash they see in parking lots and along trails.

Fortunately, it鈥檚 not hard to avoid the crowds in Yosemite if you come prepared and bring a sense of adventure. 鈥淭he majority of visitors only see Yosemite Valley, and most of those visitors don鈥檛 go further than one mile on any trail,鈥� says Mann.

Instead of cruising for a parking spot in the valley, Mann suggests heading to higher elevations to explore Tuolumne Meadows, a subalpine meadow surrounded by the Sierra鈥檚 craggy, ice-capped peaks. A number of hikes traverse the area. is a full-day, 7-mile lollipop loop that leads you to a glacier-carved lake at the bottom of Unicorn Peak. The first mile is a climb, which helps reduce the crowds.

Tuolumne Meadows even has its own scenic drive, the 46-mile , which is only open from late May through October, passing through forests and meadows with views of granite domes and lakes. If you hit the meadows in the spring, you can expect snow on the trails even if Tioga Road is open. Being prepared and self-sufficient while exploring this area is key, especially during the staff shortage.

Zion National Park, Utah听

Zion National Park had 4.95 million visitors in 2024, earning the spot of the second-most visited national park in the country, edging out Grand Canyon National Park. Zion lost 11 employees in the first wave of layoffs, although it鈥檚 unclear how many of those have since been hired back. The park is currently planning to operate with a business as usual approach, with no disruption to facility hours, amenities, or ranger-led programs, but that鈥檚 largely because of the publicly-funded support system that supplements the management of the park.

鈥淶ion is unique in the fact that it has strong partnerships with nonprofits and private organizations that provide a ton of volunteers and funding that has helped float the park through the last couple of government shutdowns,鈥� says Xavier Velez, manager of , which provides guided adventures in and around the park.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean you won鈥檛 notice some hiccups this summer, particularly when it comes to entering the park. There is no timed entry reservation system at Zion, and this year, the popular pedestrian entrance is already seeing congestion because volunteers have taken over the staffing of that station and aren鈥檛 equipped to handle cash payments. Velez recommends buying your online before you get to the park to help streamline the process.

Crowds will continue to be an issue as Zion鈥檚 popularity grows, so visitors should expect lines at the entrance stations and other hikers on the trails. Xavier suggests looking just outside of the park if you want to ditch the crowds altogether. 鈥淭he national park covers a small portion of the greater Zion area. If you know where to go, you鈥檒l find landscapes that are just as stunning outside of the park with none of the crowds,鈥� he says.

Velez points people to the Water Canyon area on land outside the southern entrance of the park, which is packed with waterfalls, slot canyons, sandstone features, and views of the mesas. Water Canyon has a technical slot canyon that you could explore with a guide, but there is also a seven-mile that most could do on their own that follows a stream through the heart of a larger gorge complete with hoodoos, waterfalls, and domes.

Here are three more national parks that are impacted by the Trump Administration鈥檚 staffing cuts.

Pinnacles National Park, California听

Pinnacles, which is known for its rock spires and cave system, has cancelled all this summer.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico听

Carlsbad Caverns has suspended all until further notice. Visitors can still explore the cavern on their own.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado听

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is closing two of its three campgrounds (North Rim and East Portal Campgrounds) until . The South Rim Campground should open this spring, though no date has been determined yet.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. He鈥檚 been covering adventure travel and national parks for more than 20 years and remembers when President Obama called for a massive increase in the national park budget. He recently wrote about the prettiest drives in our national parks.

The post How to Visit Crowded (and Underfunded) National Parks This Summer appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Our family trip to Maui was full of surfing, waterfall treks, and snorkeling with turtles. Catching the sunrise from the top of the 10,023-foot volcano in Haleakala National Park was supposed to be the crowning jewel. Some say it鈥檚 the greatest sunrise in the world. I wouldn鈥檛 know, though, because I forgot to make reservations two months in advance of the trip, and the only way you can see the sunrise from Haleakala is with a timed-entry permit.

These mandatory timed-entry reservations in national parks have become a hot topic the last few years. During the pandemic, when visitation to national parks soared, a few parks鈥攕tarting with Arches in 2022鈥攔esponded by implementing the reservation systems, which require all visitors to get permits for specific entry times during the busy season. Since then, other park units have implemented similar systems.

I recently spent a lot of time studying national-park visitor comments online, and the reservation system was the second-most frequent complaint. But you know what was the most frequent complaint among national-park visitors? Overcrowding in parks, which leads to traffic jams and a lack of parking, not to mention more pressure on the natural resources.

The National Park System has implemented these systems as a direct response. If you鈥檝e sat in near standstill traffic in Yosemite, or waited for your turn to take a photo in Glacier, then you know something has to be done to mitigate the crowds.

I鈥檓 notoriously bad at making reservations for dinner a week in advance, let alone for a vacation three months down the road, so I get user frustration with the new system. But until some bright mind comes up with a better way to handle millions of people wanting to hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, I think we鈥檙e all going to have to get used to planning certain national park experiences well in advance.

Here鈥檚 a look at the nine national parks that will require advance reservations for entry or on certain popular hikes in 2025.

1. Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is bringing back last year鈥檚 timed-entry vehicle-reservation pilot project for the popular west side of Going-To-The-Sun Road and the North Fork area. The reservations will be required from June 13 to September 28, 2025, daily between 7 A.M. and 3 P.M.

Going-To-The-Sun Road, which is only open during the warm months, usually mid June through September, is a 50-mile-long paved byway that cuts through the center of the park, delivering visitors to the most popular trailheads. West Glacier, near Whitefish, is the western entrance of the road, and St. Mary Visitor Center is the gateway to the eastern edge of the park.

How to Get a Glacier National Park Reservation: You can make reservations starting on February 12 on on a rolling basis, 120 days in advance of desired visitation dates, starting at 8 A.M. MST. Any remaining vehicle reservations will be available at 7 P.M. MDT for next-day entry for dates throughout the season starting on June 12, 2025. Reservations require a $2 processing fee.

In 2025, visitors can still access the park at the East Entrance of Going-To-The-Sun Road without a reservation, but entry might be restricted at certain times without advance notice if the road becomes too congested. You can visit the beautiful Two Medicine Valley, also on the east side of the park and with its own entrance, without a reservation. If you lack a reservation and don鈥檛 want to trek 100 miles to the east side of the park, vehicles can drive Going-To-The-Sun Road from the western entrance as far as Apgar Village, which is two miles inside the park鈥檚 west entrance.

Backup Plan: If you have a reservation for lodging, camping, transportation, or a commercial activity, you can access the park within the intended service area of Going-To-The-Sun Road without making a timed-entry reservation as long as you can show proof of that booking.

If you don鈥檛 have a reservation, you can enter the park before 7 A.M. or after 3 P.M. Or take your chances and enter the park through the eastern entrance of Going-To-The-Sun Road, remembering that access might be restricted due to overcrowding on the road. Better yet, head to the east side of the park to Two Medicine Valley, which is full of trails leading to ice-blue backcountry lakes and towering peaks. The 9.6-mile hike to passes waterfalls and ends on the shore of the lake, which is flanked by the Continental Divide.

2. Arches National Park

Arches is bringing back its previous timed-entry reservation pilot program from 2022 to be used from April 1 to October 31, 2025, although this year you will not need reservations between July 7 and August 27. The program is a continuation of a reservation system that began as a direct response to Arches鈥� increased popularity; the park had seen a 73 percent rise in visitation from 2011 to 2021. Timed entry reservations will be required between 7 A.M. and 4 P.M. daily.

How to Get an Arches National Park Reservation: Reservations are released three months in advance in monthly blocks, so April reservations open on January 2, May reservations open February 1, June reservations open March 1, and so on. Tickets can be reserved at at 8 A.M. MST beginning January 2. Beginning March 31, additional next-day tickets will be released at 7 P.M. MST each evening. Cost for booking a reservation is $2. No tickets will be available at the park visitor center. Once you have a reservation, you鈥檒l have a dedicated one-hour window to enter the park.

Backup Plan: You don鈥檛 need a reservation if you have camping, tour, or special-use permits.

You can also enter the park before 7 A.M. or after 4 P.M. without a reservation. Canyonlands National Park is only 27 miles southwest of Arches, and makes for a superb alternative if you can鈥檛 get inside Arches.

3. Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park has a two-tiered reservation system that, frankly, has confused a lot of people in the past couple of years. Still, it proved effective for mitigating crowds, so the park is bringing it back for 2025. Reservations will be required beginning May 23 through Oct. 14 or Oct 20 depending on the specific reservation you get.

Two types of reservations are available: one is a permit for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which will also include access to the rest of the park, with reservations required from 5 A.M to 6 P.M.. The other is a permit for what is known as 鈥渢he rest of the park,鈥� excluding this corridor, with reservations needed from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. daily. Bear Lake Road reservations are required from May 23 to October 20, but 鈥渢he rest of the park鈥� reservations are only necessary from May 23 to October 14. Why the distinction? The Bear Lake Road area is the most popular section of the park thanks to its collection of picturesque lakes and relatively easy hikes.

How to Get a Rocky Mountain National Park Reservation: You can get reservations through one month in advance, so reservations for June (and the last week of May) will be released at 8 A.M. MST on May 1. Reservations for July will be released June 1 at 8 A.M. MST. The park will also hold 40 percent of the permits for next-day reservations, releasing those at 7 P.M. MST the night before. The only cost for a reservation is a $2 process fee. Visitors with a reservation will have a dedicated two-hour window to enter the park.

Back Up Plan: The Bear Lake corridor is awesome, and the deeper you go on the trails in that area, the better it gets. But Rocky Mountain is a big park, and with the 鈥渞est of the park鈥� reservation window so narrow (9 A.M. to 2 P.M.) there鈥檚 plenty of time to enter the park before or after those hours and still experience the iconic landscape. Driving Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the U.S., topping out at 12,183 feet, is memorable all on its own. But I say set your alarm for an early wake up so you can hit the park before 9 A.M. and head to the Long鈥檚 Peak Trailhead for the 8.4-mile hike to Chasm Lake, a calm pool at the base of Long鈥檚 Peak where you鈥檒l see a picture perfect view of the mountain鈥檚 1,000-foot granite walls.

4. Zion National Park

You don鈥檛 need reservations to enter Zion National Park in 2025, but you will to hike to Angels Landing. The extremely popular hike leads to one of the most photogenic spots in the entire park: a narrow, rocky perch hovering 1,500 feet above the Virgin River. Reservations are required year round and released in a seasonal lottery beginning two months in advance of your intended hike. Next-day permits are also released, on the day before your intended hike.

How to Get a Reservation to Hike to Angels Landing: All reservations are released on . You鈥檒l enter the lottery and pick seven ranked days and times when you want to tackle Angels Landing. You can register for up to six people in the lottery. If you win the lottery, permits are issued on the 25th of the month that you registered.

Lottery-permit applications are $6 and if you score a reservation, the cost is another $3 per hiker. The park also releases last-minute permits for next-day hikers. The lottery opens at 12 MST and closes at 3pm MST each day. The same fees apply. The confirmation email from recreation.gov serves as your permit.

Backup Plan: Getting a reservation is the only way you can hike to the end of Angels Landing, but no permit is necessary to hike the up to Scout Lookout, a 4.5-mile out and back that encompasses most of the same trail, missing only the final push along the knife-edge ridge to Angels Landing. But you鈥檒l still get to hike along the Virgin River and through the breezy Refrigerator Canyon, and end with a great view of Zion Canyon from Scout Lookout.

5. Shenandoah National Park

No reservations are necessary to enter Shenandoah National Park, but you do need a permit to hike any of the several routes up the park鈥檚 signature peak, Old Rag, which is topped by a granite outcropping with a 360-degree view. After a two-year pilot program, Shenandoah National Park has made the Old Rag day-use permit system permanent. You鈥檒l need a day-use ticket from March 1 to November 30. A limit of 800 permits are allotted each day.

How to Get a Permit to Hike Old Rag: Every member in your hiking party needs a permit. Tickets are $2, purchased at . Half of the tickets are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis and the other half are open for grabs five days in advance. The permits are good from 12 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. of the date of your hike.

Backup Plan: Old Rag isn鈥檛 the only summit inside Shenandoah. The 3,514-foot Mary鈥檚 Rock, which requires no permit (only Old Rag does), is topped by a granite outcropping with a gorgeous view west into the pastoral Shenandoah Valley. You can reach the summit via a variety of trails, from an easy 1.5-mile out and back to an arduous that includes a slice of the Appalachian Trail. 听

6. Haleakala National Park

You don鈥檛 need a reservation to enter Haleakala National Park, a 33,265-acre gem on the island of Maui, but if you want to see the sunrise from the summit of its central 10,023-foot active volcano, you鈥檒l need to plan ahead and get a permit. Reservations are necessary to enter the Summit District of the park from 3 A.M. to 7 A.M. daily. The system has been in place since 2017 because catching the sunrise from the top of this volcano is supposedly a transcendent experience.

How to Get a Reservation to See the Sunrise on Haleakala: Reservations can be made on up to 60 days in advance of your desired day. All permits are released at 7 A.M. HST daily on a rolling basis. For those with less foresight, 50 permits are released 48 hours in advance on a rolling basis, but don鈥檛 count on scoring one: only 150 cars are allowed into the park during sunrise each day. You can only get one sunrise reservation per three-day period.听

Backup Plan: I tried to get last-minute reservations for sunrise on my recent family trip to Maui but had no luck. Instead, we showed up for sunset. Was it as transcendent as a sunrise? I can鈥檛 compare the two, but it was gorgeous and we didn鈥檛 have to wake up at 2 A.M. to drive into the park. If you鈥檙e dead set on experiencing the sunrise but can鈥檛 get an advance reservation, consider booking a couple of nights in the Summit District鈥檚 Each booking comes with a sunrise permit. Snag a campsite up to 30 days in advance. Sites are $5 per night, with a three-night maximum.

Hiking the Summit District is a delight even if you can鈥檛 catch a sunrise. My family spent our time poking around easy trails, but the is an 11-mile point-to-point that drops through the volcano鈥檚 crater, traveling through rust-red and black lava rock terrain that many describe as otherworldly.

7. Yosemite National Park

For the last couple of years, Yosemite has gone back and forth with timed-entry reservations: mandating and enforcing them, then taking the system away, then bringing it back. In 2024, the park introduced a Peak Hours Plus system for spring, summer, and fall that required reservations from 5 A.M. to 4 P.M.

The park hasn鈥檛 announced its plans for 2025 yet. But we do know that you鈥檒l need reservations from February 8 to February 23 on weekends because of the mass appeal of Horsetail Falls, which at that time of year glows when sunlight hits it. You need an even if you don鈥檛 want to see Horsetail Falls. We鈥檒l update this article with Yosemite鈥檚 2025 plans when they are released.

How to Get a Reservation to See Horsetail Falls: Half of the reservations for the February Horsetail Falls were released in November of 2024. The other half will be released two days in advance of the target weekends at 8 A.M. PT on recreation.gov. So if you鈥檙e trying to get tickets for February 23, you can get reservations on February 21 at 8 A.M.. There鈥檚 a $2 reservation fee.

Backup Plan: If you want to see Horsetail Falls in its winter glory on a weekend, you need to score a reservation. There鈥檚 no way into Yosemite on a February weekend without that permit. Or you can hit the park on weekdays in February when no reservations are required.

If you make it inside the park in February and are looking for something else to do, head to the Bridge Pass Ski Area, which offers downhill skiing and is a hub of groomed and ungroomed cross-country trails. The is a 8.3-mile ski through meadows with a dramatic view into Yosemite Valley.

8. Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park did not require entrance reservations in 2024, but did require reservations for visitors wanting to drive Cadillac Summit Road from May 22 to October 27. The park has not announced its reservation plans for 2025, although Cadillac Summit Road permits are expected to be part of the management plan again.

How to Get a Cadillac Summit Road Permit: Last year, permits were required to drive the road from sunrise until sunset. The park released 30 percent of the permits 90 days in advance on on a rolling basis, while 70 percent of permits were released at 10 A.M. EST two days prior to desired dates. There was a $6 processing fee regardless of when you get the reservation.

Backup Plan: You鈥檒l need to score a reservation if you want to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain during the day time, but that鈥檚 not the only good view inside Acadia. Check out Great Head, a 145-foot tall summit with a dramatic view of Acadia鈥檚 beaches and coast, via this adventurous .

9. Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier is the latest park to enter the timed-entry reservation game, introducing a pilot permit system last year for vehicles accessing the park via either the Paradise Corridor and Sunrise Corridor. Reservations were needed daily from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. from May 24 through September 2 for the Paradise Corridor and July 3 to September 2 for the Sunrise Corridor. The park is still evaluating the results of that pilot program and has not yet announced plans for 2025. We鈥檒l update this article when information is available.

How to Get a Reservation to Mount Rainier National Park: Advance reservations are made available on , and a small amount of next-day reservations are issued at 7 P.M. PT the day before on a rolling basis. A $2 processing fee is required for each reservation.

Backup Plan: If you can鈥檛 score a reservation, try entering the park before 7 A.M. or after 3 P.M. Also, visitors with camping, lodging, or wilderness permits don鈥檛 need a timed-entry reservation. Also, if you enter Sunrise Corridor on foot or bicycle, you don鈥檛 need a reservation. If you鈥檙e , State Route 410 (Sunrise Road) climbs 3,650 feet in 20 miles from the park boundary to Sunrise, an overlook sitting at 6,400 feet in elevation that offers a big view of snowcapped Rainier and the surrounding valley.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. He still regrets not scoring reservations for the sunrise in Haleakala National Park, and knows he needs to be better at planning ahead for such adventures. He recently wrote about the year鈥檚 (best) worst national park reviews; surviving a hurricane in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina; and his choice for the country’s best state for adventures.

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Utah is stacked when it comes to outdoor adventure. Not only does the state have some of the country鈥檚 most badass skiing and mountain biking, but it also boasts the nation鈥檚 third most national parks in any state, which include some of the world鈥檚 best hiking trails.

These protected meccas鈥�Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion, known as the Mighty Five鈥攃apture unique and stunning landscapes that represent the desert at its absolute finest, from striking sandstone arches to isolated slot canyons to lush oases. And over the years, I鈥檝e been fortunate enough to visit all of Utah鈥檚 national parks. Some, during my explorations as a nascent single dude traveling in a diesel VW Jetta with pink bumpers looking for adventure (true story), and others later in life with my wife and kids in tow.

Do I have a favorite? Absolutely. Arches. Wait, Bryce. Definitely Bryce. Or, actually Zion. Okay鈥� truth be told, I can鈥檛 pick one. They鈥檙e all breathtaking for different reasons, and for me, that鈥檚 an impossible task.

I did however pick my two favorite hikes in each park鈥攐ne for beginners and one for the more adventurous鈥攖hat you absolutely can鈥檛 miss when you go. Especially if you鈥檙e a first-timer to Utah鈥檚 national parks, consider these hiking trails the ultimate primer. And if you keep coming back as I do, maybe you鈥檒l discover which park you like best. (Good luck with that.)

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Arches National Park

As the name suggests, Arches is loaded with more than 2,000 rainbow-like curved sandstone features within its borders鈥攖he highest concentration of such outcroppings in the United States. You鈥檒l also find colorful cliffs, towering pinnacles, and balancing rocks that combine for a red rock landscape like no other.

Best Beginner Hike: Park Avenue

Yes, the national park is named Arches, but takes you through the center of towering cliffs and spires, so tall they鈥檙e reminiscent of New York City鈥檚 skyscrapers. It鈥檚 popular, and can get crowded, but it鈥檚 a must-do when you鈥檙e in Arches. The 2-mile out and back takes you through the middle of the park鈥檚 signature outcroppings, including Tower of Babel, a distinctive, freestanding fin that is part of the larger group of Courthouse Towers. (Some people shuttle themselves via two cars and make it a mile-long point to point.)

Best Advanced Hike: Primitive Loop Trail

The 7.9-mile , the park鈥檚 longest maintained trail, accesses a handful of distinctive sandstone features in the Devil鈥檚 Garden area and delivers the desert solitude you probably crave after navigating crowds at the park鈥檚 entrance. Its landscape-to-arches bang for buck, combined with the opportunity to ditch the masses, make this my favorite trail inside the park. Spur trails lead to Landscape Arch, which at 306-feet across, makes it the longest stone arch in North America. You鈥檒l also be able to see Double O Arch, Private Arch, and the weird Dark Angel, a black sandstone spike emerging from the sand.

Pro Tip: Arches now requires to enter the park (get them up to three months in advance) between April 1 and October 31. But show up after 4 P.M. and you can enter the park without advanced notice. Just bring a headlamp in case your hike goes longer than expected.

BOOK HOTELS NEAR ARCHES

Canyonlands National Park

At 337,598 acres, Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, with three distinct regions; the day-hike-friendly Needles, Island in the Sky (which covers a plateau between the Colorado and Green Rivers), and the super remote Maze. The Needles has the most developed trails for hikers, as well as some of the park鈥檚 signature canyons and spires.

Best Beginner Hike: Mesa Arch

This .5-mile in the easy-to-access Island in the Sky District, delivers hikers to a 27-foot arch that鈥檚 perched on the edge of a cliff more than 1,000 feet above Buck Canyon. Peer through the arch and you can see some of Canyonland鈥檚 signature features, including the massive monoliths of Washer Woman and Monster Tower, as well as the La Sal Mountains beyond the park.

Best Advanced Hike: Chesler Park Loop

Hike some of the best scenery in The Needles District on this that delivers the slot canyons and arches most hikers come to the area to see. The tread is slickrock and sandy washes as you combine four trails (Elephant Hill, Druid Arch, Joint Trail, and Chesler Park), which will have you squeezing through boulders and scrambling through stone notches. Chesler Park itself is a circular valley surrounded by towering sandstone spires.

Pro Tips: First, try to time your visit to Mesa Arch for sunrise, when the red rock cliffs framed by the structure are set aglow by the emerging daylight. Second, there are no reliable water sources on the Chesler Loop hike, so make sure you bring plenty for a full day in the desert.

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Bryce Canyon National Park

Hoodoos are a trip. These tall, stone spires look like huge versions of the drip castles you made as a kid on the beach, and Bryce Canyon National Park is full of them, as well as deep canyons, surprisingly lush forests, and elevations that top out at 9,100 feet.

Best Beginner Hike: The Rim Trail

The traces the edge of Bryce Canyon for 5.5 miles, connecting two popular overlooks, Bryce Point and Fairyland Point. A run by the park service hits multiple overlooks and access points along the Rim Trail, making it easy to treat this as a point-to-point, and there are three overlooks and trailheads along the way, so you can tailor the distance to your own ability. Do the whole thing and you鈥檒l only gain 200 feet of elevation, while the views into the canyon offer peeks of the park鈥檚 grandiose canyons and spires, including the appropriately-named Thor鈥檚 Hammer.

Best Advanced Hike: Under-the-Rim Trail

At 23 miles, you鈥檒l need at least a couple of days to complete this point-to-point highlight reel of Bryce Canyon. But you鈥檒l be glad you dedicated the extra time, as boasts serious backcountry goods, including views of towering orange cliffs, clusters of the park鈥檚 signature hoodoos, and even forests of ponderosa pines and aspens. It鈥檚 not an easy stroll as you鈥檒l gain 5,500 feet along the way, but primitive backcountry campsites enable you to break it up into a multi-day effort.

Pro Tip: Bryce has a free park shuttle, but it doesn鈥檛 access Rainbow Point Trailhead, so you鈥檒l need to hire a shuttle (, from $15 per person) or have two cars complete Under-the-Rim Trail, or if you鈥檙e planning to hike the entire Rim Trail.

BOOK HOTELS NEAR BRYCE

Zion National Park

To say Zion protects a desert landscape would be too simple of a description. The 148,733-acre park actually encompasses an area where three distinct ecosystems, the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the Great Basin come together. The result is terrain that鈥檚 rich with canyons, lush river valleys, and soaring peaks. It鈥檚 also one of the most popular national parks in the entire country, with five million visitors last year.

Best Beginner Hike: Emerald Pools Trail

There are three Emerald Pools in Zion, each of which is an actual oasis in the middle of the desert, located on different tiers of a stream, tucked into the base of a massive, sandstone amphitheater. The Lower Emerald Pool, which is actually a couple of separate pools fed by a small waterfall that tumbles over an alcove, is wheelchair accessible via a 1.2-mile . The Middle and Upper Emerald Pools are a little tougher to reach; a 2.5-mile loop accesses all three, but Upper is worth the effort, as the pool sits at the base of a massive sandstone wall. Show up in spring and all of the pools could be fed by seasonal waterfalls.

Best Advanced Hike: Orderville Canyon

Yes, The Narrows is the park鈥檚 most lauded hike, but offers a similar experience over more technical terrain that keeps the masses away. The first few miles are easy going, but as you descend deeper into Orderville, the canyon narrows and becomes a tangle of boulders you have to climb and repel over, interspersed with springs and waterfalls. It鈥檚 a 12-mile point to point through a lush playground that should take a full day, and you will need technical skills and gear to tackle it safely. You鈥檒l also need a ($10 per person). (If you鈥檙e not comfortable with canyoneering, hire a guide. Commercial guides can鈥檛 lead you through canyons inside the national park, but they can take you through similar canyons outside of the park鈥檚 boundaries.)

Pro Tip: Zion has a that begins at the Visitor Center and delivers you to popular trailheads, but you need to show up early to get a parking spot. During summer, the first shuttle leaves the Visitor Center at 6 A.M. Be on it.

BOOK HOTELS NEAR ZION

Capitol Reef National Park

Natural arches and bridges, singular rock pillars, canyons鈥� the 241,904-acre Capitol Reef is home to all of the highlights you鈥檇 expect from a national park in the desert of Utah. All of these features are a result of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long 鈥渨rinkle鈥� in the earth鈥檚 crust made by an uplift of an underlying fault about 15 million years ago, which caused massive cliffs to rise and eventually erode into domes, towers, canyons, arches, and monoliths that are found throughout this park. Cool, right?

Best Beginner Hike: Grand Wash

gives you a taste of the narrow canyons that people go ape over, but via a flat hike that鈥檚 easy to follow and super family friendly. The entire hike is a 4.4-mile out and back, but if you start on the Highway 24 trailhead, you enter the canyon early, with 200-foot vertical rock walls on either side of you, and can turn back when you鈥檝e seen enough. After hiking a half mile over sandy terrain, the canyon begins to shrink and soon you鈥檒l hit the narrows, which has slot canyon vibes without getting so tight it causes claustrophobia (the walls are about 20-feet apart at their slimmest point). The tan, sandstone walls are pockmarked with holes and small caves, and even offer shade in the morning and late afternoon.

Best Advanced Hike: Sheets Gulch Slot Canyon

Capitol Reef has a bevy of canyons to explore, but might be the best non-technical option. There鈥檚 no official trail through the narrow gorge, which can be found 12.7 miles south of Highway 24 on the paved Notom-Bullfrog Road, but the occasional cairn and obvious route through narrow, sandstone walls make this journey relatively straightforward to navigate. (Bring a map, regardless.) While you won鈥檛 need ropes, you鈥檒l need to muscle up and over several chockstones and wade through the occasional pool to keep moving forward, but that鈥檚 half the fun. It鈥檚 a 9-mile point to point, but most hikers turn around when the canyon begins to open back up, roughly 6.5 miles from the trailhead, making it a long, 13-mile all-day adventure.

Pro Tip: Bring a 4WD rig. The hikes I mention here are accessible via paved roads, but if you have a high clearance, 4WD vehicle, the entire backcountry of Capitol Reef becomes your oyster, and you鈥檒l have options for free, primitive camping and an easier time getting into the remote Cathedral Valley鈥攁 backcountry district of the park where you can find a cluster of sandstone monoliths.

BOOK HOTELS NEAR CAPITOL REEF

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. He鈥檚 fresh off of a trip to Utah, where he was able to hike portions of Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He also just survived Hurricane Helene at his home in Asheville, North Carolina and wrote about it, and ranked the best national parks in the nation for fall foliage.

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I shrieked like a kid on a carnival ride the first time I saw a fireball鈥攁n exceptionally bright and colorful meteor. It was autumn 2022, and I was on a northern-lights road trip in Iceland. I鈥檇 spent hours watching the sky fill with green swirls, but this surprise, teal-tinged streak stole the show.

I expect to see more of these cosmic marvels when the year鈥檚 most powerful meteor shower, the Perseids, peaks on August 12. According to the , the spectacle could produce up to 100 meteors per hour as debris from the shower鈥檚 parent comet, Swift-Tuttle, strikes earth鈥檚 atmosphere, creating the effect of shooting stars that could be visible for up to several minutes. Thanks to the comet鈥檚 above-average size, says the Perseids produce more fireballs, which can have subtle blue and red hues, than virtually any other shower.

Weather permitting, and in areas without light pollution, this year鈥檚 Perseids could put on an exceptional display between midnight and early morning from August 11 to 13. That鈥檚 because around midnight each night, the waxing gibbous moon will slide beneath the horizon, eliminating lunar light that diminishes stargazing.

How to See the Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseids appear near the Perseus constellation, which will climb higher in the northeast-east sky throughout the night. (Download a stargazing app beforehand if you need help locating Perseus.)

Seek out a viewing spot with as few overhead obstructions as possible, such as a hillside above the treetops, a sprawling desert, or an open field. While the bulk of activity will happen eastward, keep your eyes peeled across the sky for any Delta Aquariid meteors; says this Southern Hemisphere shower is expected to speckle our sky on these nights, too.

Here鈥檚 a time lapse of last year鈥檚 Perseid shower in California鈥檚 Joshua Tree National Park, to give you an idea of how a night might go:

It鈥檚 important to know that, unlike the powerful May 10, 2024 aurora show, which was so strong it dazzled Americans in the lower 48 with colorful ribbons in even the most light-polluted cities, you can鈥檛 watch the Perseid meteor shower just anywhere. In addition to clear skies with few clouds, you need to set yourself up in a spot with minimal light pollution, as city lights can obscure all but the most powerful meteors.

To help you find those dark skies, and make the most of the year鈥檚 grandest meteor shower, I鈥檝e picked seven of the best national parks for Perseids peeping, including many I鈥檝e stargazed from myself. Read on for my recommendations of exactly where to watch within each park, as well as educational ranger-led events taking place.

The Best Dark Sky Parks to Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is lauded for its ancient rock layers, but in recent years, its nightscapes have become just as beloved. According to ranger and dark-sky advocate Rader Lane, stargazing is now the park鈥檚 most popular programming, with a special celebration for the Perseids.

The Grand Canyon, which is certified as a Dark Sky Park by light-pollution authority DarkSky International, will host astronomical events at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, on the South Rim, from August 9 to 13 beginning at 9 P.M. In addition to watching for meteors and admiring the Milky Way, guests can enjoy laser-guided constellation talks led by rangers.

To chase the Perseids on your own, hit the South Rim Trail, which is open 24/7. Or snag a spot at the (from $18, with availability as of publication) and then stroll to the adjacent Desert View Point to watch for fireballs, with an otherworldly backdrop of the Elephant and Cardenas Buttes.

If you鈥檙e feeling lucky, apply for a backcountry permit via and head down into the canyon for a night of camping (from $10 per permit, plus a nightly charge of $15 per person), or even better, see if you can鈥檛 get a last-minute听Phantom Ranch reservation (from $213.50 for two people per night), to watch the sky burst with comet confetti from my favorite Grand Canyon stargazing perch: the remote floor.

2. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

What makes Voyageurs great for national-park aurora hunting鈥攎assive lakes with open, unobstructed sky views鈥攕ets it up for ideal Perseids watching, too. More than a third of this Dark Sky-certified park is actually water, with front-country lodging and backcountry island camping promising picturesque shooting stars that reflect off glassy lakes.

Pre-game the Perseids with the , which takes place in the evenings from August 8 to 10. Scheduled experiences include telescope sessions, expert-led stargazing, and paddling under the stars (and potentially a few meteors).

Come Perseids peak, Voyageurs National Park suggests basing yourself at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center or the Meadwood Road Day Use Area near the Ash River Visitor Center for ideal sky watching. I had exceptional luck stargazing at the on Kabetogama Lake in 2020, with amazing panoramas of not only the Milky Way but that summer鈥檚 night-sky showstopper, Comet Neowise.

Another alternative for seclusion beneath the stars is camping on the islands that dot the park鈥檚 backcountry. Just make sure to avoid any spots with forested obstructions to the northeast-east sky. Campsites like Peary Lake, Namakan Island, and Sexton Island are all great; are required for backcountry camping (from $16), with canoe rentals available from the park (from $14).

3. Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Alien-like sedimentary rock shapes at Badlands look even more extraterrestrial beneath a star-dotted sky. From this remote park, over 7,500 stars are visible on a given night, according to the park website, with skies dark enough to admire the Milky Way and the Perseids.

Badlands, which is being considered for Dark Sky International certification, runs a every evening at the Cedar Pass Amphitheater throughout the month of August, including during the August 11 to 13 Perseids peak. Guests can take a gander at the heavens via telescopes while listening to the park鈥檚 night-sky experts.

Many overlooks and open grasslands offer stellar meteor-shower views, too. Ed Welsh, an education specialist for Badlands National Park, suggests the Fossil Exhibit Trail (map below) and areas in the park鈥檚 north unit, which are farthest from city lights. The Pinnacles Overlook and are good plans as well.

If you鈥檙e craving particularly impressive starscapes, head to the nearby Badlands Observatory, less than 30 miles from the north unit鈥檚 Ben Reifel Visitor Center, for a of the night sky at 9:30 P.M. (from $29.70).

4. Glacier National Park, Montana

With virtually no light pollution, Glacier National Park鈥攐pen all day and night鈥攊s a stargazing oasis. It鈥檚 also the first Dark Sky-certified park project to cross international borders, encompassing Glacier and its northern neighbor, Waterton Lakes National Park, in Alberta.

Skies here are about as inky as the Mountain West gets, making it the perfect setting for catching a meteor shower. And the spectacle will be enhanced by on August 11, 12, and 13; the 鈥淗alf the Park Happens After Dark鈥� event, which begins at 10 P.M. at the Apgar Visitor Center, includes astronomer-led sky tours and telescope experiences.

It鈥檚 hard to top the scene at mirror-still Lake McDonald, according to the . Much of the park lodging is booked during this time, but as of press time, you could still find a glamping tent at nearby , located just nine miles south of Lake McDonald (from $329). While towering pines obscure the stars above most tents, you can find open-sky vistas near the fire pits if you don鈥檛 want to head the short distance to the park.

5. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

Enjoy a clear, unobstructed night sky in remote Great Sand Dunes, a Dark Sky-certified park that鈥檚 also open around the clock. Grab a towel and walk into the dunes to rest on the sand and patiently watch Perseus. Or for an even more remote view, there鈥檚 still availability for a permit via for the backcountry dunes (from $6) at least 1.5 miles or more into this massive swath of sand.

For a particularly space-like night, head roughly 30 miles west of the park visitor center to the quirky 鈥攁 roadside attraction dedicated to chasing extraterrestrials, with an on-site tower, exhibit, and campsite (from $20). Closer to the small town of Del Norte, you might opt for a night in the 鈥檚 yurts or steelmaster sheds, which include access to 3D-printed, adobe-style Skylos rooms that look up into the open night sky.

6. Zion National Park, Utah

Zion leaves visitors slack-jawed at all hours, but nighttime is extra special鈥攅specially when shooting stars and fireballs soar overhead. The Dark Sky-certified park is open 24 hours, and one of my favorite places to enjoy wide-open views is the , accessible from the park visitor center and the South Campground. This area may be closer to the town of Springdale, but in 2023, the community actually became DarkSky-certified. The viewpoints like Lava Point Overlook and Wildcat Canyon Trailhead along Kolob Terrace Road for stargazing, too.

As of publication, there are still a few available spots at the visitor-center-adjacent (from $130) during the peak August dates. You can also spot the meteor shower nearby at astro-friendly properties like (from $252), which opened last summer with glamping tents, Airstreams, and accessible cabins.

7. Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Remote barely begins to describe Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias, one of the least visited and largest national parks in the country. This isolation may make getting here hard鈥攅xpect long transit times from Anchorage via car and bush plane鈥攂ut when the midnight sun begins to wane and the park鈥檚 dark, starry nightscapes reappear, you鈥檒l appreciate the effort.

While minimal light in small park towns like McCarthy promises stunning Perseids sightings, your best bet is to get into the park鈥檚 wilderness. For that, try an overnight backpacking trip on the Root Glacier with (from $580) This outing includes crampon hiking across the paper-white glacier, then sleeping on it, surrounded by not one but four mountain ranges. I recently camped here on the longest day of the year, but I鈥檓 already dreaming of a trip back to watch August鈥檚 potential two-for-one interstellar show: the Perseid meteor shower and the northern lights.

Stephanie Vermillion is an adventure and astrotourism writer and author of the upcoming National Geographic book , out December 3.

Editor鈥檚 note: Leave No Trace principles are just as important after dark; stick to the designated trails and viewing areas, pack out all that you bring in, and turn off your flashlight once you鈥檝e arrived at your viewing spot to ensure others can enjoy the sights, too.

The post The Perseid Meteor Shower Is This Weekend. These Are the Best Ways to See It. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Hiking in our national parks is high on the list of many visitors, and long trails don鈥檛 always equate to the best views. In fact, many short, scenic options are just as worthy.

I love a good short hike, and on my adventures to all 63 U.S. national parks, I discovered that you don鈥檛 always have to go big to get big views. Maybe you have young kids in tow or are simply seeking a mellow day in nature. So I鈥檝e compiled a list of my favorite short hikes in national parks, each of which is postcard-worthy. All distances mentioned are round-trip.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Trail name:

Distance: 2.1 miles

I鈥檝e raved about the Bar Island Trail for 国产吃瓜黑料 before, naming it one of the best wheelchair-accessible hikes in the country. I still maintain that this gravel strip north of downtown Bar Harbor is one Acadia鈥檚 most unique hikes, because it鈥檚 an utterly accessible stroll that鈥檚 technically off-trail. Grab a , because the pathway trail is only water-free for 90 minutes before and after low tide, and say goodbye to those storybook cottages in favor of Bar Island鈥檚 rocky beaches.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Trail name:

Distance: 听1.6 miles

When I visited Big Bend鈥檚 Santa Elena Canyon in 2020, I rushed to get there just as the sun was setting, so I could watch that big fireball in the sky paint the limestone walls of the canyon in hushed, warm hues. But take your time driving the 30-mile to the trailhead, too. It鈥檚 home to the aptly named Mule Ears rock formations, as well as impressive Chihuahuan Desert vistas.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Trail name:

Distance: 1.8 miles

Of all the trails I鈥檝e hiked on my three trips to Moab, Utah, this trek over to Grand View Point in Canyonlands has got to be the best low-effort, high-reward journey. Start from Grand View Point Overlook and, if you鈥檙e not afraid of heights and cliff edges, meander along tangerine-tinted cliffs on a relatively flat, 0.9-mile trail, with views stretching into a maw of the earth, where the Colorado and Green Rivers converge.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Trail name:

Distance: 1.25 miles

I couldn鈥檛 create a list of the best easy national-park hikes without including something from Carlsbad Caverns, one of the most family-friendly and wheelchair-accessible parks of the lot. This trail can be accessed via the visitor center鈥檚 elevator, which travels 750 feet into the belly of the earth, or the 1.25-mile Natural Entrance Trail (yes, you can take the elevator back up to ground level). Then get ready to marvel at thousands of stalactites and stalagmites, many of which resemble hanging jellyfish and posh chandeliers.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Trail name:

Distance: 1.8 miles

July is my favorite month to summit 7,881-foot Watchman Peak, when the high-elevation wildflowers鈥攑urple lupine and bright fuchsia beardtongues鈥攁re in full bloom. Not only will you glean better views of Wizard Island as you climb, but from the top, you can check out a .

Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Trail name:

Distance: 2 miles

There aren鈥檛 many maintained trails in Denali (or Alaska, for that matter), but the Savage River Loop is an excellent choice if you鈥檙e on one of the park鈥檚 famous hop-on, hop-off green transit buses that run between the entrance and the deep interior. In summer, enjoy the verdant tundra and views of the Alaska Range鈥檚 foothills as you follow the rushing Savage upstream for a mile before turning around. Bring your bear spray if you鈥檙e hiking in Denali鈥搕his trail was closed to hikers when I visited in 2020, due to a surly mama bear.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Trail name:

Distance: 5 miles

Avalanche Lake Trail is one of the most popular in Glacier鈥搃t鈥檚 shaded, has moderate elevation gain, and ends at a mirror-clear alpine lake, studded with waterfalls鈥攖he scene is like one from middle-earth. You can extend your trip into a six-mile journey if you stroll along the shoreline to escape the throngs at the turnaround point. Pro tip: if you plan to picnic at the lake, be sure to hide your food from crafty marmots out for a free lunch.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Trail name: South Kaibab Trail to

Distance: 1.8 miles

When I first laid eyes on Ooh Aah Point, I chuckled鈥攈ere was one of the most appropriate signposts for a view that I鈥檇 ever seen inside a national park. From this drop-dead gorgeous spot, located just 0.9 miles and 600 feet below the South Kaibab Trailhead, you鈥檒l be able to take in a mind-blowing assemblage of rust-red sandstone plateaus and mesas, stretching out as far as the eye can see. Feeling frisky? Extend your hike to (3.1 miles round-trip) for even more canyon magic.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Trail name: (also known as String Lake Loop)

Distance: 3.6 miles

For easy hikes in Grand Teton, I鈥檇 stay near the park鈥檚 shimmering , which boast impressive views of the immense, pointed mountains and but are home to trails that are relatively flat. This particular loop circumnavigates String Lake, with scene-stealing vistas of Rockchuck Peak and Mount Saint John along the way. Bring your SUP along and ply the lake鈥檚 cool waters after your jaunt.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Trail name:

Distance: 2.8 miles

When I hiked this path with my partner in late May 2020, we ended up breaking trail in thigh-deep snow, but from June through September, this is an easy trek to many of the oldest trees on earth. Meditate among these gnarled beauties in the shadow of Wheeler Peak鈥攖he state鈥檚 second highest, at 13,065 feet鈥攁nd its myriad boulders. Want a longer variation? Continue along the same path to the Wheeler Peak Glacier for a 4.4-mile trip.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

Trail name:

Distance: 2.6 miles

Beat the heat in America鈥檚 most-visited national park on this shaded stroll to a cascading waterfall, bookended by mossy boulders. You鈥檒l likely spot salamanders near the cool creek as you stroll through an old-growth hemlock forest and end up at the 25-foot-high Grotto Falls. Dip your feet into the refreshing water before turning back the way you came.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island

Trail name:

Distance: 2.9 miles

It鈥檚 rare to walk through a tropical rainforest, check out hissing steam vents, and witness an active volcano all in a single trail, but Hawaii Volcanoes is not your average national park. For the best experience, park near the visitor center, hike this well-maintained path at sunset, and try to spot the otherworldly pink glow of lava from the as it gets dark.

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Trail name:

Distance: 4.3 miles

If you鈥檝e only got one day in Isle Royale, this is the trail to take. Beginning in the popular Rock Harbor area, on the main island鈥檚 eastern edge, the trail travels in and out of boreal forest and across dark gray volcanic rocks until it reaches Scoville Point, with its sweeping views of Lake Superior. When you鈥檝e had enough of feeling like you鈥檙e standing at the edge of the known world, return via the north side of the peninsula for even better forest bathing.

Katmai National Park, Alaska

Trail name: Brooks Falls Trail

Distance: 2.4 miles

Yes, getting to Katmai is a long adventure that involves a floatplane from Anchorage. I鈥檝e had the distinct pleasure of visiting the park twice, and it blew my mind both times. For starters, it鈥檚 a fantastic place to watch salmon swimming upstream from July through September. This also means it鈥檚 one of the best places in the state to watch hungry grizzly bears fattening themselves up on the spawning fish. Stow your food at , then cross the Brooks River on an elevated boardwalk trail. Once you reach the falls, have that camera ready to snap photo after photo of the ornery beasts feeding.

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Trail name:

Distance: 3 miles

Want to be wowed by sizzling hydrothermal features, but don鈥檛 want to travel all the way to Yellowstone? Lesser-known Bumpass Hell, apart from having an amazing name, is home to some seriously cool steam vents, scalding hot springs, and bubbling mud pots. After stretching your legs on the trail, take a dip in Lake Helen, just across Lassen National Park Highway, and crane your neck up at 10,457-foot-high Lassen Peak.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Trail name:

Distance: 4.7 miles

The Paradise area is my favorite section of this gorgeous park, and while I trekked along this moderate hike, I saw a huge, fluffy mountain goat and had terrific views of Rainier鈥檚 serrated glaciers. 72-foot-tall Myrtle Falls is the real showstopper, though, because it鈥檚 perfectly framed by trees beneath Rainier. If you鈥檇 prefer an ever mellower day out, you can turn this trek into a simple stroll via the Golden Gate Trail.

New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia

Trail name:

Distance: 3.2 miles

Though New River Gorge is perhaps best known for its rock climbing and whitewater rafting, I thoroughly enjoyed hiking its many forested trails when I visited in 2021. This out-and-back to Long Point meanders through a forest of spruce and hemlock before popping you out onto a rocky ledge with one of the best New River Bridge photo ops in the park.

Redwood National Park, California

Trail name:

Distance: 3.5 miles

You鈥檒l need to to hike this lollipop loop, which meanders through some of the tallest trees on the planet, but any hassle is well worth it. Drive down a washboard road just east of Orick for roughly 6 miles and park in the designated dirt lot before descending 700 feet to the Tall Trees Grove, keeping your eyes peeled for epic oyster mushrooms and sword ferns along the way. I鈥檇 plan on spending at least an hour quietly perusing these ancient redwoods. This is forest bathing at its finest.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Trail name:

Distance: 5 miles

Technically, the Ute Trail is an eight-mile round-trip hike, but the best thing about one-way hikes is that you can make them as short as your heart desires. Beginning at the Alpine Visitor Center, which sits at a lofty 11,796 feet, this trail winds along moderately graded tundra slopes and offers awesome views of the Never Summer Mountain Range. Hike it in the morning to avoid the dangerous afternoon lightning storms鈥攎y partner and I once had to jam to find shelter on a too thrilling post-lunch trek.

Sequoia National Park, California

Trail name:

Distance: 2.8 miles

If you鈥檙e in Sequoia and planning on visiting the , which is the largest by volume on earth), I heartily recommend extending your forest-bathing stroll to include the Congress Trail. A mostly flat lollipop loop, it passes the enormous trees within the Giant Forest. Best of all? A few hundred feet past General Sherman, you鈥檒l escape the lion鈥檚 share of the crowds.

Virgin Islands National Park, St. John

Trail name:

Distance: 2.7 miles

Though this trail starts from an unassuming trailhead, right behind the park鈥檚 Cruz Bay Visitor Center, it quickly redeems itself with incredible views of aquamarine water, following a brief climb to 160-foot-high Lind Point. From there, you鈥檒l curve through the lush, humid forest and switchback down, down, down to Salomon Beach, which has all the tropical beauty of nearby Honeymoon Beach鈥攂ut none of the crowds.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Trail name:

Distance: 3.5 miles

After taking obligatory pictures of the and its roaring waterfall, I made a random left turn onto an uncrowded trail and quickly uncovered one of my favorite hikes in the National Park System. This trip out to Point Sublime showcases the churning Yellowstone River, hundreds of feet below, while following a forested edge of the canyon whose crimson-and-marigold-colored slopes plunge toward the current for the entirety of the hike.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Trail name:

Distance: 1.5 miles

This is the trail that most people think of when they picture Yellowstone鈥檚 most famous attraction, Old Faithful, with that meandering boardwalk stretching far beyond it. And, to be honest, it鈥檚 pretty darn incredible in person. Cross the Firehole River, and check out one of the world鈥檚 largest assortments of hydrothermal features on this flat, wheelchair-accessible loop. Be sure to download the app, which offers info on the predicted eruption times. My personal favorite geyser is Castle, which gushes up to 75 feet high and for as long as 20 minutes.

Yosemite National Park, California

Trail name:

Distance: 4.4 miles

Sure, this trek might not routinely crack the top ten听Yosemite trail listicles, but it鈥檚 the first place I take my friends who have never been to the park before. You鈥檒l set off from the iconic Glacier Point viewing area and then enjoy second-to-none panoramas of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and 594-foot-high Nevada Fall for nearly the entirety of the hike. It鈥檚 also an ideal way to remove yourself from the Glacier Point parking-lot crowds and fully immerse yourself in the surrounds.

Zion National Park, Utah

Trail name:

Distance:听1 mile

Move over, Angel鈥檚 Landing. In terms of low-effort, high-reward hikes, this is easily the best one in Zion. Park near the Zion鈥揗ount Carmel Tunnel, on the less traveled eastern side of the park; from there this path climbs 163 feet, past vermillion layer-cake-like hoodoos and scrubby pin帽on pines. My favorite part is the turnaround point: you鈥檙e greeted with jaw-dropping views of the craggy Temples and Towers of the Virgin, sandstone monoliths that appear on park postcards. Keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep.

Emily Pennington is a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colorado. Her book came out in 2023. This year she鈥檚 tackling loads of short hikes in the Rocky Mountains to get ready for a trip to remote East Greenland.

The post 25 Easy, Scenic National-Park Hikes Under 5 Miles appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

As someone who鈥檚 visited all 63 national parks and counting, I鈥檝e seen the good, the bad, and the (sometimes very) ugly that can come from having and not having timed entry reservations at the most popular natural landmarks. Hour-long waits to get into Joshua Tree, bumper-to-bumper traffic in Yosemite Valley, bear jams in Yellowstone, full parking lots at 8 A.M. in Glacier鈥搚ou name it, I鈥檝e been stuck in it.

Not everyone is stoked on timed-entry reservations and additional permits as the solution, but the stark reality is that our country鈥檚 national parks are reaching a tipping point, in terms of visitation. Something needs to change, if we鈥檙e intent on preserving the pristine wilderness experience that the parks were founded on.

Great Smoky Mountains hit in 2021, and 2023 was the year of all time for Yellowstone. In August, the Department of the Interior announced that park visitor spending hit a new record of , supporting roughly 380,000 jobs.

Unfortunately, stats like these also mean that last-minute trips, at least to the most popular national parks, are a thing of yesteryear. Timed-entry reservation systems have become par for the course at four parks in particular: Arches, Yosemite, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain. Several other parks, including Zion and Acadia, are maintaining years-long reservation systems for popular hikes and sunrise vistas.

Now, the big question: Are timed-entry reservations systems here to stay? The short answer is, maybe.

Though companies in Moab have reported losing business since installation of a timed-entry program in Arches (the resort manager at Red Cliffs Lodge told the that the hotel lost over 2,000 bookings in 2022, the first year of the reservation system), the Moab City Council in November publicly voiced its support of a .

Rocky Mountain, which through December 14 for four proposals on how best to manage overcrowding in the coming years, may be facing a similar scenario. The proposed options range from returning to pre-2020 management practices, in which no entry reservations would exist, to requiring timed-entry reservations for both the park and the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which serves as a gateway to its most popular trails.

In mid-December Yosemite launched a similar , in which the park is assessing entrance data and asking for public comment. The plan comes after a , at the end of which the park brought back reservations after dropping them for the year, but then experiencing crowding. In 2024, the park is bringing back a 鈥淧eak Hours Plus鈥� reservation system. Less stringent than those of the past, it will allow 20 percent more people into the park than in 2022, when roughly 3.7 million visited.

Likewise, Glacier officials report that the park will from 2023 for vehicle reservations on the roadways of Many Glacier, North Fork, and Going-to-the-Sun, the most scenic route in the park.

Though the timed-entry permit systems have been controversial among travelers, public lands officials have lauded them. 鈥淲e applaud the National Park Service for advancing its bold and creative actions to protect natural and cultural resources and preserve high-quality visitor experiences,鈥� Cassidy Jones, Senior Visitation Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, She cited at Arches and Glacier as proving that 鈥渞eservation systems are working and largely welcomed by visitors.鈥�

*Since this article was published on January 2, Mount Rainier National Park has implemented a new timed-entry reservation system for vehicles entering the park鈥檚 popular Paradise Corridor and Sunrise Corridor. See details below. We will update this story as we hear more timed-entry news.

Which National Parks Will Require Reservations in 2024?

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

鈥� For the first time ever, Mount Rainier will implement a pilot timed-entry reservation system for vehicles entering the park鈥檚 popular Paradise Corridor (from both the Nisqually and Stevens Canyon Entrances) and Sunrise Corridor (from the White River Entrance). Timed-entry permits will be valid for one day, for one vehicle and its occupants.
鈥� These new restrictions will be in place from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. for both areas. The Paradise Corridor reservations will be required from May 24 through September 2, and the Sunrise reservations will be needed July 3 through September 2.
鈥� Visitors with a camping, lodging, or wilderness permit will not need this additional timed-entry reservation, but those with hotel and campground reservations will not be permitted to enter until 1 P.M. on the day of their first night.
鈥� Planning a last-minute getaway? The park is open 24/7 and guests are welcome to enter before 7 A.M. or after 3 P.M. Next-day entry reservations will also be available, beginning at 7 P.M. Pacific Time, from May 24 (for the Paradise Corridor) and July 3 (for the Sunrise Corridor), on a daily rolling basis.
鈥� In the area and don鈥檛 have an entry permit? Brave the bumpy road to the park鈥檚 Mowich Lake area and hike to Spray Park for soul-stirring views of Mount Rainier, or enter near the Ohanapecosh Campground and hike the moderate Silver Falls Loop to witness a powerful, forested cascade.

Arches National Park, Utah

• Arches will maintain the same parameters of its 2023 pilot program in 2024, with needed from April 1 through October 31, 2024. This system will help eliminate long lines stretching from Moab towards the park gates.
• Entry permits will not be required for visitors who already have camping, backpacking, Fiery Furnace, or commercial tour bookings, so entering with a guide is a great option if you鈥檙e planning a last-minute vacay.
• Visitors will be able to book reservations on a first-come, first-served basis through beginning at 8 A.M. MT on January 2, 2024.
• Reservations will be released three months in advance, on a rolling basis. For example, on January 2^nd, all reservations for the month of April will open up. On February 1^st, all reservations for May will open up.
• Last minute next-day reservations will be available at 7 P.M. MT, starting on March 31, 2024, on a daily rolling basis.

Glacier National Park, Montana

• From May 24 through September 8, 2024, at Glacier will be required on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork, from 6 A.M. to 3 P.M. Pro tip: if you鈥檙e entering via North Fork, grab a huckleberry bear claw from the historic Polebridge Mercantile.
• From July 1 through September 8, 2024, reservations will be required for Many Glacier, one of the most stunning sections of the park, from 6 A.M. to 3 P.M.
• Visitors with camping, lodging, or commercial-activity bookings (such as boat rides and guided tours) will not need an additional timed-entry ticket.
• Beginning on January 24, 2024, a portion of vehicle reservations will become available 120 days in advance, on a daily rolling basis.
• Next-day reservations will be available at 7 P.M. MT, starting on May 23, 2024, on a daily rolling basis.
• In accordance with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, vehicle reservations are not required for tribal members throughout the park.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

• Rocky Mountain will require timed-entry in 2024, with a Bear Lake Corridor permit window from May 24 through October 20 (for those entering between 5 A.M. and 6 P.M. MT), and a 鈥渞est of the park鈥� permit window from May 24 through October 15 (for those entering between 9 A.M. and 2 P.M. MT). In my experience, some of the best 鈥渓ow effort, high reward鈥� hikes are found in the Bear Lake area, so nabbing a permit early is well worth the effort.
• Reservations will be available roughly one month in advance, on a one-month rolling window. For example, on June 1, all reservations for the month of July will become available.
• The park will also reserve 40 percent of timed-entry permits for next-day reservations, which can be booked starting at 7 P.M. MT on May 23, on a daily rolling basis.

Yosemite National Park, California

• After dropping entry permits for 2023, but then experiencing significant backups, Yosemite is modifying and bringing back a 鈥淧eak Hours Plus鈥� in spring, summer, and fall from 5 A.M. to 4 P.M. Reservations will be required on weekends from April 13 to June 30 and seven days a week from July 1 to August 16. From August 17 to October 27, weekend reservations will also be required. Each reservation is valid for three days after the date of entry.
• Most Peak Hours Plus reservations go on sale at 8 A.M. Pacific Time on January 5, 2024. Additional reservations will become available seven days before the arrival date (for example, book on July 20 for a July 27 entry).
• The park is also bringing back reservations for its February 鈥淔irefall鈥� weekends, when the angle of the setting sun lights up Horsetail Fall, with entry permits required February 10 to 11, 17 to 19, and 24 to 25. Regular weekday visitors will not need a permit. Reservations for all three weekends opened at 8 A.M. PT on December 1, 2023.

• During all reservation windows, visitors entering with a tour group or on a public bus and those with in-park camping or lodging reservations will not need the additional entry reservation. Similarly, those with wilderness or Half Dome permits will not need an additional entry reservation.
• Fifty percent of the available reservations will be released two days prior to a day-use reservation date for last-minute travelers. For example, at 8 A.M. on February 8, reservations for February 10 will become available.

Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

• As in years past, Haleakala, where seeing the sunrise from the top of the dormant volcano is a visitor tradition, will require sunrise vehicle for year-round visitors entering from 3 A.M. to 7 A.M.
• Limited entry reservations will be available two days in advance of a visit, beginning at 7 A.M. HST, on a two-day rolling basis. If you can鈥檛 score a sunrise permit, don鈥檛 fret. I went at sunset and was just as wowed.

Zion National Park, Utah

• In 2024, Zion will continue its pilot lottery to hike Angels Landing, five miles up and back on switchbacks to a famous viewpoint. Beginning two months in advance of an intended hike date, the lottery will open for hikers hoping to tackle this iconic trail.
• A next-day permit lottery will also be available for last-minute hiker hopefuls, opening at 12:01 A.M. and closing at 3 P.M. MT on a daily rolling basis. Winners will be emailed at 4 P.M. MT if they have received a permit.
• It costs $6 to apply for an Angels Landing permit, plus $3 per person once the permit is confirmed. Make sure your entire group has zero fear of heights before hopping on the trail. When I hiked Angels Landing, we nearly had to turn back when one of my friends had a mild freakout at Scout Lookout.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

• As in 2023, Great Smoky Mountains will require that visitors purchase a daily, weekly, or annual if they wish to park anywhere within the park鈥檚 boundaries for more than 15 minutes. No advance reservations are needed for parking locations, once the tag is bought and displayed.
• Parking tags at a variety of visitor centers and automated kiosks, as well as online. Daily tags are $5, weekly tags are $10, and annual tags are $40.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

• Shenandoah is expected to renew its Old Rag Mountain day-use from March 1 through November 30, 2024. This system is generally considered a good thing, because, in years past, hikers needed to arrive around 6 A.M. to nab one of the coveted spaces.
• A total of 400 tickets will be released 30 days in advance of the reservation date, and the remaining 400 tickets will be released five days before a given reservation date. Tickets go on sale at 10 A.M. EST and cost $1 per person.

Acadia National Park, Maine

• In 2024, Acadia will require vehicle for Cadillac Summit Road, three miles to the top of the highest peak in the park and an island-studded ocean view.. The exact dates of the reservation program have not been announced yet, but in 2023, the park required permits from May 24 through October 22.
• The park will offer two different types of vehicle reservations for this storied byway鈥揝unrise and Daytime鈥搘ith the start times varying by month, depending on the forecasted sunrise time.
• During the summer and early fall months, 30 percent of reservations are made available 90 days in advance of a reservation date. Seventy percent of the reservations are available for last-minute purchase at 10 A.M. ET two days in advance of the reservation date.

Want more of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 award-winning travel coverage? .

Emily Pennington is a journalist specializing in the national parks, a longtime 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor, and the author of the memoir See an excerpt here. She has visited all 63 of our national parks and is currently expanding her horizons to journey to international parks, too.

For more by the same author:

The 13 Best Hut-to-Hut Hikes in the World

The Best Scenic View in Every National Park

The Most Underrated Park in Every State

The post These 10 National Parks Will Have Timed-Entry Reservations This Year appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Visitors come from across the globe to set foot in our national parks. But some people are simply unimpressed.

The internet gives these people a place to air their grievances. Some now-classic bad national park reviews have made their way further, into illustrations, T-shirts, and needlepoints. 鈥淭here are bugs, and they will bite you on your face,鈥� they say. Or, 鈥淭rees block view and there are too many gray rocks.鈥� 鈥淭he water is ice-cold,鈥� someone griped about Acadia National Park in Maine, making it onto a poster made by , which documents bad reviews.

The complaints keep coming. I searched Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google for the best and worst reviews of our national parks in 2023. To be fair, most of the complaints were about excessive crowds, traffic jams, and new reservation systems. But some visitors had, uh, more nuanced grudges regarding lackluster scenery or were shocked by the lack of amenities. Here are my favorites.

1. Yosemite National Park, California

In California鈥檚 Sierra Nevada, Yosemite offers giant granite monoliths, waterfalls, and Sequoia trees up to 3,000 years old. But not everyone sees the beauty.

鈥淩eally annoying that it is the same way in and same way out. Scenery is not breathtaking.鈥� 鈥�TripAdvisor

鈥淚 need someone to explain to me the hype of this place. This place looks like any place with mountains and trees. Too many people, not enough stores, not enough places to buy food.鈥� 鈥擸elp

2. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

On Hawaii鈥檚 Big Island, this park stretches from sea level to 13,680 feet, boasting two of the world鈥檚 most active volcanoes. It is not known for its racquet sports, though.

鈥淎bsolutely horrible disappointment. There wasn’t a single pickleball court in sight. You’d think with it鈥檚 [sic] extreme length of 2.93 mi (4.72 km), an extreme width of 1.95 mi (3.14 km), a circumference of 7.85 mi (12.63 km) and an area of 4.14 sq mi (10.7 km2) they’d find some space for one.鈥濃��Yelp

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

Straddling two states, GSMNP is 500,000 acres of towering mountains, remote streams, and the most biodiverse wilderness in America. That doesn鈥檛 keep the young 鈥檜ns from doing their thing.

鈥淪ome falls/streams had nothing but toddlers peeing & pooing in the water.鈥濃��TripAdvisor

鈥淐an’t say this is one of my fave national parks. No bear sightings but that’s not the park鈥檚 fault. 鈥� [T]he haziness of it gave me huge headaches.鈥� 鈥�TripAdvisor

4. Zion National Park, Utah

Zion offers towering sandstone cliffs and some of the most famous slot canyons in the world. But if you鈥檝e seen one, you鈥檝e seen 鈥檈m all.

鈥淭he mountains are beautiful, but most of the different formations looked redundant to my untrained eye, so I didn鈥檛 see the value in trying to hike around all of them.鈥�鈥擳谤颈辫础诲惫颈蝉辞谤

鈥淣oxious weeds everywhere.鈥� 鈥�Yelp

5. Glacier National Park, Montana

Originally dubbed 鈥渢he place where there is a lot of ice鈥� by the native Kootenai, Glacier contained 80 glaciers in 1850. Today there are fewer than 30. Yes, sad.

鈥淲here are the glaciers? It was disappointing to stand at lookouts with glaciers in the distance and signage showing glaciers 50 years ago near where I was standing.鈥濃��Yelp

6. Arches National Park, Utah

This park holds the largest concentration of sandstone arches in the country, along with countless towering cliffs and towers. But the park鈥檚 new timed entry process really annoyed this visitor.

鈥淚t’s bad enough every time I turn around the government is bending me over, but having to pay a $2 timed entry to a national park is ridiculous even if we have a yearly pass. Government sucks balls. I hate every last one of you.鈥濃��Yelp

7. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Shenandoah is known for its lush forests and rocky peaks as well as hosting a long section of the world-famous Appalachian Trail. The shrubs are also pretty cool, I guess.

鈥淚t was a mountainous area with trees, and some nice shrubbery [sic], but unfortunately it wasn鈥檛 that entertaining. Underwhelming.鈥澨�鈥擳谤颈辫础诲惫颈蝉辞谤

8. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

The tallest dunes in North America sit at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. That didn’t impress this reviewer.听听

鈥淚t’s $25 to get in and it’s basically just a lot of sand. There are not a lot of amenities or other things to do. You can basically walk up the sand dunes and use boogie boards or sleds to spice it up a little. 鈥� I just didn’t feel like it was really worth the long drive and money to see a bunch of sand. 鈥�TripAdvisor

9. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada

Death Valley is the lowest point in the United States, below sea level and characterized by a vast salt basin, deep canyons, and historic ghost towns. The wildlife can be rude at times.

鈥淚t was boring, a ghost town really. I was charged 23 dollars a night just to be harassed by snake while walking around.鈥� 鈥�Yelp

10. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

America鈥檚 first national park, Yellowstone might be the most dramatic and unusual landscape in the country鈥揳 place where the water boils and shoots straight up into the air at regular intervals. But the geysers aren’t for everyone.

鈥淚 was excited before I got there, but it wasn鈥檛 at all what I expected鈥 saw a picture of it, but it was taken by a drone and when I looked at Yellowstone from up close I had no idea what was there at all with the steam and angles. 鈥�Google

鈥淭he whole place smelled like farts.鈥� 鈥�Google

11. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska

The 3.3-million acre Glacier Bay is a frozen wonderland where the sea meets the ice in a tangle of fjords, glaciers, and snow-capped peaks. Is it any better than what you’d find in your Frigidaire?

鈥淚t鈥檚 like some ice cubes got scattered on a hill.鈥� 鈥�Google Maps

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. He loves pickleball, but has never left a bad review because a national park didn鈥檛 have courts.

For more by this author, see:

How to Score the Best National Park Campsites for Summer

Spooky Tales from Haunted National Parks

The Best Budget Airlines鈥攁nd 国产吃瓜黑料 Locales They Go To

The post The Worst National Park Reviews of the Year appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Years ago, my wife and I took a month-long road trip with our four-year-old twins to hit a handful of national parks between Colorado and California. We rolled up to the first stop, Rocky Mountain National Park, with no campsite reservation but hearts full of optimism. Surely there would be a last-minute cancellation, and we鈥檇 be able to pitch our tent with a view of the famous 14er Long鈥檚 Peak.

No such luck. We settled for a site at a nearby Jellystone RV Park, amid a fleet of RVs. It was fine鈥攖here was a putt-putt course that my kids thought was awesome鈥攂ut it wasn鈥檛 the national-park camping experience we envisioned. We repeated this process across the American West, settling for lesser digs outside of parks because someone (me) didn鈥檛 make reservations ahead of time.

The moral of this story? If you want to camp in our national parks, plan ahead, now more than ever. Camping is only getting more popular, with more than 13 million overnight stays in 2022, almost a million more than the previous year, according to National Park Service data.

Don鈥檛 panic. Most National Park Service campgrounds can be reserved six months in advance on a rolling basis through the site Recreation.gov. That means if you want to camp in our parks this summer, start planning now and make your reservations this winter.

With personal experience and intel from , we’ve compiled a list of the most notoriously hard-to-book campsites in the NPS and explained exactly how to score the best sites in 2024.

1. Slough Creek Campground: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Slough Creek Campground is one of the most coveted campgrounds in the entire national-park system, booked in full 100 percent of the season, according to the recent report by The Dyrt. Blame the perfect combination of remoteness and natural beauty; this small campground sits on the edge of Slough Creek in Yellowstone National Park, in a meadow at 6,250 feet, surrounded by evergreens and with the peaks of the Northern Range rising on the horizon. It’s primitive, with vault toilets and no showers. Its proximity to the Lamar Valley makes it a hotbed of wildlife activity; bison may cruise by the campground.

Size: 16 sites for tents and small RVs (no hookups)

Season: Slough Creek is typically open for reservations from the end of June to the beginning of October. It was open from June 23 to October 8 last year.

Reserve: on a rolling basis. First opportunity will be at the end of January.

Fee: $20 per night

Best Site: There isn鈥檛 a bad site in the entire campground, and most sites will have you sleeping close to the river. Site 1 has the most privacy, while sites 5, 6 and 7 will have you pitching a tent just above the river.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Bring your fly rod and cast for cutthroat trout in Slough Creek, which is one of the most beloved trout fishing destinations in the country.

2. Signal Mountain Campground: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

All of Grand Teton National Park’s campgrounds require reservations, and they all fill up fast. Signal Mountain Campground sits in the heart of the park close to some of the area鈥檚 signature adventures, with spots for both RVs and tents, making it popular with families, retirees, and hardcore adventurers alike.. It also has sites that are tucked into tall lodgepole pine forests, and others with views of Jackson Lake, Mount Moran, and the Teton Range.

Size: 81 sites, tents and RVs

Season: From Memorial Day (May 27) through Columbus Day (October 14).

Reserve: Make up to six months in advance on a rolling basis. First opportunity is December 27.

Fee: $54 per night for a tent site

Best Site: Site 15, off Loop 1, has great views of Jackson Lake.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Hike the six-mile Signal Mountain Trail, which starts at the campground and climbs up the side of 7,727-foot Signal Mountain, offering views of the lake below.

3. Fruita Campground: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Capitol Reef National Park gets less attention than Utah鈥檚 other national parks, but Fruita Campground stays booked 97 percent of the time. We know why: this is your chance to stay in an actual oasis. While the rest of Capitol Reef is known for its desert landscape and sandstone features, the sites in Fruita are surrounded by grass and vibrant fruit trees (peaches, pears, apples, and apricots) planted by pioneers in the 1880s. You can pick ripe fruit in season from any tree with a 鈥淯-pick鈥� sign on it ($2 per pound). You鈥檒l also have great views of towering sandstone canyon walls and easy access to the Fremont River.

Size: 65 sites, tents and RVs

Season: Open for reservations March 1 to October 31, then first come/first serve November 1 to February 28.

Reserve: . That means Nov. 1 for a March 1 campsite, and so on. This one opens earlier than many other campgrounds, so keep that in mind.

Fee: $25 per night

Best Site: Sites 31, 33, and 36 back up to the Chestnut Orchard, which has pears and multiple varieties of apples.

Best 国产吃瓜黑料: From the campground, hike the three-mile out-and-back , which climbs up the Waterpocket Fold into the mouth of Cohab Canyon.

4. Pi帽on Flats Campground: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Great Sand Dunes National Park is a cool destination no matter what time of year you show up, and Pi帽on Flats puts you on the edge of this natural phenomenon, with impeccable views of the 700-foot dunes. The campground is especially popular during the annual peak flow of in early summer (typically starting in late May), when snowmelt fills the creek basin, creating a temporary tubing run with wave surges tubers can ride. Even aside from this seasonal adventure, Pinon Flats Campground offers a majestic overnight, with some sites shaded by juniper trees and others offering incredible views of the dunes rolling toward the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. There are no RV hookups, but the place has potable water, dishwashing stations, and flush toilets. (No showers.)

Size: 88 sites; tents and small RVs

Season: Pinon Flats is open April through October

Reserve: on a rolling basis. First opportunity to reserve a site is Nov. 11.

Fee: $20 a night

Best Site: Loop 1 has the best views of the dunes. Site 38 is a great van site with shade from adjacent juniper trees, and site 26 offers the same for tent campers.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Hike the straight from the campground heading towards High Dune, the tallest on the horizon, for a 2.5-mile out-and-back with a stop to cool off at Medano Creek.

5. Lower Pines Campground: Yosemite National Park, California

Lower Pines Campground puts you in the middle of Yosemite Valley, within walking distance of the stores and services in Curry Village. It鈥檚 smaller than the other campgrounds in Yosemite National Park and has incredible views of El Capitan and Half Dome. Many sites are also tucked into the ponderosa pine forest and are more spacious than other campsites in the valley, offering a good sense of privacy.

Size: 73 sites, tents and RVs

Season: Typically open from mid-April to late October

Reserve: open for the entire month, five months in advance on the 15^th of each month at 7 A.M. Pacific time. Confused? For a reservation during Memorial Day (or any time from May 15 to June 14), you need to be ready to book a site at 7 A.M. on January 15.

Fee: $36 per night.

Best Site: They鈥檙e all good, but 37, 38, and 39 back up to the Merced River.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: You鈥檙e gonna spend most of your time hiking Yosemite鈥檚 big attractions, but set aside a morning for biking the on a paved bike path that cruises by your campground and offers crazy-good views of the Valley鈥檚 waterfalls and monoliths.

6. Kalaloch Campground: Olympic National Park, Washington

Situated on the southwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, Kalaloch Campground in Olympic National Park has sites on a bluff听 40 feet above the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A trail leads from the campground to the beach below. The lush coastal forest surrounding the campground gives you the sense that you鈥檙e camping on the planet of Endor with the Ewoks.

Size: 160 sites; tents and small RVs (no hookups)

Season: Open for reservations May 23 to Sept. 23

Reserve: for sites on the A and B loops. The C and D loop campsites will be available for reservation four weeks in advance, and the E and F loop sites will be available for reservation four days in advance.

Fee: $24 per site

Best Site: A18 and A25 will get you right on the edge of the bluff, with broad views of the ocean.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Obviously, you鈥檙e going to hit the beach, but bring your gravel or mountain bike to ride the 25-mile , a double and singletrack loop built with bikers in mind. The trail cruises the forest around Lake Crescent.

7. Watchman Campground: Zion National Park, Utah

The smaller South Campground actually edges out Watchman for being the most popular inside Zion National Park, but South鈥檚 reservations open up 14 days in advance鈥攊f that is what you want, you have a while to book those sites. Beware, though, that South is undergoing some rehabilitation this summer that will limit its number of available spots, which may bring you back to Watchman Campground. The campground sits near the park鈥檚 south entrance, within walking distance of the restaurants and shops in Springdale. It鈥檚 surrounded by airy sandstone walls and tucked against the Virgin River.

Size: 179 sites; tents and RVs with hookups

Season: Year round

Reserve: Grab a spot for May 24 on November听 24 at 10 A.M. EST.

Fee: $30

Best Site: Grab a spot in the F loop, which offers quiet walk-to sites with shade thanks to pergolas (wooden shades) and the occasional cottonwood tree.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Pick up the three-mile out-and-back right from the campground, and hike to an overlook with views of some of Zion鈥檚 most prominent sandstone features, including the Watchman, Temples and Towers, and Lower Zion Canyon.

8. Duck Harbor Campground: Acadia National Park, Maine

A site in Acadia鈥檚 might be the toughest National Park reservation to score. The small campground is located on the rocky Isle au Haut, off the coast of Maine and only accessible by boat. The Park Service manages half of the island, while the other half is set aside for a permanent fishing village. Not only is the scene picturesque, with rugged bluffs, primitive coastline, and healthy evergreen forests, but there are only five sites, which brings the laws of scarcity into play. All the sites have three-sided lean-tos and fire rings and are tucked into an evergreen forest overlooking Duck Harbor.

Size: 5 lean-to sites

Season: May 15 to October 15

Reserve: All sites throughout the season can be at 10 A.M. Eastern.

Fee: $20 per night

Best Site: When a campground has only five sites, snagging anything of them is huge, so don鈥檛 be picky. But site 5 has quick access to the shoreline and good views of the harbor.

Awesome 国产吃瓜黑料: Bring your mountain bike to pedal on the 12 miles of paved and unpaved roads traversing the island. You鈥檒l also find 18 miles of hiking trails that access rocky shoreline, bogs, and a freshwater lake.

Graham Averill, 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist, has been camping since he was a baby, when his family would take weekend trips into Georgia鈥檚 Chattahoochee National Forest. As an adult with his own family, he is still learning a few campcraft lessons, such as not to set out on a parks road trip without making site reservations.

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The post How to Score the Best National Park Campsites for Summer appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Zion National Park is seeking public input on a plan that would raise prices for campsite reservations and hiking permits for popular trails, boosting the cost for some hiking groups by more than 400 percent.

The draft plan, which the park released on August 1, would moderately boost prices for the park鈥檚 three frontcountry campgrounds. The cost of an electric campsite in Watchman Campground, for example, would rise from $30 to $45 per night, while a non-electric campsite in Watchman and South campgrounds would go up from $20 to $35. A night in a non-electric campsite in Lava Point would increase from $20 to $25.

The plan would also make sweeping changes to the prices the park charges for both day-use and overnight permits. Currently, the park charges a flat fee of $5 for lottery applications or advance reservations. The park also charges an additional permit fee based on the size of the group, from $15 for a group of two or less and up to $25 for a group of up to 12.

Under the newly proposed increase, groups would pay $6 for a day-use lottery application or advanced booking, plus a $10 per-person fee for every member of the group. Hikers seeking walk-up permits would pay the same $6 fee. Overnight users would see the cost of their permits rise even more, paying a $20 booking fee for both advance reservations and walk-up permits, plus a charge of $7 per group member. While solo dayhikers would see their costs go down slightly, hikers in a group would pay more鈥攕ometimes a lot more鈥攗nder the new proposal, with the cost of a walk-up day use permit for 12 people rising from $25 to $126.听

In addition to the fee changes, the new plan would shift the park鈥檚 wilderness permit reservation system over to Recreation.gov, which Zion already uses to manage bookings for its established campgrounds and Angels Landing trail. (The permit program for , which the park introduced last year in an attempt to manage crowds, will remain unchanged.)

Visitation to Zion has steadily trended upward over the past few decades, with the park breaking 4 million visits in 2016 and welcoming 4.7 million visitors last year. With that increase in visitation has come more maintenance projects: As the park points out on its website, fee dollars go toward projects like repairing trails, funding exhibits in park visitor centers, and paying for new infrastructure like water systems and accessible paths.

The park will until August 31.

The post Permits Fees for Zion National Park Could Soon Go Up鈥擶ay Up appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.