One of the most rewarding trips you can take in the United States is one that includes a visit to one of its national parks, which are many, very varied and spread throughout its geography. States such as Utah, Arizona, California, Wyoming, Alaska or Colorado receive thousands of tourists every year eager to explore some of the most famous, such as Yellowstone or Yosemite. So, if you are nature lovers and visit the country, take a look at this guide so that you don’t miss any details.
1. Have the complete list of national parks on hand
Just visit National Park Service website —the country’s National Park Service (NPS)— to have at hand the complete list of national parks in the United States. Sorted by State, it is useful to know which parks, monuments or places of interest in general you will find on your visit. It is very curious because on the list places like Death Valley (national park) share space with the Statue of Liberty itself (national monument) or the well-known Alcatraz prison (part of the Golden Gate national recreational area).
2. Get information on the official website
On the official website of each park a lot of very interesting sections are displayed, but some of them are our favorites. The first of all is the cover, which informs about relevant things such as road warnings and various incidents that affect the visit or if it is necessary to reserve a day to go. It is vitally important to know this information before planning the trip, since there are parks like Joshua Tree where you may not find anything important, but there are others like Yosemite where there is information about the reservation system or whether your route dreamed is the most appropriate for the time of year in which you visit. Or if you are going to be forced to make a detour of hundreds of kilometers to reach the next destination on the route because the Tioga Pass—a mountain pass in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range—is closed.
Bulletin
The best travel recommendations, every week in your inbox
RECEIVE THEM
The rest of the sections of the website that we always visit are in the tab plan your visit (plan your visit, in Spanish). They are the following: basic information (basic information), directions & transportation (directions and transportation), places to go (sites to visit) and, finally, things to do (Things to Do). Here you will see entrance fees, you can download official maps of the area and find out about the most relevant things to see and do.
Ah! And let’s not forget, once you arrive at the park, go to the visitor center to inform you of the weather conditions of the day, what itinerary they advise you to take according to the time availability you have, get a map of the area and with the typical informative pamphlet, essential to visit it well.
3. Should you stay in the park or not?
The answer to this question is decided by several things: your time available there, the availability of accommodation, the budget you want to dedicate and even the weather of the place…
There are national parks where it is extremely attractive to sleep inside, because they are larger and offer more entertainment possibilities. Yosemite or the Grand Canyon are two of them. The problem is that we all think the same and, therefore, the availability of accommodation in their domains is sold out months in advance, both in hotels and in campsites. Luckily, in many of them, you can find accommodation options on the outskirts, with a more affordable price range. Additionally, you can always explore the option of sleeping in a camping: nature and the best price are an unbeatable mix. Of course, do not think that because it is not a hotel you can reserve on the spot: it is better to study carefully what camping is and how much time is best to book. If it is full for your dates, be sure to visit the official website because they usually cancel places and put them up for sale.
4. Annual Pass, a flat rate
If you are only going to visit one national park, it is most likely that it will not cost you, but you have to know that the Annual Pass exists: it is a pass, valid annually, which acts as a flat rate when visiting these protected environments, always managed by the NPS. Its current price is 80 dollars per year (about 74 euros) and is valid for one holder and the group of travelers accompanying him or her in the same car (non-commercial). Given that the average price of tickets to national parks is 30 to 35 dollars (about 30 euros), this purchase is normally amortized by visiting three of them. And if you want to purchase it, it is as simple as asking for it at the first park you are going to visit. Since its duration is one calendar year, if you buy it in July 2024 you can visit the parks included in its list as many times as you want until July 2025.
5. The National Park Service app
For lovers of always traveling with cell phones and tablets, the NPS has its own app in which to access the basic information of each park, have your list of favorites, download information to consult it offline, access the main points of interest of the park and its maps… It is a plus to take into account.
6. The book of stamps
The book of stamps is a curiosity that is worth knowing before venturing to visit the national parks of the United States. In its souvenir shops you will find this passport-like book, but thicker, on which you can stamp, as a souvenir, the stamps that you will find in the visitor centers themselves. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with this passport when your trip is already ending: the book is a souvenir of each park visited, and the stamping itself has no additional cost.
7. Junior Ranger plates
Junior Ranger badges are small badges that children can earn if they complete a series of activities proposed in a notebook that national parks make available to families for free. A few months ago we wrote a post about them, which we definitely advise you to read if you are going as a family to visit these places. They are one of the coolest souvenirs for the little ones and, in addition, they learn a lot while developing their love for nature.
Finally, we leave you a recommendation if you want to start visiting the national parks and you don’t know where to do it. One of the coolest trips around the US that combine cities and national parks is the one carried out by the West Coast of the States Joined.
Subscribe here to The Traveler newsletter and find inspiration for your next trips in our accounts Facebook, x and instagram.
#Practical #guide #visit #national #parks