A journey along Chile's Route of Parks

The chance to spot a bear, bison, or bald eagle in the wild is one of the major reasons travelers visit the United States’ 63 national parks. You might assume that a megafauna mecca like Yellowstone National Park would offer the best odds of seeing multiple animals. 

When the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) proposed drastic hikes to admission fees last fall, the reaction was swift and negative. It seems the NPS heard what people will saying.

You will finally be able to live in a ‘Barbie World’ when Mattel Adventure Park opens in Glendale, Arizona next year.

If you talk to folks from other countries around the world and ask them what they know and love about the United States, outside of our National Parks (“America’s Best Idea”) and grand cities, they might light up and mention Route 66, one of the most famous historic roads in America. Established in 1926, this route passed through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California for a total of 2,448 miles.

Glacier National Park is one of the most gorgeous parks in the national park system. The sprawling park is in northern Montana and is home to some of the oldest glaciers in the US — not to mention wildlife like grizzly and brown bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pumas, wolves, elk, moose, and more. The park has gorgeous day hikes running between half a mile or 20 miles, and some of the best backcountry backpacking in the US. You can even hike from the US into Waterton Lakes National Park, the attached national park just on the other side of the US-Canada border.

American trains are not the fastest in the world. They also severely lack the network of tracks necessary for people to ditch their cars or forego flying to rely on them entirely for their domestic travel needs.

Winter may not seem like the ideal time to visit the wilds of a national park, but really there’s no bad time to enjoy the beauty of America’s public lands. Some national parks in temperate or even tropical climates are better to visit in winter when they’re free from the scalding heat of summer. If you don’t mind the potential for a bit of snow, you’ll enjoy relative quiet in some of the larger parks visited en masse during warmer months.

Whether you’re headed to Chile for the deserts of the north, glacial parks of the south, or the vast Pacific Coast, no itinerary is complete without a closer look at the Andes. Overlooking Mount Mocoen, this Airbnb gives you tiny house living with the Andean Range as your backyard – a mere two hours north of Santiago.

The vibrant capital of Chile is among the most diverse cities in South America. Immersive yourself in Santiago‘s street art and galleries, visit museums, and innovative design stores. Discover Santiago’s enticing food and drink pallet with restaurants, cafes, and bars. No matter your plans for adventure, you’ll be right there in the heart of Santiago, Bellavista, Providencia, and other popular hotspots while staying at these Airbnb Santiago rentals.

At the southernmost tip of South America is the region of Patagonia, spread between Chile and part of Argentina. The region is one of the most extreme on earth, with huge mountains, rushing rivers, massive glaciers, rare wildlife, and the remnants of volcanos so tall they’re often shrouded in weather patterns different from those at the base. It’s extremely undeveloped and wild, thanks to federal protections from the two countries.

Abutting the US border with Canada, North Cascades National Park is a land of contrasts. Cerulean blue lakes sit at the foot of mountains forested in deep green pines, with their peaks capped in snow and pointing to the heavens. The park mirrors the various landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, shifting from mountainous areas dominated by rain showers and heavy snowfall to arid plateaus cut by glaciers since melted into alpine rivers and lakes. The park is remote, accessible only by the beautiful North Cascades Highway or from hiking trails to the north.