National Park travel tips

Imagine waking up to gorgeous lake views surrounded by misty mountains and trees lining the horizon as far as the eye can see. That’s the magic of Jasper National Park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, where I recently spent a cozy retreat to welcome the fall season. Coming from the scorching heat of Phoenix, Arizona, my lungs craved the crisp morning air, while the desert girl in me relished and autumnal mountain hues — and I soaked it all in from the private balcony of an alpine lodge on the shores of Pyramid Lake.

As the U.S. government remains unable to agree on a funding bill, a government shutdown will likely begin on October 1 at 12:01 a.m. unless a deal is reached by September 30. The shutdown would last for an unknown amount of time until funding can be passed.

Some people will just never learn when it comes to interacting with wildlife. 

Since 1885, travelers have been exploring the snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks and aqua-blue lakes that define Banff National Park: Canada's first national park and the third in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has served as a home for guests ranging from mountain climbers to Olympians to Queen Elizabeth, and has belonged to six indigenous tribes in the area for thousands of years.

Death Valley is the driest national park in the United States, receiving an average of about 2.2 inches of rain a year. It’s also regarded as the hottest place on Earth.

Editor’s Note: Monthly Ticket is a CNN Travel series that spotlights some of the most fascinating topics in the travel world. In September, we’re celebrating superlatives as we look at some of the world’s biggest, tallest and most expensive attractions and destinations.

Krakow has no shortage of medieval monuments and tucked away bars to explore. But a few days in Poland’s compact second city is enough, giving you time to explore further afield.

The cozy timber-frame lodge of Camp Denali bustled with morning energy just moments ago. Guests chatted with each other, lodge staff cleared the plated breakfast of pancakes with blueberries harvested from the tundra outside, and coffee mugs clinked on the long wooden tables reminiscent of dining together in someone’s home. But now the lodge is quiet. Guests have left for activities of their choosing, from guided naturalist hikes designed for a range of abilities, biking the park road, and canoeing on Wonder Lake to relaxing in their cabins and enjoying the view. It’s a good day for it; the peak of Denali, all 20,300 feet of it scraping the rare clear sky, gleams impossibly through the window like some snow-covered image of myth.

When you plan a trip to Canyonlands National Park, you get way more than just one national park. You get the town of Moab, nearby Arches National Park, various stretches of the Colorado River, and a long list of other protected outdoor spaces, from state parks to national forests. This is especially true if you choose to stay in a hotel. Most hotels near Canyonlands National Park are ideally located to explore the entire Moab area. Even if you plan to spend as much time in the open air as possible, it’s always nice to have someplace comfortable to retreat to after a long day outdoors — these hotels near Canyonlands National Park deliver.

National park accommodations generally fall into a few basic categories: camping, glamping, inns or lodges, and hotels. Some national parks also come with a homier option: Airbnbs. Take Canyonlands National Park. Roughly 30 minutes outside of the well-loved desert town of Moab, Utah, Canyonlands is one national park that’s situated in close proximity to quite a few impressive Airbnbs. Sure, you could easily find a nice hotel near Canyonlands National Park, but why not pick the Canyonlands National Park Airbnb that best suits your style — from quintessential cabins, to private yurts, to large and luxurious rentals that can fit the whole family.

Gleaming gypsum crystal dunes roll as far as the eye can see at White Sands National Park. With waves towering up to 60 feet tall, the composition of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert landscape is constantly changing due to wind and weather patterns. Hardy plants like yuccas, grasses, and shrubs have evolved to survive in the shifting sands, adding texture to the spectacle of shapes and shadows that define the scenery.

The National Park Service warned travelers this week to stay away from bull elk in Yellowstone National Park as they enter their fall mating season.

Acadia National Park stretches over a rocky and mountainous coastal landscape of the Maine coast. The park has a wild beauty reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest and is home to an extensive network of hiking trails (120 miles, in fact) and its 30 lakes are prime fishing, biking, and boating spots. Mount Desert Island, where the majority of the park is located, has a quintessentially New England atmosphere, with charming fishing villages, bustling lobster boats, and colorful buoys dotting the harbors. While there are no lodges within the boundaries, there are plenty of hotels near Acadia National Park for anyone who would prefer a comfortable bed after a day of adventuring.

In 2021, the Pretty Rocks Landslide on Denali Park Road in Alaska shut off the only driving route to the old mining town of Kantisha. The closure is predicted to continue until 2026, cutting off access on the iconic 92-mile road in Denali National Park. This means that Kantishna, previously a popular destination for day visitors to the park, is now only accessible by air. It takes a helicopter over the glaciers, braided rivers, and multi-colored mountain peaks with America’s tallest mountain, Denali, in the background. In short, it’s become an exclusive destination that only a small percentage of visitors have a chance to access.

Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park showcases the largest collection of hoodoos — thin spires of rock — and despite its name, it’s not actually a canyon but rather a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The park is relatively small compared to other national parks in the state, like Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands. The 18-mile scenic road that runs north-south through the park traces the rims of the amphitheaters for the most part and has turnoffs for viewpoints, hiking trailheads, and picnic areas. Small or not, the park can afford you days of on-foot exploration, and the varying levels of hiking difficulty and length mean there’s something for everyone. There’s no need to rush. Staying for a few days gives you ample time to explore the region and immerse yourself in the desert.

An excited group of tourists at Yellowstone National Park surrounded a mother bear and her cubs as they took pictures earlier this month. 

Grand Canyon National Park received $27.5 million in federal funding to electrify its bus shuttles, the National Park Service announced last week. 

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park are being warned to avoid certain areas as biologists look to begin a grizzly bear research survey.

Ely MacInnes and her husband, Tom, began traveling in the western United States with their 85-pound mutt, Alaska, in March 2020. Driving and living in an R.V., they visited White Sands and Petrified Forest National Parks in New Mexico and Arizona before heading to California, Oregon and Washington. They sometimes struggled to figure out where Alaska could and couldn’t roam, but often found that they could have wonderful experiences.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed a park road due to bear activity during a time when the animals are foraging for food.

In the century-plus since its inception in 1910, Glacier National Park in northwest Montana — the Crown of the Continent — has seen drastic changes.