National Park tips

As social media continues to draw more visitors to US national parks, the pressure on these pristine environments is intensifying, setting all-time records and crowded conditions that push people deeper into wilderness areas.

Unsurprisingly, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Hawaiʻi Island is one of the state’s most popular attractions.

In a landscape sparsely populated with people but covered in spruce forests, taiga, tundra and lakes, a singular physical force reigns supreme – the 20,310ft imposing elevation of Denali, the mountain that dominates its eponymous national park in Alaska.

Green is the overwhelming color on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed a trail on weekdays starting Monday as crews continue rehabilitation work in the popular park.

There are more than 500 national parks in Europe covering an astounding variety of terrain, from the wild taiga of northern Finland to the coastal dunes and wetlands of the Doñana national park in southern Spain. These protected landscapes offer pristine scenery and endless opportunities for activity and adventure. We’d love to hear about your favourite national park discoveries on the continent, whether it’s a hiking trail through a remote mountain range, a perfect spot for wild camping or an unforgettable wildlife encounter.

The roads around Yosemite National Park are a driving utopia – these routes carve through expansive backcountry, sublime valleys and pretty meadows, and loop by deep gorges dotted with emerald-green forests, shimmering lakes and ancient sequoias.

At every majestic red, brown and pink turn, Grand Canyon National Park wows, with nature’s utmost beauty on full display.

Replete with jewel tones and an incredibly diverse terrain, Grand Canyon National Park is a gift to hiking enthusiasts.

There is never a bad time to explore the deep and rippled beauty of Grand Canyon National Park. But depending on the nature of your trip, be it a rugged multi-day hike through jagged switchbacks and river ravines; a spot of family camping; or a quick budget-friendly adventure, when you visit will make all the difference.

Bigger than the US state of Rhode Island and large enough to influence the weather, Grand Canyon National Park can be overwhelming for first-time visitors.

So, you’ve decided this much: Grand Canyon National Park will be the end point of your next road trip.

From the moment you arrive, Yosemite dazzles with its natural good looks. One of America’s most iconic national parks and its third oldest, it captivates with myriad waterfalls, sky-grazing sequoias, gemstone-hued lakes, subalpine wilderness areas and granite cliffs and buttresses, like El Capitan and Half Dome.

Yosemite, established in 1864, is a superstar of the National Park System for good reason. A visit, whether you stay in well-connected Yosemite Valley or head out into the vast wilderness, is a humbling experience. 

Equipped with vast swathes of tangled rainforest and both a Pacific and Caribbean coast, the Central American nation of Panama is rife with spectacular natural beauty all across its borders—and the province of Veraguas is no exception. Spanning from the western reaches of the Azuero Peninsula up to the nation’s northern shore, this sprawling region offers a wide array of dazzling attractions for visitors to enjoy. As you plan your next trip to Panama City, be sure to save some room on the itinerary for a trip to Veraguas, a gorgeous region that’s rife with top-tier attractions for nature lovers.

Around an hour's drive from Miami on Florida's southern tip, Everglades National Park offers 1.5 million acres of natural wonder. Covering an area the size of Rhode Island, this complex and vital ecosystem of wetlands, swamps, mangroves and forests is North America's biggest protected sub-tropical wilderness reserve.

In Everglades National Park, you’ll find 1.5 million acres of canals, miles of marshes and tons of sub-tropical critters – but not so many hiking routes.

A dramatic area crammed with goose-bump-inducing vistas, shimmering lakes, towering waterfalls, soaring striped granite boulders, and vast emerald-green forests, Yosemite National Park is a beacon for the world’s hiking community.

Across more than 1.5 million acres across South Florida sprawls Everglades National Park, a wonderland of marshland, sawgrass and mangroves.

When you decide to go to Everglades National Park can make a world of difference.

Yosemite National Park is one of those dazzling, large-than-life destinations with a beauty that must be seen firsthand to truly appreciate it.