National Parks tips

If there’s one park in the US National Park system that displays how beautiful the western states can be, it’s Zion National Park. And it’s well-loved: the national park is the most visited in Utah and one of the most popular in the entire park system.

Yosemite National Park is bringing back its reservation system. During peak times next year, travelers won’t be able to enter the park without a reservation, the National Park Service said Wednesday.

The Grand Canyon sees around 5 million visitors a year for good reason: its grandeur is unlike any other place in the world. However, just a few hours away, there is another “canyon” national park that is smaller, much less trafficked, more colorful, and surrounded by distinct natural wonders. Bryce Canyon Country includes Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, Kodachrome State Park, and so much more in its 3-million-plus acres of protected lands. It’s the perfect Grand Canyon alternative for anyone who wants to see Utah’s natural splendor without the same level of crowds — Bryce Canyon sees about 2.5 million annual visitors, Capitol Reef about 1.5 million, and not even one million visit Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument every year.

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.

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start Sunday, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

Most U.S. National Parks will shut down their operations if U.S. lawmakers don’t reach a deal to fund the federal government by Saturday night, the Department of Interior said Friday in a press release.

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start next month, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

In October 2019, my husband and I booked a weekend getaway in the Pilanesberg, a Big Five game reserve in South Africa. Work had been really stressful, so we figured a trip to a nearby reserve for a few game drives (or safaris, as they’re commonly known) would be just what we needed.

From inspiring future generations to offering once-in-a-lifetime adventures, there’s no limit to what visitors to national parks can gain from their experiences. And California, with nine national parks, boasts a remarkable range of natural wonders in its parks. That includes the hottest place in the United States, the biggest tree in the world by volume, and a national park accessible only by ferry.

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.

Yosemite National Park will not have a reservation system for the summer of 2023 and will embark on a process of gathering community input as whether it should to reinstate it in the future. Yosemite put a reservation system in place for two years because of the pandemic and continued it because of park construction projects. But the reservation requirement set off a chain of consequences for local communities, including traffic jams because cars weren’t allowed to drive through the park.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, December 7. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Every year, the startlingly beautiful resort town of Banff in western Canada receives more than four million visitors. In July alone, Banff National Park saw a total of 694,127 independent visitors, the most it had seen for the month since 2013. Parks Canada, the government agency managing national parks, said traffic flaggers were required 24 hours a day in 2022 in response to demand for access to Moraine Lake. The parking lot also remained full for nearly 24 hours a day at the peak of summer. 

Travelers looking to visit several Ugandan national parks will soon have easier access to the popular tourist attractions. Uganda’s government recently announced that airfields at four national parks will be upgraded and equipped with immigration posts, making them better able to welcome international visitors.

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

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.

Banff is well known as the gateway to the Canadian Rockies with its small-town charm, position as the perfect base for a trip into the backcountry, wide swath of adventure travel opportunities (skiing and otherwise), and access to wildlife and nature.

Tsingy National Park (full name: The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park) is a national park in Madagascar. The name “tsingy” comes from a Malagasy word meaning “walking on tiptoes,” which is an apt description of the landscape of the park. It is known for its unique karst formations, formed by rain that dissolved the soft limestone over time, creating sharp, rocky spires.

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.

Big Bend National Park shares a border with Mexico in a stunning stretch of southwestern Texas, where evenings are defined by orange skies reflecting against red-rock canyons.  While such stunning scenes are commonplace within Big Bend, the massive desert preserve remains overlooked among US national parks. It’s never had more than 500,000 visitors in a single year since it was made a national park in 1944, making it one of the least-visited parks in the lower 48.

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most-visited parks in the national park system, but don’t let that stop you from visiting — it’s absolutely stunning and there’s plenty of room for everyone. It’s also a great park for both active visitors and more laid-back travelers, as you can do a 20-plus-mile hike all the way through the canyon or just stay on the top, strolling between viewpoints and checking out the various visitors centers.