Guide to Visiting all US National Parks

The 63 US National Parks offer some of the most beautiful and stunning landscapes in the world. If you’re lucky, you’ve probably visited a few of them and basked in their glory. But have you ever considered visiting all 63 National Parks? It’s a lofty goal, but absolutely possible! And we’re here to help! You can track your visits and display your progress with our elegant US National Parks Bucket List Board. And this Guide to Visiting all US National Parks will give you a great head start in planning out your visits. Whether you want to visit all of the parks in one trip, or spread it out over a year or a few years, we’ve got the info you need!

Visiting all US National Parks in one Trip

If you consider yourself an avid adventurer and dedicated road tripper, then why not go really big and visit all of the National Parks in one trip? Our team member, Whitney, recently visited almost every park on a 6 week road trip. While we don’t actually recommend trying to cram it all into 6 weeks, she had the time of her life and has no regrets.

Most big time hodophiles (people who love to travel), would recommend a US National Parks trip be at least 3 months long. This will give you enough time to visit each park and spend at least a good part of a day at each one. But many people recommend a 6 month trip. 6 months would allow you to really dive deeper into each park, to explore more of the unknown, and to go off the beaten path. If you’re lucky enough to have the time and resources, some people even recommend taking 1 year for the trip. Imagine spending an entire year with nothing but nature. The adventure, peace, clarity, fulfillment, and connections that that would bring would be priceless.

One Trip: Logistics

So you’re committed to making this dream happen. You’re going to visit all of the US National Parks in one trip. So now what? Assuming you’ve got the time and resources available, you can start planning the details! This is the fun part. Where will you start? When will you leave? How will you map out your visits?

Lucky for us, this wheel has already been invented. And if we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we’re not going to. This google map is the perfect guide for visiting all US National Parks. It has all of the 63 congressionally designated US National Parks mapped out for you. When it comes to deciding where to start, we suggest starting with the park closest to you! Then you can make your way around the loop. A few of the parks are not reachable by car, so you will need get there by plane or boat. This will require a little extra planning on your part, but if you really want to check all 63 National Parks off of your bucket list, then it’s worth it!

As for the best time of year to start your trip? That depends on where you live and personal preference. Each park has its own set of unique characteristics that vary by season. If you prefer to visit certain parks during specific seasons, then you can plan your timing accordingly. There are also a few parks that you may not be able to thoroughly visit during certain seasons. Some of the Alaska State Parks, for example, have very limited access in the wintertime. But when it comes down to it, all 63 US National Parks are open in some capacity year-round. If you’re serious about visiting all of them in one trip, then go for it!

Visiting all US National Parks by Season

Road-trips don’t always need to be crammed into a 3 or 6 month time-period. Maybe you enjoy taking your time. Maybe your home and work responsibilities won’t allow for you to take that much time off. Whatever your reason, visiting all of the US National Parks can still be done! If you want to break your visits up into smaller chunks, visiting based on ideal season may be a good option for you!

This chart is a great guide to visiting all US National Parks based on “ideal” season. “Ideal” in this case means two things: Most enjoyable weather, and peak beauty. There are many possible ways to plan your trips based on the seasons. The most straightforward way would be to plan 4 trips: Winter Trip. Spring Trip, Summer Trip, and Fall Trip. Your next decision would be whether or not you want all 4 trips to happen in the same year, or if you want to spread them out over 2-4 years.

Another factor to consider is that pleasant weather plus peak beauty also means most crowded. If crowds are not your things, one unique option would be to plan your trips during the off seasons. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so who’s to say that the fall leaves of the midwest are more beautiful than the barren trees of the winter? It’s all personal preference at this point, so make your plan, then make it happen!

Helpful Things to Know Before Visiting all US National Parks

Park Reservations for US National Parks

The miracle of the Internet has created worldwide awareness of the wonder of the National Parks. In turn, most of the parks have become over-crowded. In an effort to preserve their wonder and beauty, many parks have implemented a reservation system. While this is cumbersome for you, it serves to protect the landscapes. You’ll need to plan your trips in advance if you want guaranteed entrance to all of the parks. Click here to see which parks are requiring reservations and how to get them.

Are Pets Allowed in US National Parks?

Traveling with your fur baby? Almost every National Park will allow you to bring your pets along. But each park has its own set of rules and guidelines to follow. Check out the National Park Service’s Info Section on pets to make sure you’re aware of the rules.

Which US National Parks Can You Camp in?

Camping is one of the best ways to truly immerse yourself in the magic that nature has to offer. If camping in any of the National Parks is part of your bucket list goals, then head over to the National Park Service’s “Find a Campground” tool. They will link you directly to each park that offers camping.

National Park Fees

Most of the parks require an entrance fee. If you’re serious about visiting every park, the best option would be to get an annual pass. And if you’re part of the military or you happen to have a 4th grader in the family, then you’re in luck, because you get a free annual pass! Just be sure to apply for it here.

Live the Dream!

You’ve got your plan. You have the info. Now get out there and make your dreams a reality! Be sure to save this guide to visiting all US National Parks in your favorites for future reference. And don’t forget to display your progress with the National Parks Bucket List Board! You’ve worked hard to make this happen, you deserve to proudly show off your achievements! And when you’re done visiting all US National Parks? Start a new bucket list! You could hike all of Colorado’s 14ers, visit every State Park in your home state, or commit to climbing one mountain every week of the year. Whatever you do next, we’re here to cheer you on!

List of all 63 US National Parks

1. Acadia National Park, Maine
2. Arches National Park, Utah
3. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
4. Big Bend National Park, Texas
5. Biscayne National Park, Florida
6. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
7. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
8. Canyonlands National Park, Utah
9. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
10. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
11. Channel Islands National Park, California
12. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
13. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
14. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
15. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
16. Denali National Park, Alaska
17. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
18. Everglades National Park, Florida
19. Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
20. Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri
21. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
22. Glacier National Park, Montana
23. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
24. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
25. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
26. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
27. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee
28. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
29. Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
30. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
31. Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
32. Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
33. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
34. Joshua Tree National Park, California
35. Katmai National Park, Alaska
36. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
37. Kings Canyon National Park, California
38. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
39. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
40. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
41. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
42. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
43. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
44. National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
45. New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
46. North Cascades National Park, Washington
47. Olympic National Park, Washington
48. Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
49. Pinnacles National Park, California
50. Redwood National Park, California
51. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
52. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
53. Sequoia National Park, California
54. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
55. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
56. Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands
57. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
58. White Sands National Park, New Mexico
59. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
60. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
61. Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
62. Yosemite National Park, California
63. Zion National Park, Utah