Category Ranking
Least Crowded National Parks in Summer
The least crowded national parks to visit during summer, combining least crowded metrics with seasonal visit scores.
Updated
Haleakalā National Park
A dormant volcano where you stand above the clouds at 10,000 feet, then descend through alpine desert to rainforest in a single morning.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Lake Michigan's wind built these dunes into the park system's highest plant biodiversity—over 1,100 species on 15 miles of Indiana shore.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Earth's densest hoodoo forest where the Navajo Loop drops you between orange spires so narrow you'll touch both walls at 8,000 feet.
Acadia National Park
Rocky Atlantic coast crowned by Cadillac Mountain, first sunrise in the US. Granite peaks meet the ocean through 158 miles of trails.
Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs' 143-degree thermal water flows through historic bathhouses where health seekers once shared sidewalks with gangsters.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Two active volcanoes shape terrain from tide pools to alpine desert. Walk across recent lava flows and through rainforests on ancient rock.
Arches National Park
Over 2,000 natural stone arches carved from red sandstone—the world's highest concentration—including the iconic Delicate Arch.
Zion National Park
Red cliffs rise 2,000 feet above the Virgin River, where Angels Landing's chain climb and The Narrows' slot canyon wade draw crowds.
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
The East Coast's deepest river gorge cuts 1,000 feet through ancient rock, with Class V rapids and 100 miles of trails above.
White Sands National Park
The world's largest gypsum dunefield covers 275 square miles where white sand dunes shift up to 30 feet per year and swallow ecosystems.