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As you all know, or in case you don’t, I love visiting and exploring the national parks. There are some that get tons of love and are some of the most famous national parks like Yellowstone, Zion, and the Grand Canyon, but I want to share a little bit about some of the more overlooked national parks I’ve been to over the last year and a half. There are a few in here that I just think are underrated, too, but still, get quite a few visitors. Note that all the numbers for visitors per year will be from 2016. I would highly recommend getting an America the Beautiful national park pass if you plan on visiting more than three.
Great Sand Dunes
Where: Mosca, Colorado
How much: $15
Visitors per year: 388,308
What not to miss: Rent a board in town to go sandboarding or sledding down the dunes. If that’s not your thing, just climb up the dunes for a good workout and awesome views. And if that sounds terrible, too, don’t worry. You can go hiking in the mountains and overlook the dunes from there.
Pro tip: Wear sunglasses or something to keep sand out of your eyes. It can be pretty windy there. Also, wear shoes in the summer as the sand gets really hot.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Where: Gunnison, Colorado
How much: $15
Visitors per year: 238,018
What not to miss: A trip down to the bottom of the canyon to admire the emerald river below. Hike along the south rim and admire the cliffs. If you have the time, head to the north rim to do some hiking and get even more awesome views.
Pro tip: Don’t listen to everyone saying the drive into the canyon is terrible or difficult. It was easy, just steep. Still, be cautious and watch for rocks on the road, but it’s not as bad as they make it seem.
Capitol Reef
Where: Torrey, Utah
How much: $10
Visitors per year: 1,064,904
What not to miss: Pick fruit in the orchards, drive and hike Capitol Gorge, see Hickman Bridge, and slosh through Sulphur Creek. There is so much to do. You can do a few hikes over a day or do all of Sulphur Creek in a day, or do part of it (starting from the visitors center) and a few other hikes. Cohab Canyon, Cassidy Arch, and Headquarters Canyon are three other awesome hikes in Capitol Reef.
If you don’t hike, there are still plenty of things to do in Capitol Reef.
Pro tip: If you do Sulphur Creek, the hike is 5.5 miles then there is another three-mile walk back to the trailhead. Keep that in mind. Either have a bike for one person to go get the car, hitchhike (we got a ride from some awesome strangers) or hoof it. Also, stay hydrated, it gets real hot here.
Badlands
Where: Interior, South Dakota
How much: $20 per vehicle
Visitors per year: 996,263
What not to miss: The notch trail is perfect for getting into the Badlands and having views over them as well. There are tons of awesome overlooks along the scenic road and make sure to keep an eye out for bighorn sheep and pronghorn! If you’re feeling a little adventurous, consider visiting the Badlands in winter.
Pro tip: Definitely get out and hike in the park. I haven’t done as much there as I’d like, but it’s such a cool place. It can also get surprisingly hot here, so keep that in mind and dress in layers.
Hot Springs
Where: Hot Springs, Arkansas
How much: Free!
Visitors per year: 1,544,300
What not to miss: Take a hike in the hills around the town, then spend an afternoon wandering between the shops and historic bathhouses. If you want to splurge, consider a spa treatment or two. ANd make sure you try some of the spring water. There are a few spigots to fill waterbottles around the park.
Pro tip: Eat at the Colonial Pancake and Waffle House for breakfast and head over to Kollective Coffee for a delicious cup of joe.
Congaree
Where: Hopkins, South Carolina
How much: Free!
Visitors per year: 143,843
What not to miss: The boardwalk loop is a great way to see the park if you only have a few hours. There are a few other trails to get away from the already low crowds.
Pro tip: Keep an eye out for bugs and wildlife along the boardwalk and other trails. And don’t forget to pack your bug spray, especially in the summer!
Great Basin
Where: Baker, Nevada
How much: Free!
Visitors per year: 144,846
What not to miss: Lehman Cave is a must-see. Take a hike along the Alpine Lake Loop and take a side trip up to see the Bristlecones before heading back down. If you’re feeling really ambitious, climb Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in Nevada.
Pro tip: Book tickets for the cave tours on here or at the visitors center. If you want to do the longer cave tour, I would recommend booking in advance. Campgrounds are first-come, first-serve. The Upper Lehman Creek Campground is really nice. And finally, eat at Kerouac’s in Baker. It is so good!
Carlsbad Caverns
Where: Carlsbad, New Mexico
How much: $10 per person
Visitors per year: 466,773
What not to miss: Do a self-guided tour through the Big Room or take a guided tour and squeeze through passageways in the Hall of White Giants. You can do hiking aboveground as well.
Pro tip: I would take a guided tour to see more of the cave. They need to be booked 48-hours ahead of time and can be booked on the same website as Lehman Cave. If you’re in the area, visit Roswell, too!
Hopefully, this has inspired you to see more of the parks, well known or not, and enjoy what they all have to offer. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and wear plenty of sunscreen during your hikes. And make sure you get to some of the more underrated national parks in America.
Have you been to any of these parks? What is your favorite underrated national park?
Ooh, these look amazing and I haven’t heard of some of them! I’m actually surprised to see that I’ve been to one of them, though! The Carlsbad Caverns are unreal!
They’re some of my favorites now! Great Basin and Congaree are amazing! I would love to go back to Carlsbad Caverns
I have done Capital Reef and Badlands; both fantastic. Think Wind Cave is more underrated than Carlsbad; and is worth a visit.
I definitely agree on WInd Cave! I hadn’t even heard of it until last year!
Great article, Megan!
Thank you!
Expand your horizon to include The Virgin Island National Park on St John. Trunk Bay is spectacular and yes, the Virgin Islands are American.
I would love to visit that one! I love all things beach
Wow, these look amazing! I’m hoping to travel more in 2018, and visiting one of these parks would be so cool. Thank you for sharing, I may visit some of them in the future! 🙂
THey’re wonderful! These are some of my favorite parks I’ve been to! Hopefull you can see them this year!
What a great article and good ideas! Keep them coming and safe hiking/trekking etc 🙂
Thank you! Plenty more to come!
These photos are absolutely beautiful! I would love to travel to any one of these national parks! Thanks for sharing these! Definitely adding to my bucket list.
xx, Taylor || Generation Tay (www.tayloramead.com)
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
We’ve been to Great Sand Dune, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Carlsbad Caverns. We love it!!!
Awesome! I love Gunnison!
what an AWESOME post! I never knew half of these existed! Thank you for sharing now I have added so many wonderful place to my bucket list! Those caves in New Mexico look wild! I wish i lived closer!!
Thank you! 😀 I didn’t know most of them existed until a couple years ago either! There’s Mammoth Cave in Kentucky that looks pretty crazy, too!
I love that Hot Springs, Arkansas made it onto your list! The rest of these look amazing and I look forward to visiting them all someday!
Yes! It’s visited a lot, but I don’t think a lot of people know it exists. I definitely liked it!
Great Sand Dunes and Black Gunnison both are amazing, great that you included on your list. Great Sand Dunes night sky is breathtaking. Capitol Reef is on my list.
Yes! I can only imagine how awesome the sky is there! I got to see it in Great Basin which was pretty amazing. Capitol Reef is one of my favorites!
As a lover of national parks was really excited you made this list!!!
Thank you! 😀 I’m glad you enjoyed it!
All these parks are awesome. You’ve captured really great photos. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I love exploring the national parks
Fabulous list, Megan. I’ve only been to a couple on your list — Captial Reef and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I’m sorry to say that even though I lived in Colorado for 15 years, I never made it to the Dunes! Beautiful images!!
Thank you! Capitol Reef is one of my favorites! I totally get that. I’m from Wisconsin and haven’t seen like, any of it. The dunes are awesome though!
Wow I didn’t even know about some of these! Great Sand Dunes looks amazing – and Carlsbad Caverns definitely goes top on my list!
Yes! The Sand Dunes are awesome!
I’m visiting Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison next summer for the first time!
That’ll be super fun! Definitely go down to the bottom of Black Canyon of the Gunnison!
Great list! Badlands is my favorite place in the US! And we love Congaree too. I’ll have to add some of these others to our list.
Yes! I loved both, too! I can’t wait to go back to both to see more. I hope you make it to some of the others, too!
I would definitely add Guadalupe Mountains, TX to this list. I have a post on it my blog.
Yes! I just picked from the ones I’ve been to so far and I haven’t been there yet, but I want to so bad!