The 10 Most Underrated National Parks in the United States

The heady fragrance of damp earth, the susurration of wind through the trees, the sun dancing across the landscape… when it comes to wilderness areas, the United States boasts an embarrassment of riches. From the high Arctic to Hawaii, America represents the entire spectrum of ecosystems, climates, and biospheres, many of which have become conservation areas and national parks. Founded in 1916 by Woodrow Wilson, the National Park Service has gone from 35 sites to more than 400 areas, covering more than 84 million acres across 50 states. With so many to choose from, some national parks are visited less frequently and are perfect for getting away from the crowds, reconnecting with nature, and remembering your place within it. Read on to find out about the most underrated national parks in the United States.

1. Big Bend National Park, Texas

Ask any Texan what to see in their enormous state and they'll recommend a visit to Big Bend. Perhaps because it’s so difficult to reach at roughly six hour's drive from either El Paso or San Antonio, nature lovers can bask in splendid isolation while taking epic vistas across this empty desert landscape. Hikers too will be rewarded, as there are over 150 miles of trails winding through its immense 800,000 acres of protected land, ranging from the riverbanks of the Rio Grande to the peaks of the Chisos mountain range.

Best time to visit: October to May

Can’t miss: Lost Mine Trail, Santa Elena Canyon

2. Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Denali is named for North America’s highest peak, formerly known as Mt Mckinley, but it’s so much more than a mountain. It’s the third largest national park in the United States, trailing behind the state’s Wrangell Elias and Gates of the Arctic parks at an incredible six million acres of land. The sub-arctic taiga ecosystem plays host to a menagerie of different species, including grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, caribou, and moose. Denali presides over it all at a towering 20,310’ tall, one of the most majestic summits on the planet.

Best time to visit: June to September

Can’t miss: Denali Summit, Savage River

3. Acadia National Park, Maine

Nestled halfway up the coast of Maine, Acadia National Park is a true gem. You’ll find it mostly situated on Mt Desert Island. Shaped a bit like two oyster shells joined at the hinge, a large inlet runs up its belly, with two pink granite mountain ranges sloping downwards to meet the cold, navy blue waters of the northern Atlantic, where lobster boats putter from buoy to buoy. Much of the land was formerly owned by the Rockefeller family, who built extensive carriage trails that are perfect for mountain biking and hiking trails that range from toddler-friendly to vertiginous.

Best time to visit: April to October

Can’t miss: Thunder Hole, Cadillac Mountain

4. Olympic National Park, Washington

Fly into Seattle, and you'll likely circle over Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula and be astounded by the sheer wildness of the area, where glacier-clad mountains hove up into rarefied air and old-growth forests spill over with life. Intrepid backpackers will be rewarded with incredible trails that go on for days to reach remote ranges. For those that want to duck in without committing a week, drop into the otherworldly Hoh Rainforest or visit Rialto Beach and Forks, where Twilight is set.

Best time to visit: June to September

Can’t miss: Mt Olympus, Mt Storm King

5. Badlands National Park, South Dakota

What’s the closest landscape that you’ll get to Lord of the Rings in the United States? Possibly Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It’s a geological wonder, peppered with striated rock formations that resemble layer cakes, canyons that slope down to bedrock at uncannily steep pitches, and mountain spires that look like something out of Dr Seuss. Renowned for its dinosaur fossils, Badlands National Park also features an abundance of extant wildlife, including bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs.

Best time to visit: March to June, September to November

Can’t miss: Fossil Preparation Lab, Pinnacles Overlook

6. Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Canyonlands is one of those national parks you can truly disappear into. Savvy backpackers can spend weeks exploring the narrow slot canyons, mystical stone arches, broad mesas, and cactus-pocked expanses of this moonscape. Situated in the center of Utah and split in two by the gigantic canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers, Canyonlands offers some of the best hiking in the southwest, including The Maze, The Needles, and The Island in the Sky.

Best time to visit: October to May

Can’t miss: Island in the Sky, The Maze

7. New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia

Get off the beaten track and set your coordinates for West Virginia and its New River Gorge National Park. Wrapped around one of the oldest rivers on the continent, the park is replete with scenic Appalachian mountains and deep gorges that are begging to be explored. For adventurers who like to ramp up the adrenaline, take to the New River itself for some phenomenal white water rafting and forge lasting travel memories.

Best time to visit: June to October

Can’t miss: New River Gorge Bridge, Babcock State Park

8. White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Want to feel like you’re on an alien planet? Point it to the extraterrestrial, extraordinary White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Spanning over 150,000 acres across the heart of the Tularosa Basin, the park is comprised of endless sand dunes of white gypsum crystals. There’s something exceptionally sci-fi about White Sands, potentially because it is surrounded by the eponymous missile range. For an experience of nature that’s out of this world, this is the way.

Best time to visit: October to May

Can’t miss: Interdune Boardwalk, Lake Lucero

9. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

If you’re keen to see icebergs, there’s perhaps no better place on the planet than Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Spread over a mammoth 3.3 million acres, the park is comprised of huge mountain massifs, immense glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastline and more. Keep your eyes peeled for humpback whales, orcas, grizzly bears, sea otter and bald eagles. They all flourish in this conservation area.

Best time to visit: June to September

Can’t miss: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Logan Pass

10. North Cascades National Park, Washington

The Pacific Northwest is a cataclysmic landscape formed when two tectonic plates slammed against each other. There’s no place better to witness this than Washington and especially its North Cascades National Park, perched on the state’s Canadian border with British Columbia. Bisected by the Skagit River, its jagged peaks are crowned with over 300 glaciers and its woods are packed with wildlife.

Best time to visit: June to September

Can’t miss: Diablo Lake, Mt Baker