New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is the U.S.’s newest national park, gaining its current status in 2020. The park stretches along the New River in southern West Virginia and combines huge gorge views, dense Appalachian forests, world-class whitewater rafting, rock climbing, waterfalls, and a surprising amount of adventure packed into a relatively compact area. The New River…
It may only be 20-ish miles off the California coast, but Channel Islands National Park feels like a secret version of California—one where the foxes are tiny, the cliffs drop straight into electric-blue water, and the loudest things you’ll hear are the birds. This collection of five islands off the Ventura County coast is often called “the Galápagos of…
If you’ve never heard of Congaree National Park, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Tucked away in the middle-of-nowhere South Carolina, this park doesn’t get the Instagram love of Yellowstone or Yosemite, and it has more than its fair share of haters. In fact, here’s a sampling of actual one-star Tripadvisor review titles: With reviews like that, I’ll admit it—I set…
Imagine a place where the sand isn’t really sand, the lizards come dressed in white, and you can sled in the desert without needing a parka—welcome to White Sands National Park! Table of Contents About the Park Tucked away in southern New Mexico, this dazzling landscape is made entirely of soft, cool-to-the-touch gypsum crystals that stretch across 275 square…
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re stepping into a fantasy novel—or an alien planet—then Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico needs to be on your travel list. This place isn’t just a cave. It’s an entire, hidden world carved beneath the desert, full of jaw-dropping formations and eerie silence that somehow feels magical. Table of…
If you’ve never heard of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Officially established in 1972, this lesser-known park protects more than 86,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert in far west Texas, just south of the New Mexico state line. Table of Contents About the Park The park’s dramatic namesakes rise abruptly from the desert floor, with Guadalupe…