Yellowstone National Park is an outdoor enthusiast's dream, with magnificent peaks and clean lakes. Multicolored pools swirl around hot springs, lush forests weave across vast meadows, and erupting geysers shoot torrents of boiling water into the air. With so much pristine natural grandeur, it's no surprise that when John Colter (a scout for explorers Lewis and Clark) first reported Yellowstone's geothermal wonders in 1807, everyone felt he was exaggerated. Nowadays, there's no denying that the park is spectacular. Prepare to share the trails with permanent residents including buffalo, elk, and even grizzlies as you travel through its 3,000-plus square miles of mountains, canyons, geysers, and waterfalls.

Despite the fact that Yellowstone gets over 4 million tourists each year, you're unlikely to see many of them unless you spend your whole vacation at Old Faithful. Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres stretching from Wyoming's northwest tip to the borders of Idaho and Montana, providing lots of undeveloped lands to explore. Make a day or two to visit Yellowstone Lake and Mammoth Hot Springs to soak in the scenery. Save some time for the routes through lesser-known areas, such as the West Thumb Geyser Basin's hot springs and the Lewis River Channel, and Dogshead Loop's untamed fauna. While the sheer amount of paths and wildlife-watching options may appear overwhelming at first, keep in mind that you can always return.

Yosemite National Park, one of California's most challenging natural settings, spans roughly 1,200 square miles of utter awe, with towering waterfalls, millennia-old sequoia trees, dramatic, intimidating cliff faces, and some of the country's most unusual rock formations. Despite its huge size, Yosemite Valley's 8-square-mile region hosts the majority of visitor activity. Half Dome and El Capitan, two of the park's most iconic features, are located here, as are good hiking paths through the natural wonders.

Yosemite is accessible to even beginner hikers, with local adventure outfitters offering guided tours and climbing courses. Just don't expect to be able to accomplish it on your own. Crowds are the main hurdle to a successful Yosemite trip, as they are in many other American tourist locations — around 4 million people visit each year. Mother Nature's beauties will unveil themselves to you in a magical and calm way if you go at the correct moment (and start your day a bit earlier than usual).

Glacier National Park is located on the border of Canada and Montana and is named for the remains of ice age glaciers. Because of its dazzling diversity of natural beauty, it is sometimes referred to as the "Crown of the Continent". Hikers will enjoy the park's diversity of paths, which range from the simple Trail of the Cedars (which contains tall and gorgeous cedars) to the daunting Grinnell Glacier (which offers sweeping views). Furthermore, the park contains over 700 lakes, several waterfalls, and two mountain ranges scattered across more than 1 million acres, all of which provide habitat for a diversity of animals.

It has a lot of history in addition to its stunning natural characteristics. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, a magnificent 50-mile journey across the park that offers amazing vistas and access to popular hiking trails, is a National Historic Landmark and an engineering wonder. In addition, several of the park's lodges, chalets, and hotels are from the early twentieth century and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Are you interested in visiting a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is also located nearby.

The word "grand" doesn't even come close to describing this canyon. This gigantic gap in northern Arizona is certainly a natural wonder, measuring over 277 river miles in length, up to 18 miles in breadth, and a mile deep. The Grand Canyon has been expanding for 6 million years thanks to the mighty Colorado River, and visitors from all over the world have flocked to see its red and orange splendor. The Grand Canyon, which is managed by the National Park Service and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is awe-inspiring to about 6 million annual visitors.

However, if you're looking for a solitary retreat to Mother Nature, you'll need to be prepared: It is possible that the Grand Canyon will be quite crowded. The Grand Canyon Village and the well-worn Bright Angel Trail are located on the South Rim, which is particularly popular with sightseers and hikers. The majority of the amenities are located on this side. Head to the North Rim to get away from the throng. This is the location to go if you want to go camping in the woods or go trekking in the mountains. Consider taking a helicopter tour of the canyon for an incredible perspective.

"There's more to see than there is time to see it, and more to do than there is time to do it". Elton John and Tim Rice were discussing the "Circle of Life" when they created the opening song for Disney's "The Lion King". However, this melody is an apt depiction of the world-famous Serengeti National Park. This spectacular wildlife park in northern Tanzania, East Africa, spans 5,700 square kilometers. Stewart Edward White, an American hunter-turned-conservationist, recounted his first trip to the Serengeti in 1913 as follows: "We trekked for miles over scorched land. Then I noticed the river's lush trees and continued walking for another two miles till I arrived at heaven".

Thousands of animals may be heard inside the Serengeti's boundaries: Elephants trample well-worn safari routes, and hippos splash in drinking holes, as hyenas cackle. More than 2,000 lions are ready to pounce on unsuspecting victims at any one time, preparing to hunt their unfortunate prey across apparently endless waves of golden grass. The environment rustles with the loping giraffes' quick steps, and tree limbs tremble with each monkey's movement. But the most magnificent sight you'll see is The Great Migration, when over one million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles cross the Serengeti in search of richer pastures, drowning White's paradise in a sea of animals.

Jasper National Park, one of Canada's wildest areas, offers multicolored landscapes at every turn. From the heights of Mount Edith Cavell to the tunnels of Maligne Canyon, hikers may take in a variety of sights. The park, which is located on the eastern boundary of Alberta, acts as a beacon for Northern Hemisphere travelers. Jasper is the largest park in the Canadian Rockies, and it, along with Banff and a few other parks, has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travelers may expect to see species like caribou, wolverine, and moose on the more than 2.7 million acres of territory available to them.

The park has all of the expected natural beauties, such as mountains, rivers, and even glaciers, but the town of Jasper raises the area's potential. Jasper not only serves as a handy base camp for vacationers but also offers a range of trips and excursions. In addition, winter in Jasper means visitors may enjoy cold-weather sports such as skiing in Marmot Basin or backcountry snowshoeing. There's always a reason to visit Jasper, regardless of the season.

Zion National Park, located in Utah's southwest corner and named after the Hebrew word "refuge", is no longer the peaceful haven it once was. With over four million visitors each year, the park is currently one of the most popular in the country. It's as if visitors have discovered a hidden gem and can't get enough of the apricot-colored Zion Canyon, which they can see when wading through its Virgin River or ascending Angels Landing, with each curve in the river or turn in the path providing an even better perspective.

In addition, the blanket of stars that blankets the night sky is a nice end to a day of busy sports. When it's time to return to reality from the refuge, the 166-mile journey from Las Vegas or the 308-mile drive from Salt Lake City provides just enough time to contemplate all the beauty you've just witnessed.

The approximately 5 million-acre Kruger National Park, located about 260 miles northeast of Johannesburg, has some of the greatest access to wild creatures in Africa. Buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos, as well as Nile crocodiles, hippos, and uncommon birds such as southern ground-hornbills and lappet-faced vultures, all live here. But there's more to this enormous nature reserve than simply animals. The park's savanna, thornveld, and forest terrain are dominated by giant baobab, fever, and marula trees. Furthermore, the Albasini and Masorini ruins, which were originally exchanged by Portuguese colonists and members of the indigenous Ba-Phalaborwa ethnic group, are located in Kruger's Marula and Nxanatseni districts.

Kruger National Park will surely get you as near to nature as you can get. Consider going on a game drive or a bushwalk to make the most of your time. Many people make pit stops near popular wildlife viewing spots like Hippo Pool, the Kruger Tablets, and the Red Rocks, where lions, hippos, and birds are frequently seen. Alternatively, camp for a few days and hike popular paths like Wolhuter and Olifants.

Olympic National Park, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, has something for everyone who enjoys nature, from hikers to stargazers to boaters to photographers. Visitors may hike through old-growth temperate rainforests, discover glacier-capped mountains, and marvel at more than 70 kilometers of untamed shoreline on the park's almost 1 million acres.

The Olympic Forest Reserve was established in 1897 as a result of mounting worries over the area's dwindling woods, prompting President Grover Cleveland to declare it as such. In response to a diminishing Roosevelt Elk population, President Theodore Roosevelt established part of the reserve as the Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909. Thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it wasn't officially designated as a national park until 1938. The park is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as an International Biosphere Reserve.

Traveling to Arches National Park is like visiting another planet, with hundreds of natural sandstone arches, red rocks and landforms in incredible formations, and light that appears to change by the minute. The park's lovely panoramas at dawn and twilight are particularly appealing to photographers, who are drawn to capture the park's captivating vistas because of the way the shadows dance across the arches. But Arches National Park is more than simply a photographer's dream.

The park is located 5 miles northwest of Moab, Utah, and features 26 miles of beautiful roads and trails for all fitness levels. Hikers may pick from a range of paths, ranging from simple 20-minute strolls to Balanced Rock and the Double Arch to more distant and difficult excursions via the Fiery Furnace and up to Delicate Arch. Simply gaze up when you need to return to Earth: the Colorado Plateau has among of the darkest skies in the contiguous United States, allowing for spectacular views of the Milky Way.

Rocky Mountain National Park isn't the country's largest national park, nor is it the most visited, with just approximately 4 million tourists each year. But there's something truly wonderful about RMNP, which, at its highest point, Pikes Peak, soars 14,259 feet into the Colorado sky. Hiking the park's 350-plus miles of trails, which snake through pine and spruce woods, glistening alpine lakes, expanses of wildflowers, and, if you're lucky, elk and bighorn sheep, is the major draw. And, perhaps it's the thinner air that gets to people's heads, but even the most jaded tourists report emotions of amazement and wonder after a day or two of breathing in that pure mountain air.

When it's time to return to earth, or at least to an elevation of around 7,500 feet, tourists may indulge in some handcrafted ice cream, take a creepy tour of the Stanley Hotel, or simply stroll through Estes Park's charming hamlet. In addition, the nearby Colorado hotspots of Boulder and Denver are also only a short drive away.

Wyoming's spectacular Teton Mountains, towering over Jackson Hole Valley with jagged snow-capped peaks, are in dramatic relief in Grand Teton National Park. The photo opportunities are abundant, from the 13,770-foot Grand Teton to the glistening Jenny and Jackson lakes, which mirror the mountains in their depths. The park, though, isn't just for hikers and photographers. The area's paths call to hikers of all abilities during the peak summer season, revealing secret waterfalls and stunning vistas of the Tetons. Meanwhile, kayakers, rafters, and people who simply want to float enjoy the Snake River. History aficionados are drawn to historic neighborhoods like Menor's Ferry and Mormon Row, which are steeped in the region's 19th-century history.

In addition to black bears, grizzlies, moose, antelope, and bison, the approximately 500-square-mile park is home to a diverse range of animals, including black bears, grizzlies, antelope, and bison. Autumn visitors will also be able to see the park lit up with golden aspens. Travelers who wish to visit another national park while on vacation may drive a few miles north to Yellowstone, which is located next to Grand Teton.

Bryce Canyon National Park, in southern Utah, is a surreal environment made up of a dozen amphitheaters, or horseshoe-shaped canyons, carved out of the Paunsaugunt Plateau's eroding escarpment. Visitors who like exploring the slot canyons, windows, fins, and, most famously, the tall, slender spires known as hoodoos, are enthralled by the unique limestone rock formations caused by erosion and rain.

Bryce Canyon National Park, in fact, has more hoodoos than anywhere else on the planet. On a clear day, Bryce provides around 150 miles of visibility because of its elevation of 9,115 feet. In addition, because it receives relatively little light pollution, the park provides ideal circumstances for stargazing. In fact, Bryce Canyon was named an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2019.

Sequoia National Park, home to some of the world's biggest trees, is awe-inspiring to visit. It's easy to feel little in compared to the park's enormous trees, which soar hundreds of feet above you. The park was founded in 1890 as a measure to safeguard the gigantic trees from being felled, and it is America's second national park. It is located about 80 miles east of Fresno, California, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range. In 1940, the nearby Kings Canyon National Park was established, and the two parks were subsequently united.

The trees, of course, are the park's main attraction. The General Sherman Tree, which has deservedly earned the title of the world's biggest tree, is perhaps the most notable (it stands 275 feet tall and its base measures more than 36 feet in diameter). Beyond appreciating the park's flora, there are lots to see and do, including cave exploration, hiking, and snowshoeing. Furthermore, the park is open every day of the year, with different attractions for each season.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a national park in the United States that is located on the island of Hawaii. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most enormous shield volcano, are both parts of the park. Scientists may learn about the evolution of the Hawaiian Islands and conduct volcanism research in the park. The park provides tourists stunning volcanic vistas, uncommon flora and animals, and a look into traditional Hawaiian culture tied to these environments.

Kilauea volcano in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park erupted in December 2020, forming lava lakes and spewing gas plumes into the atmosphere. This should not, however, deter holidaymakers from arranging a trip. Visitors may enjoy the scenery along Chain of Craters Road, see the Kahuku Unit (on Mauna Loa's side), and trek portions of the Crater Rim Trail. Check the Big Island park's website for the most up-to-date information on closures and air quality before visiting.