10 Things To Do in America s National Parks
10 Things To Do in America's National Parks Outdoors
today for savings on airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises.
Click the white arrow on the right of the photo above to continue the slideshow.
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
10 Amazing National Park Experiences
Want to raise the "wow" factor of your next vacation adventure? Start by planning a trip to a national park. Add one of these excursions to your itinerary, and you’ll have fodder for stories you’ll take home and tell forever.Paddle a Mangrove Maze
Florida’s was the first national park set aside largely to protect wildlife. What better way to check it out than to paddle among it? If you aren’t equipped to hitch watercraft to your car’s roof, kayaks and canoes are available to rent in the park. Spend a day cruising around Ten Thousand Islands, where you can explore the labyrinth of water that meanders through mangroves and oyster beds. Bring a waterproof camera because there’s a chance you’ll spot some manatees or dolphins. Birds are abundant in this part of the park — including the endangered peregrine falcon and wood stork — and in the quiet of your boat you might just get an up-close view. Also keep your eyes peeled for Atlantic loggerhead, green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles.Spelunk at Wind Cave
Bison and elk may roam the prairies of South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park, but hidden underground lies one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. The park gets its name from the wind that blows in and out of the cave entrance as the air pressure systems inside the cave and outside equalize. Take a ranger-led candlelit tour, which covers two-thirds of a mile and lasts two hours. If you’re up for a bigger challenge, put on a hard hat and headlamp for a four-hour introduction to the basics of spelunking (available only in summer; reservations recommended).Run or Float the Colorado River
Rafting the Colorado River à la John Wesley Powell is as exciting a national park experience as you can get. Shooting rapids in the embrace of the canyon’s colorful rock walls — in a motorized or oar-powered raft — hardly compares with looking across at them from ’s South Rim. This is no spur-of-the-moment adventure, though. Noncommercial rafters will need to secure a permit as much as a year in advance. Multiday commercial trips book out as much as two years ahead. So make plans, and let your anticipation build. Looking for something memorable but a little more mellow? Smooth-water half-day trips are also available for those who'd like to take in the views without the adrenaline rush.By Horseback Through Bryce Amphitheater
Saddle up to explore at ’s wind- and rain-carved rock formations. The park’s two- and four-hour horse and mule tours take you into Bryce Amphitheater, the most visited region of the park, where you’ll encounter tall, thin rock spires known as hoodoos — some as tall as 10 stories. You can see the hoodoos from overlooks, too, but riding up close puts their size in true perspective. Count yourself lucky if you've booked your ride to come right after a storm. Rainwater makes the rock colors even more vibrant.Soar Over Denali
Now here’s a word that guarantees you’re in for a spectacular time: flightseeing. With 6 million acres of wilderness and North America’s tallest peak, there is too much of Alaska’s to cover on foot. So why not take a ride in a small aircraft to get a bird’s-eye view of this huge, ecologically diverse landscape? Check out the Alaska Range peaks, picturesque glaciers and mountaineers making their way up a summit. Ski planes can land you on glaciers during the spring and summer. Chartered helicopter rides are also allowed in the park.Drive to the Sun
Plenty of national parks have spectacular scenic roadways, but there’s one that’s simply a must: ’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. The 50-mile drive, with visitor centers and campgrounds along the way, was cut out of the Montana mountainsides in the park’s interior, which means there are some sheer drop-offs — but also stunning views of the Rockies and Jackson Glacier along with agile bighorn sheep and mountain goats. The road climbs to 6,646 feet, and while portions remain open all year, the road isn’t typically fully open until late June, when the snow has melted, and it generally remains open until October. Always check the park’s website for weather conditions and periodic road construction. If you aren’t comfortable driving the twisty road but still crave the views, shuttles and tour buses are available.AARP Offer Explore Your World
with our newsletter filled with tips and ideas to plan the ultimate getaway.today for savings on airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises.
Click the white arrow on the right of the photo above to continue the slideshow.
Birding in Big Bend
Open desert and a riparian river corridor make for ideal birding conditions in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, home to more bird species (over 450) than any other national park. Many are tropical species stopping over on migratory routes. Perhaps the most sought-after of all is the Colima warbler, which is found exclusively in the Chisos Mountains in the park from April to September. Check any of the park’s visitor centers for a bird checklist. With a little patience, you may have a once-in-a-lifetime rare-bird sighting.Climb California Rocks
With more than 400 climbing formations and 8,000 climbing routes among its rugged mountains of twisted rock and exposed granite monoliths, is a climber’s mecca. Even if you’ve never chalked up your hands and tried bouldering (no ropes involved), you might get the urge when you’re in this high-low desert wonderland. There are several schools in the area that offer beginners a lesson lasting from just a few hours to all day. And fear not: Rock climbing isn’t all muscle. You’ll learn balance, specific foot and hand moves, knot-tying — and the art of trusting the person on the other end of a rope.Volcano Sunrise
It requires waking up hours before the crack of dawn, but watching the sun come up above the clouds from the summit of Maui’s dormant volcano Haleakala is worth losing a few zzzs. You have some choices. You can make the two-hour drive yourself before dawn (dress warmly and bring a blanket to stargaze before the sun is up). Or you can take a commercial tour that brings you down to the 6,700-foot level, just outside Haleakala National Park,where you’ll pick up a bike and begin the 26-mile ride that includes a famous series of switchbacks and the island’s upcountry Kula district. Ride through the Hawaiian town of Makawao and through the sugar cane and pineapple fields on the lower slopes of Haleakala. Last stop: Paia beach park at sea level. If biking isn’t your thing, ride back down in a van — you’ll still have a wonderful time.Swim in Boiling River
Care to soak in a natural hot tub in the oldest national park in the U.S.? Yes, please! Boiling River is where a hot spring enters Gardner River at the north end of the park, creating hot-tub-temperature waters that you can swim in. The soaking spot is 3 miles south of ’s north entrance in the Mammoth Hot Springs area; you’ll have to park and hike a half mile to get to the water. The best spot for your dip depends on your temperature preference: The water turns from hot to chilly within a few feet. Note that the swimming area is sometimes closed in spring when the river rises.Also of Interest
AARP Travel Center Call: 1.800.675.4318 Search Flights Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: search Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Flight 2 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 3 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 4 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Flight 5 Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Add Another Flight search Search Hotels Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 search Search Packages Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date You didn't specify child's age Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Room 1 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 2 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 3 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 4 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age Room 5 There are children in rooms without an adult You didn't specify child's age You didn't specify child's age You have more than 6 people total Please select a trip duration less than 28 days search Search Cars Enter a valid location Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search Search Cruises Select a valid location Select a month search Search Things to Do Enter a valid location Enter a valid date Enter a valid date search × Let's Go Reset Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Car Rentals offers > See more Travel offers > See more Hotels & Resorts offers > See more Gas & Auto Services offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures