Four of the USA’s least-visited national parks to escape the crowds

North Cascades National Park, Washington

If you fancy a wintry backdrop, Washington’s North Cascades is perfect for your trip. It offers stunning panoramic views of snow-capped mountains and alpine and glacial lakes – it’s probably why the park is often called the American Alps. 

There’s a great variety of things to do in North Cascades, from hiking and water sports to fishing and bird watching. 

Go wildlife watching in North Cascades National Park

This area has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, ranging from wet temperate rainforests to dry pine forests. So, you can expect to see a range of wildlife in the park, from elusive mammals like the grey wolf, fisher and wolverine to cute black-tailed deer, Douglas squirrels and pikas. 

Birdwatching is also a popular activity at North Cascades due to a wide variety of bird species, including the bald eagle, osprey, peregrine falcons and neotropical migrants. On top of that, the crystal clear mountain lakes and streams are home to fish and amphibians, whilst the forest has an abundance of butterflies, dragonflies, stoneflies and mayflies. 

North Cascades National Park has approximately 75 mammal species, 21 reptile and amphibians species, 200 bird species, 28 fish species, and over 500 types of land insects and around 250 aquatic invertebrate species. 

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Hoping for slightly warmer climes? Head to Dry Tortugas National Park which is about 100 square miles of protected open water and seven small islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Located around 70 miles west of Key West, this national park is quite remote as it’s only accessible by boat, ferry or seaplane, which explains why it’s one of the least-visited national parks in the USA. 

A lot of planning goes into a trip to this national park as there’s no food, water or fuel available in the park. However, you can plan a day trip with Yankee Freedom ferry concessionaire which will provide you with snorkelling equipment, breakfast and lunch. 

So what makes Dry Tortugas a must-see? It’s rare bird populations, blue waters and the historic Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, which is one the USA’s largest 19th-century forts. 

Snorkelling and diving at Dry Tortugas National Park 

As there’s so much water at this national park, of course, there’s no better way to explore it than by getting wet! The park has a fantastic location for water fanatics as it’s situated at the southwest corner of the Florida Keys reef system, the third largest in the world. Due to this location, you’re bound to see a great variety of marine life… and shipwrecks. 

Congaree National Park, South Carolina 

Congaree National Park is home to the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern US, although the park itself is relatively small, covering just over 26,000 acres. Congaree is the perfect mixture of water and lush greenery as the waters from the Congaree and Wateree Rivers cover the floodplain, making it a fascinating swampland. These waters carry a number of nutrients to the forest which keep this ecosystem growing and nourishing, including the national and state champion trees. 

As Congaree National Park has wonderful rivers to explore, it makes it a fantastic place for water activities like kayaking, canoeing and paddling. 

Paddling at Congaree National Park

Due to the vast areas of water in the park, paddling, kayaking and canoeing are often amongst the most popular activities, whereas hiking is generally a secondary activity in the park. 

The Congaree River Blue Trail is a 50-mile designated recreational paddling trail, which stretches from the state capital of Columbia downstream to Congaree National Park. Once you leave the city of Columbia, you’ll start to spot prehistoric Native American sites on the river’s tributaries, as well as sandbars and floodplain habitats. 

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Great Basin National Park is definitely one for the nature lovers! The park offers deserts, mountain landscapes, springs, caves and glaciers. It’s also home to diverse flora and fauna, including 73 different mammal species, over 200 bird species and more than 800 plant species. 

In fact, exploring the caves is one of the most popular activities at Great Basin, as well as stargazing! The park hosts free ranger-led Astronomy Programs every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from May through to September. And it’s worth taking part as Great Basin National Park is known to have some of the best stargazing in the country.

Dark skies at Great Basin National Park

In 2016, Great Basin National Park was recognised as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. The park has some of the clearest night skies in the US due to lack of light pollution, high elevation and low humidity. 

On a clear summer night, you might be able to rest your eyes on thousands of shining stars, planets, star clusters, artificial satellites, meteors, the Andromeda Galaxy, the fascinating arc of the Milky Way… All of this can be visible by the naked eye at Great Basin. 

If you head to Great Basin during the summer, sign up to their Astronomy Program every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for a 30-minute insightful talk by a ranger followed by a 1 hour 30 minute viewing of space objects through telescopes. Check the calendar for programme times.