USA National
Park Tours

Want an easy way to discover more without the hassle of having to plan? Trying to figure out the details on your own can sometimes be challenging and even overwhelming. Lodging and campgrounds fill up fast; it takes time and research to plan a perfect itinerary that hits all the marks. So why not leave all the details to us? We'll help you find the right trip to see everything you want and stay within your budget. Wake up right in the park without booking your lodging months in advance, renting an RV, or figuring out the whole car camping game. Plus, instead of focusing on navigating, driving, and finding the next gas station, you sit back and enjoy the view, totally stress-free.

Our National Park experiences take you from the most incredible natural wonders to the hidden gems. You'll explore the parks with experienced and knowledgeable Travel Directors and go beyond the tourist sites with Local Specialists. They'll share stories of the flora, fauna, geology, and history, making your visit more memorable. Plus, the variety of climates and landscapes—from deserts and canyons to glaciers —means that there's truly a national park out there for any traveler.

Top 12 National Parks to Visit

We offer lots of options for easy, stress-free visits to many national parks. From A to Z, check out our ten favorite USA National Parks.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Maine’s Acadia National Park is the crown jewel of the North Atlantic coast, with a dramatic rocky shoreline, rich nautical heritage, and spectacular views from the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the U.S. east coast. The 47,000-acre park is mostly on Mount Desert Island, overlooking the Bay of Maine and opposite Nova Scotia.

Arches National Park, Utah

Take a journey through the spectacular sandstone arches of Arches National Park. There are more than 2,000 natural arches carved by the wind, including the long Landscape Arch. Hike to the viewpoint of the iconic Delicate Arch and discover other formations such as Balanced Rock, soaring over the desert.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park’s signature eerie landscape results from repeated freezes and thaws eroding soft sandstone and limestone over millions of years, creating bizarre organic formations. The resulting hoodoos, irregular monoliths of rock, are curious and captivating geological wonders. Plus, the ultra-dark night skies here offer superb stargazing.

Denali National Park, Alaska

It's no wonder Denali National Park is known as the Crown Jewel of the Alaskan Wilderness. The park encompasses 6 million acres of Alaska’s interior wilderness and offers visitors stunning mountain views, glacier excursions, hiking, wildlife viewing and so much more. Take a trip on the world-famous Alaska Railroad train for a spectacular journey over swift-rushing streams, toward Denali National Park and Preserve where the country’s tallest peak, Mount Denali (formerly McKinley), rules above all. Discover rare subarctic wildlife, and learn about the Alaskan natives who once lived in the park. 

Glacier National Park, Montana

Montana's UNESCO-listed Glacier National Park is truly the Crown of the Continent, site of a triple continental divide, sending water to three destinations: the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. The majestic terrain here awes with its glacier-clad craggy peaks, shrouded in mist and blanketed with deep green woods. Grizzly bears, black bears, beavers, mountain sheep, mountain goats, elk, lynx, picas, and wolverines make their homes in this wilderness paradise.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Few places are more awe-inspiring than the Grand Canyon, one of the world's seven natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Watch the sun set or rise over this mile-deep canyon, igniting its walls of red and ochre into a mesmerizing tableau. The corrugated canyon walls tell a story that grows more ancient as they descend. The oldest rocks, formed almost two billion years ago, were uncovered as the mighty Colorado River carved a gorge starting 5-6 million years ago. The uppermost rock layer, Kaibab limestone, was formed at the bottom of the sea - learn how it traveled to its present elevation of 9,000 feet. Animals here include elk, grey foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, javelina, and Gila monsters.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park embodies the romance of American wilderness, with alpine landscapes flanking 12 glacier-carved, snow-capped summits. Spring wildflowers and fall leaves accent beautiful trails ascending over rocky terrain, with creeks splashing past. The excellent trout fishing attracts anglers seeking the famous native Snake River cutthroat trout.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Two vast desserts meet here, the Mojave and Colorado, creating a strange and arid landscape. Bats flit through the star-strewn night sky as coyotes howl. Other critters include kangaroo rats, pocket mice, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, bobcats, weasels, and badgers.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Located in Colorado, this UNESCO-listed national park is filled with centuries-old history. Drive the Mesa Top Loop Road past archaeological sites and lookouts, and see the ancient cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people, that are chiseled out of the sandstone canyon walls.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Most of the 2.2 million acres of Yellowstone National Park lie in Wyoming. America’s legislation to protect this geothermal wonderland inspired national park systems around the world. Old Faithful geyser is just one of a myriad strange phenomenon, along with bubbling mud pots, steaming rainbow hot springs, steam vents, and the multi-colored travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. A truly wild place, Yellowstone’s valleys, passes, and canyons are home to bison, wolves, grizzlies, beavers, and elk. 

Yosemite National Park, California

The extraordinary Yosemite Valley, carved by glaciers and punctuated by waterfalls, astonishes visitors with its grandiose beauty. Iconic Half Dome and massive El Capitan stand guard over a valley floor overflowing with meadows and fragrant forests, where Yosemite River flows in a series of three drops – North America’s highest waterfall. 

Zion National Park, Utah

Soaring sculpted cliffs of pink, cream, and red make Zion National Park a memorable destination. Hike along the Virgin River or to the three Emerald Pools. Zion is rich in biodiversity: look for California condors, Peregrine falcons, bald eagles, kangaroo rats, bighorn sheep, mule deer, foxes, and bats. Very lucky visitors may spot the rare desert tortoise.

What to Pack for USA National Park Tours & Weather Information

History of the USA National Park System

The National Park system was launched when Congress established Yellowstone National Park in the Territories of Wyoming and Montana. Since this preceded statehood for both territories, they were placed under federal management within the Department of the Interior.

In subsequent years, the government protected many more areas, many of which were also in federal land. The system was piecemeal: designations included National Parks, National Monuments, Historic Monuments, Natural Areas, and Historic Areas. The administration was spread among the Department of the Interior, the War Department, and the Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture.

By 1916, there were 35 national parks and monuments managed by the Department of the Interior. That year, President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service to protect and administer these and future national parks.

However, there was still some confusion as no single agency provided unified management of the varied federal parklands. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order consolidating all National Parks and National Monuments, National Military Parks, National Cemeteries, National Memorials, and National Capital Parks into a single National Park System. Today a single system embraces places of scenic, natural, historic, and scientific importance.

The National Park System administers 419 parks! Today’s National Park system includes such diverse properties as Buck Island National Monument, which is largely underwater; the Manhattan Project National Historical Park commemorating the atomic bomb, with locations in Tennessee, Washington, and New Mexico; and such historic landmarks as Alcatraz Island, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are even parks in Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.