How The Federal Government Fueled The Growth of Commercial RV Parks

Above, camping at a commercial RV park near Crater Lake National Park in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Once upon a time, it was cheap to camp and the necessity for making reservations was rare. The only place we had problems in getting a campsite was in the late-1950s to early-1960s was at the state park at Morro Bay. Only one out of three times did we get a campsite (it was in 1959, I think). That was a trip with my maternal grandfather, paternal grandparents and my parents. The other trips we ended up at a motel.

State and national parks charged very little for someone to pitch a tent or pull into a campsite with a trailer or truck camper. 

Nowadays, it has gotten more expensive to camp in state or national parks and reservations are necessary. It is easier to obtain a campsite at a commercial campground near a national park than it is to get one at that national park.

Now, people have choices on where they camp in their tent or RV. Thanks to the federal government, commercial campgrounds and RV parks have sprung up.

This is the topic of an article in RV Travel by Chuck Woodbury.

He begins it with:

Suddenly, it seems to me, I am an elder citizen. This isn’t something I anticipated happening so soon 30 or 40 years ago. Back when I began traveling with an RV, when I was in my early 30s, the idea of me reaching retirement age was an abstract idea. “Growing old” and “forever” were easily spoken in the same breath.

Surprise: Time flew!

Now, as an older member of the RVing community, I know a few things that today’s content creators don’t know. They can’t. They haven’t been around long enough. They’re not old and wise like me. (I write that with a smile.)

When I began RVing, thousands upon thousands of campgrounds were free or just a few dollars a night. They were mostly public campgrounds—Forest Service, National Park, State Park, and community parks. For anyone who had an inkling to build an RV park as a business, it was hard to justify: How do you compete with “free” or “almost free?”

Back then, services in public parks, including campgrounds, were mostly funded by our tax dollars.

Then one day, with tax dollars not so plentiful, to balance their budgets, parks began to set fees for services, or raise existing ones. I remember when I worked my college summers for the Forest Service, installing little cash boxes at campsites in the Tahoe National Forest. Campers selected a site and deposited a dollar bill into the box for each night.

To read more, go here. 

Wildfire Ahead, Free RVer Tools

Above, smoke surrounds Wizard Island at Crater Lake National Park in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Considering the fire in nearby Cibola National Forest near our subdivision, this is a bit timely.

It is on free tools that warn RVers that a wildfire is up ahead which may cause road closures and other problems. It was posted yesterday by RV Travel. 

The only wildfire I had to contend with while traveling took place in 2017 during my Great American Eclipse trip. The fires were near Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Smoke settled in Crater Lake's crater and surrounding areas. 

The article begins with:

Wildfires can scramble an RV trip in a hurry. Your campground may be open, but buried in smoke. The fire may be miles away, but the highway you planned to use could be closed. And the official detour that works fine for a car may look considerably less inviting when you’re towing a 30-foot trailer.

Fortunately, you don’t have to guess.

Several free tools can make RV wildfire planning much easier and give travelers a surprisingly good picture of what lies ahead. The key is knowing what each tool tells you. Fire potential, an active wildfire, smoke and road closures aren’t the same thing, and no single map answers every question.

To read more, go here. 

Favorite RV Trip

Above, parked near Interstate 15 in Idaho waiting for the solar eclipse. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RV Travel posted a poll asking, "Do you have a favorite RV trip of all time?" 

That is a good question. Pretty much all my RV trips have been favorites. Two particularly come to mind: the 2016 trip to Metropolis, Illinois and the 2017 Great American Eclipse trip. I would give the eclipse trip a slight edge as being my favorite as it was without any mishaps. I hit a sharp-edge curb in St. Louis, Missouri and tore up two tires after swerving to avoid a collision with a driver who cut into my lane during the Metropolis trip. The eclipse trip was 100% fun.

An "honorable mention" is the trip to Yellowstone National Park with my daughter. That was a good trip.

Above, the Great American Eclipse in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Following the eclipse, I visited Crater Lake National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park. All of the campgrounds were nice. 

Above, in Devastated Area in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The poll begins with:

Think back over alllll the miles you’ve traveled in your RV. The places you’ve seen, the campgrounds you’ve stayed in, the little moments that stuck with you long after the trip ended. For today’s poll, we want to know if you have a favorite RV trip of all time.

For some of you, the answer is an easy yes. One trip rises above the rest—maybe it was the destination, the people you were with, or just how everything seemed to fall into place. Perfect weather, great campsites, unforgettable views… the kind of trip you’re still talking about years later.

To read more and participate in the poll, go here.

Affordable RV Campgrounds Near Top National Parks

Above, at Diamond Lake RV Park near Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With so many people traveling to our national parks in their RVs, it is next to impossible to get a campsite in one. Even if one does find an empty campsite, it may not be big enough to accommodate the RV.

I did stay at campgrounds in Lassen Volcanic National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Yosemite National Park. Either I was just plain lucky or made reservations months in advance.

The alternative is finding a reasonably-priced campground near to the national park. I did this a couple of times. I stayed at a KOA Kampground near Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone, Montana and Diamond Lake RV Park near Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

This is the topic of an article in RV Life.

They begin it with:

Looking for an affordable getaway into nature? RVing trips to national parks are among my personal favorite choices for sure! Unfortunately, the campgrounds in national parks aren’t always ideal. Some can’t accommodate big rigs, others can’t accommodate RVs at all, and most don’t have hookups of any kind.

The solution our family tends to turn to? Affordable campgrounds outside of popular national parks!

In honor of National Park Week from April 20–28, here are my top picks for great places to stay that won’t break the bank.

To read more, go here. 

Crater Lake New Concessionaire Gets Transfer Approval

Above, Wizard Island through a smoky haze in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The National Park Service has approved the transfer to a new concessionaire at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

They issued the following press release:

Date: April 18, 2024

Contact: PWR_Public_Affairs@nps.gov  

CRATER LAKE, Ore. – The National Park Service (NPS) has approved the transfer of the Crater Lake National Park concessions contract formerly held by Crater Lake Hospitality.   

Hospitality company ExplorUS will take over providing visitor services under the contract immediately, including:  

• Lodging at Crater Lake Lodge, The Cabins at Mazama Village, and Mazama Campground    
• Food and Beverage at Crater Lake Lodge Dining Room, Annie Creek Restaurant, and Rim Village Café    
• Retail at Rim Village Gift Shop, Annie Creek Gift Shop and Mazama Village Store (including gas pumps)   
• Lake and Wizard Island Boat Tours 

“We look forward to working with ExplorUS as they invest in facilities, staff training, visitor services, and other improvements to make visitors’ and employees’ experiences at Crater Lake even better,” Crater Lake National Park Superintendent Craig Ackerman said.  

NPS and ExplorUS are striving for a seamless transition of services but ask for flexibility and patience from park visitors. The majority of visitor services in Crater Lake National Park begin to open for the season in mid-May. Information about services currently available are available on the park website at https://www.nps.gov/crla.   

NPS Fires Crater Lake Concessionaire

Above, a smoky view of Crater Lake's Wizard Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The National Park Service has made good on its threat to terminate Aramark's concessionaire contract at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

The announcement was made on Monday.

SFGATE reported:

After a tumultuous several years, the National Park Service has made good on its recent threat to terminate its current contract and replace Crater Lake National Park’s concessions operator.

Kansas-based ExplorUS announced in a news release on Monday that it had signed a “definitive letter of intent” to take over operations from Crater Lake Hospitality as well as its concessions for the popular West Coast national park.

Crater Lake Hospitality, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark, was responsible for handling Crater Lake’s concessions, including food, lodging and other visitor services. The company’s contract was until 2030.

To read more, go here. 

April 8 Solar Eclipse: Things To Do Now

Above, the April 8 eclipse path through Texas.

We're almost into March, but before we know it, we'll be in April.

The big event coming on April 8 is the solar eclipse that will cut across North America. People have already made travel plans to view it.

Above, 2024 U.S. eclipse path.

I was lucky enough to live in the path of the annular solar eclipse last year, so I didn't have to travel anywhere. I just sat out in the yard.

In 2017, I drove up to Idaho to view the Great American Eclipse. I made a vacation out of the trip and also visited Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. 

Above, the 2017 Great American Eclipse in totality. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The only thing that wasn't fun was spending several hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic immediately following the eclipse. I had a campsite at a KOA Kampground in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to get to. I made my reservations months in advance. 

Still, it was a great event to experience.

The Points Guy has posted an article things to do now if one wants to watch the April 8 eclipse.

It begins with:

On April 8, the moon will pass directly before the sun, darkening the afternoon sky with a rare, total solar eclipse. For those along the path of totality, the solar eclipse will last around four minutes. With so many people clamoring to see this rare celestial spectacle, you'll need a plan if you want to be among them.

Whether you plan to watch the solar eclipse from home, on the road or even from the sky, here are the things you should be doing now to prepare. 

To read more, go here. 

National Park Service Puts Crater Lake Concessionaire On Notice For Possible Termination

Above, Crater Lake's Rim Village cafe and gift shop in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Aramark, the concessionaire for Crater Lake National Park, may get the boot over management issues that have increased over the past five years.

I last visited Crater Lake National Park in 2017.

According to The Oregonian:

The National Park Service has threatened to terminate its contract with international hospitality company Aramark at Crater Lake National Park, following a rash of management issues at the Oregon destination over the last five years.

Crater Lake Hospitality, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark, is contracted to run concessions at Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves National Monument through 2030. However, a park service spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the federal agency will terminate the contract unless the company “shows cause as to why NPS should not do so,” said David Szymanskim, Pacific West regional director for the agency.

Park officials did not offer a timeline for the company to respond, and did not say how a termination would affect park operations like Crater Lake Lodge and boat tours. Szymanskim declined to say how Aramark was informed or exactly what was communicated, but agency guidelines require written notice.

The announcement comes just two months after Sen. Ron Wyden issued a public letter to the National Park Service, raising a litany of “serious concerns” about Crater Lake Hospitality and asking the federal agency to “take immediate action to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from continuing to threaten Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, or the employees who live and work there.”  

Former employees have complained of unsanitary and unsafe housing and working conditions, payroll issues that led to withheld paychecks and allegations of sexual assault – claims backed up by annual National Park Service reviews of Aramark’s operations at Crater Lake, police reports, and complaints to the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries, all provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive through public records requests.

To read the full article, go here. 

A National Park Bounces Back After California’s Biggest Single Fire

Above, Lassen's "Devastated Area" no longer looked devastated in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A massive fire is devastating to plants and structures in its path.

Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California suffered extensive destruction by the Dixie Fire in 2021. But nature has a way to make stunning comebacks following such destruction.

I visited Lassen in 2017 during my Great American Eclipse trip. At the time of my visit, I stopped first at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Wildfires were raging in and around the park. When I later visited Lassen, I saw areas that were decimated by past fires. But there were signs that life in those areas were returning. I also saw areas that were devastated from Lassen Peak's 1915 eruption. The park's "Devastated Area" no longer looked devastated 100 years later.

Good News Network has posted an article on how beauty and wonder are returning to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

It begins with:

The Dixie Fire of 2021 was the largest single blaze in California’s history, but even this human-accelerated firestorm couldn’t tamp down the resilience of nature.

In August, it devastated Lassen Volcano National Park in Northern California, leaving parts of it reminiscent of “Mordor” yet in a feature piece from The Guardian, it’s clear nature is just a few steps behind restoring what was torched.

As the Dixie Fire came closer and closer to this remote National Park that receives only around 500,000 visitors a year, rangers, Forest Service employees, and firefighters strategized how to protect small communities living near the park as well as the park’s infrastructure.

A variety of controlled burns—used for centuries by Native Americans to reduce the risk of wildfires having too much dead and dry wood and scrub to burn—were set in vulnerable forests. Earth-moving equipment left bare earth surrounding the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center.

In the moments before the Dixie Fire arrived, firefighters lit their own fires around key areas, perhaps hoping to consume the oxygen in the area just before the immense flames could use it to spread.

Their efforts paid off—the historic towns of Mill Creek, Mineral, and Old Station were all unscarred, and so was the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center.

As for the rest of the park, the devastation that saw whole forests reduced to blackened stumps and toothpicks shocked visitors; but not the staff. Lassen Volcano was enshrined as the nation’s 17th national park after the eruption of the volcano in 1915 which saw incredible destructive forces unleashed on the forests there.

To read more, go here. 

The Discovery of Crater Lake

Above, Wizard Island in Crater Lake is shrouded by smoke from nearby wildfires. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The state of Oregon has only one national park. That park is Crater Lake National Park.

I last visited Crater Lake National Park in 2017 as part of my Great American Eclipse trip.

Central Oregonian has posted a short article on the discovery of Crater Lake National Park. Before it became Crater Lake, it had other names.

The article begins with:

Ancestors of current Native American tribes 7,460 years ago witnessed the volcanic explosion of Mt. Mazama that created Crater Lake. Crater Lake is located within the collapsed caldera. The site has long been a sacred site for the native inhabitants. Early settlers were unaware of the existence of the lake because of the sacred aspects and natives were reluctant to tell about the site.

To read more, go here. 

RV Travel: Outrageous Campground Rules

Above, a private campground near Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, I have been to many campgrounds, public and private. Some have rules and some don't. Some even have "outrageous and ridiculous" rules. Fortunately for me, I haven't encountered any.

However, some RVers have and RV Travel has an article on outrageous and ridiculous campground rules they've encountered.

They begin with:

In June, we published an article on some of the most outrageous and ridiculous campground rules we have found on our journeys this summer. You have added some more in the comments since then, and sadly, the reasons stated there are why there are so many rules!

To read more, go here.

Crater Lake Fire Ban Starts Today

Above, Wizard Island is barely visible in the smoky haze in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2017, I visited Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. It was fun visiting the park after fifty or so years.

The only thing that marred the visit was smoke from wildfires in the surrounding area. The fires didn't hamper my visit, but they made picture-taking of the lake smoky.

Since fire danger is increasing in the area, there is a ban (in force starting today) on open fires.

The Herald and News reported yesterday:

A ban on wood and charcoal fires, fireworks and smoking goes into effect Friday at Crater Lake National Park.

Park officials said that with the increase in fire danger in southern Oregon, the park will go into a full fire ban. According to Fire Management Officer Phil Heitzke, “The outlook is for above normal significant wildland fire potential for the next several months, To ensure public safety and to provide the highest degree of protection to park resources, the following fire ban will be implemented effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday.”

Under the restrictions, wood fires and charcoal fires are not allowed. Liquid fuel and propane camp stoves and gas grills are permitted in campgrounds, picnic areas, backcountry areas and residential areas.

To read more, go here. 

How To Explore Crater Lake National Park

Above, Wizard Island through the smoky haze. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in August 2017, during my Great American Eclipse trip to Idaho, I headed into Oregon to visit Crater Lake National Park. I hadn't been there since 1971 when I camped there with my parents.

Except for smoke from wildfires in and around the park at the time, Crater Lake was as I remembered it.  

Condé Nast Traveler has an article on the park on what one an see and do there.

They begin it with:

In the remote forests of southern Oregon, a dramatic caldera harbors the deepest lake in the United States. 

Cliff-encircled Crater Lake is what remains of a volcano, once taller than Mount Hood, that erupted here nearly eight thousand years ago. The snowmelt- and rain-fed lake is called Giiwas in the Klamath language. For the Klamath Tribes, the original stewards of these lands who continue to live in the surrounding area, Giiwas is the legendary site of a dramatic conflict. It remains a place of great spiritual significance—something respectful visitors will appreciate when they first take in the sight. 

To read more, go here. 

Crater Lake National Park To Honor Passes From 3 Other Parks

Above, a smoky view of Wizard Island at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who purchase annual national park passes, this is good news.

Oregon's Crater Lake National Park will start honoring annual passes from three other national parks. 

According to KVAL:

CRATER LAKE, Ore. — The National Park Service announced today that Crater Lake National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area will honor each other's annual passes beginning Jan, 1.

This will allow visitors to access all four parks and only have to pay for a single annual pass.

The annual passes will allow visitors unlimited entry for one year to these four National Park Service sites.

The cost will be the same as the current park passes, $55.

To read more, go here.

What's The Best RV Road Service?

Above, The Beast on Rim Drive at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Emergency road service (ERS) is one of those things that is "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." This goes especially for RV breakdowns.

So far, I have not needed emergency road service for my motorhome, but I have needed it for my Mustang and Jeep on occasion. I have AAA with RV service added to it.

RV Travel conducted a survey of their readers on what's the best road service providers. They posted their report on the results.

They begin with:

It’s a perennial question among RVers: Which emergency road service (ERS) is the best? If you Google the question, seems like everyone has an opinion. Trouble is, too many who bugle “such and such” a road service as the best have a stake in the game. Some get kickbacks if you click the link from their site and sign up. How can you get an objective look into what’s truly the best service for you?

You helped us answer the question of best road service

We’ve done our best to answer that question by asking it of our readers. Hundreds of RVTravel.com readers took our survey. We didn’t just ask, “Which one do you like best?” We dug for details. How easy was it to deal with the dispatcher? How long did you have to wait for the service truck to arrive? Did the service truck even arrive? These and other questions help you look past the hype and get down to the details you’ll need to make an informed choice. And yes, we asked just how likely (or unlikely) was it that you’d recommend a given emergency road service to a friend or family member.

In our survey, we offered options to report on various ERS providers. Readers could choose from AAA, Allstate, Coach Net, FMCA, and Good Sam. We also offered an “other provider” block for other services. Among the “other” providers, respondents often included the Escapees Club road service, and service by Progressive. There were a few others, but sadly, the number of responses made them statistically difficult to evaluate. Please know we appreciate your answers, even if the service you evaluated doesn’t appear in our results list.

So, without further ado, let’s look at what you told us.

To read the results, go here. 

Best Places To Stay Around Crater Lake National Park

Above, The Beast on Rim Drive at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my 2017 Great American Eclipse trip, I headed from Idaho to Oregon to visit Crater Lake National Park. I hadn't been there since the early 1970s, so this was a good opportunity to go.

While there, I stayed at the Diamond Lake RV Park, which was a few miles from the north entrance into Crater Lake National Park. It was nice to visit the park again, even though a haze of smoke settled into the crater from wildfires nearby.

The Travel posted their list of ten best places to stay around Crater Lake National Park. Even though Diamond Lake RV Park didn't make the list, I would recommend it.

The Travel begins with:

Crater Lake National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year from all around the world. The deepest lake in the US is located within the crater of Mount Mazama, a massive volcano that erupted 7,700 years ago, leaving behind a bowl filled with some of the cleanest water on the planet. Visitors have always been charmed by going to the lake's shore, examining its various natural features, and staring from spectacular viewpoints. The lake's characteristic blue tint is a testimonial to that astonishing depth and mesmerizing purity. Of course, all of those attractions and the park's secluded location mean that many visitors remain overnight. Here are the top 10 places to stay around the lake.

To read more, go here. 

Hike Along The Rim Of A Dormant Volcano

Above, the Phantom Ship in the smoky haze. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, I have been to Crater Lake National Park three times, the last time being five years ago during my Great American Eclipse trip. One time, my parents and I hiked down to the water. That was enjoyable, but the hike back up was something else. It was a good thing I was 19 at the time and handled it okay.

While the trip to Crater Lake was enjoyable, it was slightly marred by wildfires in the area. The smoke from those fires settled inside the crater, giving it a hazy look.

Only In Your State has posted an article on hiking around the rim of Crater Lake.

It begins with:

There’s nowhere on Earth quite like Crater Lake, and here in Oregon, we are immensely proud to call it ours. There are many ways to experience this extraordinary national park in Oregon, from cruising the 33-mile-long Rim Drive that encircles the lake to chartering a boat that journeys through its pristine waters. Our favorite, however, is the old-fashioned way: on foot. Clocking in at an easy (and flat) four miles, the Discovery Point Trail is one of the most accessible and popular treks in the park, and it allows adventurers to literally hike along the rim of this magnificent dormant volcano in Oregon.

To read more (and see plenty of photos), go here.

RVIA Is Ignoring Baby Boomers In Ad Campaign

Above, at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has been true to a certain extent that advertising has targeted younger people over the years. Sometimes marketers ignore some age groups who have the most disposable money to spend.

Now, it seems that an ad campaign for RV buyers is ignoring the baby boomer generation and is targeting younger generations.

According to RV Travel:

OPINION

I’ve got some good news and some bad news for longtime baby boomer RVers. The good news is that the “seniors” age group likely won’t be getting bombarded (as much) with ads and emails encouraging you to purchase a new RV. While RV manufacturers and dealers will still gladly take your money, those born between 1946 and 1964 are no longer the prime target market for RV makers and sellers.

The bad news is that Go RVing™, the multi-million-dollar, 25-year-old marketing program run by the RV Industry Association, is setting its well-funded sights squarely on the new generation of RV buyers, which numbers in the millions.  

The average age of RV buyers is dropping… fast

A recent RV Industry Association study found that the average age of a new RV buyer has dropped rapidly, and now sits at around 33 years of age.  

To read more, go here. 

Skyrocketing Campground Insurance Threatens Future Costs of Camping

Above, The Beast at Diamond Lake RV Park in Oregon near Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With thousands of new RVers hitting the road in their new RVs, the pressure on finding campsites increases.

Even before the pandemic, the numbers of new campgrounds had been lagging. But in today's world, if a campground cannot get reasonably-priced insurance, then they can't open or stay open.

Such is the topic of a new article in RV Travel.

Here's a snippet:

Insurance is a “must-have” – if you can find it

You can’t run a campground business without good insurance. When a park is crammed with hundreds or even thousands of daily visitors there are going to be problems. People slip and fall, and amenities such as swimming pools and Jumping Pillows raise risk ratios. Yet it’s the ever-present risk of wildfires that is really sending campground insurance costs into the stratosphere.

Two Oregon campgrounds recently destroyed by wildfires resulted in insurance claims of $1.8 million and $800,000, respectively. One insurance industry executive told me that those amounts together were more than all the annual campground insurance premiums collected in the entire state of Oregon. From the perspective of the insurance companies, those sorts of payouts are a recipe for going out of business.

In fact, that’s exactly what’s happening. A few insurance companies have folded in recent months, and a few more are deciding that insuring campgrounds in high-risk wildfire areas ironically isn’t worth the risk. Some are pulling out of campground insurance markets entirely in some Western states.

To read more, go here. 

Condé Nast Traveler: 17 "Best" National Parks

Above, the Phantom Ship in Crater Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There are 63 national parks within the U.S. national park system. They all vary in attractions and features. 

If one is wondering which ones are the "best" ones, that all depends. One person may find particular parks the best, while another person may totally disagree and come up with a different list.

With that in mind, Condé Nast Traveler has come up with their list of 17 best national parks in the U.S.

They start it with:

The past year-and-a-half has heightened Americans' interest in spending time outdoors—and travelers continue to flock to national parks in record numbers. In fact, the National Park Service’s monthly visitation numbers in 2021 have already exceeded those of 2019 in a number of parks including Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia. Some parks are even on track to have their highest visitation numbers yet.

But with 63 national parks nationwide, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the country's diverse landscapes. Below, we round up 17 of the very best national parks in the U.S.—from remote and seldom-visited sites, such as The Gates of the Arctic, to classics like Yellowstone that simply can’t be missed.

To see what the 17 are, go here.