Activities in the Parks

Geocaching

Geocaching is a great way to recapture the scavanger hunting days of your youth, while epxloring the parks using the latest in navigation technology. Ranging from easy "drive-bys" to the most difficult underwater caches, this high-tech game will teach you a lot while satisfying your inner child. Please remember to ALWAYS follow local rules and regulations and maintain the beauty and integrity of the parks. Click here to begin your treasure hunt.

Golfing

With half of the world's golf courses in the United States, what better place to go golfing than in the unspoiled wilderness of a national park? Yosemite's nine-hole, par-35 Wawona Golf Course has boasted a rolling terrain, variety of challenging holes and tranquil setting since 1918. The 18-hole Furnace Creek Golf Course has been challenging amateurs and professionals alike in Yosemite for nearly 80 years! Whether you're playing for keeps or just for laughs, golfing is a great way to relax, get some exercise, and enjoy the park all at once. Swing your club here for more information on golfing in the parks.

Burke Lake Park • Green River State Park • Palisade State Park • Wasatch Mountain State Park • Burt Lake State Park • plus 239 more ...

Guided Tours

The National Park System is bursting with historic, archaeologic, and geologic history. Guided tours provide connoisseurs to show the way through battlefields, reefs, historic districts, and caves by air, bus, boat, and foot. Guided tours also provide access to otherwise unaccessible areas such as Lava Beds' Fern Cave, which is rich with exceptional rock art and a sensitive biotic environment. Fun and educational for the whole family, guided tours are an activity you don't want to miss on your national park visit! Click here for information on guided tours available at your destination park.

Hiking

Before SUVs, snowmobiles, OHVs, and other motorized vehicles, the only way to see the intricacies of the park was by foot. Today, these fundamental activities are still the primary means of and perhaps the most natural and relaxed way to explore the parks. Whether you choose a short stroll through the woods, a day-long hike, or an overnight expedition into the backcountry, please remember to keep the philosophy of Leave No Trace in mind: leave the trail as it was before you got there. Trails range from wheel-chair accessible to advanced, so be sure to ask questions ahead of time. Pick a comfy pair of hiking boots and click here for more information about trails in the parks.

Apache Lake • WestWorld • Lake Pleasant • Theodore Roosevelt Lake • Shadow Mountain Lake • plus 4179 more ...

Horseback Riding

Exploring the parks on horseback is not only an exciting way to cover a lot of terrain, but also a bit of a throwback to the olden days. Perhaps the best known trails are in the Grand Canyon, where mule and packhorse trips have been popular since the openining of Bright Angel Trail in 1981. Wrangler-guided trail rides in Yosemite teach visitors about the history, folklore, flora, and fauna of the park. Visitors with their own horses can enjoy riding on Acadia's carriage roads. Regardless of which horse-friendly park you choose, guided tours are offered for everyone, ranging from ameatuer to advanced and from 30 minute rides to overnight treks. Giddy-up and click here to plan your own ride.

WestWorld • Folsom Lake • Folsom South Canal Trail • Lake Cahuilla • Los Banos Reservoir • plus 1157 more ...

Hunting

From grizzly bears roaming the hillsides of Wrangell-St. Elias to waterfowl circling sandy beaches of Fire Island to wild hogs, deer and turkeys grazing the Cypress trees at Big Cypress National Preserve, opportunities for a good hunt abound in the National Park System. Whether bow, muzzleloader, or rifle is your weapon of choice, hunting is a great way to rifle through the heart of the parks. Please remember to follow local rules and regulations, which provide a meaningful and safe experience for hunters, and to obtain licenses and permits ahead of time.

Apache Lake • Bartlett Reservoir • Horseshoe Reservoir • Theodore Roosevelt Lake • White Mountains National Recreation Area • plus 1987 more ...

Ice Climbing

The snow, waterfalls, glaciers, and porous cliffs of our national parks create curtains and columns of ice that are ideal for ice climbing. This increasingly popular winter sport can be enjoyed at the pristine icey Miners Falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the sparkling glaciers of Kenai Fjords, and the rugged West Ridge of North Cascades' Forbidden Peak. Ice climbing is an inherently dangerous activity, so please only attempt it with the proper technical climbing skills and equipment. Swing your ice axe here for more information on ice climbing.

Ice Fishing

Imagine sitting on a stool, fishing rod in hand, atop the open expanse of a frozen lake or nestled inside of a heated cabin, complete with bunks and amenities. Anglers don't have to lie dormant over the winter months, with frozen lakes full of salmon in Acadia, Voyageurs' rugged piney shorelines swarming with trout, and 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams abounding with pike and bass. Please remember to obtain your fishing license ahead of time, obey bag and possession limits, be cautious on frozen bodies of water, and make sure ice thickness is sufficient to support your weight. Cast your lure here for more information on ice fishing.

Ice Skating

Ice skating has been enjoyed by children and adults alike for 4,000 years! What better way to enjoy this ancient sport than in a national park surrounded by undiluted nature? Yosemite Valley's Curry Village, Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs, and Beaver Pond in Rocky Mountain's Hidden Valley are just a few of the magical frozen blankets where parkgoers can enjoy ice skating. Please remember to be cautious on frozen bodies of water and make sure ice thickness is sufficient to support your weight. Grab your skates and click here for more information about ice skating in the parks.

Jetskiing

Vroom vroom! If you like water, speed, and nature, then hop on a personal watercraft and try jet skiing in a national park. The deep turquoise waters of Glen Canyon's Lake Powell are savored by almost two million visitors each year and are the perfect place for amateurs and pros alike to enjoy water sports. Jet skiing is a fun way to delve into the watery parks, but remember to follow local rules and regulations and stay in designated jet skiing areas.

Kayaking

Kayaking is a popular way to get off of the land and into the water of our national parks. From the comfort of your own kayak, paddle down the Gunnison River of Black Canyon, along the seashore of Channel Islands, or through the icy wilderness of Glacier Bay. With excursions ranging from hour-long to overnight, there is sure to be a kayaking trip right for you. Paddle downstream here for more information.

Leaf Peeping

Grab your binoculars and peep some brilliantly enchanting colors this autumn season! Beautifully crisp air and less crowded streets, trails and campgrounds grace the parks during the "off-peak" season adding to the benefit of Leaf Peeping, an eye-catching activity. Young or old, avid outdoorsman or casual tourist, ALL can appreciate the natural charm and alluring beauty of the leaf-changing process. You read about it in elementary school, now go check it out for yourself in these photosynthesizing parks!

Lobstering

Buoy? Toggle? Lobster pot? If you've ever wondered how fishermen retrieve that deliciously butter-accented sea creature, Acadia National Park is the place for you! Lobstering, made famous by the successful industry of Maine's waters, is popular along the east coast of the U.S. as well as southern California. A delicacy by today's scarcity, lobsters were once so abundant, they could be gathered at low tide along Maine's rocky shore! Click here to find parks where you can fish for and dine on the sweet and succulent indulgence of lobster!

Mountain Biking

Interested in exploring the parks atop two human-powered wheels? Cover a lot of mountain ground, see some spectacular views and put as little strain on the environment as possible by mountain biking your way to the top! Experience rugged terrain and "off the beaten path" adventure as you bike the rocky canyon uphills of Death Valley, or cruise along Ajo Mountain Drive of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Click here for resources to get your wheels spinning throughout the NPS.

Mountaineering

Combine climbing ethics, high altitudes, physical strength and self-suffiency as you mountaineer your way to the top of America's National Parks! World class mountaineering opportunities abound the National Park System, especially the glacier strewn landscape of Alaska's most treasured peaks. Climbers from all over the globe test their survival skills from the highest peaks, vertical rock walls and ice shields that adorn America's public lands.