As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary and travelers like you are prioritizing curiosity, connection and time spent outdoors, many find themselves drawn to the country’s most iconic landscapes. Wild, expansive places that make you feel small and yet part of something so big. Whether you’re halfway down a personal national parks bucket list or planning your first park visit with your kids this year, Backroads makes a US national park trip one you’ll always remember.
Founder, President and CEO Tom Hale led the company’s first active adventure in Death Valley in 1979. Today, Backroads offers nearly 100 Biking, Hiking & Walking and Multi-Adventure experiences in 21 of the most beautiful national parks in the US—from Acadia to Zion. We’ve taken care of everything so you can immerse yourself in the wonders on thoughtfully designed itineraries led by our expert Trip Leaders who know and love these landscapes best.
From Coast to Coast: Regional Highlights
The West Coast: Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park, the “Galapagos of North America,” is an undiscovered gem in the national park multiverse, with its mysterious sea caves, rugged beauty and unique flora and fauna. Backroads takes you to California’s Central Coast, from Santa Barbara’s sunny beaches and the Santa Ynez foothills to Santa Cruz Island, the largest and most diverse island in the Channel Islands archipelago, ending in artsy Ojai.
Explore Santa Barbara & the Channel Islands Trips
The Pacific Northwest: Crater Lake National Park
It took 17 years of lobbying to get Crater Lake—the deepest lake in the United States—its national park status. Its water is a color of blue that makes you stop in your tracks. And there’s even more to discover in this corner of the Cascades! Forested byways, high desert spires, river rapids—all wrapped in friendly mountain-town vibes.
Explore Crater Lake & the Cascades
The Southwest: Bryce & Zion National Parks
Why choose, when you can have the best of both worlds? Two parks, two different personalities: Bryce is whimsical with its otherworldly hoodoos and amphitheaters; Zion is bold with towering canyon walls, riverside trails and dramatic water features. Together, they’re perfectly paired for one exciting Backroads adventure. Trip Leader Kailey Huot loves sharing these parks with Backroads guests:
“Bryce and Zion are simply unlike any other places in the world, which is why they are some of my favorite places in nature. I'm continuously captivated by the niche, specific geological events that continue to create our hoodoos in Bryce, and the way that water, wind and erosion has created our checkerboard rock faces in Zion over the course of millions of years.”
The South: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Named for its “smoky” blue mist, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its extreme elevation changes, creating microclimates for a variety of ecosystems to thrive. The rolling valleys, forested ridgelines and historic mountain towns combined with down-home Southern hospitality make it irresistible to outdoor enthusiasts. With its cultural history, biodiversity and breathtaking scenery, it’s easy to understand why interest in this park is surging.
Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trips
The Northeast: Acadia National Park
With a variety of landscapes featuring everything from jagged islands and coastline to woodland, peaks and lakes, Acadia offers cyclists and hikers a canvas for adventure. With over 130 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of bike-ready carriage roads and boasting a prime location for viewing the Milky Way, it’s no wonder the first national park east of the Mississippi is a favorite of all ages.
Explore Acadia National Park Trips
The West: Death Valley, Yosemite, Kenai Fjords, Glacier & Yellowstone National Parks
Death Valley National Park, California
Ironically, California’s Death Valley is where it all began for Backroads. And what a surprising place to fall in love with the outdoors! This inaugural Biking Trip in the desert is our longest running itinerary, and we’ve added Hiking & Walking trips as well. Give the desert a try! We promise it will win you over, just like it did us.
Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite makes the shortlist for the most iconic parks in the nation for a few undeniable reasons: Half Dome, El Capitan, waterfalls and giant sequoias (the majestic trees behind Yosemite’s designation as a national park!). Add beautiful meadows, rugged cliffs and plenty of wildlife, and it’s easy to understand visitors’ enduring captivation with this national treasure.
Explore Yosemite National Park Trips
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
One of the most dynamic national parks in the country, Alaska’s Kenai Fjords is continually being shaped by the advance and retreat of its glaciers, sometimes slowly and at other times, in the blink of an eye. But there’s so much life in the cold, icy landscape surrounding its signature feature, Harding Icefield, just waiting to be discovered. Trip Leader Mike Moore says, “I love leading trips in Kenai Fjords because it truly feels like stepping into a living National Geographic documentary. There’s an energy here that feels raw and untamed, where glaciers meet the ocean and wildlife thrives all around you. It’s one of the few places where I'm reminded how small I really am while being completely immersed in the story of the wild.”
Explore Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park Trips
Glacier National Park, Montana
In the days when rail was the only way to get to Glacier, the Great Northern Railroad promoted it as the “American Alps” to entice tourists. Trip Leader Grant LoPresti led his first trips here, recalling, “I arrived excited to explore and left knowing I’d never stop coming back. I still dream of waking up under the rose-gold glow of Grinnell Point, spotting moose across St. Mary Lake, kicking back in the most magnificent hotel lobbies in the world and scrambling with the mountain goats up to its glacier-carved valleys.”
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
As America’s first national park, Yellowstone still puts on one of the greatest shows on Earth, an unmatched display of geysers, wildlife and incredible landscapes that inspire a million questions (your Backroads Trip Leaders can answer those!) Trip Leader Benji Cohen ranks Yellowstone in his top must-see national parks and shares, “I like to call it a ‘Western-style safari’: bison, bear, moose, elk, coyotes and countless other fauna. It’s a real look into how things used to be before westward expansion and another perspective on the Old West. Factor in the geothermal activity and eruptive geysers surrounding Old Faithful, massive Yellowstone Lake and the famous Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone… this park has it all!"
Live Your National Park Adventure with Backroads
So, if you’re wondering where to start, start with what calls to you: glaciers or granite, hoodoos or sea caves, wildlife or waterfalls. Then decide how and with whom you want to be active. While our national parks trips have always been family favorites, we offer these bucket-list adventures for all travelers, including couples, friends, solos and everyone in between. Let us handle all the details, from the meals and routes to unparalleled on-trip support so you can just enjoy the ride (or the hike, or the paddle… you know where this is going).
So come one or come all. Let’s go to the park!
