You want a fresh perspective
Most trips to Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park go something like this: Park at lookout point, peer into crater, exclaim, depart. But every day, a handful of people hike the Cleetwood Cove Trail to explore the inside of the crater. A boat ride across crystal blue water brings you to the volcanic cone and lava rock of Wizard Island. You can scamper around the waterline, or take the short but steep ascent to the summit, where you’ll be encircled by jagged peaks and unrecognizable to the poor schlubs on the banister far above you. From $59; craterlakelodges.com/activities/volcano-boat-cruises.
Plan B
Denali National Park’s bumpy roads and shoddy transportation make sightseeing more grind than joy. Just outside the park, a helicopter flightseeing trip will swoop you through the Alaskan landscape to touch down on a glacier for a giddy speck-in-the-vastness moment of clarity. From $375; mid-May–mid-Sep; eraflightseeing.com.
You want a civilized room
Who says you can’t love nature and high thread-count sheets? Zion Mountain Ranch, tucked away just outside Utah’s Zion National Park’s eastern gate, delivers both: 57 rustic-chic cabins dot the hillside on the working ranch’s 3,500 acres, where the resident herd of bison can be seen porchside. The drive into the park is a wild ride through a series of striated petrified dunes, where bighorn sheep scamper and preen for the cameras. From $144; zmr.com.
Plan B
Until now, Lassen Volcanic National Park’s idea of primo accommodations was unheated camping cabins. But the new Highlands Ranch Resort’s suites, 10 minutes east of the park, has changed all that for the cushier. From $199; highlandsranchresort.com.
You want to keep the kids busy
Kids don’t care about scenery. They want to know what there is to do. At Yellowstone National Park, outfit your kids with a Young Scientist toolkit from the Old Faithful visitor center and they’ll be timing eruptions with a stopwatch and taking the temperature of hot pots. Then, there’s always cannonballing into the Firehole River. And when traffic grinds to a halt, there’s a noticeable lack of whining: Everyone will be too busy craning their necks to see whether it’s a herd of bison or a bear causing the jam.
Plan B
Peering into the Grand Canyon is more fun from a locomotive. Park in Williams, Arizona, and catch the train. It leaves daily after a reenactment of a Wild West shoot-out. From $65; thetrain.com.
You want to outwit the hordes
Southern Utah’s red rock parks are having a moment, scoring a spot on bucket lists around the globe. And Zion National Park, within day-tripping distance of Las Vegas, absorbs the brunt of the ever-thickening crowds. Many don’t wander far enough off the interstate to discover that Capitol Reef National Park serves up the same landscape of rust-colored walls, sheer cliffs dripping with caramel, and solitary slot canyons, with only a quarter of the traffic.
Plan B
Canyonlands National Park’s gorgeous layer cake of geology makes it Utah’s stand-in for the Grand Canyon. And with just 10 percent of the humans, there’s no jostling for the perfect shot.
You want to be poolside
Yes, we know, a vigorous hike is its own reward. But it never hurts to follow one up with some chill time by the pool—and good luck finding a decent pool in a national park. Luckily, Death Valley’s Inn at Furnace Creek has the pool scene nailed. It’s California, after all. Palm trees? Check. Reliably sunny skies? Check. Desert vistas? Check. A steady flow of 84° springwater makes it a winner even in the winter, and especially at night, when the backstroke meets stargazing in one of life’s happiest mash-ups. From $439; furnacecreekresort.com.
Plan B
The same warm natural springs feed the pool at nearby The Ranch at Furnace. Liquid gold. Guests only; from $209.
