National Parks have always been popular destinations for RVers. They provide a chance to get outdoors, connect with nature, and come with a wide variety of activities you can enjoy. And even though each one is different, they have beautiful landscapes to enjoy.
These destinations are no secret. In fact, according to NPS over 12 million people visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2020. Other popular ones in 2020 included:
-
Yellowstone National Park
-
Zion National Park
-
Rocky Mountain National Park
-
Grand Teton National Park
-
Grand Canyon National Park
So, if you think about visiting places that aren’t so packed full of people, you may be tempted to avoid National Parks. While parks have tons of room for people to explore, some RVers want to find the lesser-known places to visit. If that’s you, visiting some of the newer, lesser-known national parks is the way to go.
The US continues to add destinations to National Park Service. They even added the 63rd park to the list at the end of 2020. So, here are some of these newer national parks you should add to your RV vacation list.
Pinnacles National Park (California)
Pinnacles National Park was added to the list in 2013 after being a national monument.
It’s a unique park destination to visit. There are several different rock types within the park. The area is the remains of an ancient volcano. The geological formations draw people in.
You can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and explore the caves. Bird watching is also a popular pastime that takes place at the park.
Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
There is one obvious thing that draws people to Great Sand Dunes National Park—the dunes. This park was added to the NPS list in 2004.
The park has a ton of activities for you to enjoy. This includes some park standards like fishing, horseback riding, and hiking. But it also gives you the chance to try sandboarding or sand sledding down the dunes. The park is a great place to take in the starry night sky as well.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
While this park has been on the list since 1999, it’s still one of the newer parks. Some of the highlights of Black Canyon of the Gunnison include steep rock walls, great trout fishing in the Gunnison, and great hiking for all-level hikers.
You can also take incredible scenic drives if you’re not into hiking. For a unique experience, you can also try one of their night sky viewing opportunities.
Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
Indiana Dunes became a National Park in 2019. It’s the state’s first park that made the list. It’s located on Lake Michigan and boasts 15 miles of beaches.
This is a great park to visit year-round since it has summer and winter activities. You can enjoy things like swimming, hiking, biking, and horseback riding in the summer. Take in the stunning foliage colors in the fall. And you can try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing when winter arrives.
Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
Most people have been familiar with Gateway Arch in St. Louis, but they don’t tend to connect it with a national park. But it officially became one in 2018.
The park includes an underground museum where you can learn about how the arch was made. And you can get a unique view of the city from the top.
The park is also a great place to learn about westward expansion. And it houses the Old Courthouse where the historical Dred Scott v Sandford case took place.
White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
White Sands National Park started as a national monument over 60 years ago. It officially became a national park in 2019.
This is a destination like no other. It is home to the largest gypsum dunefield in the world, covering 275 square miles. The white sand dune is stunning to take in as the color appears to change as the day goes on.
You can hike, bike, horseback ride or go on a dune drive. The unique location creates a fun destination for photographers. And you’ll definitely want to try dune sledding while you’re there.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
Cuyahoga Valley has been a popular destination for decades but wasn’t a national park until 2000.
It’s a peaceful destination full of wildlife and native plants. There are trails for you to walk or ride on. And you can enjoy the historical route walking along the Ohio and Erie Canal. And all this is located right by Cleveland and Akron Ohio.
You won’t want to visit without seeing Brandywine Falls, which is a 60 ft waterfall, or the Ritchie Ledges.
Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
Within the last two decades, Congaree became a national park. It’s a peaceful place to visit. You can step out of the busyness of the modern world and into what feels like untouched nature.
While walking through the park on the boardwalk, you can enjoy being surrounded by giant cypress trees. You can also enjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing and camping.
New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
New River Gorge National Park is the most recent park added to the list of the national parks as of this writing. It’s over 70,000 acres with the New River running through it.
There’s almost no limit to the outdoor activities you can enjoy at the park. There is hiking, biking and climbing. You can also enjoy whitewater rafting or paddleboarding. Or you can do several different scenic drives or take the African American Heritage Auto Tour.
Ready to hit the National Parks?
The busy travel season is upon us. Why not make this the year that you find an RV for sale California and then hit the road. You can explore the parks in your local area. Or, you can head out to see the incredible parks across the country.
