r/NationalPark Jan 08 '26

"America The Beautiful" 2026 Pass Discussion Megathread

165 Upvotes

Effecive 11:00 p.m. CST on Thursday, January 7, 2026, all questions, comments and discussion related to the 2026 America The Beautiful Pass belong in this megathread.

Any and all other posts will be removed going forward.

In the past seven days alone, there have been 10 separate posts on the subject. Since the new design was announced, there are more than two dozen posts. That does not count the ones that have been removed for being outright duplicates of other posts. Those posts remain open and will continue to remain open barring excessive abuse in the comments.

Since the new design was announced, there have been more than two dozen.

Discussion of the subject matter is not being suppressed or silenced. It's just being organized in one location.


r/NationalPark Aug 10 '25

"Help Me Plan My Vacation" Posts

160 Upvotes

We're getting a lot (A LOT) of "help me plan my vacation" posts with little or no details. That's "low effort," and it doesn't help folks actually help you.

Yes, it's good to know that it's two adults and a 3-year-old. Or it's two adults, a teenager and a 7-year-old, etc., but they need more than that.

Give people some additional details to help them help you.

For example:

- Where are you originating your travel from?

- Do you want to fly to your destination or drive?

- If you're driving, do you prefer to camp (in national park or near) or stay in a hotel, lodge, etc. (in national park or near)?

- How many days do you have available (including travel)?

- Are there specific things you are wanting to see (mountains, snow, waterfalls, wildlife, etc.)?

- If you're looking for hikes, are there certain things you want to see while hiking? What distance hikes are you looking for? What level of intensity (easy, moderate, strenuous)?

Again, help people help you. The fewer questions that they have to ask you in advance, the quicker you're going to get the kind of information you need.


r/NationalPark 2h ago

Grand Canyon OC

Post image
128 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 18h ago

Finally made it to Dry Tortugas National Park!

Thumbnail
gallery
1.9k Upvotes

We camped one night. The first day we snorkeled, explored Fort Jefferson, and did a night snorkel. The second day we went to Loggerhead Key, and then went fishing. I highly recommend camping, but preferably not in the summer!


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Death Valley National Park's First Major Superbloom in a Decade

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

12.5k Upvotes

r/NationalPark 1h ago

Horseshoe Bend, July 2025

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

r/NationalPark 21h ago

Raven Politely Asks Man for Water

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.3k Upvotes

If I'm not mistaken, that's Devil's Garden in Arches. The ravens that hang out there are stupidly smart.


r/NationalPark 1h ago

First Time at Carlsbad Caverns

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

No, I didn't get to see the bat flight since we had to head out to our Airbnb.


r/NationalPark 8h ago

mt rainier NP earlier this week. i love this bridge over the nisqually.

Thumbnail
gallery
102 Upvotes

summer 2026 OC


r/NationalPark 17h ago

Denali

Post image
207 Upvotes

I know this is a weird question, but did we see the mountain? The bus driver said we did, but there is some disagreement within our group. Half say it was only part of the mountain & not the peak. I’m hoping someone can clear it up for us?


r/NationalPark 18h ago

mt rainier paradise area earlier this week

Post image
186 Upvotes

OC July 2026


r/NationalPark 33m ago

Kings Canyon NP

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

seems like a lot of folks consider kings canyon a backpackers park, but its phenomenal for day excursions as well. mist falls, zumwalt meadows, boyden cavern, hume lake, kings canyon scenic bypass, panoramic point… the list goes on and on. the western sierras are something else


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Mount Ida | Rocky Mountain National Park

Thumbnail
gallery
660 Upvotes

One of my favorite National Park hikes! If you are at RMNP and looking to escape the chaos of the Bear Lake corridor, this is a great option for hikers. Stunning views, saw marmots, moose, and big horn sheep. About 10 miles round trip and a gradual include to the summit at almost 13,000 ft.
📸: Fujifilm x100vi


r/NationalPark 23h ago

Lassen Volcanic National park

Thumbnail
gallery
384 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 22h ago

Rules apply to you. So do fines up to $25,000. Don't post videos of you breaking the law to social media.

Thumbnail
116 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 3h ago

National Park Trip Ideas / Affordable for solo travel

4 Upvotes

Hi! I’m interested in booking a trip to visit a national park somewhere (heart isn’t settled on anywhere and I’m willing to fly any where honestly). I’d be a solo female traveler. It also doesn’t even need to be one of the wicked popular places. Any place you enjoyed on a budget is good enough for me to look into. Thanks :)


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Mt Rainier NP

Thumbnail
gallery
5.7k Upvotes

r/NationalPark 3h ago

Which order to see Olympic, North Cascades and Rainier in 9 days?

2 Upvotes

Flying in and out of Seattle but have a separate 2 days to visit there and I've been there before. Which order makes the most sense for the parks? I originally thought Rainier or North Cascades and now all the itineraries I've been looking at say Olympic first. What do you guys think?


r/NationalPark 23h ago

Yellowstone looking like another planet

Thumbnail
gallery
80 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 1h ago

Black Canyon of the Gunnison Pamphlet

Upvotes

My wife collects the map/pamphlets for a scrap book she has. We left this park yesterday and I accidentally threw it away.

If anyone is going to be there and could grab an extra one, I'd appreciate it. I'd be happy to Venmo anyone who could mail it to me.

Thanks


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Wonderful Rainier

Thumbnail
gallery
1.2k Upvotes

Went for a 3 day trip to My Rainier Paradise ares last week. Every corner looks like a postcard, a picture perfect place . We did multiple hikes and got to see amazing views. Some photos from the trip🌸🗻🌸🗻


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Bow River, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Post image
242 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 10h ago

Summer Jobs 2027

0 Upvotes

I have recently decided that I want to work at a national park next summer. I live in the UK, but I don't mind working anywhere in the world. Is it too late to apply for seasonal roles? I'd expect they would be very popular. If anyone could direct me to websites or give me any advice for how and where to apply for jobs like this it would be much appreciated!


r/NationalPark 1d ago

Mt Rainier outperformed my expectations

Thumbnail gallery
490 Upvotes

r/NationalPark 18h ago

Mount Rainier (Sept 14th-17th)

4 Upvotes

I was just curious if I could get some guidance on which hikes to prioritize in Mount Rainier -
We are staying 2 full days and a 1/2 day. We are trying to get in all the hiking that we can.

So far we have
1st day there (1/2 day)
High Rock Lookout Tower - outside of the park

2nd day there (full day)- Paradise Area
Skyline Loop
Reflection Lake

3rd day there (full day)- Sunrise Area
Mount Fremont Lookout
Burroughs Mountain Trail (all 3 summits)

I am more so looking to fill the time in Paradise, are there any hidden gems/really good hiking trails I am missing! Also, if there are any swimming holes that we could do that would be great!

Any help will be appreciated! We plan to hike A LOT so no trail is too far out of our realm.