The Ultimate U.S. National Park Bucket List is for all those out there who love our U.S. National Parks! We all know who you are, the ones who spend their paychecks on the latest gear for the outdoors, have a checklist trying to visit all 62 U.S. National Parks, perhaps visit all 423 National Park sites?
You may even have the National Parks Passport book with stamps from their travels and even a few souvenir t-shirts, water bottles and car bumper stickers. The National Parks provide countless opportunities to explore nature and see some of America's treasures. Here is a list I have come up with naming 101 epic National Park things that you must see & do! How many have you done on this list?
101 U.S. National Park Bucket List; Must see & things to do
- Hike the Narrows at Zion National Park(Utah)
- Watch Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)
- Hike to the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park (California)
- Watch the sunrise at Haleakala National Park (Hawaii)
- Camp at Dry Tortugas National Park & see the stars! (Florida)
- See the Big 5 at Denali National Park (Moose, Caribou, Dall Sheep, wolves and Grizzly Bear)
- Hike to the Crown at the Statue of Liberty (New York)
- Take a Jammer Ride on the Going-to-the-Sun Highway at Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Hike the Appalachian Trail in Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee)
- See the fall colors in Acadia National Park (Maine)
Red Bus Tours are Red Buses that take visitors over the famous Going-To-The-Sun Highway at Glacier National Park in Montana. These historic buses are called reds and the bus drivers are called jammers because of the sound the gears made when shifting on the steep roads of the park. The "jamming" sound came from the unsynchronised transmissions as they jammed the gears while driving.
- Take a cruise into Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Stand under Delicate Arch in Arches National Park (Utah)
- Go wildlife viewing on the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park (Florida)
- See Mount Rainier's reflection on Reflection Lake (Washington)
- Have your picture taken next to the world's largest tree (General Sherman) in Sequoia National Park (California)
- Drive Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Watch the Dog Sled demonstrations at Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Hike out to Badwater Basin, the lowest part in North America at 282' below Sea Level in Death Valley National Park (California)
- Watch a thunderstorm at Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Take a ranger-guided tour of a cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, (Colorado)
You will think that you are on another planet when you arrive at the Bentonite Hills, an area along the 57.6-mile Cathedral Valley drive
at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. This 4X4 road is extremely remote and will provide a lifetime of memories!
- See Lightning Bugs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee)
- Watch a rocket launch at Canaveral National Seashore (Florida)
- Go Snorkeling at Virgin Islands National Park (St. John U.S.V.I.)
- Attend the Mount Rushmore Nighttime lighting ceremony (South Dakota)
- Hike Bumpass Hell Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Take a paddleboat tour to Chalmette Battlefield (site of the Battle of New Orleans) at Jean Latiffe National Historical Park (Louisiana)
- Watch foxes play at San Juan Island National Historical Park (Washington)
- Hike the 1.3 mile Tower Trail around Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
- Attend the Night Sky Program at Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Hike to Nevada's only Glacier (Rock Glacier) at Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
The Evening Program at Mount Rushmore National Memorial ends the evening program with the lighting of Mount Rushmore. This program is filled with patriotic music, a dedication to all the U'S' Veterans and will have you feeling proud to be in America!
- Go through the Roosevelt Gates at the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park (Montana)
- See a Gila Monster in Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- See bears at Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- See California Condors at Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Hike through the Thurston Lava Tube in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Take a tram ride to the top of the Arch at Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Have a Picnic in Yosemite Valley (California)
- Hike amongst Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Float the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (Arizona)
- Take a 754-foot elevator ride down into Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
The Gila Monster is the only poisonous lizard in the U.S and one of only two in North America. The Gila Monster poses little threat to humans as they are very slow and sluggish. they can be seen at Saguaro National Park but only come out of their Burrows about 10% of their lives.
- Take a boat ride on the bluest lake at Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- See wild horses & prairie dogs at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Go sand sledding at White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Count Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Step on Historic Route 66 at Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Hike to the Great Gallery in Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Stay the night in a Classification 1 (Criterion) National Park Lodge, the ultimate standard for architectural artistry in a National Park Lodge. Lodges include Crater Lake Lodge (Crater Lake), Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone), El Tovar (Grand Canyon) and Majestic Yosemite Hotel, formerly the Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park
- Visit the Golden Gate Bridge at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (California)
- Hike to the top of Angels Landing at Zion National Park (Utah)
- Visit Mount Rainier during the wildflower bloom (Washington)
Rocky Mountain National Park is blessed with some of the prettiest mountains and lakes you could ask for, they also have an extremely large elk population with over 3000 elk in the summer and fall and 600-800 spend the winter in the park.
- Photograph Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)
- Hike any part of the 30 square mile dune field at Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Step foot on the historic Paramount Ranch at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (California)
- Take a traditional bath at the Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Visit Pearl Harbor & the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at the World War 2, Valor in the Pacific National Monument (Hawaii)
- Visit the Gifford House Store and Museum and buy a fresh fruit pie made from the fruit in Fruita, Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Hike the Redwood Forest at Muir Woods National Monument (California)
- Watch the great Caribou Migration at Kobuck Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Take a dinner cruise and dine under the stars on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Nevada)
- Stand next to a Saguaro cactus and put your arms up like a cactus at Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
Grand Prismatic Spring located in the Midway Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park. It is the largest Hot Spring in North America and the third largest in the world. Bacteria that grow in the hot springs give it the rainbow of colors that have park visitors staring in disbelief and grabbing their cameras.
- Take a boat tour and see puffins and lots of wildlife at Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- See Horsetail Falls turn into the Natural Firefall at Yosemite National Park (California)
- Visit Alcatraz (California)
- Hug a giant Redwood Tree at Redwood National Park (California)
- Watch the cannon fire demonstration at Castillo De San Marcos National Monument (Florida)
- Visit all 63 U.S. National Parks
- Camp at Shi Shi Beach at Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Fly a kite at San Juan National Historic Site (Puerto Rico)
- Hike the .25 mile Cholla (Teddy Bear) Cactus Garden Trail at Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Photograph Oxbow Bend Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
The Historic Weapons Demonstration at Castillo De San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine Florida includes a cannon firing. Make sure to show up early as parking can be extremely difficult to find and the cannon firing draws large crowds in the busy season
- Watch the bat flight program at Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Hike the Giant Tree Trail and see the world's second-largest Tree (General Grant Tree) at Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Watch the sunset at Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Research your family history at Ellis Island
- Drive scenic Highway 20 and be mesmerized by Diablo Lake at North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Watch Mesa Arch glow at sunrise in Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Visit America's Icons including the Washington Monument, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and World War 2 Memorial at the National Mall and Memorial Parks (Washington D.C.)
- Explore Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- See a Roadrunner and a Coyote at Death Valley National Park (California)
- Watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, the first sight of sunrise in the U.S. in Acadia National Park (Maine)
Scenic Highway 20 (The North Cascades Highway) is one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. Diablo Lake is one of the many popular pullouts along the way
- Explore Voyageurs National Park by houseboat (Minnesota)
- Drive the McCarthy Road in Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska)
- Go Snorkeling & beach walking at American Samoa National Park (American Samoa)
- Attend the annual DeSoto Landing Event at DeSoto National Memorial (Florida)
- Stay in a Classification 2 (Superior) National Park Lodge, They will undoubtedly provide an unforgettable experience with their superior design and décor and are important examples of National Park Lodge Architecture. Lodges include Paradise Inn (Mount Rainier National Park), Glacier Park Lodge (Glacier National Park), Many Glacier Hotel (Glacier National Park) and The Chateau (Oregon Caves National Monument)
- Float the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Hike the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rainforest Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Take one of three scenic drives in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. You can drive the North Rim Road, South Rim Road & for the adventurous take the East Portal Road to the river. (Colorado)
- Watch the sunset at Sunset View Overlook at Cedar Breaks National Monument (Utah)
- Rub the nose of Brighty the Mule for good luck at the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge
The McCarthy Road is located in Wrangell St Elias National Park in Alaska and is America's Largest National Park! The 60-mile McCarthy road follows the old Copper River and Northwestern Railroad route and has one jaw-dropping view after another! The road ends five miles from the historic mining town of Kennecott. You can hike to Kennecott or pay a small fee to ride a van.
- See the 26" Life-Size Yoda Fountain Statue at the Presidio of San Francisco (California)
- See dolphins on a boat cruise to the Channel Islands then watch the endangered Island fox play, they are only found in Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Experience the Northern Lights at Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Take a vintage train ride through the heart of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Float one of the six designated wild rivers in Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Have a picnic with a view of Miami from Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Take a cave tour of Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Walk amongst the bears at Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Take an epic boat ride to Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- See the Boxwork formations at Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Paddle the 50 mile Congaree Blue River Trail Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
Incredible view of Miami from Boca Chita Key at Biscayne National Park
There is so much to see and do in our National Parks! A list of 101 things to do is just the beginning of the adventures that you can have. Perhaps you have your own list of adventures.
So the big question is how many have you completed on this list? Which do you still want to accomplish? Whatever they may be, make sure to get out there and enjoy your National Parks!
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