Comprised of a cluster of islands along the jagged Maine coast and a section of mainland on the Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park has a variety of landscapes including granite-domed mountains, woodlands, lakes, and ocean shoreline. More than two dozen mountains rise above the rocky shore, including Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast. Popular activities include hiking, biking, camping, and taking in views of the coastlines and lakes.

Arches National Park in Moab offers the largest density of natural sandstone arches in the world – over 2,000! A great destination for families, the astounding views will delight adventurers of all ages. There are a wide variety of trails as well as scenic driving routes for viewing some of the park’s largest arches, including a drive to one of the most iconic rock formations in the world, the Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

The Badlands provide some of the most mysterious sights to see in the National Park System. Located on the edge of our country’s Great Plains in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States.

A remote destination in the southwest of Texas along the Mexican border, Big Bend National Park is a great spot to seek solitude and relaxation. The park itself is larger than the state of Rhode Island, and features 150 miles of hiking trails, unparalleled dark night skies perfect for stargazing, a stretch of the Rio Grande, paved driving trails, and more. When planning your trip to Big Bend, make sure to set aside time to get to and from this expansive park!

“Water world” is an apt description of this south Florida park, as 95 percent of it is underwater. Slip beneath the surface, though, while snorkeling and you’ll discover a realm of rainbow-hued coral reefs swarming with fish. Beginning snorkelers can sign up to explore coral ledges, while those who don’t like to get wet can take a glass-bottom boat tour to peer into the park’s marine life. Families can also hop into a canoe or kayak and drift through mangrove swamps and lagoons.

What it lacks in width, the Black Canyon makes up for in depth. Great cliffs plunge to the Gunnison River, at points more than 2,700 feet down, creating some of the best and most advanced rock-climbing opportunities in the National Park System.

Creamsicle-hued ranks of stone soldiers -- stubby hoodoos -- show off nature’s whimsical personality. Carved by wind, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles, these peculiar formations rise over you as you explore the trails that weave through the colorful underbelly of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Try one of the park’s many hiking trails or camp out in the park’s North and Sunset campgrounds, not far from the short hikes that dip down into the canyon’s geologic wonders.

In the heart of the high desert, Canyonlands National Park is a rugged landscape that offers visitors hiking, stargazing, camping, and technical rock climbing. When visiting Canyonlands, you’ll have a clear view of the night sky in its full splendor thanks to low light pollution and excellent air quality.

Capitol Reef National Park, one of the many national parks in Utah, contains nearly a quarter million acres in 'slickrock country'. Capitol Reef is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico contains some of the largest caves in North America—a must-visit for vacationers in New Mexico. As you pass through the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas, filled with prickly pear, chollas, sotols, and agaves, you might never guess there are more than 300 known caves beneath the surface.