HEAT CLOSURE IN EFFECT: 5/8/26: To help keep visitors and first responder staff safe from dangerously high temperatures during the hottest time of year, Lake Mead National Recreation Area institutes an annual seasonal closure of certain strenuous trails from May 15 to September 30. Temporary closures will take place outside of these dates when temperatures are forecast to reach 95 Fahrenheit or hi…
23 parks and sites (NPS)
Hike the Lone Palm Trail · Lake Mead National Recreation Area
HEAT CLOSURE IN EFFECT: 5/8/26: To help keep visitors and first responder staff safe from dangerously high temperatures during the hottest time of year, Lake Mead National Recreation Area institutes an annual seasonal closure of certain strenuous trails from May 15 to September 30. Temporary closures will take place outside of these dates when temperatures are forecast to reach 95 Fahrenheit or higher at Willow Beach (AZ). Lone Palm hot spring remains accessible by water on Lake Mohave. ------- The Lone Palm trail…
Park Films in the South Rim Visitor Center Theater · Grand Canyon National Park
Park Films Are Shown Daily in the Visitor Center Theater We Are Grand Canyon Shows on the hour "We Are Grand Canyon" is a 24 minute, heartfelt film, welcoming visitors to Grand Canyon National Park from those who have called it home since time immemorial – Grand Canyon's 11 tribal communities. View the film online A project several years in the making, "We Are Grand Canyon" is a joint creation of the Intertribal Working Group, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon Conservancy, and Bristlecone Media. Grand Canyon…
Cross-country Skiing at Black Canyon · Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
Although services and access are limited during winter, the park provides recreation opportunities for winter enthusiasts. Open Areas Tomichi Point and Gunnison Point Overlooks South Rim Visitor Center South Rim Campground (closed until further notice) Hiking trails (may be icy or snow-covered) Winter Closures East Portal Road North Rim Road South Rim Drive (beyond the visitor center) Cross-country Skiing In winter, South Rim Drive is closed to vehicles beyond the visitor center at Gunnison Point. As staffing and s…
From Your Boat To The Bridge · Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Take a hike - from your boat up the trail to the observation area at Rainbow Bridge. If you have the time, continue on the trail around to the commemorative plaques and beyond! The trail’s length, difficulty and time it takes to complete varies depending on lake levels. At current lake levels, the dock at Rainbow Bridge does not reach land. Beach your boat and walk through muck to the trail at your own risk. The docks can be reattached to the Rainbow Bridge trail when the lake level is about 3550' Expect to walk an…
Hike the Jemez River Trail · Valles Caldera National Preserve
This 3.4-mile (5.5 km) out-and-back trail features breathtaking views along the East Fork Jemez River as it flows toward the southwestern corner of the preserve. The trail initially climbs up a hill with outstanding views of Valle Grande and then drops down into the canyon of the East Fork. From here, you'll hike downstream, passing volcanic rock formations along the way. Some parts of the trail may be marshy. Use extra caution on this trail in the winter. The trail follows the stream very closely in places, so sno…
Hike the Lone Palm Trail
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
HEAT CLOSURE IN EFFECT: 5/8/26: To help keep visitors and first responder staff safe from dangerously high temperatures during the hottest time of year, Lake Mead National Recreation Area institutes an annual seasonal closure of certain strenuous trails from May 15 to September 30. Temporary closures will take place ou…
Hike the Goldstrike Canyon Trail
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
HEAT CLOSURE IN EFFECT: 5/8/26: To help keep visitors and first responder staff safe from dangerously high temperatures during the hottest time of year, Lake Mead National Recreation Area institutes an annual seasonal closure of certain strenuous trails from May 15 to September 30. Temporary closures will take place ou…
Park Films in the South Rim Visitor Center Theater
Grand Canyon National Park
Park Films Are Shown Daily in the Visitor Center Theater We Are Grand Canyon Shows on the hour "We Are Grand Canyon" is a 24 minute, heartfelt film, welcoming visitors to Grand Canyon National Park from those who have called it home since time immemorial – Grand Canyon's 11 tribal communities. View the film online A pr…
Cross-country Skiing at Black Canyon
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
Although services and access are limited during winter, the park provides recreation opportunities for winter enthusiasts. Open Areas Tomichi Point and Gunnison Point Overlooks South Rim Visitor Center South Rim Campground (closed until further notice) Hiking trails (may be icy or snow-covered) Winter Closures East Por…
Snowshoeing at Black Canyon
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
Although services and access are limited during winter, the park provides recreation opportunities for winter enthusiasts. Open Areas Tomichi Point and Gunnison Point Overlooks South Rim Visitor Center South Rim Campground (closed until further notice) Hiking trails (may be icy or snow-covered) Winter Closures East Por…
From Your Boat To The Bridge
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Take a hike - from your boat up the trail to the observation area at Rainbow Bridge. If you have the time, continue on the trail around to the commemorative plaques and beyond! The trail’s length, difficulty and time it takes to complete varies depending on lake levels. At current lake levels, the dock at Rainbow Bridg…
Hike the Jemez River Trail
Valles Caldera National Preserve
This 3.4-mile (5.5 km) out-and-back trail features breathtaking views along the East Fork Jemez River as it flows toward the southwestern corner of the preserve. The trail initially climbs up a hill with outstanding views of Valle Grande and then drops down into the canyon of the East Fork. From here, you'll hike downs…
Accessible Visit to Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Enter the monument from the West (Fruita) Entrance for a four mile drive to our visitor center. Start at Saddlehorn Visitor Center to watch the 18-minute park movie, learn from the exhibit hall, shop for souvenirs at the gift shop, communicate with a ranger, and get your Junior Ranger booklets . Visitor Center A paved…
Bicycle Touring
Capitol Reef National Park
Travel lightly on the land and leave no trace of your visit! Please help protect Capitol Reef National Park and the fragile high desert environment. In the park, bicycles must stay on designated roads at all times. The trail between the visitor center and Fruita Campground allows for bicycles (including e-bikes ). Bicy…
Driving the Burr Trail
Capitol Reef National Park
Travel Utah’s Beautiful Backcountry Along the Burr Trail Located just outside the northeast region of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Bullfrog, the 67 mile (108 km) long Burr Trail offers excitement for the adventurous explorer. Views of features like the Henry Mountains, Waterpocket Fold, the red Circle Cliffs…
Hiking in Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument's trails offer many opportunities for hikers. Bird watchers and photographers discover the splendor that they traveled so far to find. There's a hike for everyone, whether you're here for an hour or are staying all day. Hike distances range from only 0.25 mile to over 14 miles in length. Chec…
Road Biking on Rim Rock Drive
Colorado National Monument
Every day, cyclists enjoy a challenging ride with stunning views along Rim Rock Drive. Please be safe, as drivers often don't know appropriate ways to navigate around cyclists. Rim Rock Drive is a 23 mile long scenic road, traveling between the park's east entrance in Grand Junction and the west entrance in Fruita. You…
Travel on Rim Rock Drive
Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument's Rim Rock Drive is one of the most spectacular drives in the United States. Redrock canyons, crisp blue skies, and verdant green juniper splash fantastic views along the way for motorists and bicyclists. The road was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corp. Admire the craftmansh…
An oasis in the desert, Amistad National Recreation Area consists of the US portion of the International Amistad Reservoir. Amistad, a Spanish word meaning "friendship," is known for excellent water-based recreation, camping, hiking, and rich cultural history dating back nearly 5,000 years. Amistad is also home to a wide variety of plant and animal life both above and below the water.
Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of ruggedly beautiful canyon and mesa country. Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities.
There is a place in Far West Texas where night skies are dark as coal and rivers carve temple-like canyons in ancient limestone. Here, at the end of the road, hundreds of bird species take refuge in a solitary mountain range surrounded by weather-beaten desert. Tenacious cactus bloom in sublime southwestern sun, and species diversity is the best in the country. This magical place is Big Bend...
The vast, wild landscape of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers visitors unparalleled opportunities to immerse themselves in the natural world, and experience the wonders of this extraordinary place. With over 120,000 acres, one can find an astounding diversity in ecosystems, wildlife, and more than 10,000 years of human history to explore.
Big enough to be overwhelming, yet still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time. Come see some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. Forces of nature and the Gunnison River sculpted this canyon over two million years. The result is a vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky.
Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park's high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.
Canyonlands is a wilderness of canyons, buttes, and spires carved by the Colorado River and Green River. The park is divided into four distinct districts; no roads join them together. The districts share similar desert ecosystems, but each one provides unique opportunities for adventure and discovery.
Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park 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.
Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. But this treasure is much more than a monument. Towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau and canyon panorama. You can experience sheer-walled, red rock canyons along the twists and turns of Rim Rock Drive, where you may spy bighorn sheep and soaring eagles.
Three reservoirs and surrounding lands make up this recreation area in western Colorado. It is a landscape of tradeoffs; natural and human made features exist together. Geologic wonders are abundant from the sagebrush shrublands to forests. Visitors can experience the park year-round on both land and water.
150 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed here. Their fossils are still embedded in the rocks. Today, mountains, desert, and rivers flowing in canyons support a variety of life. Petroglyphs reveal the lives and connections of Indigenous people to this land. Homesteaders and outlaws found refuge here. Whether your passion is science, adventure, history, or scenery, Dinosaur offers much to explore.
For thousands of years, groups of nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.
Showing 1–12 of 23 parks