Adventure in Your Backyard: The Best US National Parks Tours

At ToursByLocals, it’s looking like an unusual summer travel season, to say the least! As an international tour company, with local guides working in over 190 different countries around the world, it’s always been our goal to be everywhere people travel. And right now, a lot of people are deciding home is a great place to explore.

Guides on the ground are reporting that this is a fantastic time to be visiting US National Parks. And a local guide knows how to make your visit to these protected places absolutely unforgettable. Their deep knowledge of the park’s cultural and geological history, along with practical knowledge of the best hikes, viewpoints, weather and timing adds tremendous value to every park visit.

Here are a few of our favourite US National Parks, and we’ve suggested some awesome tours to get you started. Happy exploring!

Best US National Parks Tours

Visit the Badlands of South DakotaThe wild west of your dreams. Seriously. Our guide was born and raised in the heart of South Dakota’s Black Hills, and loves to showcase the wild beauty of this area to visitors from across the country. Along with star-gazing in the Badlands, you can visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Mountain and Custer State Park. Adventure awaits!

Explore the Florida Everglades from MiamiMore than just a national park, the Florida Everglades are also a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. Visiting this watery and expansive park is no small feat! At over 1.5 million acres, and with 3 separate (not connected) entrances, planning your visit is important – your local guide will help you do just that.

Double up with a tour to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, UtahOur desire to see magnificent landscapes inspires us to fly across oceans, but some of the world’s most unique and jaw-dropping scenery exists in southern Utah. If you haven’t yet experienced the grandeur and colour of Utah’s Mighty Five, this summer might be the perfect time to do it. Zion and Bryce are a short drive from each other, and your guide will make sure you see the best features of each park.

Access the most amazing views of the Grand CanyonOne of the most bizarre pieces of news we heard during recent months was that the Grand Canyon was “closed”. Trying to imagine how such a vast, un-tameable expanse could ever be “closed” was mind-bending. But the park gates are now open to visitors again, and this year will be a great time to see the geological wonder, with fewer crowds at the rim.

Explore Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons with an expert guideJackson Hole, Wyoming is the perfect place to visit two great National Parks: The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. The first National Park established in the US (and widely believed to be the first in the world) Yellowstone’s varied expanse of wilderness boasts amazing wildlife viewing opportunities, especially this year. The nearby Tetons are the most dramatic range in the Rockies, offering a sublime landscape of towering peaks.

See Majestic Yosemite National Park and California Gold Country!Mountainous Yosemite remains one of America’s most popular parks for a slew of reasons – but looking up Ansel Adams photography of the area will give you a good idea why! The park’s multitude of waterfalls and viewpoints are mostly accessible via vehicle and flat, easy trails, opening up the area’s natural beauty to everyone.

Go on a hike in Shenandoah National Park, VirginiaShenandoah National Park extends along the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia. With over 500 miles of hiking trails within its borders, it’s got trails for every level of hiker. A short drive from Washington DC, the park’s cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows will provide a soothing escape into nature this summer.

Cape Cod National Seashore: a day trip from BostonCape Cod’s “Great Outer Beach” includes 40 miles of pristine sandy beach, along with marshes, ponds, cranberry bogs and landscapes punctuated by charming lighthouses. It’s a classic escape for folks from Boston, and a local guide awaits to enrich the experience with their historical knowledge (and some great local spots for fresh chowder!)