5 Most Underrated National Parks You Need to Visit

If you’ve been sorting through list after list of bucket list parks, but want something different, this list of underrated national parks is for you. 

Today’s list has national parks most people couldn’t point to on a map, and yet they hold some of the most incredible experiences I’ve had in over a decade of doing this. 

As a former park ranger and someone who has dragged my own family through more national parks than I can count, I had a genuinely hard time narrowing this list down to just five. But these are the underrated national parks that came to mind first, the ones I think deserve a real spot on your trip planning list this year!

1. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

I may be a little biased on this one, since I worked as a park ranger at Glacier Bay National Park, but that doesn’t change how amazing it truly is. 

This one’s tucked into Southeast Alaska near Juneau, and almost nobody knows it’s there. But once people know about it, it’s one they don’t forget. 

What makes it so special is the sheer amount of wildlife packed into one place. I watched humpback whales and orcas from the window where I lived as a park ranger. You get massive tidewater glaciers calving directly into the ocean, seals lounging on icebergs, and a kind of quiet you don’t find in the more crowded parks.

Plan your visit to Glacier Bay National Park

• Location: Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska — near (but not next to) Juneau, in the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska.
• Open Season: The park is open year-round, but the main visitor season runs late spring through early fall, when the Glacier Bay Lodge, day boat tours, and ranger programs are all running. Wildlife shifts by season too — harbor seals pup on the icebergs in early spring, humpback whales arrive for the summer, and moose show up in the fall, according to the NPS wildlife viewing calendar.
• Where to Stay: There are two real options. Glacier Bay Lodge is the only lodging inside the park, right at Bartlett Cove — it’s the best location but books up fast and runs pricier. Otherwise, the small town of Gustavus, about 10 miles away, has several lodging options, and many of them will shuttle you into Bartlett Cove. 
• Ash’s Recommended Activities: Kayaking Bartlett Cove, taking the Day Boat tour up-bay to see Margerie and Johns Hopkins Glaciers calve into the water, hiking the Bartlett River Trail or the Tlingit Trail, and fishing the Bartlett River. For the full list, read the Glacier Bay Can’t Miss list.
• How to Avoid the Crowds: Here’s the thing about Glacier Bay’s visitor numbers — in 2023, over 700,000 people visited, and roughly 90% of them came by cruise ship. That means anyone who flies into Gustavus or takes the Alaska ferry and stays at Bartlett Cove is already skipping the vast majority of the crowds.

INSIDER TIP:
If you’re not arriving by cruise, Glacier Bay Lodge is the lodging inside the park boundaries, and it books up fast for peak summer. Most visitors never even realize that option exists — which is exactly why the land-based side of this underrated national park stays so peaceful. And if you do kayak the cove, bring good rain gear regardless of the forecast; the weather shifts fast, and it “mists” here (even when the forecast doesn’t show rain). 

2. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Dry Tortugas National Park sits about 70 miles off Key West, reachable only by ferry or seaplane, and it might be the most surprising park on this entire underrated national parks list. Before I visited, all I really knew was that there’s a massive fort out there in the middle of the Gulf — Fort Jefferson — and I couldn’t quite understand why anyone would build something so enormous in such a remote spot.

Once we actually made it out there, I was blown away. The fort itself is stunning and steeped in history, the water is a beautiful clear blue, and the snorkeling right off the beach is some of the best we’ve done in any national park.

Plan your visit to Dry Tortugas National Park

• Location: Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida — about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Open Season: Open year-round, but ferry and seaplane access can run into rougher water and weather delays outside the calmer winter and spring months. 
• Where to Stay: Base yourself in Key West the night before — the ferry departs early in the morning, and driving in from Miami that same day isn’t realistic. Getting to Key West itself is a scenic (if long) drive through the Florida Keys, with plenty of spots to stop along the way.
• Ash’s Recommended Activities: Touring Fort Jefferson (the largest masonry fort in the Western Hemisphere, built from 16 million bricks), snorkeling the moat wall and the beach, and looking for the more than 200 known shipwrecks scattered around the park, including the Windjammer. 
• How to Avoid the Crowds: Because Dry Tortugas is reached by a reserved ferry or seaplane seat, visitor numbers stay naturally low no matter when you go. The ferry ride takes about two and a half hours each way, so an early departure buys you the most time on Garden Key before the boat turns back. If you’re building a longer Florida trip, this park pairs naturally with Everglades and Biscayne — see our 10-Day Florida National Parks Road Trip for how we’d string them together.

3. Congaree National Park, South Carolina

Congaree National Park sits right outside Columbia, South Carolina, close to both Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and yet it barely registers on most people’s radar. I think it’s because it gets labeled as “just a swamp,” and people assume they already know what that looks like. 

What that label misses is that Congaree protects some of the tallest old-growth hardwood trees that are still standing in the country.

We took our whole family paddling on Cedar Creek through the park, and it’s one of the coolest experiences we’ve had in any national park. You wind through towering trees, spot snakes and spiders we don’t see out west, and get a totally different kind of wilderness than what most national park trips look like.

Plan your visit to Congaree National Park

• Location: Congaree National Park, South Carolina — about 30 minutes outside Columbia.
• Open Season: Open year-round, but we’d steer you toward early spring, when water levels are low enough to comfortably hike, and mosquito activity is minimal. If synchronous fireflies are the goal, that show happens in May, a few weeks before the similar one at the Great Smoky Mountains, and you’ll need to enter the firefly lottery for tickets. Check current conditions before you go, since water levels shift the trail options.
• Where to Stay: Columbia, SC, is the closest home base for exploring Congaree.
• Ash’s Recommended Activities: Walking the 2.5-mile elevated Boardwalk Loop Trail from the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, paddling the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail (we went with a guided tour and were glad we did), birding the Kingsnake Trail, and of course, seeing the fireflies!
• How to Avoid the Crowds: Congaree is already one of the least-visited national parks in the country despite sitting so close to a major city, so on most days, a simple weekday visit is enough to have the boardwalk mostly to yourself. If you’re paddling Cedar Creek, book a guided trip — the creek isn’t well marked, and having a guide makes it far easier to navigate the twists, spot wildlife, and steer around downed trees.

4. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Out in western North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is easy to add onto a South Dakota trip — it’s only three or four extra hours of driving from Mount Rushmore, Badlands, and Wind Cave, but it makes a great standalone trip, too. 

What I love most about this park is the feeling of it. You get the western culture of cowboys and ranching layered on top of the conservation history tied to Teddy Roosevelt himself, and it comes together into something that just feels different from anywhere else. 

Plan your visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park

• Location: Theodore Roosevelt National Park is split into three units (South, North, and Elkhorn Ranch), and the South and Elkhorn units sit in a different time zone than the North Unit — helpful to keep in mind as you plan!
• Open Season: Open year-round, though North Dakota is known for violent summer thunderstorms, so check the forecast before heading out.
• Where to Stay: Medora, ND, is your best bet — it’s the gateway town right outside the South Unit, and you’ll drive through it to reach the park. It has a genuinely fun Wild West feel, with shops, ice cream, and saloon-style restaurants worth a stroll after a day in the park. If you want to stay in the park, campgrounds are available in the North and South Units. See the NPS camping page for more information.
• Ash’s Recommended Activities: Driving the South Unit’s 36-mile scenic loop and watching for wild horses, bison, and prairie dog towns along the way; hiking the 0.4-mile Wind Canyon Trail at sunset for one of the best views in the park; making the hour-and-a-half dirt-road drive out to the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, Roosevelt’s actual home base in North Dakota; and driving the North Unit’s 14-mile scenic road out to River Bend Overlook and Oxbow Overlook.
• How to Avoid the Crowds: The North Unit’s extra hour of driving deters most visitors, so it stays beautifully quiet compared to the South Unit. 

INSIDER TIP:
If your trip lines up with it, plan an evening around the Medora Musical, an outdoor amphitheater show about the West, North Dakota, and Teddy Roosevelt himself — and if you’re up for it, do the pitchfork fondue steak dinner beforehand, where they cook your steak on a literal pitchfork dipped in oil.

5. Channel Islands National Park, California

Channel Islands National Park sits just off the coast from Ventura and Santa Barbara, within reach of some of the largest population centers in Southern California, and it’s still one of the least-visited parks in the entire system. 

To get there, you need to take a ferry out, and you’ll generally pick one island to explore for the day rather than hopping between several.

My favorite starting point is Santa Cruz Island, which has more amenities and easier access than some of the more remote islands. 

The hike out to Potato Harbor is gorgeous, you can kayak through sea caves, and the campground is home to island foxes found nowhere else on Earth. Anacapa Island is a great second stop if you have more time, with a historic lighthouse and a loop trail packed with seals and sea lions.

Plan your visit to Channel Islands National Park

• Location: Channel Islands National Park in California.
• Open Season: Open year-round; ferry schedules vary seasonally and by island.
• Where to Stay: Ventura or Santa Barbara, where the ferries depart.
• Ash’s Recommended Activities: Hiking to Potato Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, sea cave kayaking, and visiting the lighthouse and wildlife loop trail on Anacapa Island.
• How to Avoid the Crowds: Because every visit requires advance ferry planning, the islands naturally stay quiet compared to almost any mainland California park — book your ferry early, pick one island per day, and you’ll have long stretches of trail to yourself!

Which Underrated National Park Are You Visiting First?

These five underrated national parks all share something in common: a little extra effort to reach, but always have something in store for those willing to put the effort in. If you’re looking for your next trip and you’re tired of fighting for a parking spot at the parks everyone already knows about — or you want something fresh for your next visit to the parks — this list is a great place to start!

Your Next Read: Episode 141: Best Scenic Drives in the National Parks