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Are you counting the days until the cold weather subsides?
Swinging in a hammock planning your next outdoor adventure?
Or just wondering what’s out there from the comfort of your home?
In any case, you’ll want a well-organized book with good photography, like National Geographic’s Guide to National Parks of the United States.
Guide to National Parks of the United States
from National Geographic
Non-Fiction, 479 pages of all-color photos and maps in seven geographic sections, including index
While the book is currently on its 9th edition, we’ve been getting along just fine with the 7th edition.
Like any good guide book, this one is easy to peruse.
It’s divided into 7- color-coded sections based on different areas of the country.
You can quickly thumb through and find your preferred section. Areas include the East, Southwest, Colorado Plateau, Pacific Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.
Each section in turn is packed with interesting and valuable information, including maps and suggested itineraries. You’ll learn how to get to each park and what time of year to visit, along with the most popular and “must see” hikes and drives at each park.
Every park has its own Information and Activities page full of basic details you’ll want to know before you visit.
From this single, super-helpful page, you’ll learn about a park’s visitor centers, fees, accessibility, activities, campgrounds, and pet-friendliness.
Spoiler alert: most parks are NOT pet-friendly!
Finally, most of the park sections also have an Excursions list, where state parks and refuges are recommended as side trips. LOVE IT.
The great thing about the way this book is organized is that it allows you to have basic information about every National Park in one place- making it a great springboard for planning.
Have a half day in Seattle? See which parks are nearby and what hikes you might be able to pull off. Need a stopover point on a long drive? See if a park happens to be along the way.
Last Word
We have only visited a few National Parks, both in the East – and both pet-friendly:
All of our National Park experiences so far have been amazing, and it’s great to have a book that keeps us inspired!
