5 Lesser-Known National Parks You Should Definitely Visit!

1. Katmai National Park

Located in southern Alaska, this park is well-known for its abundance of brown bears that call this park home. The park gets fewer than 40,000 visitors per year, so grab your binoculars and head out to this gorgeous spot.

2. Shenandoah National Park

Just outside of the Virginia college towns of Harrisonburg and Charlottesville, there’s a beautiful landscape of mountains that perfectly reflect the changing seasons. Hike up to the top of the mountains and feast your eyes on an array of red and green shades. It’s a mesmerizing sight, and the hikes aren’t too bad either.

3. Devils Tower National Monument

Never been to Wyoming before? Now’s your chance. Poking out of the Bear Lodge mountains is a large structure that resembles a massive tree trunk. The surrounding area is beautiful, too, so the walk to this site is a worthwhile one.

4. Congaree National Park

Not too far from Shenandoah down in South Carolina, travelers can find the Congaree National Park. This land is home to acres of dense forests and a river that flows through it. Break out a canoe and paddle away through this picturesque thicket of trees.

5. Great Basin National Park

Heading back over to the west coast is the Great Basin National Park, which falls along the Nevada-Utah border. The land is home to a large assortment of animals, including a variety of rabbit breeds, coyotes and bats. There’s also the Lehman which are a vibrant shade of orange and full of stalagmites and stalactites for you to check out on your trip. Shades of every color decorate this desert oasis, so make sure you add this spot to your bucket list.

If you live near any one of these parks, consider making it a vacation getaway destination for Labor Day Weekend!

(Image via Smithsonian Channel/YouTube)

- Emmy Freedman, YH Contributing Writer