National parks with horseback riding
Bright dots offer horseback riding. Tap any park to tick it off your checklist.
Quietest picks for horseback riding
- 1North Cascades National Park46,925 visits
- 2Great Basin National Park161,210 visits
- 3Guadalupe Mountains National Park206,423 visits
By 2025 recreation visits (NPS).
Most parks for horseback riding
- California 5
- Utah 3
- Colorado 2
- Montana 2
- Wyoming 2
- Arizona 1
- Idaho 1
- Kentucky 1
24 parks
Where to go for horseback riding
Photo: NPS Photo by Kent MillerAcadia National Park
Maine
4,079,318 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoArches National Park
Utah
1,511,740 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoBadlands National Park
South Dakota
1,139,361 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo/LynchBlack Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado
250,086 visits in 2025Quietest: February$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS/Rhodes SmarttCanyonlands National Park
Utah
796,057 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoCapitol Reef National Park
Utah
1,388,476 visits in 2025Quietest: January$20 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / D.J. ReiserCuyahoga Valley National Park
Ohio
3,025,325 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS PhotoGlacier National Park
Montana
3,136,557 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo/TobiasonGrand Teton National Park
Wyoming
3,800,648 visits in 2025Quietest: December$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoGreat Basin National Park
Nevada
161,210 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS/Patrick MyersGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Colorado
432,498 visits in 2025Quietest: January$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Bob CarrGreat Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina, Tennessee
11,527,939 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS/BieriGuadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas
206,423 visits in 2025Quietest: August$10 / person
Photo: NPS / Emily HassellJoshua Tree National Park
California
2,932,644 visits in 2025Quietest: July$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Scott ArnazLassen Volcanic National Park
California
504,777 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / J. CooperMammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
660,734 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS photo/Louise McLaughlinNew River Gorge National Park & Preserve
West Virginia
1,958,440 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo/D.DixonNorth Cascades National Park
Washington
46,925 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS PhotoPetrified Forest National Park
Arizona
315,951 visits in 2025Quietest: February$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Steve OlsonRedwood National and State Parks
California
1,202,480 visits in 2025Quietest: DecemberFree entry
Photo: NPS/Rick CainSequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
California
2,158,128 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / Neal LewisShenandoah National Park
Virginia
1,682,152 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. FrankYellowstone National Park
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
4,762,988 visits in 2025Quietest: November$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoYosemite National Park
California
4,278,413 visits in 2025Quietest: January$35 / vehicle
Ideas from the National Park Service
Horseback Riding ideas, park by park
- Trail Rides4-10 Hours · Spring, Fall
For those bringing horses and other stock to the Guadalupe Mountains, the park offers diverse riding opportunities. Sixty percent of the trails are open to stock use.
Reservation/permitFee
- Horseback Riding in Joshua Tree National Park1-10 Hours · Winter, Spring, Fall
Horseback riding designated trails in Joshua Tree National Park.
- Explore the park on HorsebackAll year
Mammoth Cave National Park is an exceptional destination for anyone who loves to see the world from the back of a horse.
Pets OK
- Enjoy Horseback RidingAll year
Bring your own horse and take a ride into the backcountry.
Pets OK
From the NPS Data API's things-to-do records, checked 2026-10-01.
FAQ
Horseback Riding, quickly
- Which national parks offer horseback riding?
- 25 of the 63 national parks list horseback riding as an activity, according to the National Park Service: Acadia, Arches, Badlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Cuyahoga Valley, Glacier, Grand Teton, Great Basin, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smoky Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, Joshua Tree, Lassen Volcanic, Mammoth Cave, New River Gorge, North Cascades, Petrified Forest, Redwood, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Shenandoah, Yellowstone, Yosemite.
- What's the least crowded national park for horseback riding?
- By 2025 recreation visits, North Cascades National Park (46,925 visits), then Great Basin (161,210). The busiest park on this list is Great Smoky Mountains, with 11,527,939.
- Which state has the most national parks for horseback riding?
- California, with 5, followed by Utah (3).
Sources · 2
- 1.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
- 2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
Activities are the ones each park lists in the NPS Data API. Check the park's own nps.gov page for current trail, water and permit conditions.
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