National parks with self-guided tours - walking
Bright dots offer self-guided tours - walking. Tap any park to tick it off your checklist.
Quietest picks for self-guided tours - walking
- 1Lake Clark National Park & Preserve19,778 visits
- 2Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve108,840 visits
- 3Voyageurs National Park206,326 visits
By 2025 recreation visits (NPS).
Most parks for self-guided tours - walking
- California 3
- Alaska 2
- Montana 2
- Texas 2
- Arizona 1
- Florida 1
- Idaho 1
- Indiana 1
22 parks
Where to go for self-guided tours - walking
Photo: NPSBig Bend National Park
Texas
568,104 visits in 2025Quietest: August$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoCapitol Reef National Park
Utah
1,388,476 visits in 2025Quietest: January$20 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Michael LarsonCarlsbad Caverns National Park
New Mexico
410,778 visits in 2025Quietest: January$15 / person
Photo: NPS/Brett SeymourChannel Islands National Park
California
227,186 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPSCongaree National Park
South Carolina
287,833 visits in 2025Quietest: AugustFree entry
Photo: NPS PhotoCrater Lake National Park
Oregon
632,242 visits in 2025Quietest: January$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo by Miguel SalasEverglades National Park
Florida
778,198 visits in 2025Quietest: October$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoGlacier National Park
Montana
3,136,557 visits in 2025Quietest: February$35 / vehicle
Photo: NPS/BieriGuadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas
206,423 visits in 2025Quietest: August$10 / person
Photo: NPS PhotoIndiana Dunes National Park
Indiana
2,629,497 visits in 2025Quietest: January$25 / vehicle
Photo: NPS / Emily HassellJoshua Tree National Park
California
2,932,644 visits in 2025Quietest: July$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS Photo / James KramerLake Clark National Park & Preserve
Alaska
19,778 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / J. CooperMammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
660,734 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / E. BrouwerMount Rainier National Park
Washington
1,635,342 visits in 2025Quietest: February$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS photo/Louise McLaughlinNew River Gorge National Park & Preserve
West Virginia
1,958,440 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree 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 Photo / Mark MeyersTheodore Roosevelt National Park
North Dakota
729,893 visits in 2025Quietest: December$30 / vehicle
Photo: NPS PhotoVirgin Islands National Park
US Virgin Islands
471,074 visits in 2025Quietest: SeptemberFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo / Daniel DendlerVoyageurs National Park
Minnesota
206,326 visits in 2025Quietest: AprilFree entry
Photo: NPS Photo/ Neal HerbertWrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve
Alaska
108,840 visits in 2025Quietest: JanuaryFree entry
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. FrankYellowstone National Park
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
4,762,988 visits in 2025Quietest: November$35 / vehicle
Ideas from the National Park Service
Self-Guided Tours - Walking ideas, park by park
- Visit the Petroglyph Panel5-30 Minutes · All year
From 600 to 1300 C.E., native people of the Fremont Culture made their home at Capitol Reef. Petroglyphs carved into the Wingate sandstone remind us of their time.
FeePets OK
- Become an Indiana Dunes Junior Ranger30 Minutes · All year
Indiana Dunes National Park has a lot to explore, both in the park and online. Check out this page for fun things to do to explore the park virtually. Become a Junior Ranger Today!
FeePets OK The park is comprised of over 15,000 acres of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. It contains 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline spanning the distance from Gary to Michigan City.
FeePets OK
- Tree Scavenger Hunt in the Ohanapecosh Campground30-60 Minutes · Spring, Summer, Fall
Go on an adventure and try to identify the three most commonly abundant trees that surround the entire Ohanapecosh area.
FeePets OK - Longmire Historic District Walking Tour60 Minutes · All year
At Mount Rainier, designers selected massive logs and glacial boulders as the building materials best suited for integrating new structures with their natural settings. This style of architecture, known as "National…
FeePets OK
- View the Overlooks at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center0-30 Minutes · All year
Canyon Rim Visitor Center overlooks for the New River Gorge Bridge and the New River Gorge
Pets OK
- Cinnamon Bay Nature Loop And Accessible Trail30-60 Minutes · All year
Cinnamon Bay Plantation was established in 1717 and was one of the earliest and most prosperous sugar plantations on the Island. In 1903, the Danish West India Plantation Company bought Cinnamon Bay and began growing…
Pets OK - Annaberg Sugar Plantation1-2 Hours · All year
Take a self-guided tour of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation and immerse yourself in the time when "Sugar was King" on the island. Volunteer docents are often available during weekdays to answer questions. You are invited…
Reservation/permitPets OK - Reef Bay Trail2-4 Hours · All year
Reef Bay Trail is a strenuous hike that will take you past some of the oldest and tallest trees on the island. Danish sugar plantation ruins, stone walls from cattle grazing, and ancient rock carvings left behind by the…
Pets OK
- Visit Little American IslandSpring, Summer, Fall
Discover the past on this self guided walk Little American Island. This island was home to one of the area gold mines during the brief gold rush of the 1890s. You will see mine shafts, tailing piles, and machinery along…
- Visit the Ethno-botanical GardenAll year
This one-acre garden of native plants restores a site that had been overtaken by invasive plants.
Pets OK
- Watch and Listen to a Geyser5-120 Minutes · All year
Experiencing the sights and sounds of geysers is a feast for the senses, whether they erupt or are between eruptions.
- Watch Old Faithful Geyser Erupt30-90 Minutes · All year
Old Faithful Geyser is the world's best known geyser. Its eruption intervals have varied from 40 to 126 minutes. Find out the eruption times of Old Faithful and other large geysers at the Old Faithful Visitor Education…
From the NPS Data API's things-to-do records, checked 2026-10-01.
FAQ
Self-Guided Tours - Walking, quickly
- Which national parks offer self-guided tours - walking?
- 22 of the 63 national parks list self-guided tours - walking as an activity, according to the National Park Service: Big Bend, Capitol Reef, Carlsbad Caverns, Channel Islands, Congaree, Crater Lake, Everglades, Glacier, Guadalupe Mountains, Indiana Dunes, Joshua Tree, Lake Clark, Mammoth Cave, Mount Rainier, New River Gorge, Petrified Forest, Redwood, Theodore Roosevelt, Virgin Islands, Voyageurs, Wrangell–St. Elias, Yellowstone.
- What's the least crowded national park for self-guided tours - walking?
- By 2025 recreation visits, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (19,778 visits), then Wrangell–St. Elias (108,840). The busiest park on this list is Yellowstone, with 4,762,988.
- Which state has the most national parks for self-guided tours - walking?
- California, with 3, followed by Alaska (2).
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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