The 5 Most Underrated National Parks in America

Stories about America's overcrowded National Parks pop up in the media again and again--and sometimes it does seem like everyone in the country (and from abroad) wants to visit the same five or six national parks during the same two month time period every summer.

But seasoned travelers know that our National Park Service has so much more to offer than just iconic parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite,  Zion, Acadia and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are so many great alternatives to our busiest parks and many of them are amazing and very underrated. But where are the five most underrated national parks in the country? And where should you stay if you visit them?

We invited our friend Shellie Bailey Shah onto The RV Atlas podcast to find out more about the five most underrated National Parks in the country. To listen to her talk to us about the these amazing parks, click on the media player above or subscribe to The RV Atlas wherever you get your shows. Or just read on right here. Shellie is also our guest blogger on this very topic.

Article by Shellie Bailey-Shah

Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado

photo by Shellie Bailey-Shah

This park ranks as one of our favorites on this list of underrated national parks because it was just really fun for the kids. The park boasts several diverse ecosystems:  grasslands, wetlands, aspen forests, and tundra, but it’s the 30-square-mile dunefield that’s the big draw here. You’ll want to start your day early here because by the afternoon, the sand temperature can reach 150°F, depending on the time of year.  I’d recommend a hike to High Dune at sunrise or certainly no later than 7:30 a.m. Afterwards, it’s time for some fun. You can choose from sandboarding and sand sledding! There's a store just outside the park that rents boards and sleds that are specially-designed for sand. Trust me, snow sleds, snowboards, round saucers, and cardboard will not work. 

After an hour or so of climbing up and down the smaller dunes, you’ll be wiped out.  It's then time to head to Medano Creek at the base of the dunefield to spend the remainder of your day. This creek is a great water playground that has this phenomenon called “surge flow” — where rippling waves just appear from nowhere. Medano Creek is one of the only places in the world where that occurs. We also love Great Sand Dunes because it's one of the few national parks that allows dogs, even on the dunefields, though you need to be mindful of the hot sand on your dog's paws.

To find our more about Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado check out this article over at KidTripster.com. 

North Cascades National Park in Washington

photo by Shellie Bailey-Shah

I live in Oregon, so driving to North Cascades National Park is not that difficult. It's located in northern Washington State along the Canadian border. I think of this park as a much less busy version of Glacier National Park. The topography here is similar to Glacier — fantastic mountain views, aquamarine alpine lakes, meadows of wildflowers and similar wildlife; we did see a bear off-trail in North Cascades. It has really challenging hiking. If if you hike high enough, just like in Glacier, you'll find snow. My youngest son has never seen a lake he didn't jump in, even if its partially covered in ice.

There are plenty of campgrounds to chose from here including Newhalem Creek Campgrounds and Gorge Lake Campground. We really like the little town of Winthrop. It has those wild west vibes and reminded me of Medora outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

North Cascades National Park easily makes my list of most underrated national parks in the country.

Death Valley National Park in California

photo by Shellie Bailey-Shah

I know that you've covered Death Valley in depth in a prev...