Travel

Beat the Crowds at These Lesser-Known Natural Gems

There are so many public lands that have great wildlife and scenery but none of the crowds of major national parks

By Brigid Mander
Aug. 26, 2022
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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Hire a guide and glide through a vast network of pristine freshwater lakes. Watch for moose, bears and wolves—northern Minnesota is one of the last strongholds of gray wolves in the contiguous 48 states.

USFS Superior National Forest

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Jaw-dropping shorelines might not come to mind when most people think of the Midwest, but they’re out there. This lakeshore in Wisconsin offers sandy beaches and dunes, turquoise waters and rocky islands without the crowds.

Posnov/Getty

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

This nearly 1.87-million-acre area in Utah is named for the series of eroded plateaus that step down across the landscape. Hidden in rocky passages and chasms are fossils and petroglyphs, cliff dwellings and artifacts from ancient Native Americans. Visitors can camp and hike or ride horses on trails.

L.E. Baskow/Zuma

Coconino National Forest

Here, red-dirt trails wind through ponderosa pines and aspen stands. Classic Southwestern rock pinnacles dot the Arizona landscape. The Mogollon Rim runs through the forest, providing dramatic views.

Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty

Cherokee National Forest

This 650,000-acre forest is the largest tract of public land in Tennessee and offers 30 campgrounds, lush greenery, flowers, old-growth tree stands, 700 miles of hiking trails, streams, waterfalls, wildlife and eye-popping fall colors. It borders equally lovely national forests in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

Bryan Steffy/Getty

Soldier Meadows

For adventurous travelers with four-wheel-drive vehicles, northwestern Nevada has hot springs to soak in (unlike those at Yellowstone National Park) and protected wilderness nearby that’s great for hiking or for camping. You’ll also find mountain vistas, prehistoric lake beds, and wildlife such as pronghorn and mule deer.

Bernard Friel/UCG/Getty

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument

Central Montana’s Upper Missouri River is a National Wild and Scenic River, which means it is in about the same condition as before European settlers swept west across North America. Visitors enjoy fishing. There is also abundant wildlife, and the area is a bird-watcher’s dream.

Greg Vaughn/UIG/Getty

McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area

Travelers can visit Rattlesnake Canyon in Colorado, featuring the second-largest concentration of natural stone arches (after Arches National Park) along with excellent mountain biking and camping.

Glenn Merritt

Colorado National Monument

The serene landscape here preserves red-rock canyons, rock monoliths, pinyon pine forest and desert wildlife—and awe-inspiring hikes.

Conrad Earnest/AP

Dinosaur National Monument

A striking desert landscape of river canyons, colorful rocks, and hiking trails awaits in Utah. There's also a vast, fascinating cache of dinosaur bones and fossils embedded in the rocks.

De Agostini/Getty

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Parts of this forest in Washington attract a lot of visitors, but it also holds endless wild places where the most intrepid can get away. There are ski resorts, stunning waterfalls, portions of the Pacific Crest trail (among more than 1,500 miles of trails) and some 800 lakes.

Gregg Brekke/Zuma

Produced by Matthew Riva

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