NPS

National Parks to Visit in February

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On the first Saturday of every month, I recommend 3-5 parks to visit in the contiguous US, matching each of 51 parks with a great month to visit, as I did in January.

There are a few parks in the US which are dangerously hot to visit in the summer, but they’re perfect in February. In the west, especially at elevation, the coldest day of the year is often in December, and by February the southwest deserts are just beginning to bloom with wildflowers.

Big Bend, Death Valley, Saguaro and White Sands are my February favorites. These are beautiful parks, and you’re going to want to get out, hike around and take fabulous photos, without risk of heatstroke.

Big Bend is huge and takes time to explore, so you need to schedule several days there. Unlike most other parks, the full range of activities are open in February, including rafting and horseback riding. In February, the park’s daily temperature variations still stay in a range that allows you to explore the varied terrain. When I was hot, I spent time along the river and enjoyed sunset in the mountains. On cool days, you could go on a more challenging scenic hike. If camping, prepare for beautiful cold nights under clear dark skies. It’s a great park, and February is a great month to see it.

Death Valley daytime highs are around 70-75° F in February. Wildflowers bloom and even super-bloom when the rains have been good. The high Panamint mountains in the background of your photos will have snow-capped peaks as they cast a rain-shadow over the valley, keeping it extremely dry. Every February the park holds stargazing festivals, as the skies are exceptionally clear.

Saguaro also has many wildflowers in February, and the comfortable daytime temperatures mean the coyotes, javelina and roadrunners are more likely to be roaming around. Some say May is when to go in order to see the Saguaro cacti bloom, but there are many other great parks to visit in May, without any risk of over 100° F days. If you’re really interested in seeing the small Saguaro flowers, you can probably find a botanical garden to visit close to home.

White Sands, to me, is about stepping out on the other worldly landscape, so the solitude of February is best. It’s cold at night, but there’s no camping currently in the park anyway. As it’s quiet, there aren’t a lot of ranger-led hikes in February, but White Sands is best appreciated in silence. Many visit a bit later in order to see some wildflowers, but the gypsum desert does not allow much life. I’d happily trade the crowds of spring for easier parking and fewer footprints in February.

We visit national parks to be out in nature exploring, so good temperatures are very important. February is the perfect time to visit these southwestern parks which are dangerously hot for much of the year.

National Parks to Visit in January

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In case you want to visit all the National Parks in the contiguous US, this year I’m sharing my recommendations for 3-5 National Parks to visit each month. By the end of the year, you’ll have a full list of all 51 parks, evenly spread out over the different seasons with as few compromises as possible.

Since January is typically the coldest month, it makes sense to visit southern Florida, the only tropical climate in the continental US. That means Biscayne, the Dry Tortugas and the Everglades. These are beautiful parks for enjoying snorkeling, beaches and nature outdoors, so January is a great month for avoiding the hot, humid weather with afternoon thunderstorms that would bother you much of the rest of the year.

Hurricane season is lengthening, and now some tropical storms form in May before the official season of June through November. I visited the Dry Tortugas in May with an eye on the weather, and I was lucky. Some see sea turtles up close, but I was not lucky. Nesting beaches are often off-limits, and the water visibility wasn’t as clear for snorkeling as it would be in January. If you want to see the turtles, take the short, low altitude seaplane out to the Dry Tortugas, and you will see them swimming all year long.

Sometimes a winter storm will bring winds down to the keys with cold snaps in the 50s, but they don’t last. Many places that rent snorkel gear will have various wetsuits to keep you comfortable, if needed, but the water temperature usually stays above 70° F. Day highs are around 75° F, and most evenings are very mild.

Since the Everglades are dry in January, wildlife tends to concentrate around reliable water sources, making them easier to spot. Birding is best in January, as many migratory birds are in the park, and large charismatic birds like roseate spoonbills and wood storks are laying eggs. And there are few mosquitoes in January.

Weather makes a big difference in how much we enjoy our park visits, so—despite the high season costs—, I recommend visiting these three tropical parks in January, when most other parks are cold, closed and difficult to access. Plan ahead, be flexible on where to stay, and be efficient with your time to save money. But enjoy your time on a tropical beach or amongst the mangroves while others are home shoveling snow.

Resolutions

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In 2022, I posted my first park visit (now updated), and by year end had visited over 250 parks across the country by EV. ✓

In 2023, I completed all NPS units in the Mid-Atlantic, National Capital, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest regions. ✓

In 2024, I resolved to visit all 10 American Concentration Camps, go to world heritage sites in Canada and Mexico, and complete the Midwest and North Atlantic regions. ✓

In 2025, I resolved to complete all 51 national parks, 344 park units, and 113 related sites in the contiguous 48 states with 6 regional bests and 48 photo summaries, plus see more world heritage sites and biospheres in Canada and Mexico. ✓

For 2026, I resolve to complete all UNESCO sites in half of Canada’s provinces, make a third road trip to Mexico, find even more national monuments and recreation areas in the US, and drive to southeast Alaska. Logistical challenges and new site designations may thwart my plans, but I will do my best.

Weekly Monday posts will continue to be a new visit. Thursdays will still be sporadic summaries and viewpoints. The first Saturday of each month will be park recommendations. And mid-month on Saturdays I will highlight a climate issue. Hope you have a happy New Year!

Maine in Photos

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The Pine Tree State is home to Acadia National Park, Katahdin Woods & Waters, and Saint Croix Island, but Roosevelt Campobello is really in Canada. The multi-state Appalachian Trail starts or ends in Maine. Acadian Village is a park partner at the northern tip of Maine, and the Downeast Maine NHA includes several of the above sites along the coast.

This post wraps up the contiguous states. Next year Saturday posts will cover which parks to visit and some of the challenges facing us each month.

Favorites from All 508 Sites in 48 States

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Late this year, I visited my 395th park site, earning a rare park stamps award for all official NPS sites in the 48 contiguous states (see map). Plus I drove my EV to 29 NPS affiliates, 60 heritage areas, and 24 national trails (not on map). Read about my favorite sites below.

Screenshot of my NPS unit Visitation Map from the National Park Travelers Club website.

‘Best’ is subjective, as it depends so much on your individual taste and experience. If you are lucky enough to have great weather, a lucky wildlife sighting, or an inspiring ranger-led tour, that day will be one of your favorites. Click on the links to read my past favorites from 100, 200, and 300 park units visited, and here are favorites from 400 park sites, including affiliates, heritage areas and trails. I have no changes to my previous favorite park units, but I have a few additions.

Best Civil Rights Affiliate: Robert Russa Moton Museum.

Best Flightseeing Tour: Dry Tortugas.

Best Garden: International Peace Garden.

Best Handshake: Red Hill.

Best National Heritage Area: Muscle Shoals.

Best Paddling Tour: Channel Islands.

Best Partner Site: Acadian Village.

Best Revolutionary War Affiliate: Camden.

Most Demolished Since My Tour: White House.

Most Hauntingly Evocative Past: Cumberland Island.

Most Irrevocably Damaged by Climate Change: Biscayne.

All NPS National Recreation Areas

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There are 18 NRAs managed by the park service for biking, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, horse riding, swimming and other activities. (I should note that there are also 13 NRAs managed by the US Forest Service, and I plan to visit some of those too.)

Two are in the North Atlantic region: Boston Harbor Islands and Gateway, which is shared with the Mid-Atlantic region. Both are great for birdwatching and hiking along the shorelines.

The Mid-Atlantic has two more: Delaware Water Gap and Gauley River, plus the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. All are great for paddling, although Gauley is more challenging.

Three are in the Pacific Northwest: Lake Chelan, Lake Roosevelt and Ross Lake. All have great lakeside camping.

Three are in the Rocky Mountain region: Bighorn Canyon, Curecanti and Glen Canyon, which is shared with the Western region. Each has great views.

The Western region has four more: Golden Gate, Lake Mead, Santa Monica Mountains and Whiskeytown, each unique.

The Southeast has one: Chattahoochee River, which is great for hiking and maybe tubing near Atlanta. Plus they have the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, which is great for paddling.

And the Southwest region has Amistad, Chickasaw and Lake Meredith, which all take advantage of dams for boating.

Oh, and while the Midwest doesn’t have any NRAs, they do have the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and the Missouri National Recreational River, both with lovely hiking and paddling.

Best of the North Atlantic

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Best Park: Acadia. Wildlife, wilderness, views, varied hiking, boating, camping, forests, mountains, waters. Acadia National Park, above, is the only National Park in the region, the best North Atlantic park in many categories, plus proximity to fresh lobster rolls.

Best State: Massachusetts. Oh, sure, New York has more sites overall, more presidential sites, more historic sites, more Civil Rights sites, more recreation areas, plus 2 world heritage sites, but Massachusetts is still better. Just like the Red Sox are better than the Yankees.

The North Atlantic specializes in history, exemplified by these best-in-class parks.

Best Affiliate: Touro Synagogue.

Best Art: Saint Gaudens.

Best Bicycling: Cape Cod.

Best Forest: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller.

Best Heritage Area: Upper Housatonic.

Best Ranger: Women’s Rights.

Best Trail: Climb Mount Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail.

Best World Heritage Site: Statue of Liberty.

Hidden Gem: New Bedford Whaling.

Read more about all parks in the North Atlantic region.

Vermont in Photos

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I’m wrapping up my park photos for each of the 48 contiguous states this year, just three left in New England, full of childhood memories. Like Connecticut & New Hampshire, Vermont has only one national park unit, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller, a long-protected wooded area. Only one park photo, but the state is well worth celebrating. The Green Mountain State also has parts of the Appalachian and North Country trails and the Champlain Valley heritage area.

Frances Perkins National Monument

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Mainers are tough. While other Americans talk incessantly, wear flashy clothes, and spend every day seeking attention, folks here say little, dress simple and get stuff done. It’s a pleasant sail from Boston to coastal Maine in the summer, downwind and northeasterly or ‘down east’ as the area became known. But the coast is rugged and dramatic, with rocky beaches, serious storms, cold winters and endless forests. Not the place for overly dramatic flights of fancy.

Perkins was tough too. Her family made bricks on their large piece of land overlooking the oyster farms on the Damariscotta River south of Newcastle—a “Slow Village” warns a road sign. An ancestor protested ‘taxation without representation’ and survived having his skull cracked by a ‘lobster back’ redcoat in return. Frances got an exceptional education, saw firsthand the social problems of her time, and buckled down to do the hard work of solving them.

She found social worker allies in alleys, witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, learned the tough politics of Tammany Hall, reinvented herself to join the powerful and got stuff done. She worked on worker safety, health and poverty with two Governors of New York, and was singularly qualified when FDR asked her to be his Secretary of Labor. Frances Perkins was the architect and driving force behind his New Deal, including minimum wage and social security.

Perkins had practical training, the courage of her convictions and a moral authority to improve the lives of those in need, especially during the Great Depression. She did not seek the spotlight, but she wielded more power than any other woman in US history. Have you benefited from having drinking water & clean restrooms at work, a sprinkler system & fire escape, unemployment insurance, or not having to work weekends? Then you should remember and thank Frances Perkins.

Her Brick House family home isn’t open yet, but there are photos & exhibits in the barn. And the walk through the woods and meadow to the river is lovely. With this new park unit I re-complete the North Atlantic region and finish all park units the contiguous 48 states, until the next one is designated.