10 Cheap but Amazing National Parks

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah

I recently came across a Yahoo! Travel article about the least-visited national parks in the United States. I had never thought too much before about how many national parks there are and how few of them I had visited. I also never considered the fact that some of the least-visited national parks may also be the cheapest to visit. They are still amazing to see but they are much more affordable than places like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

The ten parks listed in the article were:

1. Biscayne National Park in Florida.
2. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.
3. Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.
4. Channel Islands National Park in California.
5. Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
6. Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
7. Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.
8. North Cascades National Park in Washington.
9. Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
10. Wrangell-St.Elias National Park in Alaska.

These national parks seem to be much more affordable than the most popular parks that people visit. For example, the entrance fee for Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is only $3 per person or $5 per vehicle (and the vehicle pass is good for a full week). In contrast, many of the nation’s most popular national parks costs $20 per vehicle for single-day-use only.

It’s understandable why the big national parks cost so much. With hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, they have to charge fees to keep the area clean and pristine. Plus the prices deter some people from visiting which is sad but does help control the problem of overcrowding. It’s nice to know, though, that there are some really amazing parks to visit that are still very affordable for families on a budget.

Of course, some of these are going to be more affordable than others for families to visit. For example, a family living on the East Coast may find it much cheaper to travel to Florida or South Carolina than to get to Alaska. Also, lodging may be cheaper in some areas than others if you’re going to need to find a hotel near the parks. Nevertheless, these are all stunning places that really seem worth looking into more carefully.

Have you ever been to any of these national parks? Would you recommend them for family travel?
If you like this please share it: