Best US National Parks in Winter, From Woman Who’s Visited All of Them

Summer heat in Death Valley National Park can be downright dangerous — with high temperatures soaring to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why visiting in the winter is generally the best idea.

The mild weather often means the park is busier, but its vastness ensures that it seldom feels crowded. Warm days also make hiking, exploring the dunes, or wandering the Badwater Basin salt flats more comfortable. Plus, sunrise at Zabriskie Point is unforgettable.

In my opinion, winter is the best time to take in the park’s scale, quiet, and otherworldly beauty without battling the summer heat.

Winter is a popular time to visit Florida, but as long as you book the seaplane or ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park in advance, getting there is fairly easy.

The winter weather is perfect for snorkeling, swimming, and exploring Fort Jefferson, and the island feels like a tropical getaway, even though you’re just about 70 miles west of Key West.

Winter is a great time to visit the otherworldly White Sands National Park in New Mexico.

The cooler winter days make hiking, sledding the dunes, and exploring the gypsum landscape much more enjoyable, and at night, the dark desert skies are incredible for stargazing.

Sunrise and sunset cast a warm glow across the sands — a bucket-list sight and reason to visit any time of year — but are especially lovely in winter, when crowds are lessened, and temperatures drop.

I’ve found the cooler winter weather makes exploring iconic sites in Joshua Tree National Park, like Skull Rock and the Cholla Cactus Garden, much more enjoyable.

For example, I’ve visited at the end of May, but it was already too hot for me to spend much time hiking (temperatures are typically around 100 degrees in the summer). However, I found subsequent visits between January and March to be much more comfortable.

Nights are crisp and perfect for stargazing, and the park feels peaceful and expansive. I love taking in the unusual landscapes, hiking, and driving through the iconic Joshua trees without the summer heat.

When I visited Big Bend National Park in the summer, I had to finish hiking by mid-morning, as temperatures on the desert floor can already exceed 100 degrees.

However, the cooler winter weather makes admiring the Rio Grande and hiking the Chisos Mountains much more enjoyable.

Plus, the park is enormous, so even in high season it never feels crowded. Between the canyons, rivers, and Chihuahuan desert, winter, in my opinion, is the best time to take in everything that makes Big Bend feel so special and untouched.

Virgin Islands National Park is the perfect winter escape for a Caribbean getaway that doesn’t require a US passport. The beaches are gorgeous, the water is calm for snorkeling, and trails wind through lush forest.

The warm winter weather makes it easy to explore, swim, and just soak up the sun, giving you an authentic island experience in the US Virgin Islands.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, located on the Big Island, is fantastic to explore in the winter months.

The cooler weather makes hiking through lava fields, the popular Nāhuku (formerly known as the Thurston Lava Tube), or seeing the Halema’uma’u Crater much more fun.

The trails and roads here wind through tropical forest and striking volcanic landscapes, and the mix of greenery and molten rock gives the park a completely otherworldly feel.

Like many of these parks, winter is a busier season at Saguaro due to its milder temperatures. But in my experience, it never feels too crowded.

The park’s winter temperatures average around 65 degrees during the day, making hiking among the towering, iconic saguaros, wandering desert trails, or spotting wildlife much more enjoyable without the summer heat.