The Best National Parks to Visit in the Summer (with 5 Itineraries!)

Photos of mountains, lakes, a bridge, and a fern with the text The Best National Parks to visit in the Summer with Itineraries — A few of the best places to visit in national parks in the summer! Clockwise from lower right: Fern along the Ossagon Trail in Redwood National Park, Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Boardwalk along the old Ohio & Erie Canal Path in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Glacier Bay National Park, a hiker near Bullhead Lake in Glacier National Park, and wildflowers in Glacier Basin in Mount Rainier National Park.

Perhaps I should call this post National Parks Best Visited in Summer, because most parks can be visited in the summer (though you might die of heatstroke in the process, or maybe get trampled by the crowds). So in this post, I’ll be telling you about the best national parks to visit in the months of June, July, and August. At the end, I’ll also give some suggested itineraries for visiting National Parks in the summer!

DISCLAIMER: These suggestions are generalizations. Look up your own weather and research to make sure everything you want to visit (especially roads and trails) will be open, to check timed entry or permit regulations, to check current conditions, etc., and remember to travel at your own risk.

Note that “peak visitation” varies for each park. Just because the largest number of visitors arrive at a certain time doesn’t mean the park is overcrowded (some of the Alaskan parks, for example), and non-peak visitation months may still be crowded in other parks (Arches and Joshua Tree, for example). Local special events may also impact current crowd levels, including autumn leaf peeping, superblooms, or migration cycles.

National Parks to Visit in the Summer (June, July, and August)

Purple lupine flowers in green bushes in front of a blue lake rimmed with ice surrounded by mountains — Hidden Lake from Hidden Lake Pass, North Cascades National Park, Washington

Parks with Notes

Acadia (will be hot and crowded July & August)

Katmai (peak visitation in July & August)

American Samoa (peak visitation in July &August)

Channel Islands (peak visitation in July & August)

Isle Royale (peak visitation in July & August)

Kobuk Valley (peak visitation in August)

Mount Rainier (roads, trails may not open until July; peak visitation in July & August)

North Cascades (roads, trails may not open until July; peak visitation in July & August)

Rocky Mountain (August – and July – has daily afternoon monsoons)

Reflections in a lake of mountains bordered by trees — Reflections in String Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Parks with Peak Visitation in June, July, and August (but still worth visiting!)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (likely will not be overcrowded)

Crater Lake

Cuyahoga Valley

Denali

Gates of the Arctic

Glacier Bay

Glacier

Grand Teton

Indiana Dunes

Katmai (likely will not be overcrowded)

Kings Canyon

Kenai Fjords

Lake Clark (likely will not be overcrowded)

New River Gorge (likely will not be overcrowded)

Olympic

Redwood

Sequoia

Voyageurs (mosquitoes can be fierce, especially in June)

Wrangell-St. Elias

Yellowstone

Yosemite

Summer National Park Itineraries

Four photos of a sunstar in a forest, a mountain, the ocean with cliffs, and a waterfall and Half Dome — Clockwise from upper left: Sunstar in Redwood National Park, Hikers on the Cinder Cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park, Channel Islands National Park, and Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park

California Road Trip

Summer is warm for driving between the destinations, but these parks are either in the mountains or along the coast, which dramatically cools the weather. I’ve done several trips to California in the summer, and it’s a fantastic time to hike in the region.

Fly into Los Angeles

Channel Islands (1 day)

Travel (0.5 days)

Sequoia (2.5 days)

Kings Canyon (2 days)

Yosemite (4 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Lassen Volcanic (2 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Redwood (1 day)

Travel to San Francisco (0.5 days) or Las Angeles (1 day)

That’s 15 days (yikes!), so you can easily cut days from Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Lassen, or even Yosemite if you need to do so. Or make the trek into two trips – one to Channel Islands, Lassen, and Redwood, and the other to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite.

Want to minimize driving? Fly into Fresno or San Francisco (cheaper) and spend your time in Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and (especially) Yosemite.

Four photos of a mountain reflected in a lake, a bison, a hiker dressed in pink in a meadow looking at a mountain, and the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring — Clockwise from upper left: Reflections in Leigh Lake in Grand Teton National Park, A bison along the Fountain Flat Freight Road in Yellowstone National Park, a hiker between Red Rock Falls and Bullhead Lake in Glacier National Park, and the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park

Rocky Mountain Road Trip

While all of these parks are technically in the Rocky Mountains, there is a long distance between each one! Take your time in each of the main parks (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier), especially if you enjoy hiking.

Fly into Denver

Drive to Rocky Mountain (0.25 days)

Rocky Mountain (2 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison (0.5-1 day)

Travel (1 day)

Grand Teton (2 days)

Yellowstone (4 days)

Travel (1 day)

Glacier (4 days)

Fly out of Kalispell, MT, or Spokane (OR drive a very long day back to Denver)

Again, you’re talking about 15 days here. If you’re on a time clock, definitely skip Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Other options are to fly into Salt Lake City and head straight up to Grand Teton, or leave Glacier for another trip. You can also cut a day in Grand Teton, take 1-2 days off Yellowstone (I don’t recommend cutting back too much as the park is huge with so much to see), and make Glacier only 2 days.

Want to minimize driving? Spend your time in Yellowstone and Grand Teton (using Bozeman, MT as your airport).

Four photos of a reflection of a volcano in Crater Lake, a snowy mountain with pink wildflowers, a rain forest, and stones beside pink wildflowers — Clockwise from upper left: Crater Lake National Park, Mount Rainier from First Burroughs Mountain, rainforest on the way to Third Beach in Olympic National Park, and wildflowers in Cascade Pass in North Cascades National Park

Washington/Oregon Road Trip

Some of my favorite mountain views are in Washington! However, these parks also tend to require more hiking (especially North Cascades, where the hikes tend to be grueling but very rewarding in terms of views). Note that some of the hikes (especially in North Cascades and on Mount Rainier) may not open before mid-July.

Fly into Seattle, WA

Travel (0.25 days)

North Cascades (2.25 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Olympic (3-4 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Mount Rainier (3 days)

Travel (0.75 days)

Crater Lake (2.25 days)

Fly out of Portland, OR (0.5 days)

This itinerary is approximately 13 days. For a shorter itinerary, leave off Crater Lake and fly out of Seattle.

Want to minimize driving? Don’t do Crater Lake. You can spend a week in Olympic to really minimize driving, or don’t visit one of the other three parks (North Cascades, Olympic, Mount Rainier).

Four photos of a sunset over a lake, a waterfall, a canoe paddle in a lake, and a rocky shoreline of a lake — Clockwise from upper left: Sunset at Indiana Dunes National Park, Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, canoeing on Kabetogama Lake in Voyageurs National Park, and a rocky shoreline in Isle Royale National Park

Great Lakes & Vicinity Road Trip

This trip is definitely different from the other itineraries in this post. Bring your bike, canoe, and/or kayak as well as your hiking boots.

Fly into Cleveland, OH, Airport

Cuyahoga Valley (2 days)

Travel (0.5 days)

Indiana Dunes (1 day)

Travel (1 day)

Isle Royale (1 day)

Travel (0.75 days)

Voyageurs (2.25 days)

Travel to fly out of International Falls (short distance) or Minneapolis-St. Paul (0.5 days)

This is the shortest itinerary on the list at only about 9 days. However, the parks have less to offer than some of the Western parks, so you’ll spend less time and each one and more time driving between the parks. This gives you the opportunity to check out quaint towns and rural landscapes along the way.

Want to minimize driving? Spend your time at Cuyahoga Valley and Indiana Dunes (or just visit Voyageurs if you love paddling!)