10 Best National Parks to Visit When You’re Short on Time

Time is often the biggest challenge when it comes to visiting national parks. Between limited vacation days and busy schedules, it’s not always possible to plan an entire trip around just one park. That’s where these 10 national parks to visit when you’re short on time shine.

These parks are the kind you can visit while heading somewhere else, add onto an existing road trip or squeeze into a short window without feeling rushed. If you’re like me and want to see as many national parks as possible, knowing which ones are easy to experience in a short amount of time can make all the difference.

This article contains affiliate links. That means I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you book or buy something from a link I share. This keeps Southerner Says online and on the road. Thank you for your support.

Best National Parks to Visit When You’re Short on Time

There are a few key reasons I chose these parks. Each one is easy to visit even when time is extremely limited or when you’re simply passing through. My list is based on three main factors:

• The national park is easy to get to, often located near major routes or cities
• It’s simple to get around once you’re inside the park
• There are meaningful things to see and do, even if you only have a short amount of time

If you are planning a road trip in the United States then, any one of these easy to get to national parks could be included. And to help you keep up with national park visits, I also created a national parks checklist you can download.

Now for the list.

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park with its petrified wood, colorful buttes and ancient petroglyphs is one of the best national parks to visit when you’re short on time. Conveniently located right off Interstate 40 in Arizona – a popular cross-country road trip route with sections of Route 66 intact, visiting couldn’t be easier.

In addition to being on the smaller side, Petrified Forest offers a few short hikes and viewpoints right near the interstate and even travelers in a rush can spare some time to stop into the Painted Desert visitor center or the historic Painted Desert Inn at exit 311.

The Inn features murals and a museum of Route 66 relics. Plus, there are walking trails and overlooks that have some of the best views of the Painted Desert. At the visitor center, guests can watch a park film, visit the restaurant, or even have a picnic lunch after strolling the short loop walk with interpretive signs. You can even gas up your vehicle.

If you have a little more time, then drive the park’s scenic drive. This route takes you south through a unique variety of different landscapes and features, allowing you to rejoin Interstate 40 in Holbrook.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park or just “the Smokies” to pretty much everyone in the south, receives over 12 million visitors a year. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, it’s the most visited park in the country.

One reason for that is because it’s within driving distance of some of the biggest and most populated areas in the eastern United States. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is easy to access due to the six entrances. Additionally, the park has three visitor centers, plenty of scenic drives with hundreds of turnouts, viewpoints and picnic spots.

Because it’s easily accessible from interstates 40 east and west and 75 north and south, the north entrance at Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg is the busiest entrance. If you are traveling one those routes and are looking to drive through the park, you can exit the interstate and enter at the Sugarlands entrance.

Browse the Sugarlands visitor center and watch the park film. And get a preview of the park by hiking right from the visitor center. Cataract Falls is a an easy .07mile trail the whole family can enjoy.

If you are traveling south on interstate 75 and want to avoid the Gatlinburg entrance altogether, then enter at the Wear’s Valley entrance and continue on Little River Gorge Road through “the sinks”, a popular picnic and photography spot. Then exit in the picturesque town Townsend to eventually return to the interstate.

Badlands National Park: a Good National Parks to Visit When You’re Short on Time

Badlands National Park located in South Dakota is another one of the best national parks to visit when you’re short on time. It’s conveniently situated right off Interstate 90 at exit 131. Badlands is a great stop even if you are on you’re way to somewhere else and don’t have a lot of time.

As you enter the park at the northeast entrance station on Hwy 240, the Doors Trail is one of the first places you come to. Stop and take a short hike into what feels like the middle of nowhere. The views here are amazing!

After a short hike, stop at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to watch the park movie and visit the fossil preparation lab to observe paleontologists studying archeological objects found in the park. Additionally, the visitor center is an ideal spot to take a break and enjoy a snack at one of the picnic tables in the area.

From the visitor center, as you continue on Hwy 240, stop at the Fossil Exhibit trail and the Yellow Mounds Overlook. You can then exit the park via Hwy 240 or if you have more time, continue straight on Sagecreek Rim Road for a chance to spot wildlife in the park.

If you don’t have time to drive the entire length of the rim road, you can exit it early to get back on Hwy 240. Continuing on the rim road will eventually back bring you to the two lane highway 44 to Rapid City.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a rugged yet peaceful park in the national park system. Which is kind of surprising given it’s the proximity to some of the largest cities in the southwest.

Located in Southern California – Los Angeles and San Diego are only a couple of hours away. Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada are just a little over three hours. Travelers driving either Interstate 10 or 40 can easily get into the park.

Being close to major interstates makes Joshua Tree a great day trip park or a park to visit when you don’t have a lot of time. It’s a rather large park but the way it’s laid out, you can see plenty in a day or even a half day. Or drive through during the hot summer months.

For those traveling I-10 in the south, enter at the Cottonwood Springs entrance. For a quick stroll and a chance to see wildflowers in season, walk the Bajada Nature Trail.

From I-40, or Route 66, drive through Amboy and enter at the Twenty Nine Palms entrance. Skull Rock, Hidden Valley Nature Trail or one of the other many easy hikes to do in Joshua Tree National Park are waiting to be explored.

Joshua Tree National Park also conveniently has plenty first come first served camping if you want to break up your trip and spend the night in the park. With it’s beautiful sunsets and dark skies, you’ll be wishing you had more time.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Because it’s a little off the beaten path, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a one of those parks that’s a little harder to get to. But if you happen to be passing through this area of North Dakota on I-94, the park is easy to get to and get around in once you are there.

To see a little of the park, the Painted Canyon Visitor Center – open May to October – is located right off exit 32 on I-94. Take a break here and check out the exhibits, pick up a souvenir or have a picnic lunch with one of the most beautiful views in the country.

Inside the park, you’ll have a chance to see some of the abundant wildlife and you don’t want to miss Prairie Dog Town, where hundreds of prairie dogs live in colonies. Kids will love this area. In fact, you may never get them to leave.

There’s also a 36 miles scenic loop that takes approximately 90 minutes to drive, depending on how many stops you make. The nearby charming town of Medora is the perfect overnight stop on a road trip.

Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park, located in St Louis, Missouri, celebrates the United States and it’s westward expansion in the 1900’s. A relatively new national park, the Gateway Arch is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. It’s exciting to see it from miles away as you approach the city from the east.

The Arch – and St Louis in general – are terrific road trip stops. The park is located right downtown and easy to get to from interstates 70, 64 and 55. In addition to the Arch and a elevator to the top, visitors can visit the old courthouse that played an important role in several significant civil rights court cases through the years.

Browse the park museum and, for a different view of the Arch, take a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi or even a helicopter ride over the Arch. Even if you are really in a hurry, just being able to walk around the Arch makes it one of the best national parks to visit when you’re short on time.

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park is the go-to national park for fall colors in the south. It’s also a convenient national park to visit when you’re short on time. Located in Virginia, adjacent to Interstate-81, with some planning, you can hop on and drive what you have time for and then jump back on the interstate.

The scenic drive through the park is Skyline Drive. The road actually sits on top of the Blue Ridge Mountains so everywhere you look are gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below.

Skyline Drive starts at Rockfish Gap off of I-64. (This is also the northern starting point of the Blue Ridge Parkway). You could enter the drive here and then exit at Luray, Virginia if you’re really short on time. Or to drive the entire parkway continue on to Front Royal, Virginia. From there you can easily access the interstate again.

There are plentiful turnouts and overlooks all along Skyline Drive. A couple of my favorites are The Points, Big Meadows and Little Devils Stairs areas. The drive is open all year, weather and construction permitting.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

If volcanoes, cinder cones and lava are your thing, then Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument near Flagstaff, AZ on Interstate 40 park is definitely for you.

As volcano eruptions go, Sunset Crater Volcano is the youngest volcano in Arizona’s San Francisco peaks. The eruption, around 1085, completely changed the landscape and the lives of the people who lived there.

Visitors can see those landscape changes first hand on several short hikes and loop trails in the park. One of my favorites is the Lava Flow Trail that takes visitors across a lava field on a paved walkway. There are plenty of other short trails suitable for a day or even a half day of exploring.

Flagstaff has a few other park units, like Walnut Canyon National Monument and Wupatki National Monument nearby. And it makes a great base for exploring Sedona or a good stopping over point to spend the night on an I-40 road trip.

Olympic National Park

The next contender for national parks to visit when you’re short on time comes from my friend Mike Novak of 52 Hikes With Mike. Mike, a quester, weekend explorer and like so many of us – is attempting to visit all the national parks.

One of his favorite parks to visit is Olympic National Park. He recently moved to Washington and all the suggestions – and the gorgeous photos – are courtesy of him.

Olympic National Park is located in Washington, right outside Seattle. It’s easy to get to, off of Interstate 5. Taking the famous Hwy 101 around the Olympic Peninsula will offer great view into the options of the gorgeousness available.

See a brown sign and make a turn. You don’t even need a backpack. However, there are no roads through the park and in some areas there are only forest service roads so it definitely helps to have a plan to take advantage of the park. Mike’s other suggestions for visiting Olympic are:

For hikes: there are PLENTY of short hikes that allow you to see great things. In the Lake Cresent/Mt. Storm King area, visit Marymere Falls. This fern lined and tree covered trail takes you into the forest far enough away from the road but not far enough to take all day. 

Over at the Sol Duc area, wind back on the beautiful drive along the river and find the trailhead to take you to the falls. 

For the beach views: make a stop at Ruby Beach along the coast of the Olympic Peninsula. This beach offers cool breezes, crashing waves, and endless piles of driftwood to climb over. 

The Tree of Life is another popular spot along the beaches of Olympic National Park, and can be found near the Kalaloch Campground.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, located between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, is one of the easiest national parks to visit when you’re short on time. Surrounded by major highways and urban areas, it’s a natural stop for travelers passing through Northeast Ohio.

Unlike many national parks, Cuyahoga Valley is spread out but simple to navigate, with short trails, scenic overlooks and highlights located close to parking areas. Enjoy a quick walk to Brandywine Falls, one of the park’s most popular and accessible sights – or explore sections of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

The Boston Mill Visitor Center, where you can pick up maps, learn about the park’s history, and walk along the historic canal is perfect for a short stroll and an introduction to the park’s landscape and cultural significance.

If you have a little more time, consider driving through the valley or riding the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, For a more detailed plan, I’ve also put together a one-day itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (coming soon) that shows how to make the most of a short visit.

Tips For Visiting National Parks When You’re Short on Time

One of the most helpful things you can if you are visiting national parks when you’re short on time is to purchase an America the Beautiful Pass pass before you arrive at the park.

This park pass costs $80 and covers your entrance fee, and whoever is in the vehicle with you for a year, at over 2k interagency sites. This includes national parks, national forests, BLM properties and many others.

Many of the large popular national parks, like Yellowstone and Zion, even have dedicated lanes at the entrance stations for pass holders. So it’s even quicker to get in the park. Pick up one today at the USGS store or REI or at the park you are visiting.

Another tip is to always check the park page on nps.gov before you visit. The park website has important info like park alerts or closures. Knowing current conditions and ahead of time can help you avoid potential issues that could slow you down.

So, the next time you head out on a road trip or vacation, know that with a bit of planning and preparation, there are national parks you can visit when you’re short on time.

See you on the road!