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

Time is the biggest challenge when it comes to visiting national parks. Between limited vacation and remote isolated parks it’s not always possible to plan an entire trip around just one park. If you’re someone trying to see as many national parks as you can then you have to be strategic with your planning.

That’s where these 10 national parks to visit when you’re short on time shine. Due to size or location, every one of these parks could be added into a longer road trip or squeezed into a short weekend or included on a trip that typically isn’t a park trip.

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

I chose these 10 parks based on three most important things:

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

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 along sections of Route 66 — visiting a park doesn’t get much easier.

Not only is it a smaller park but Petrified Forest offers a few short hikes and viewpoints right near the interstate. So even if you don’t have the extra time to drive all the way into the park, spending just a few minutes at the Painted Desert Visitor Center or the historic Painted Desert Inn at exit 311 gives you a nice overview of the park.

The Painted Desert Visitor Center (currently closed for remodeling) is where you can watch a park film, visit a restaurant or have lunch in the picnic area. Stroll the short loop walk with interpretive signs. There’s even a gas station onsite.

A visit inside the Painted Desert Inn is like stepping back in time. The former guesthouse has been restored to its 1940’s splendor and features Route 66 history and memorabilia. Picnic at the visitor center and save room for ice cream from cute ice cream parlor at the inn.

If you have time, drive the scenic road through the park. The route takes you through a variety of landscapes and into some of the most unusual features of the park and eventually rejoins Interstate 40 near Holbrook, Arizona. It’s definitely worth the added hour or so on your trip.

• Petrified Forest National Park is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The park operates year-round, closing only on Christmas Day (December 25) and Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November.

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.

The park is popular because not only is it stunning but it’s within driving distance of some of the biggest and most populated areas in the eastern United States. It’s also easily accessible from two main thoroughfares — Interstate 40 and 75 and having six entrances doesn’t hurt either.

If you find yourself in the vicinity of Great Smoky Mountains and you want to drive through some of the park then the north entrance at Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg is the best bet — it’s also the the busiest entrance so avoid weekends.

From this entrance on Highway 441 you can visit the Sugarlands Visitor Center, watch the park film and do some light hiking. Nearby Cataract Falls is a an easy .07mile trail the entire family can enjoy right from the visitor center.

If you’re traveling south on interstate 75 and want to avoid the Gatlinburg entrance altogether, then use the Wear’s Valley entrance and continue on Little River Gorge Road through “the sinks” — a popular picnic and photography spot — exiting through the picturesque town of Townsend to return to the interstate.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Sugarlands is open 9-5 pm in the summer and 9-4:30 pm in winter. Great Smoky Mountains is a fee-free park but you will need a parking tag. Tags can be purchased for $5 at a kiosk or in person.

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

If you find yourself in South Dakota, Badlands National Park is another one of the best national parks to visit when you’re short on time. It’s conveniently located right of Interstate 90 (exit 131) and makes a nice quick stop even if you’re headed to some of the other attractions in the state.

Right inside the park, past the northeast entrance station, you’ll find the Doors Trail. I spent a whole day in the park and this trail was one of my favorites. Thirty minutes to an hour is sufficient for a short hike into what feels like the middle of nowhere. Even on a cloudy day the views are amazing.

Next, stop at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center to watch the park movie and visit the fossil preparation lab where paleontologists study archeological objects found in the park. The visitor center is the perfect spot to take a break and enjoy a snack at a picnic table in the area.

From the visitor center, as you continue on Highway 240, the Fossil Exhibit trail and the Yellow Mounds Overlook are nice locations to see some of the unique geological formations. You can then exit the park via Highway 240 or continue straight on Sagecreek Rim Road for a chance to spot some of the wildlife in the park.

I suggest driving as much as you can of the rim road, It will eventually bring you back to the two lane Highway 44 to Rapid City which should get you on your way.

• Badlands National Park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. However, specific facilities like visitor centers operate on limited seasonal schedules

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a park that surprises you. It’s close to to some of the largest cities in the southwest yet it’s very peaceful and like a world away. No wonder so many people visit it every year.

Located in Southern California — Los Angeles and San Diego are only a couple of hours away. And Phoenix and Las Vegas are just a little over three hours. With entrances on the north and south side, travelers driving either Interstates 10 or 40 can easily access the park.

It’s a rather large park with a lot of backcountry but the way it’s laid out, you can see a good bit in a day or even a half day.

For those traveling I-10, south of Joshua Tree, enter at the Cottonwood Springs entrance. For a quick walk and a chance to see some of the California wildflowers in season, check out the Bajada Nature Trail just inside the park and stop by the Cottonwood visitor center.

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 easy hikes to do in Joshua Tree National Park can easily be done in a short amount of time.

Don’t count out visiting in the hot summer months. Driving Park Boulevard gets you up close to park favorites like Split Rock and Cap Rock. Just make sure you have plenty of water on hand.

Joshua Tree National Park also conveniently has several first come first served camprounds 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 wanting to stay longer.

• Joshua Tree National Park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can enter and exit the park at any time, though individual visitor centers operate on separate daytime schedules

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Because it’s a off the beaten path, North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a one of those parks that’s a little harder to get to. But it’s worth the effort if you find yourself anywhere near this area on I-94. The park is right there off the interstate and easy to navigate.

The Painted Canyon Visitor Center — open May to October — is located at exit 32 on I-94. Just the fact they have Teddy Roosevelt’s shirt he was shot in on display is enough reason the go. Take a break, check out the exhibits, pick up a souvenir and just start at one of the most beautiful views in the country.

There’s also a 36 miles scenic loop that takes approximately 90 minutes to drive, depending on how many stops you make. Don’t miss Prairie Dog Town, where hundreds of prairie dogs live in little colonies. Kids will love it. In fact, you may never get them to leave.

The nearby quaint town of Medora is the perfect overnight stop on a road trip and to visit the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

• Theodore Roosevelt National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. While the park grounds, scenic drives, and outdoor areas never close, the park’s visitor centers operate on limited seasonal schedules, generally opening daily from 9:00 AM to 4:30.

Gateway Arch National Park

I’ll be honest, Gateway Arch National Park is not one of my favorite national parks. Located in St Louis, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Arch is a celebration of the westward expansion in the 1900’s. I like that concept and I’ve always enjoyed seeing the Arch in the distance as you approach the city from the east. But should it be a national park?

Despite this hotly debated subject, you can’t deny that it and St Louis’ location in the middle of the United States serves as pretty ideal road trip stops. The park is right downtown and easy to get to from interstates 70, 64 and 55.

At the Arch, visitors can tour the old courthouse that played an important role in several significant civil rights court cases through the years, browse the park museum or take an elevator to the top of 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.

• The Gateway Arch Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with extended summer hours until 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. The last tram to the top leaves one hour before closing, and the park grounds are open daily from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Shenandoah National Park

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

Skyline Drive — the scenic route through the park sits on top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Everywhere you look are gorgeous panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below.

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

There are so many turnouts and overlooks all along the drive. A couple of my favorites are The Points, Big Meadows and Little Devils Stairs areas.

• Shenandoah National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, key features like Skyline Drive, visitor centers, and facilities have specific seasonal operations and weather-dependent hours

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 the national park 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 indigenous people who lived there.

You can see the landscape changes first hand on several of the short hikes and loop trails in the park. My favorite is the Lava Flow Trail that guides you through the 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.

• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while the Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center is typically open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (with occasional seasonal variations up to 5:00 PM)

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.

• Olympic National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. While you can enter the park at any time, individual visitor centers, specific roads, and campgrounds operate on seasonal schedules and limited daily hours

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, is a pretty simple park to visit when you’re short on time. Surrounded by major highways and urban areas, it’s a natural stop for park lovers passing through Northeast Ohio.

The park is divided into sections and small villages — choose one and explore that area to keep from driving around and backtracking. Learn a bit about the park’s history and pick up a map at the Boston Mill Visitor Center. Or walk the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail — perfect for a short stroll and an introduction to the park’s history and cultural significance.

One of the park’s most popular features is Brandywine Falls — a .2 miles easy walk hike. Fair warning: parking is not easy to find here. We went on a Saturday in autumn — mainly because it was an unexpected visit and were just kind of winging it. If it’s a weekend and you don’t have much time then you probably want to skip this one. Try the Ledges trail instead.

You could also skip driving around and just ride the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. For a more detailed plan, I’m putting together a one-day itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (coming soon) that shows how to make the most of a short visit.

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park is open daily, 24 hours a day. However, specific high-traffic areas and visitor facilities operate on limited daily schedules.

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

To maximize your time even more when visiting national parks, purchase an America the Beautiful Pass ahead of time. The pass is only $80 and covers the entrance fee of the driver and whoever is in the vehicle. It’s good for a year and is accepted at over 2k interagency sites including national forests, BLM public lands and others.

Owning a pass means you can quickly enter the park and some of the large popular parks, like Yellowstone and Zion, even have dedicated lanes at the entrance stations just for pass holders. So it’s even faster to get in. Pick up one today at the USGS store or REI.

Another important tip is to always check the park website on nps.gov where you can get up-to-date info like any park alerts or road closures. Knowing current conditions ahead of time can help you avoid issues that could slow you down or lead to disappointment.

Make the Most of Your Park Visit

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!