In a nutshell
- The national parks along the US West Coast rank among the most scenically stunning on the planet — and they’re perfect for a road trip.
- We cover the 11 best western US national parks and tell you exactly what highlights to expect at each one — so you won’t miss a thing.
- Our personal favorites are Redwood, Yosemite, and Bryce Canyon — though honestly, every park on this list blew us away.
- The America the Beautiful Pass ($80) pays for itself after just four or five parks — a no-brainer for any multi-park road trip.
Map of Our Top National Parks in the Western US
The western US covers an enormous amount of ground. To help you get your bearings, we’ve put together a map of our top 11 national parks in the western US.
Redwood National Park
- Admission free
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- not overly touristy
Redwood National Park is home to some of the tallest trees in the world, reaching up to 115 meters (377 feet) in height.
Wherever a piece of bark has fallen away, you can immediately see where the park gets its name — the wood really is that deep, rich red.
There’s no real entrance gate or classic highlight spots. Your best bet is to simply drive the Scenic Drive and let the park unfold around you. You’ll find turnoffs for hikes all along the roadside. Do at least one — the rainforest, the enormous ferns, and the wild rivers are seriously stunning.
You can even make your way down to the coast of California, where gorgeous beaches like Gold Bluffs Beach are waiting.
If you’re lucky, you might even spot elk and bears out in the park.
Anyone passing through San Francisco can easily work the Redwoods into a multi-day road trip.
Our hotel pick: View Crest Lodge
Yosemite National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- very touristy
Yosemite National Park is an absolute must on any US West Coast road trip! You’ve surely seen photos of the massive rock faces of Half Dome and El Capitan before — but trust us, nothing prepares you for seeing them in person. And it’s not just the Sierra Nevada mountain range that makes Yosemite so jaw-dropping — the countless waterfalls and giant sequoias add to the magic.
The park is a hiker’s paradise. We did the Mist Trail ourselves and loved every step of it. It’s very manageable even with moderate fitness.
You can also soak up Yosemite’s scenery from the many viewpoints scattered throughout the park. Particularly famous ones include Olmsted Point and Tunnel View. Yosemite also makes a fantastic day trip from San Francisco.
Our hotel pick: Big Creek Inn
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Sequoia National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- very touristy
Sequoia National Park is quite similar to Redwood, though we found it even more impressive. Here, too, you’ll find giant sequoia trees — including the most massive tree in the world, the General Sherman Tree, with a circumference of a whopping 31 meters (102 feet).
The roads in Sequoia are a bit adventurous — lots of switchbacks and very slippery conditions in winter. The payoff is amazing vistas and elevations approaching 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
Along the way there are already some great highlights, like Tunnel Log and Tunnel Rock — where you actually drive your car through a tunnel carved into a fallen tree.
If you’d rather explore on foot and want to see lots of sequoias in a short time, we recommend the Big Trees Trail.
Audio guide for Sequoia National Park
Our hotel pick: Buckeye Tree Lodge
Death Valley
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $30
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- moderately touristy
Death Valley is the park of superlatives: hottest, driest, lowest. The landscapes here are genuinely mind-blowing.
Our absolute standout was Badwater Basin, a vast salt flat reminiscent of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. If you press your ear to the ground, they say you can actually hear the salt crystals cracking.
The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are also absolutely worth a visit — a sweeping dune landscape that feels completely otherworldly.
For viewpoints, we recommend Zabriskie Point and Dante’s View — both outstanding! And you really shouldn’t miss the Artists Drive, where you pass volcanic hills glowing in every color imaginable.
Audio guide for Death Valley
Our hotel pick: Holiday Inn Express
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Grand Canyon National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- very touristy
The Grand Canyon is the most famous park in the American West and a true natural wonder — it’s even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even standing right at the rim, it’s almost impossible to wrap your head around the scale: over 450 kilometers (280 miles) long and up to 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) deep, with the Colorado River snaking right through the middle.
Viewpoints line the roads throughout the park — Mather Point is a great starting spot. If you want to go beyond just gazing from the rim, Grand Canyon Village is the place to book tours: from rafting on the Colorado River and hiking to helicopter flights.
We hiked the Bright Angel Trail all the way down to the Colorado River — a solid 1,600 meters (5,200 feet) of elevation change each way, with a night spent at the bottom.
It was an absolutely incredible experience, but only attempt it if you’re in really good shape and have done your research beforehand.
That said, you can absolutely just hike part of the trail and turn back whenever you’re ready.
Our hotel pick: Grand Canyon Hotel & Suites
Book a sightseeing flight over the Grand Canyon in a small plane
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Antelope Canyon
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds nearby
- Not included in the America the Beautiful Pass, starting at $100
- very touristy
You’ve probably already seen Antelope Canyon all over Instagram. But honestly — we think it’s one of those places that’s even more impressive in person than in any photo.
The canyon walls glow in the sunlight in the deepest shades of red and orange, with shapes that look like they belong on another planet.
Antelope Canyon is no longer an under-the-radar spot. Because it is a sacred site of the Navajo — an Indigenous people — you can only enter with a permit and a guided tour. This keeps visitor numbers in check, and out of respect for Navajo customs, all tours are run exclusively by members of the Navajo Nation.
The park is divided into Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. The Upper is at ground level; the Lower requires you to descend into the canyon itself. We’d strongly recommend the Lower Canyon! If you suffer from claustrophobia, though, the Upper Canyon is the smarter choice.
Book your tickets online well in advance. The lines at the tour counters can get very long.
Our hotel pick: Sleep Inn & Suites Page
Book a tour of Upper Antelope Canyon
Book a tour of Lower Antelope Canyon
Monument Valley
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds nearby
- Not included in the America the Beautiful Pass, $9
- moderately touristy
You may already know Monument Valley from the movies — the landscape has served as a backdrop in countless Western films. Even though it’s not an official national park, it absolutely belongs on this list.
You’re right in the middle of a flat, red desert where enormous rock formations rise up out of nowhere. These giants have some wonderfully creative names: Sitting Hen, Elephant Butte, and Three Sisters.
You can only explore the park by car, as it’s another sacred site of the Navajo. A Scenic Drive winds through the park with plenty of spots to stop and take photos. There’s only one permitted hiking trail — the five-kilometer (3-mile) Wildcat Trail.
One heads-up: the road is a gravel track that’s dusty and full of potholes. Most rental car insurance policies don’t cover unpaved roads either. A guided 4WD tour is a great alternative.
Our hotel pick: Goulding’s Lodge
Book a Jeep tour of Monument Valley with a Navajo guide
Bryce Canyon National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- not overly touristy
Bryce Canyon is one of our personal favorites among the best national parks in the west — not least because it hasn’t been overrun like so many others.
The canyon looks like a giant bowl filled with rock spires up to 60 meters (200 feet) tall. These are called hoodoos, and thanks to oxidized minerals they display gorgeous color gradients — from red, orange, and pink to purple.
You can also descend right into the canyon. The Navajo Trail is a particularly beautiful option, winding past incredible formations like Wall Street and Thor’s Hammer. If you’d rather look down from above, the Rim Walk is a great choice.
Our tip: The colors of Bryce Canyon shine most brilliantly at sunrise. There’s even a dedicated viewpoint for this — Sunrise Point.
Our hotel pick: Happy Trails B&B
Book a guided sightseeing tour of Bryce Canyon
Zion National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- Campgrounds in the park
- very touristy
Zion means something like “sanctuary” — and we can hardly imagine a more beautiful one. Zion National Park sits at the meeting point of three impressive landscapes: the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateaus.
Inside the park you’ll find stunning canyons, massive red sandstone walls that make the lush greenery look even more vivid by contrast, and the winding Virgin River threading through it all.
To protect the environment, you can’t drive your own car through the park during the summer months — shuttle buses run from the Visitor Center instead.
On foot, the park is even more beautiful. Some of the best hikes we’ve ever done are here. The most famous is Angels Landing — but only if you genuinely have no fear of heights. Otherwise, the trail to the Emerald Pools is a fantastic alternative.
Our hotel pick: Red Rock Inn Cottages
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Arches National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $30
- Open year-round
- one campground in the park
- moderately touristy
Arches does exactly what it says on the tin: you’ll find around 2,000 massive stone arches here, formed over millions of years by ice, wind, and rain.
The park’s iconic landmark is the Delicate Arch — the ultimate photo spot. But make sure to also check out Double O Arch, Fiery Furnace, and the North and South Windows.
Personally, we thought Landscape Arch was the coolest — it spans a full 93 meters (305 feet), which is genuinely hard to believe when you’re standing in front of it.
Not an arch, but truly spectacular: Balanced Rock — a boulder perched on a narrow pedestal that looks like it could topple over any second.
The park is great for hiking, with trails of varying lengths leading to all the major arches.
Our hotel pick: Skyfall Guestrooms
Book a rafting tour on the Colorado River
Yellowstone National Park
- included in the America the Beautiful Pass, otherwise $35
- Open year-round
- one campground in the park
- moderately touristy
Yellowstone was the last stop on our American West road trip — and what a grand finale it was! How often do you get stuck in traffic because a herd of bison is blocking the road? Yep, that actually happened to us here.
The most impressive thing about Yellowstone, though, is its hot springs and geysers — and they come in every color and shape imaginable. Rainbow colors, rusty red, azure blue, bright yellow. The most famous is the Old Faithful geyser, which shoots a jet of water up to 60 meters (200 feet) into the air on a remarkably reliable schedule.
Don’t miss a detour to the Mammoth Hot Springs, where water cascades like a giant fountain over terraces of limestone.
Budget a few days for Yellowstone — the park is seriously large and endlessly varied. You’ll keep finding new things around every corner.
Our hotel pick: Crosswinds Inn
Lies auch:
General Tips for Visiting National Parks in the Western US
Here are a few essential tips for planning your trip. Let’s get into it!
Get the America the Beautiful Pass
The America the Beautiful Pass will save you a serious amount of money!
It costs $80 and gives you free admission to almost all national parks in the US for twelve months.
You’ll typically recoup the cost after just four or five parks. Each park charges roughly $20 to $35 for admission, so on a western US road trip it pays for itself very quickly.
You can buy the America the Beautiful Pass online. You’ll receive a voucher that you exchange for the actual pass at the Visitor Center of the first park you visit — or you can buy it directly on-site.
Book accommodations in the national parks well in advance
The number of places to stay inside the national parks is limited, and especially in summer they’re often booked out months ahead. If you want to stay close to the parks rather than driving in from far away, book as early as you possibly can.
If you can’t find anything, guided day tours with transfers are also available from larger cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas — a great option for a road trip through the American West.
From Las Vegas: Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend
From Las Vegas: Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park
From Las Vegas: Day trip to Death Valley
From San Francisco: Day trip to Yosemite National Park
You're still looking for the right hotel on the West Coast of the USA? Then this way.
When is the best time to visit the national parks in the western US?
The ideal time varies from park to park. For a road trip covering multiple parks, though, we recommend planning for the spring and fall months — for example as destinations in May.
In winter, some parks — like Sequoia — get so much snow that certain roads and trails are closed.
In summer, others like Death Valley and the Grand Canyon can get unbearably hot.
How much time should you plan for the western US national parks?
For each park on this list, plan for at least one full day. In larger parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, or the Grand Canyon, you could easily spend three or four days and still keep discovering new viewpoints and hikes.
Book audio guides for the national parks in advance
For some parks, GetYourGuide offers self-guided audio tours — and they’re genuinely useful.
How does it work? Simple: download the app on your smartphone and log in. You get a map of the park plus audio commentary on hiking routes and the park’s history, all tied to your location via GPS.
You can download everything in advance and listen offline. As long as your GPS is working, the app plays only the content that’s relevant to where you are.
We found these tours super handy for driving days in particular.
Audio guide for Yosemite National Park
Audio guide for Sequoia National Park
Audio guide for Arches National Park
Frequently Asked Questions about USA National Parks
What is a permit and do you need one for every national park in the US?
A permit is basically an advance reservation — and yes, you may well need one. Permits can apply to specific hiking trails, roads, or entire national parks.
Since the national parks have gotten increasingly crowded since COVID, many popular parks — including Yosemite, Arches, and Zion — now require one. You apply months in advance at recreation.gov. It typically costs only a few dollars, but the number available is limited, so don’t leave it late.
For the most up-to-date information on whether a specific park requires a permit, check its official NPS website.
Important: Having a hotel reservation has no bearing on the permit — they’re completely separate.
What are the campgrounds in the national parks equipped with?
There are private and public campgrounds. Public ones are run by government institutions and are often located directly within the national park.
They’re further divided into developed and primitive campgrounds. Developed campgrounds have restrooms, water stations, grills, and electricity.
Primitive campgrounds have no infrastructure at all — essentially just areas where you’re legally allowed to pitch a tent. In return, they’re usually free or available for just a few dollars.
Private campgrounds sit outside the national parks and generally offer more amenities, like restaurants and sometimes even pools. Of course, that also means they’re more expensive.
What is a Scenic Drive?
You’ll come across this term constantly at US national parks. A Scenic Drive is simply a particularly beautiful road — almost every park has one, and there are usually viewpoints and photo stops scattered all along the route.
What are the visitor centers in US national parks for?
The Visitor Center is your first stop for information and in emergencies. You can pick up trail maps, get advice on current conditions, and apply for permits for certain hikes. Many Visitor Centers also let you book tours directly on-site.
What should you bring for a hike in the national parks?
What you pack depends on which park you’re visiting and the time of year — but as a general baseline, we’d always recommend bringing:
- Hiking shoes
- Weather-resistant clothing
- Sun protection
- Water bottle
- Map
- Snacks
- Insect repellent
