Recently updated on January 17th, 2020 at 11:05 pm
If you think you can only visit a national park during the summer season, then think again. Having the benefit of warm temperatures, the parks in Central America and Hawaii can be visited year-round and the winter scenery of many American and Canadian national parks turn into something quite magical. Here are some of our favourites.
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park, located in the state of Maine in the USA is rather versatile; you can find mountains, woodlands and lakes here and it also borders the Atlantic Ocean. It’s perfect for anyone who loves the great outdoors and in winter it offers great opportunities for skiing, snowmobiling and even winter hiking and snowshoeing.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park in the USA is most famous for its geothermal activities and geysers. Visiting this park in winter will offer you stunning views of snow-covered mountains, frozen lakes and steaming geysers. While some animals might be hibernating, you will still be able to spot wildlife, such as elk, bison and, if you’re lucky, the grey wolf.
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest park and is located in the Rocky Mountains. It’s quite a stunner year round, but in the winter its scenery turns into a fairy tale setting. The snow covered mountains, glaciers and ice fields invite many winter sports fan to come and explore the park specifically this time of year, because it’s great for skiing, dogsledding and even ice walking.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
While Hawaii Volcanoes National Park can be visited any time of year, going there in winter time you’ll find fewer tour buses and crowds. There are two active volcanoes within the park; Kilauea and Mauna Loa. It’s a popular destination for ramblers as there are plenty of hiking trails snaking through volcanic craters, scalded deserts and rain-forests. Cruising along the Crater Rim Drive and the Chain of Craters Road offers some spectacular views as well.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is all about the National Parks; more than a quarter of the country is considered a national park, a biological reserve or a wildlife refuge. The most popular among them are Manuel Antonio National Park, Tortuguero National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest. Even though the country doesn’t have a real winter season, the period from mid-November till April is the best time of year to visit as this is considered the dry season.
These parks can be visited on one of our trips. So have a browse on our website and we might see you on one of them soon.