After visiting nearly 30 national parks solo (and 40 in total), these are some of of my favorites outdoor adventures around U.S.

A woman in black leggings, a sweater and a hat sits on the edge of a canyon taking a picture with a camera on a solo national parks trip.

I took my first solo trip to a national park in the spring of 2021…and then I got obsessed. How obsessed, you ask? Well, by the end of that year, I had visited 14 national parks alone. And then the next year I added on another handful and started a whole second blog to share my love of outdoor adventures.

Sure, a lot of the drive came from the lack of international travel options during the pandemic, but it was also really easy to fall in love with solo travel to national parks once I got the basics down and felt more comfortable.

Believe it or not, I was actually really nervous to take on my first solo road trip to national parks, even though I’d already traveled alone internationally many times. Something about being out on far-flung roads and hiking through remote trails felt very intimidating. But it turns out, national parks are actually pretty perfect for solo trips, when you’re careful and prepared.

Beside the obvious appeal of absolutely breathtaking scenery at some of the most beautiful spots in the U.S., national parks can be great for solo travelers because you can pick how alone you want to be on your trip. Yes, some parks are more remote and some trails are not as safe to tackle on your own, but you can head to popular parks and stick to well-trodden paths if you’re less comfortable in the outdoors (like me). There are also often ranger-led hikes and activities in the parks, and sometimes even guided tours you can book.

On the flip side, if you’re someone with a lot of experience navigating the outdoors alone, there are also tons of places to do that in national parks. I’m more of a stick to safety and only hike alone with others around kind of girl, and the trip recommendations below mostly reflect that.

Please scroll to the end for solo travel safety tips for the national parks!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one or buy something, we might receive a commission for telling you about it, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

A woman in hiking clothes and a jacket sits on a small wooden bridge with fall colored trees behind her on a solo trip to Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park and Coastal Maine

To date, Acadia is one of my favorite solo national parks trips. The coastal Maine scenery with cliffs and lighthouses is unmatched and there are plenty of hikes for every ability level in the park. It’s a busy enough destination that you can easily stick to areas with other people around if that makes you more comfortable, but the carriage roads and more remote sections still provide spots to escape the crowds.

I visited on a solo road trip from Boston to Acadia, stopping at the insanely beautiful Portland Head Light and cute little villages like Kennebunkport, Ogunquit and Boothbay Harbor on the way. Timing the trip for the second half of October meant skipping the summer crowds and catching the leaves changing.

You can follow my Acadia National Park itinerary to plan out your sightseeing and hikes. My favorite spots and activities at Acadia were the Jordan Pond Path (grab a popover from Jordan Pond House while there), Sand Beach, Cadillac Mountain and the quiet carriage roads.

I stayed at the Kimball Terrace Inn in Northeast Harbor because it was cheaper and way less busy than Bar Harbor. I wrote this guide to help you figure out where to stay near Acadia National Park.

A waterfall surrounded by green on a Great Smoky Mountains national park solo trip.

Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah

While Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah national parks can fill an entire itinerary on their own, they also make a really fun pair for a solo road trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll need at least a week for this adventure – two to three days in each park and a couple of days for the scenic drive with hiking stops.

Start with this Great Smoky Mountains itinerary in Tennessee and North Carolina that includes sightseeing in Cades Cove (I spotted bears), hiking to Laurel Falls and Grotto Falls, and watching the sunset from Clingman’s Dome before heading out of the park via Newfound Gap Road. GSMNP is perfect for those new to solo traveling, because the surrounding towns have lots of budget friendly accommodations and you’ll rarely be alone on a trail at the most-visited national park in the country.

If you have lots of extra time, spend a couple of days in Asheville, North Carolina to tour the Biltmore Estate and shop the downtown boutiques before continuing on the 469-mile long Blue Ridge Parkway. There are so many places to stop on the BRP, but definitely mark your map for Crabtree Falls, Grandfather Mountain State Park, Linn Cove Viaduct, Mabry Mill, Craggy Gardens and the Folk Art Center.

The BRP route ends at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, where the Skyline Drive takes over with its many scenic lookouts. On my solo trip to Shenandoah, I loved hiking to Dark Hollow Falls and Stony Man. The Old Rag summit is the strenuous bucket list trail in this park (I haven’t done it yet) that requires a permit, but it’s popular enough that there will probably be other hikers around even if you take it on solo.

New River Gorge National Park

I actually spent an entire month solo traveling in West Virginia, and New River Gorge National Park is just one of many scenic places in the state I’d recommend (the state parks are also incredible). The park is ideal for a solo national parks trip, though – there are easy and moderate trails, you can see a lot in a couple of days, and you can join groups for activities like paddling on the rapids or crossing the famous bridge walk.

I spent about three days in the national park and a couple of neighboring state parks and recommend starting at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center view of the New River Gorge Bridge before heading to the Endless Wall Trail and Long Point Trail (both offer beautiful river views). The Grandview area had my favorite lookout of a dramatic bend in the river and the remote Thurmond ghost town is a fun excursion.

Pop into nearby Hawks Nest State Park for boat rides and more elevated river views and Babcock State Park to see the Glade Creek Gristmill. I stayed in the Beckley-Beaver area toward the southern end of the park because I found more affordable hotels and amenities in that area.

These are all the things I did on my New River Gorge solo trip.

A woman in hiking clothes and a ballcap stands in front of a colorful rock mountain in Big Bend National Park.

Texas and New Mexico Parks

Road tripping to all four national parks in Texas and New Mexico is one of the more intimidating solo trips I’ve done, mostly because it’s so remote. A couple of the parks are pretty simple to visit alone, but others have some hikes that are more risky to take on solo unless you’re very experienced.

I started my trip at Big Bend National Park in Texas, glamping in Terlingua and solo hiking the Window View, Lost Mine, Santa Elena Canyon and Boquillas Canyon trails. I continued the southwest Texas road trip through Marfa and El Paso into New Mexico, where I spent about a half day each exploring the dunes at White Sands National Park and the cave at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

The final leg of the trip was Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to the highest peak in Texas at 8,751 feet. The strenuous, 8.4-mile trek to the summit felt a little risky to take on solo, so I timed my visit to meet up with a ladies hiking group from Houston. I did tackle a couple of other hikes solo, including the Pine Springs Trail to Devil’s Hall, which is a can’t miss!

A blue thermal lake surrounded by orange and white landscape on a Yellowstone National Park solo vacation.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Yellowstone and Grand Teton pair so well for a solo road trip to Wyoming national parks. The parks are both stunning – Yellowstone with its otherworldly thermal features and Grand Teton with its perfectly pointy mountains.

I started my trip driving into Yellowstone on the Beartooth Highway, probably the most scenic route I’ve ever taken, and spent four days exploring the upper and lower Grand Loop Road. I loved walking through the Norris Geyser Basin, checking out the different waterfall viewpoints at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, watching elk and bison in the Hayden Valley, and hiking to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook. You can grab my Yellowstone itinerary here.

Exiting the park to the south leads right to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. The Lodge at Jackson Hole made the perfect base for three days in this area, where you can take in mountain views from historic Mormon Row and Schwabacher Landing, drive to the summit of Signal Mountain, and hike to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point and Taggart lake. My full Jackson Hole itinerary has a day-by-day guide.

Since I was a little nervous hiking solo in grizzly bear country for the first time on this trip, I opted to stick to popular trails with lots of people around and carried bear spray to be safe. Both of these parks are actually pretty easy to sightsee in without much hiking at all, with scenic drives, lookouts and boardwalks.

I stayed at the The Lodge at Jackson Hole outside of Grand Teton National Park, which had a beautiful indoor-outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna.

A woman in blue hiking clothes stands on a rock looking out at a landscape of colorful rocky hills.

Death Valley National Park

Despite the intimidating name, Death Valley National Park felt pretty safe for a solo trip, especially during the winter season when I didn’t have to worry about dangerous temperatures. The park on the border of California and Nevada is home to the lowest point in North America (Badwater Basin) and the hottest place on Earth (the record was set at Furnace Creek in 1913).

It’s also full of incredible desert landscapes, from sand dunes and salt flats to rocky hills streaked with vibrant colors from volcanic deposits. I drove here from Las Vegas and spent about three days exploring, snapping photos from Dante’s View and Zabriskie Point, hiking in the Golden Canyon and Red Cathedral, cruising Artists Drive to Artists Palette, walking through the Badwater Basin, and driving out to the Ubehebe Crater.

My motel accommodations in Beatty were a little run down (the town is just super remote with donkeys wandering around), but I never actually encountered anything dangerous. Just take normal precautions like making sure someone knows your itinerary and having a full tank of gas and emergency supplies before heading into the park and on the lonely road between Death Valley and Las Vegas.

Use this Death Valley itinerary to help you plan!

A woman in a red dress stands on a sand dune in Colorado

Colorado National Parks Road Trip

If you’re visiting Colorado national parks solo, I recommend either doing one big road trip to all four – Rocky Mountains, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon – or splitting it into Rocky Mountains on one trip and the other three together.

I decided to do a big road trip over eight days, though longer would be better if you want to spend time in Denver or Colorado Springs. On my solo road trip in Colorado, I made a loop starting in Denver and headed to Great Sand Dunes for about half a day of hiking, Mesa Verde for a full day to tour the ancient cliff dwellings, the Million Dollar Highway through the San Juan Mountains, Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s south rim for about a day of short trails and rim views, Colorado National Monument for a scenic drive, and finally, Rocky Mountain for about three days of exploring.

This is a great national parks trip even for newbie solo travelers. Even though most of the parks feel pretty remote, they’re fairly simple to visit alone and you can enjoy them with a blend of easy hikes, scenic drives and tours (in the case of Mesa Verde). There are some hikes at Rocky Mountain National Park in particular that I would rather do with a group, but the more popular trails work if you’re still comfortable with solo hiking. I hiked alone in the Bear Lake Road corridor, where there are always a lot of people around.

My Colorado road trip guide shows you exactly how to do this route.

I have to recommend the hotel I stayed at in Estes Park, Discovery Lodge, because the local elk herd gathered in a field right by the property and were so fun to watch!

A woman wearing hiking leggings and a sweater sits on a rock taking a picture or orange rock formations at Arches National Park.

Southwest National Parks Road Trip

A road trip to Utah and Arizona was the first big solo national parks trip I took on. I had already visited the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon previously, but I added on Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon North Rim in Arizona and Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef national parks in Utah for my two-week road trip. I also stopped at a couple of state parks and national monuments.

This is such a beautiful part of the country with endless things to see, so I recommend following an itinerary like this one to make sure you catch the highlights on your first trip.

On my solo Southwest road trip, I flew into Phoenix and headed up to Petrified Forest for some short hikes and a scenic drive through the Painted Desert before crossing through Monument Valley and into Utah to Goosenecks State Park. I stopped by the scenic and uncrowded Natural Bridges National Monument on the way to Moab to hike in Arches National Park (Devil’s Garden Trail was my favorite) and the Islands in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park (don’t skip the Grand Viewpoint hike).

The rest of my Utah road took me to Goblin Valley State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, the scenic Highway 12 drive, Singing Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and Zion National Park. After that, it was back into Arizona for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the town of Page (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon are big here), and finally, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

A woman in a plaid jacket and beanie sits on a rock on a lake at Acadia National Park solo.

Safety Tips for Solo National Park Trips

Despite having an absolutely epic time on my first big solo national parks adventure, the road trip actually had a lot of hiccups, including a flat tire in the middle of the desert, getting semi-lost on a trail at dusk (completely my fault), and an unsettling encounter with a grown man that made me change a night of car camping plans at the last minute. Like any solo trip, national park adventures have hazards, and it’s important to have backup plans and safety measures in place. Women especially and unfortunately have to be extra cautious, since we have to worry about both the man and the bear.

I don’t like to scare anyone away from traveling alone in national parks, but also, bad things have happened to females traveling alone, and it’s important to be prepared and cautious. These are some of my basic tips, but please also read this guide to hiking smart in national parks and don’t just go without a plan, especially if you’re inexperienced in the outdoors.

Research, plan and check conditions: Before even heading out, make sure you know everything you can about the parks you plan to visit and what you may encounter. Stay up to date on the weather, map out your hikes and have a plan for where you will sleep every night. Check the National Park Service site before heading out each day for info on closures or hazards.
Note park phone numbers: Save the ranger number for parks in your phone in case you get into trouble on a trail and need help. You can also dial 911 in an emergency and oftentimes get through even when you have little to no service.
Share your travel itinerary: Before you leave, make sure someone back home knows your plans and check in with someone before and after heading out on hikes if possible (sometimes service issues make this challenging).
Carry the 10 essentials, always: No matter how short the hike, make sure you have the 10 essentials with you, including food, water, a first-aid kit and a light source. I also recommend a satellite device like a Garmin inReach if you plan on a lot of solo hiking. I typically also carry a portable charging device for my phone.

Shop for a Garmin inReach

Practice wildlife safety: In some parks, you may need to carry bear spray. It’s important to look up what the predators are in each park and what to do should you encounter one.

Download maps: Before any trip, I download offline maps for where I’m going and AllTrails maps for the trails I plan to hike. This has come in handy more times than I can count when I don’t have service in the outdoors.
Plan solo hikes: Only hike trails that feel safe to do alone, which can vary widely on your skill and experience level. Almost every national park has activities other than hiking, so don’t think you can’t visit a park if you’re uncomfortable hiking alone. Start small on short paths near the visitor center and work up to easy and moderate trails that are well-trafficked before heading out on bigger adventures.

A woman stands on a pile of rocks next to a market signifying a mountain peak at the highest point in Texas on Guadalupe Mountain

All of the National Parks I’ve Visited Solo So Far

I’ve visited nearly 30 national parks solo so far and there aren’t really any that I would caution you away from. Check out my list and the guides below to help plan your solo national parks trips!

Congaree National Park in South Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee/North Carolina

Acadia National Park in Maine

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky

Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas

Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio

Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana

Big Bend National Park in Texas

Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas

White Sands National Park in New Mexico