12/16/2025
Cooler temps. Fewer crowds. Winter magic. Which one would you visit this month? ❄️❄️❄️
1. Mesa Verde National Park (CO)
One of the best-preserved ancestral Puebloan communities in North America, Mesa Verde’s vistas are even more incredible in the snow.
2. Big Bend National Park (TX)
Cooler hiking weather, the desert landscape + canyons + Rio Grande, AND stargazing in winter?? What are you waiting for!
3. Death Valley National Park (CA)
Salt flats backed by snow-capped mountains are a wild contrast not to be missed. The lowest point in North America is surprisingly pleasant in winter.
4. Everglades National Park (FL)
Winter is the peak season for seeing gators, birds, and manatees. For a different view, try a kayak tour. And it’s dryer, so fewer mosquitoes. Need we say more?
5. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (NM)
Caverns stay ~56°F year-round and no summer bat crowds is a win. Carlsbad is one of the largest cave systems on Earth, and it’s not even weather dependent!
Cover: Yellowstone National Park, which just opened for their winter season! Wonderful in the winter, although it requires reservation and advance planning, so visit theparkschannel.com and NPS for more info!
PC:
Yellowstone: NPS Photo/Neal Herbert
Mesa Verde: NPS Photo
Big Bend: NPS Photo/Jennette Jurado
Death Valley: NPS Photo
Everglades: NPS Photo
Carlsbad: NPS Photo/ Peter Jones
