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A National Park for All Seasons
1) Most Popular:
Although Great Smoky National Park sees more visitors year-round than any other park, winter is its lightest tourist time. Besides being especially accessible to East Coasters, the North Carolina-Tennessee scenery is pretty overwhelming even when under a sheath of downy white. Half the winter days have highs in the '50s, and snowfalls usually occur only in the highlands. So grab a scarf and gloves and hit the trails.
2) Hidden Gem:
Most visitors leaving Mesa Verde remark, "Words can't do it justice," or some such phrase. But with the increase in tourists and camera flashes, the impressive ruins have also become impressively harder to appreciate. The park is an archaeological preserve, so hiking is restricted to specific areas, making it feel even more crowded. But in winter, the quietest season, the view from the six-mile Balcony House Loop reveals the ancient Anasazi ruins in all their splendor without the 1,001 other tourists there to spoil the scene. When the powder is good (Note: it can be light in southwestern Colorado, so check before strapping on your skinny skis), Mesa Verde is the ideal place to indulge in some ruin-rich, cross-country skiing.
3) On the Cusp:
It seems only appropriate to see a park called "Glacier" in all its icy-white glory. Glacier National Park's low-country trails take full advantage of Montana's premium white stuff. With whirring snowmobiles banned, the near-soundless swish of cross-country skis rules the land, and wildlife comes out to play. The Autumn Trail leads skiers to the crest of the Continental Divide (and probably a grizzly or two, if they're not too busy snoozing). To avoid traffic and the most bone-chilling temperatures, make the trip in early December or late February, though always check the weather and avalanche reports first.
4) Be Warned:
Winter in Florida's Biscayne National Park sees its fair share of Yankee escapists, but this season certainly isn't the park's finest. The well-renowned Biscayne underwater wonderland is usually choppy and cloudy, and the weather is at its most unpredictable. Save this trip for a season when the peppermint goby and parrotfish are sure to come out to play.
5) Seasonal Cure:
In cold weather, 134 degrees might sound kinda nice if winter's getting you down. Fortunately this Death Valley National Park record high doesn't happen in the winter months; the ominous-sounding park remains comfortably mild for outdoorsmen craving a break from the chill. Death Valley's low-elevation hikes are usually off-limits to summer hikers because of the heat, but in the winter, all 3.4 million acres are fair game. Hike from the country's lowest point—282 feet below sea level—right on up to Telescope Peak for panoramic views of the High Sierra and Death Valley.
Details mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication
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