Looking for the best national parks to visit in February?
February is a great time to visit National Parks if you want the parks to yourself. It’s quiet since the holidays are over, but the weather gives you options to escape the cold or embrace a winter wonderland.
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Last Updated: January 4, 2023
Before we get into it, we want to remind everyone to explore the parks responsibly using the 7 Leave no Trace Principles. Have a plan, stay on established trails, carry out anything you carry in, leave what you find, minimize campfire impact, respect wildlife, and be considerate of others.
About the National Park by month Series
To put together this list, we’ve combined our personal experiences and tips we gathered from locals and cross-referenced them with the weather, accessibility, local forums, other blogs, seasonal attractions like fall foliage or wildflowers, and special events happening in the area. We also considered any unique adventures only offered at certain times of the year to find the most optimal months to visit each National Park. Phew! that was a lot!
It took me a whole week of research, but since I’m a maximizer, it was completely worth having a year-round calendar of adventures (publishing that as soon as we finish this series!). Also, check out our complete list of all the national parks and all national park units that include soon-to-be national parks.
We also chose not to include the hardest-to-access national parks in Alaska and U.S. territories in this series.
National Parks By Month – Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul
Is February a Good Time to Visit National Parks?
Yes! If you’re not trying to visit one specific national park, you can always find one to visit any time of year. February is a great time to visit parks when they are quieter, and we love the parks like Death Valley, which are scorching hot in the summer.
Plan on visiting more than two national parks this year? Pick up an America the Beautiful annual pass to save money (entrance fees to each park are, on average, $30-35 per vehicle). Plus, you are helping support the Parks that always need funding.