Best U.S. National Parks for Soft-Adventure Travel
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Few travel experiences are as closely associated with the American outdoors as a visit to a national park. From the geysers of Yellowstone to the granite cliffs of Yosemite and the subtropical wetlands of the Everglades, the nation's 63 national parks preserve some of the country's most recognizable landscapes while giving millions of visitors the opportunity to experience nature firsthand. Managed by the National Park Service, these parks balance recreation with the long-term protection of natural ecosystems, wildlife, and cultural resources.
While some visitors seek rugged backcountry experiences, others are drawn to what the travel industry often describes as "soft adventure"—outdoor experiences that emphasize nature and exploration without requiring extensive physical exertion or sacrificing modern comforts. Instead of pitching a tent in a remote campsite, these travelers may choose alternatives ranging from glamping experiences to historic lodges, cabins or park-operated RV (recreational vehicle) campgrounds, where amenities such as comfortable beds, electricity and nearby services make spending the night outdoors more approachable. These accommodations also help broaden access to national parks, allowing families with young children, older adults, travelers with mobility limitations and first-time outdoor enthusiasts to experience some of the country's most celebrated landscapes without the demands of traditional wilderness camping.
Researchers at Dunhill Travel Deals—a leading source for travel deal discovery—analyzed overnight stay data from the National Park Service's 63 national parks across 32 states and U.S. territories to identify the destinations where visitors are most likely to choose accommodations associated with soft adventure travel, specifically in-park lodging and park-run RV camps. The analysis also examines how overnight visitation has changed since before the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the accommodation preferences shaping overnight stays across America's national parks.
Here are the key takeaways from the analysis:
- National park stays have yet to fully rebound from the pandemic. Visitors logged about 9.7 million overnight stays across the nation's 63 national parks in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019 and 10.6% below the recent peak of 10.8 million in 2016.
- Comfort doesn't mean skipping the outdoors. In-park lodging was the single most popular accommodation type in 2025 with nearly 2.9 million overnight stays, while in-park lodging and park-run RV campgrounds together accounted for roughly 4.5 million stays—nearly half of all overnight accommodations.
- The West leads the way for soft-adventure travel. After Arkansas, which ranked first with 93.3% of overnight stays occurring at in-park lodging or park-run RV campgrounds, Arizona, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming all reported more than half of overnight stays in these accommodation types.
- Not all national parks offer the same overnight experience. Parks such as Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Glacier pair historic lodges with developed campgrounds, while others, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park, rely almost entirely on RV and tent camping—giving travelers a range of ways to experience the outdoors without backcountry camping.
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