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National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of the United States
Let National Geographic's best-selling guide take you through America's national parks. Vived full-color photographs capture the feeling of each park and give you a look at the splendors lying ahead. Easy-to-use maps lead you to and around the parks, pointing out major sights, trails, and campgrounds. The newest parks await your Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Death Valley, Dry Tortugas, Joshua Tree, and Saguaro. Get firsthand Guidance! Expert travel writers logged thousands of miles to bring you their personal recommendations on what to see, when to go, how to organize your visit, and much more.
448 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2011
2949 people are currently reading
5072 people want to read
About the author
National Geographic Society
4,203 books1,102 followersThe National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
January 15, 2019
It's been a while since I reviewed a non-fiction book, so this will be fun. This book is certainly an excellent guide to national parks of USA. It is packed with useful information and a lovely selection of photographs. Its pocket size, so don't expect too much from these NG photographs, they're quite small- and so is the writing, which strains the eyes a bit. I think this one is meant to be more of a reference book and that's how it works. The printing is great, though. I imagine this book would hold well over the years. I didn't buy it, I just read a copy from the library. The study of parks is obviously short but the writing is descriptive enough to get you a feeling of them. It is well written and interesting book about US national parks. I don't plan to buy it, as it is not the kind of book I could use. I might buy a National Geographic book eventually, but it won't be a small size one.
I always say that national parks are the first thing I'd like to see if I ever visit the United States. So, while we were in the library my husband pointed out that I would enjoy a book like this one. I sure did. As I said, it's a great reference book. One of the things I liked is that the information presented is incredibly specific. For example, the foliage in X park is best in X month. Y park offers the most in Y period. You might want to stay more than just a few hours in X park and so on. On the other hand, a few more personal sentences wouldn't hurt. I like how informative the writing was, but it would be great to read a more personal account of these parks, even if it was a single sentence. There are so many of them, after all. It is easy to get lost in all that information. A bit more of history would be welcome. An anecdote or to would have been appreciated. They could have included recommendations from real visitors. I think that would have given the book a more 'real' feel. I understand the editors didn't have a lot of space, but little 'personal' details could have made a lot of difference. Nevertheless, it is a great book. I imagine it would be most useful to someone actually living in USA because they would have the best options of visiting all these parks all year round, but it is also a good reference for travellers, especially those who are nature lovers.
I always say that national parks are the first thing I'd like to see if I ever visit the United States. So, while we were in the library my husband pointed out that I would enjoy a book like this one. I sure did. As I said, it's a great reference book. One of the things I liked is that the information presented is incredibly specific. For example, the foliage in X park is best in X month. Y park offers the most in Y period. You might want to stay more than just a few hours in X park and so on. On the other hand, a few more personal sentences wouldn't hurt. I like how informative the writing was, but it would be great to read a more personal account of these parks, even if it was a single sentence. There are so many of them, after all. It is easy to get lost in all that information. A bit more of history would be welcome. An anecdote or to would have been appreciated. They could have included recommendations from real visitors. I think that would have given the book a more 'real' feel. I understand the editors didn't have a lot of space, but little 'personal' details could have made a lot of difference. Nevertheless, it is a great book. I imagine it would be most useful to someone actually living in USA because they would have the best options of visiting all these parks all year round, but it is also a good reference for travellers, especially those who are nature lovers.
December 26, 2020
Organized by geographic region, this book provides an excellent overview of the history of the 59 US national parks, including those in the Virgin Islands and America Samoa. It also has excellent descriptions of the flora and fauna of each park, as well as detailed descriptions of points of interests and popular trails, including levels of difficulty.
However, if you are looking for a book that provides helpful tips about camping and lodging, this is not the book for you. The information given is at best cursory. It does not explain what the different campsites offer: e.g. Access to electricity? Any handicap accessible sites? Access to water? Are there bathroom facilities, if so, what type? Which ones are accessible to RV campers? Which ones to tent campers? Are shower facilities in the vicinity? Does use of shower facilities cost extra? etc. If there are multiple non-camping lodgings on site (as is the case with some parks) what are the draws of one option over another? Although it does. include links (web addresses) where you can get additional information, some of these web sites are not very user friendly. Thus, while it offers a good introduction to the national park system, it is of limited use for someone planning a trip to one of these nations parks.
However, if you are looking for a book that provides helpful tips about camping and lodging, this is not the book for you. The information given is at best cursory. It does not explain what the different campsites offer: e.g. Access to electricity? Any handicap accessible sites? Access to water? Are there bathroom facilities, if so, what type? Which ones are accessible to RV campers? Which ones to tent campers? Are shower facilities in the vicinity? Does use of shower facilities cost extra? etc. If there are multiple non-camping lodgings on site (as is the case with some parks) what are the draws of one option over another? Although it does. include links (web addresses) where you can get additional information, some of these web sites are not very user friendly. Thus, while it offers a good introduction to the national park system, it is of limited use for someone planning a trip to one of these nations parks.
October 19, 2016
As a guide of our 59 national parks, I don't think this book was intended to be read from cover to cover. But I did just that, and quite enjoyed it, too. Even with over 300 pages the book is too short to include extensive details for any of the parks, but I think the coverage it does offer is an excellent overview of what the national parks have to offer.
A little background: until just a few years ago I was ignorant of the national park system beyond a general understanding that it included Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and a few other place I had visited. Now I'm a big fan and I make it a point to visit new NPS sites every year. The turning point for me was in 2013. We had a long road trip and decided to stop at Mesa Verde - a place I had heard about but didn't know as a National Park. On the way there we saw a sign for Aztec Ruins National Monument at just the right time for a bathroom break, so we stopped and checked it out. I really enjoyed walking through the ruins there and then exploring the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde the next day, and my fascination with the national parks took root.
One thing I learned from this book is that not all national parks interest me equally. The parks that I'd most like to visit next are all in the west. (I did really enjoy visiting the Great Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Cave in 2015, though, so I won't say the east part of the country is devoid of any parks that interest me.) It was also news to me that some of our 59 national parks do not have much in the way of a developed infrastructure and would be very difficult to experience with a family of small children. I know this probably adds to the appeal for some but it lessens it for me - I enjoy the national parks mostly because of the memories I create there with family. Despite these facts, there is still a long list of National Parks I'd love to visit or revisit.
Now if only I could find a similar guide to all the National Monuments.
A little background: until just a few years ago I was ignorant of the national park system beyond a general understanding that it included Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and a few other place I had visited. Now I'm a big fan and I make it a point to visit new NPS sites every year. The turning point for me was in 2013. We had a long road trip and decided to stop at Mesa Verde - a place I had heard about but didn't know as a National Park. On the way there we saw a sign for Aztec Ruins National Monument at just the right time for a bathroom break, so we stopped and checked it out. I really enjoyed walking through the ruins there and then exploring the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde the next day, and my fascination with the national parks took root.
One thing I learned from this book is that not all national parks interest me equally. The parks that I'd most like to visit next are all in the west. (I did really enjoy visiting the Great Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Cave in 2015, though, so I won't say the east part of the country is devoid of any parks that interest me.) It was also news to me that some of our 59 national parks do not have much in the way of a developed infrastructure and would be very difficult to experience with a family of small children. I know this probably adds to the appeal for some but it lessens it for me - I enjoy the national parks mostly because of the memories I create there with family. Despite these facts, there is still a long list of National Parks I'd love to visit or revisit.
Now if only I could find a similar guide to all the National Monuments.
July 4, 2022
I want to go to all the parks.
March 7, 2021
The 9th edition of National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States presents the parks in the Table of Contents by region: East, Midwest, South Central, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. This is followed by a section on using the guide, and after that is a map of the USA with the regions and parks marked. The guide has an index for quick referencing too and there is a map key located in the back of the book after the index. Each regional introduction includes a map of the whole region followed by the individual parks, which are presented in alphabetical order within the regions. Then there are individual maps of each park. Each of the park entries contains a description of the park. There is an information section for each park that offers details on finding the park, best times to visit, entrance fees, the location of the visitors center (a great source for brochures or information is also online), park headquarters, and information on where to stay, campgrounds or lodging. There are phone numbers, addresses, and website addresses provided. Each entry is followed by six suggestions for nearby excursions. After each region section is a wonderful Hit the Road section which helps with planning on visiting more than one park on your trip because many are in close proximity to each other. Also there are notes on special advisories that you need to keep in mind when visiting parks, such as stay away from wild animals, expect RV detours, and, especially important, know that cell phone service may be limited or not available, so don't expect to rely on your cell phone.
Naturally the photographs are spectacular because this is a National Geographic guide. Furthermore, there is so much great information provided in the guide that is essential to planning any trip to a national park.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of these guides from National Geographic for TLC Book Tours.
Naturally the photographs are spectacular because this is a National Geographic guide. Furthermore, there is so much great information provided in the guide that is essential to planning any trip to a national park.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of these guides from National Geographic for TLC Book Tours.
February 6, 2021
I really liked this one! It's well organized, it has a lot of information about each park, including information about campgrounds and lodging- that's perfect! I also really liked that Alaska is its own section, I'm not sure how you'd even break Alaska down, it is worthy of an entire section. The maps are incredibly helpful, and detailed, a multitude of websites to look for additional information (if you need it), and of course, amazing photos. I absolutely loved this.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours and NatGeo for having me on this tour.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours and NatGeo for having me on this tour.
June 14, 2022
My husband and I used this as a travel guide when we drove our pop-up camper across the US for 30 days, from park to park. Highly recommend for lovers of outdoors, parks, and photography!
June 30, 2024
National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States is a gigantic book that is overflowing with award-winning photography and well-researched facts that National Geographic is famous for worldwide. This book also contains maps marked with the locations of all of the parks and links to websites. It’s well worth a purchase. You can read it cover to cover or look up and easily find specific locations.
March 26, 2025
Excellent resources for exploring National Parks.
June 21, 2023
This is the book to take on the road with you.
Better yet, this is a key tool for planning your trip in advance.
I have been in eleven states so far this year, and I really believe that they have a very high batting average in selecting the best four state parks in each state.
Whether you are camping, boating, hiking. or picnicking, this is the book to own so that you can find the best parks in each state.
Better yet, this is a key tool for planning your trip in advance.
I have been in eleven states so far this year, and I really believe that they have a very high batting average in selecting the best four state parks in each state.
Whether you are camping, boating, hiking. or picnicking, this is the book to own so that you can find the best parks in each state.
March 1, 2025
A good starting point for planning any trip to the National Parks, or a miniature coffee table book. National Geographic's edge is always in the photography, so smaller or lesser known parks receive a good boost. That's with the exception of the park of American Samoa. It's clearly an afterthought. After all, who'll bother going to American Samoa? (My cousin and her family and anyone in Hawaii, that's who.)
The parks are listed alphabetically by region, though I wonder as to the value of some of these regions. Example: the Colorado Plateau encompasses a goodly number of parks, however it splits the standard Southwest region by placing all of ARizona in the Colorado Plateau. Only New Mexico and Texas comprise the Southwest. Clearly, the editor was ok with employing nonstandard definitions. The only perceived benefit, is that the Colorado Plateau parks could conceivably be toured in a single (though looong) road trip.
The parks are listed alphabetically by region, though I wonder as to the value of some of these regions. Example: the Colorado Plateau encompasses a goodly number of parks, however it splits the standard Southwest region by placing all of ARizona in the Colorado Plateau. Only New Mexico and Texas comprise the Southwest. Clearly, the editor was ok with employing nonstandard definitions. The only perceived benefit, is that the Colorado Plateau parks could conceivably be toured in a single (though looong) road trip.
July 19, 2014
This took me 2 years to read, but that isn't all bad. It really was like a mini-vacation each time I picked it up and read about 1 or 2 parks.
This certainly is not nor is it meant to be a guide you would take to a visit to any park, but it does give you a good overview of each park in the system. You have to do a lot more research before going to any of them, but this guide is great for maybe deciding which that should be, or you could use it for a mini-vacation. :)
This certainly is not nor is it meant to be a guide you would take to a visit to any park, but it does give you a good overview of each park in the system. You have to do a lot more research before going to any of them, but this guide is great for maybe deciding which that should be, or you could use it for a mini-vacation. :)
December 5, 2020
The United States of America is a beautiful country with diverse biomes and majestic vistas. So far, the only National Park I have been to is the Grand Canyon National Park located in Arizona. If I had the chance, there are many other places I would love to visit.
In this book, National Geographic brings wonderful photos, itineraries, maps, and more. I have the Seventh Edition, so I don't know if there is a more up-to-date version.
In this book, National Geographic brings wonderful photos, itineraries, maps, and more. I have the Seventh Edition, so I don't know if there is a more up-to-date version.
August 27, 2008
we are currently obsessed with planning our cross country trip hence my obsession with national parks. (yes, i am an unemployed dork.) reading about all the rugged outddors we want to explore just might be enough to get me off my ass and into shape by the time we do this trip next year. i'll keep you posted...
September 1, 2019
This is a great book for anyone who loves to travel to National Parks and would like to read some quick information about them. A quick and fun read and a nice reference guide when planning my next adventure.
The edition does need to be updated, some of the national monuments have since become national parks.
The edition does need to be updated, some of the national monuments have since become national parks.
August 15, 2013
This was in part a gift to the hubby for our anniversary as we both love to travel, hike, and explore - especially our National Parks! This book is a great go-to guide filled with excellent info and photographs. Great for getting you started on trip planning and inspiring you to take new ones!
February 3, 2017
I want to visit every one of these places. Every.single.one.
December 25, 2020
One of the best national park guides I've read. I wish it had more pictures though. Good info about how to get there as some parks are only accessible by boat or plane.
February 20, 2021
Always reading this book;)
April 5, 2021
Excellent resource guide! Handy travel size and contains a lot of great information; historical info, maps, travel insights, visiting guide, and beautiful pictures!
May 3, 2021
I love this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2021
Great book! Very helpful when traveling to a park. It's also very inspiring- now I want to go to all of them!
December 2, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book. It provides very educational and valuable knowledge about the national parks of the United States. The images within the book are very compelling for students if they are interested in this topic. National Geographic does a great job in explaining the important vocabulary words and structuring the information in an effective way for comprehension. This topic could correspond with a lesson about landforms, so I could read this book with the whole class in order to either introduce different landforms or to provide examples of different landforms right here in the US. I would also keep this book in the classroom library for students to refer back to if they would like.
July 6, 2024
I think this is meant to be a reference book, useful for looking up information on places you will be visiting and planning your trip. I used it that way a few months ago to plan a vacation with several National Park visits, and it was a wonderful help!
But I also have just a general interest in the National Parks, and read this book cover to cover. I found it interesting even reading about and seeing beautiful pictures of places that I may not be able to get to any time soon.
But I also have just a general interest in the National Parks, and read this book cover to cover. I found it interesting even reading about and seeing beautiful pictures of places that I may not be able to get to any time soon.
August 19, 2025
One of the best travel guides out there
Contains a plethora of information for your next road trip that includes National Park sightseeing. Information on finding good campsites and the best seasons to visit depending on whether you prefer solitude or more interaction with guides for information are key reasons that this guide would stand out when you're looking for information on National Parks in the US
Contains a plethora of information for your next road trip that includes National Park sightseeing. Information on finding good campsites and the best seasons to visit depending on whether you prefer solitude or more interaction with guides for information are key reasons that this guide would stand out when you're looking for information on National Parks in the US
November 9, 2022
great overview of ALL the USA National Parks
Great 20,000 foot overview of the wide variety of US National Parks, with enough info to winnow down your choices if your undecided which Park to visit next. Factual info - a bit if history, park highlight and must-sees, logistical info.
Great 20,000 foot overview of the wide variety of US National Parks, with enough info to winnow down your choices if your undecided which Park to visit next. Factual info - a bit if history, park highlight and must-sees, logistical info.
December 29, 2024
My favorite sister gifted me this book for my birthday, along with my America the Beautiful NP pass. I legit have 5 NP camping trips planned for 2025, and this book was such an inspiration! I definitely use google for up-to-date stuff, but each passage is a great starting point, and quick facts that stay accurate for eons.
August 22, 2022
I didn’t actually read this and it’s a stand in for another National Geographic magazine, History-The Mystery of Dephi. Anything to reach my goodreads goal, including fraud, will be committed in order to succeed. Yes I am a Ravenclaw.
December 23, 2022
Great guide to all of the parks. Each gets about 5-10 pages so it's not fully comprehensive, but makes a perfect starting point for planning a trip to any of the parks. Several additional locations near each park are included as well, though those only get a couple sentence mention.
April 19, 2023
Not a book meant to be read cover to cover, checked it out to do research for a road trip. Had awesome breakdowns on how to approach the parks, recommendations for lodging, and helped visualize our trips!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews