12 of the Best U.S. National Parks to Visit During the Winter

"Freezing temperatures yield a fresh take on park landscapes, from ice-coated coastal cliffs in Maine's Acadia National Park to the snow-covered forests of Sequoia and Kings Canyon in California. Exploring them on foot, skis, or snowshoes is a special way to see the parks outside of the high season. And for other parks, winter is the high season. It's definitely the best time to enjoy the sawgrass marshes of the Florida Everglades, for example, and the desert scenes of Arizona's Saguaro National Park."

"The gravity-defying limestone spires-called hoodoos-at Bryce Canyon National Park appear even more delicate when snow dusts the reddish-orange rocks. November through March, snowpack permitting, join a ranger-led full moon hike on snowshoes provided by the National Park Service. Or time your visit during a new moon phase for world-class stargazing beneath some of the West's darkest skies. Death Valley National Park, California In the winter, Death Valley National Park gets a break from brutal heat often exceeding 100 degrees."

Winter offers varied conditions across U.S. national parks, from snow-covered forests and ice-coated coastal cliffs to mild desert and sawgrass marsh climates. Snow transforms features like Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos and enables activities such as ranger-led full-moon snowshoe hikes and exceptional stargazing during new-moon phases. Death Valley and the Grand Canyon become comfortably mild for hiking with daytime highs in the 60s and 70s. The Florida Everglades and Arizona’s Saguaro National Park reach peak seasons in winter for wildlife and desert-viewing. Winter provides opportunities for skiing, snowshoeing, quieter trails, and seasonal experiences like being the first U.S. sunrise viewer in Acadia.

Read at Travel + Leisure