How to visit America’s national parks for less

Whether your ideal vacation involves climbing mountains, snorkeling reefs, exploring caves or hiking through ancient forests, you can do it in a national park.

With the recent weakening of the U.S. dollar, domestic travel is becoming a more affordable alternative to exploring abroad. The U.S. has no shortage of stunning sights, including 400-plus national parks, preserves, monuments and more. However, with parks feeling the effects of ever-increasing visitor numbers and the Trump administration’s recent budget cuts, they could be even more crowded and short-staffed this summer. It’s more important than ever to plan ahead and check for facility and trail closures.

Here are our top tips for saving money (and dodging the crowds) on your national park trip this year, from cashing in your points and miles to cutting costs on park entry fees.

Travel during shoulder season

Fall in Grand Canyon National Park. J.J. RAIA/GETTY IMAGES

An easy way to save money is to plan your trip outside peak travel periods. Spring and fall are considered shoulder seasons for most national parks, offering cheaper airfares and, in many cases, thinner crowds and milder temperatures. You might even consider visiting national parks in winter, when you’ll see scenery and wildlife most visitors don’t experience, such as snow on the Grand Canyon.

Seats.aero is a handy tool to search for airline award availability to various airports near parks from your home base. You can filter by points cost, and nonstop flights will appear in green. Here are some deals we found this fall:

See Olympic and Haleakala national parks with Alaska Airlines miles

If you’d like to explore the diverse ecosystems of Washington’s Olympic National Park, it’s roughly a two-hour drive from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Alaska Airlines offers nonstop flights from various Los Angeles airports to SEA starting at 6,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles and $6 each way on weekdays throughout August, September and October.

If you’re dreaming of visiting the volcanic slopes of Haleakala on Maui, we found nonstop Hawaiian Airlines flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Kahului Airport (OGG) for as low as 10,000 miles and $6 each way in economy in September.

Bilt Rewards is Alaska’s only current transfer partner. However, until June 30, you can still transfer miles from Hawaiian Airlines (an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner) to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

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Explore Mammoth Cave National Park with Southwest Airlines points

Besides showcasing the world’s longest known cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is a great place to beat the heat.

This fall, Southwest Airlines consistently offers nonstop flights from Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW) to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) for 8,500 Southwest Rapid Rewards points and $5.60 one-way. Or, you can book a connecting flight for only 2,500 points each way. The national park is just over an hour’s drive south of SDF.

You can transfer Bilt Rewards Points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest at a 1:1 ratio.

Hike Rocky Mountain National Park with United Airlines miles

Since Denver International Airport (DEN) is a United Airlines hub, you’ll find plenty of United MileagePlus award flights to the Mile High City, only an hour and a half away from Rocky Mountain National Park. Fall is a spectacular time to visit the Rockies, with the aspens typically turning red and gold between mid-September and early October. Plus, you might be lucky enough to hear the male elk’s mating bugle during the elk rut.

Nonstop flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to DEN in September start at 8,700 United MileagePlus miles and $5.60 one-way, while Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to DEN starts at 13,300 miles.

If you don’t have enough United miles, you can transfer them at a 1:1 ratio from Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Visit Grand Canyon and Glacier national parks with American Airlines miles

If you have tough-to-earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles, you can fly direct from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) near the Grand Canyon for only 5,000 AAdvantage miles and $5.60 one-way this September.

You can also find direct flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) in Montana for the same price. Keep in mind that snow-induced road closures in Glacier typically start in mid- to late October; check the website before you go to see which roads are open.

American no longer partners with any credit card currencies, but there are plenty of other ways to earn AAdvantage miles.

See Yellowstone’s geysers with Delta Air Lines miles

Although not direct, Delta Air Lines offers regular flights to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) from hubs like ORD, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) this fall for 9,100 SkyMiles — or 7,700 miles if you hold the right Delta credit card.

Delta will also launch direct winter service to BZN from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on Saturdays starting this December, if you want to see the park’s wildlife and geysers in the snow.

There are several ways to earn more Delta SkyMiles, including transferring Amex points.

Book lodging with points

After airfare, lodging tends to be the next most expensive part of a national park trip — and another opportunity to save with points. Here are some ideas to book your national park stay with hotel rewards and credit card points.

Go glamping on points

Glamping and cabin stays can be a great addition to a national park trip, as they let you experience the joy of the outdoors with the creature comforts of a hotel.

Several major hotel chains have hopped on the outdoors trend in recent years. For example, you can book AutoCamp and Under Canvas glamping properties with Hilton Honors points and World of Hyatt points, respectively. Soon, you’ll also be able to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at Postcard Cabins and Trailborn nature lodges.

We looked up prices for Under Canvas Moab, near Arches and Canyonlands national parks, for a weekend in September. A basic safari tent will set you back 24,250 World of Hyatt points or $329 per night before taxes. If you book with cash using a Hyatt credit card, you can earn bonus points at all 13 Under Canvas locations between June 1 and Sept. 7.

For the same September weekend, a basic Airstream Suite at AutoCamp Zion starts at $380 or 75,000 Hilton Honors points per night. Since Amex points transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, you could book this unique stay with only 37,500 Amex points.

Remember that just because you can book a hotel with points doesn’t mean you should. When cash rates are low and award prices are high, booking with cash and earning points toward a future stay can make more sense.

For instance, at Trailborn Grand Canyon, rates start around $188 (refundable) or 55,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night on weekends in September. That comes to only 0.34 cents per point, less than half of TPG’s June 2025 valuation for Marriott points, so we recommend paying with cash.

Book other points hotels near national parks

If you prefer a traditional hotel, there are plenty of points properties near national parks. Rooms.aero (the sister site of Seats.aero) can show you what’s available in your destination.

Here are some options I found, and their rates for a weekend in mid-September:

Hampton Inn Oakhurst-Yosemite: $267 or 60,000 Hilton points per night
Holiday Inn Resort the Squire at Grand Canyon: $309 or 47,000 IHG One Rewards points per night
Ridgeline Hotel at Yellowstone: $343 or 20,000 Choice Privileges points per night
Acadia Park Inn: $335 or 56,000 Best Western Rewards points per night
Holiday Inn Estes Park, near Rocky Mountain National Park: $323 or 55,500 IHG points per night
Fairfield Inn & Suites Strasburg Shenandoah: $210 or 21,750 Marriott points per night
Hyatt Place Moab: $434 or 23,000 Hyatt points per night
Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Kalispell — Glacier National Park Gateway: $117 or 12,000 Choice points per night

Again, we recommend calculating the value you’ll get per point at your desired property and comparing it to TPG’s valuations before you decide whether to book with points or cash.

If you go the points route, don’t forget that some hotel chains charge resort or amenity fees on award bookings, and some offer your fourth or fifth night free.

Book through credit card travel portals

Some of the more remote national parks may leave you with few to no points hotel options. That’s where credit card portals can come in handy.

If you have access to a portal such as Amex Travel, Capital One Travel, Chase Travel℠ or Citi Travel, search the area around your destination. You may find some great options to book with credit card points or earn extra points on cash bookings.

For instance, the nearest points hotel to Denali National Park is in Fairbanks, Alaska, over a two-hour drive away. However, the Chase Travel portal lists several nonpoints hotels much closer.

Since I hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), I can redeem my Chase Ultimate Rewards points for these hotels at a rate of 1 to 1.5 cents apiece with Chase’s new Points Boost, depending on the specific redemption (see your rewards program agreement for full details). Or, I can pay the cash rate with my card and earn 5 points per dollar booking through Chase Travel.

Book your rental car with points

Due to the isolated nature of most national parks, you’ll likely need a vehicle during your trip.

Credit card travel portals offer a way to book rental cars with points at a flat rate, just like with hotels. You may also be able to use certain cards’ travel credits toward rental car bookings. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) provides up to $300 in credits toward travel purchases each year, and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a similar credit for purchases through Capital One Travel.

If you pay with cash, check out our guide to saving money on rental cars. And don’t forget, you can often save on insurance by using a card that provides rental car coverage.

Save on park entry fees

Shenandoah National Park. TOMWACHS/GETTY IMAGES

National park entry fees may be a relatively small chunk of your trip budget compared to airfare and lodging, but they can add up quickly if you visit multiple parks. Here are some ways to save.

Get into national parks for free

The National Park Service offers several fee-free days each year when you can get into any park for free. In 2025, the remaining dates include Aug. 4 (Great American Outdoors Day), Sept. 27 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 11 (Veterans Day).

The downside to fee-free days is that they’re among the most crowded times to visit national parks. Arrive early to find parking, and consider visiting less popular and more remote parks on these days.

But if you don’t want to plan your vacation around fee-free days, you still have more options than you’d think — most sites managed by the National Park Service and related agencies don’t charge a dime. For example, the nation’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is free to enter (but you’ll have to pay $5 to park).

Lastly, some visitors are eligible for free park access. These include current military, veterans and Gold Star families. Fourth graders can also register for an “Every Kid Outdoors” pass, giving them and their families free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year.

Save on an annual pass

Another easy way to save on national park visits is by purchasing an annual pass. The America the Beautiful Pass costs just $80 and gives you access to all federal recreational sites (including national parks) for a year. With some parks — such as Yosemite and Yellowstone — charging up to $35 per visit, you’ll more than break even if you plan to visit a few sites in a year.

If you vacation with grandma and grandpa, you can save even more with a senior pass for travelers aged 62-plus. A one-year senior pass costs $20, while a lifetime senior pass costs only $80, and both provide park access to anyone in the car with the passholder.