Travelers will need to rent or bring their own car to explore these national parks as they are spread across the western and eastern regions of the United States. Costs for car rental start at around $40 per day, and travel time between each park can range from 3-10 hours depending on the distance.
If you have more time, consider adding additional national parks such as Rocky Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains, Joshua Tree, or Olympic National Park. If you have less time, consider skipping some of the parks and focusing on specific regions such as Yosemite and Yellowstone, or Zion and Bryce Canyon. Remember to check each park's website for updated opening and closing times, as well as any ticket or reservation requirements.
Travelers can fly into several airports depending on which national park they plan to visit first, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO) for Yosemite, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) for Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) for Glacier, McCarran International Airport (LAS) for Zion and Bryce Canyon, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) for Grand Canyon. All of these airports are within 2-3 hours of each park by car.