15 destinations in the US parks system that are perfect for a family getaway

There are 433 areas within the National Park System all informally called parks, even though their formal categorizations vary widely. Each was set aside for a specific natural or cultural purpose, and each one is worth visiting.

Here are 15 parks that make for excellent destinations with relatively little planning.

FOR THE BEACH BABIES

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

North Carolina

Picturesque beaches and charming lighthouses welcome visitors, along with what the park’s website calls the best surfing in the eastern U.S. While you’re in the area, stop by the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Fees: Entry is free, but there may be parking fees. There also are fees to climb the lighthouses. Climbing Bodie Island Lighthouse costs $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and kids under age 12, with a minimum height of 42 inches. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed for restoration.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Georgia

Enjoy 17 miles of pristine beach, wander through maritime forests or take a ranger-led tour through the ruins of an industrial-era mansion on this island “where nature and history meet,” according to the Park Service. You may even spot some wild horses.

Fees: Entry costs $15 per person. Visitors who aren’t arriving on their own boats must also pay for third-party ferry service starting at $30 for kids over age 5 and $40 for passengers over age 15, with discounts for seniors.

Olympic National Park

Washington

The park’s dramatic coastline is as mesmerizing as its fairytale-like rainforests and mountains.

Fees: $30 per private vehicle

FOR THE HISTORY BUFFS

Gettysburg National Military Park

Pennsylvania

About 50,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or went missing in the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle in the Civil War and one of the most pivotal, according to the National Park Service and American Battlefield Trust. This is also where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famed Gettysburg Address.

Fees: The battlefield and visitor center are free to enter, but there is a fee for the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War, the Cyclorama painting and the film “A New Birth of Freedom," which are operated by the Gettysburg Foundation. Tickets to all three cost $20.75 for adults, with discounts for veterans, seniors and kids over age 5. Kids age 5 and under may enter for free.

Mesa Verde National Park

Colorado

There are more than 600 Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings in this park that visitors can appreciate from a distance. To get up close, you can take a ranger-led tour, which is available beginning in May.

Fees: $20 per vehicle through April 30. The rate increases to $30 per private vehicle for peak season from May through late October. Tour fees are posted on Recreation.gov closer to their season opening.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Texas

San Antonio is famous for the Alamo, which is owned by the state of Texas and managed by a third party. However, there are four other Spanish colonial missions that helped shape the region. Together, these four cultural landmarks make up San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Fees: Entry is free.

FOR THE NATURE LOVERS

Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina and Virginia

The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through scenic mountains, offering sweeping views for nearly 470 miles with hiking, camping and other recreation along the way.

Fees: Entry is free.

Death Valley National Park

California and Nevada

Death Valley is America’s hottest, driest and lowest national park, but temperatures are much milder in the spring and some years, visitors are even treated to superblooms of wildflowers. At night, the exceptionally dark sky comes alive with brilliant stars.

Fees: $30 per private vehicle.

Zion National Park

Utah

Driving or riding the park shuttle in at the canyon floor, you’ll be surrounded by jaw-dropping Navajo sandstone cliffs just waiting to be explored.

Fees: $35 per private vehicle. Non-U.S. residents also must pay a $100 per person fee, unless they have an America the Beautiful public lands pass. Visitors who want to hike Angels Landing must join a ticket lottery with a $6 nonrefundable application fee and $3 per person permit fee.

FOR THE SIGHTSEERS

Boston National Historical Park

Massachusetts

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, there’s no better time to see Revolutionary sites, such as Faneuil Hall and Bunker Hill. While you’re there, don’t miss Boston African American National Historic Site and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Fees: The park doesn’t charge entry fees, but partner sites like the Paul Revere House and the Old State House charge admission.

Independence National Historical Park

Pennsylvania

See where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed, the Liberty Bell and much more. Note that Congress Hall, where Congress met for a decade while Philadelphia was the nation’s capital, is closed through late April.

Fees: Most sites are free to enter, but tickets may be needed for Independence Hall. Those are free but have a $1 processing fee. There’s also a $2-5 interpretative fee for the Benjamin Franklin Museum, for visitors over age 4. The third-party National Constitution Center charges admission.

National Mall and Memorial Parks

District of Columbia

Some of the nation’s most iconic sights sit along and just off the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The Mall also is home to various Smithsonian museums, which are not part of the Park Service but well worth visiting.

Fees: There are no admission fees for open-air sites (or Smithsonian museums), but timed entry tickets are required for the Washington Monument. Same-day tickets are available in person for free or advanced tickets may be booked online with a $1 per ticket fee. There's also a $5 advance reservation fee for self-guided tours of Ford’s Theatre.

FOR THE KIDS (AT HEART) 

Dinosaur National Monument

Colorado and Utah

Your kids and inner child will be wowed by the Jurassic-era fossils here. There are more than 1,500 bones in the park's Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall alone.

Fees: $25 per private vehicle

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

California

From sandy beaches to towering redwood trees to infamous Alcatraz Island, there’s so much to see in this park spanning dozens of sites around San Francisco.

Fees: There is a $15 entrance fee for Muir Woods National Monument, per person over age 15. There’s no entry fee for Alcatraz, but third-party ferry rates vary. Parking fees at the Presidio start at $3 per hour or $10 per day.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Colorado

Marvel over the tallest dunes in North America or slide down on sand boards and sleds available for rent outside the park.

Fees: $25 per private vehicle