For most national parks, June is the busiest season of the year. School’s out, vacation’s in full swing, and families have been planning for months for a little adventure. Yosemite is one of these crown jewels, with its waterfalls full of snowmelt and the weather finally perfect enough for hiking. However, with the timed entry reservations so difficult to snag, you might be better off finding another national park for your summer adventures. Here’s my list of the top national parks to visit in June.
North Cascades National Park
Known as the “American Alps,” North Cascades National Park holds a similar candle to the Austrian Alps. With its rugged and remote glaciers, jagged peaks, and jaw-dropping waterfalls, you’ll see some amazing sights. In June, the melted snow reveals famous trails like the Cascade Pass, with wildflowers growing this way and that. Personally, I can’t tear my eyes away from the deep turquoise lakes.
Kayaking or canoeing Diablo Lake or Ross Lake is something out of a dream. Just be prepared for some crisp mountain air and a possible rain shower. Waterproof gear is a must in the Pacific Northwest, no matter where you plan on camping.
Glacier National Park
June marks the transition into peak season for Glacier National Park, but it might still be a bit muddy with snowmelt, just like the North Cascades. Still, Glacier National Park is worth a trip to Northwest Montana, and the weather is not too crisp.
Timed entry reservations are required from the west side of Going-to-the-Sun-Road past the Apgar checkpoint and the North Fork area via the Polebridge entrance between 7am and 3pm starting on June 13th, but if you enter outside of those hours, you’ll be fine. Accessing areas like Two Medicine Valley and the St. Mary entrance to Going-to-theSun-Road will not require a reservation in 2025.
Great Basin National Park
Nevada is home to Great Basin National Park, which has perfect conditions in June. While only about 140,000 visitors per year choose to come to Great Basin National Park, according to the National Park Service, this national treasure is one of my favorites. June is the perfect time to visit Lehman Caves, which is a limestone cavern full of intricate formations like stalactites, stalagmites, shields, and popcorn. If you want to see glowing calcite, you can even go on a guided tour to the Gothic Palace and the Grand Palace. If pitch-darkness isn’t your thing though, you’ll enjoy the Lexington Arch, which is a six-story natural arch that’s accessible by about a five and a half mile hike. Wheeler Peak is also home to Nevada’s only ice glacier.
There are also over seventy mammal species, like bighorn sheep, mountain lions, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons. June is the perfect time for wildlife spotting, but it’s also perfect for stargazing. Rated as a Gold Tier park by the International Dark Sky Organization, you’d be hard-pressed to find a location just as good.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
June is a great time to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park. Snowmelt feeds the waterfalls from the cascades of Northern California, and wildflowers will pop up everywhere between volcanic features like Bumpass Hell, Lassen Peak, Chaos Crags, and the Cinder Cone. For the best wildflowers, consider heading over to Manzanita Lake, which is a serene spot near the northwest entrance that’s perfect for kayaking while surrounded by snowcapped mountains and blooming meadows. If you want to see a great waterfall, Kings Creek Falls has a thirty-foot one that’s reachable by a 2.3-mile loop trail. Just be prepared for a little mud.
While it’s not as dark as Great Basin, Lassen Volcanic National Park can have some great stargazing on clear nights, especially near Manzanita Lake and the Devastated Area.
Grand Teton National Park
If you love old westerns, you’ll love Grand Teton National Park. Several famous films have been shot here, including the 1953 western Shane. Since there’s no foothills at Grand Teton, the Rocky Mountains just shoot up to a staggering 7,000 feet just a few miles from the meadow. This area is famous for grizzly bear sightings, over a dozen small glaciers, and all of the gorgeous sights that you’d expect from the Rocky Mountains. Rivers, lakes, wildflowers, and wildlife are all active by mid-June.
The park has over two hundred miles of hiking trails which open gradually throughout the season, but lower areas like Jenny Lake and Taggart Lake will be fully open during this time of year.
There are many more national parks to visit in June, but these are just a few to put on your radar. To get to any of these national parks this year, don’t forget to purchase your vehicle pass before you get to the entrances. This is different from any timed-entry reservation you may or may not have needed to acquire, so purchase in advance or be prepared with your credit card at the gate, or look into the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re planning to see multiple in a row.
