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5 national parks you’ll feel like you have all to yourself

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There are 63 national parks within the National Park Service, but most people only glimpse a fraction of what they have to offer. The eight most-visited parks got more than a quarter of all recreational visits last year, according to newly released numbers.

“Everybody just kind of has these big, big visions” national parks advocate and author Stefanie Payne said of titans like Yellowstone and Yosemite. “But I think as you start to travel in nature at a more 2.0 or 3.0 level … you can start to tie into experiences that are a little bit different.”

From “mind-bending” landscapes to wildlife you won’t find anywhere else, America’s least visited national parks are bursting with wonders, not crowds.

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“You wind up seeing things and hearing the sounds and smelling the aromas and just experiencing the natural environment in a different way when there are fewer people there,” said Payne, whose latest book is “100 Things to See in the National Parks” (Simon & Schuster). 

Here are some of the gems the masses are missing.

Quiz: How well do you know America’s national parks?

Mark your calendar: National parks are free to enter on these five days in 2023

15 least visited national parks of 2022

• Pinnacles National Park – 275,023
• Voyageurs National Park – 221,434
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park – 219,987
• Congaree National Park – 204,522
• Virgin Islands National Park – 196,752
• Great Basin National Park – 142,115
• Dry Tortugas National Park – 78,488
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve – 65,236
• Katmai National Park and Preserve – 33,908
• North Cascades National Park – 30,154
• Isle Royale National Park – 25,454
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve – 18,187
• Kobuk Valley National Park – 16,925 
• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve – 9,457
• National Park of American Samoa – 1,887

Source: National Park Service

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What do you mean by a national park?

There are 424 units within the the National Park Service, ranging from national battlefields to national seashores. Of the those, 63 are formal national parks like Everglades, Grand Canyon and Zion. 

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Is Gates of the Arctic worth visiting?

Gates of the Arctic National Park has been among the least visited national parks in the U.S. for years, and it’s easy to understand why. It’s hard to get to. There are no roads or trails across its 8.4 million acres. It’s not designed for novice travelers to explore on their own. And between hiring a guide to booking a bush plane, it can get quite expensive, but it’s worth it for many visitors.

“The Alaska parks are the ones that are deepest in my heart because they are in such a remote and rugged landscape,” Payne said. “I wouldn’t say it’s biblical, but it is like time before humans in a lot of ways … It’s really just mind-bending to be in some of those areas, especially when the mountains are so big and the glaciers and the terrain is really challenging and you start to see what you’re made of.” 

“I think people who do make the effort to go there are enriched in such a profound way,” she added. Half of last year’s 10 least visited national parks are located in Alaska.

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What is special about North Cascades?

North Cascades National Park is also dear to Payne, who grew up in Washington and visited the park throughout her childhood.

“I’m not sure why it is always on the least visited list other than the fact that it’s actually a part of a complex with two recreational areas, and people are more likely to go to those,” she said. “It’s more of a backcountry park, but there’s plenty of day hiking.”

“It’s easy to get to from Seattle and simply beautiful evergreen and mountain wilderness that creates stunning backdrops for photography,” she added.

Is Isle Royale National Park worth visiting?

It’s not easy getting to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. You need to take a seaplane, ferry or private boat to reach the park in the middle of Lake Superior. 

“You’re in the middle of nowhere,”  Payne said. “There’s no connectivity. There’s no internet. There is a store but it’s 95% wilderness there.”

“You can truly unwind,” she added. “Lots of stars in the night skies and opportunity to see the northern lights.”

Many who visit keep going back. Fans like to call it one of the least visited, but most revisited national parks. “People just fall in love with it. There’s amazing paddling. There’s really wonderful hiking and camping,” Payne said. “There’s this predator-prey study (with wolves) that happens there and really cool learning with that. And kids love it.”

What is special about Congaree National Park?

Congaree National Park in South Carolina boasts “the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States,” according to its website.

“It’s probably not on everyday Joe’s radar, but there’s really good fishing there,” Payne said. “It’s kind of a niche park where birdwatchers might see a rare species that they can’t see in other places.”

“It’s small and mostly a one-day park, so a great stop-through if visiting the area,” she added. “You get to make your adventure here — great for creative explorers who value the nuances of nature.”

The park also has rich history, which includes serving as a refuge for enslaved people before the Civil War. “Facing threats from both slave catchers and the unpredictability of nature, they chose to resist their enslavers and live as free people in the wilderness, determining their own future rather than having it determined for them,” the park said on its website.

Visiting the least visited national parks

Every national park has its own rich history and natural wonders.

“Having an open mind is really important,” said Payne, who visited every national park within one year and many multiple times.

She recommends researching ahead of time, like she did, to make the most of trips. “Learning from the rangers and reading about a park before you go there is a really valuable way to enhance your experience.”

This year, USA TODAY will spotlight all 63 of America’s national parks and share more of what there is to discover at each one.

Check out these three hidden gem National Parks touting ancient Native American origins

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: America’s least-visited national parks: Perfect for the nature lover who hates crowds

There are two conversational topics guaranteed to be icebreakers, politics and weather. The two often find themselves in the same sentence these days, especially when talking about ice breaking up or melting. I steer clear of political talk even in the sanctuary of home with the occasional lapse at holiday times. But as Mark Twain said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”

Photographing the Town of Yarmouth’s Winter Carnival over the long holiday weekend, weather was on everybody’s mind. The day I was there, Saturday, was seasonably cold, mid-30s with a slight wind but abundant late February sunshine and lengthening daylight. The other two days saw much warmer weather. Despite the mildness, winter was on display, outdoor ice skating and even a rare sighting of a yeti and snow princess, actually Yarmouth librarians dressed for winter story hour and crafts.

Photo Shoot: Lessons from an old-school Cape Cod Times photo editor

The mild weather came up in just about every conversation I had. It was not scientific polling, but just about everyone was relieved to have had it easy from Mother Nature so far this winter. One hearty New Englander did opine about not having at least one old-fashioned snowstorm so far this year, just wait, we both agreed March can still bring a bad nor’easter our way. It was only five years ago in March 2018 the Cape got back to back ocean storms beating up the peninsula badly.

Photo Shoot: Musical moments

Several kids by the skating rink were still looking for snow days and sledding. The skating rink by the way was synthetic, plastic panels snapped together making a large rectangle, plenty of space for a nice circular glide using real skates. The surface is lightly sprayed with a coating to make it even more slippery.  Ever the skeptic, I did the slip test, and almost toppled over. Online research, well, a couple of Google searches, showed the popularity of these new artificial ice rinks, a 21^st century solution to cope with a changing climate.

Story continues

Wishing away winter for an early spring on Cape Cod is something even a groundhog without a shadow can’t be sure about. But no matter the weather, old photo wisdom remains the same, “bad weather makes good pictures.”

Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Mild winter: Talk of nor’easter, snow days at Yarmouth Winter Carnival

Many developing countries are facing a growing risk of falling into debt. Late in 2022, the head of the UN Development Programme estimated that some 54 countries are at risk of defaulting on their debts and becoming effectively bankrupt.

This issue pre-dates COVID-19: in the decade from 2011, many low- and middle-income countries rapidly increased their debt burdens. The pandemic forced many governments to borrow further to stabilise their economies. Debt burdens have been further increased due to the Ukraine war, which has dramatically increased fuel and food prices and led to more borrowing.

In addition, many countries face growing economic impacts from climate change and nature damage. At a time when developing countries urgently need to increase their spending on climate and biodiversity resilience, many can’t afford additional expenditures. As climate and nature-related losses increase, this will likely result in worsening financial conditions.

International organisations are increasingly concerned that without a coordinated global response that integrates climate and nature concerns, many countries will fail to achieve resilient development or the Sustainable Development Goals, and that the triple crisis of debt, climate change and nature loss poses a systemic risk to the global economy.

To address these issues, the World Bank has funded policy research with governments to identity solutions.

What did IIED do?

IIED and partners led on reports analysing how Jordan and Kenya could mobilise finance for action on climate and nature given their fiscal constraints.

Each report reviews the countries’ options for expanding the sources of finance for climate and nature and suggests steps national governments could take to access more financing.

The ‘Jordan climate and nature financing analysis’ report notes that Jordan is highly vulnerable to climate change and nature degradation. Unless this issue is addressed, this vulnerability will be reflected in substantially reduced economic growth.

There is no existing analysis of current climate and nature financing in Jordan, but the report’s authors estimate that Jordan has a climate and nature annual financing gap that equates to 3.4% of the country’s GDP.

The report says conventional sources of finance, such as increased growth and private sector financing, could potentially cover three-quarters of this financing gap over the long term (10 years). However, the report warns that in the short- to medium-term, Jordan’s financial situation is precarious and urgent grant support is needed. 

The report recommends that Jordan’s government creates a working group that links existing climate and nature coordination bodies to develop climate and nature financing plans and to explore all financing options, including the potential for accelerating private climate and nature finance. It notes that innovative financial instruments incorporating key performance indicators could accelerate private investment. 

The ‘Kenya climate and nature financing options analysis’ report estimates that Kenya’s total financing gap is some US$5.13 billion each year. The report includes recommendations for how Kenya’s government could tackle the issue, such as establishing a working group to explore innovative climate and nature finance and aiming to standardise monitoring reporting and verification systems.  

It says the Kenya government should also explore the potential for issuing innovative climate and nature-related financial instruments, including nature performance bonds, structured bonds similar to South Africa’s Wildlife Conservation Bond – also known as the ‘Rhino Bond’.