Twelve collections — one per month — computed from our hand-curated matrix of 16 parks: pick your dates, then see which parks are genuinely at their best and which deserve a second thought.
| Month | At their best | Also good | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Biscayne National Park | 2 | Open January → |
| February | Big Bend National Park, Biscayne National Park | 1 | Open February → |
| March | Biscayne National Park, Joshua Tree National Park | 6 | Open March → |
| April | Arches National Park, Big Bend National Park, Biscayne National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Zion National Park | 3 | Open April → |
| May | Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park | 6 | Open May → |
| June | Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park | 6 | Open June → |
| July | Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | 6 | Open July → |
| August | Glacier National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | 6 | Open August → |
| September | Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park | 5 | Open September → |
| October | Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Big Bend National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Zion National Park | 5 | Open October → |
| November | Big Bend National Park, Biscayne National Park | 4 | Open November → |
| December | Biscayne National Park | 2 | Open December → |
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