Featured image: Cotapaxi in Ecuador, one of many less-travelled national parks to explore around the world | Photo by Galyna_Andrushko on Envato

How to find natural and cultural adventures in protected places in Canada, the U.S. and beyond

by Jennifer Bain

When I express love for “national parks,” it’s shorthand for saying I visit protected places wherever I go. Parks Canada oversees national parks, marine conservation areas and historic sites. The U.S. National Park Service has 20-plus naming designations, so its “parks” range from rivers and monuments to memorials and seashores. Global parks are often run by national trusts or conservation societies.

Lots of these places don’t have entrance gates or even fees. Now that we’ve clarified the nomenclature, let’s dive into some of the best “parks” I’ve visited to learn about natural and cultural heritage.

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Less-travelled national parks around the world

1. Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland

The most astounding place I’ve been is the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that I’ve visited twice on Adventure Canada expedition cruises. This protected landscape is at the sea mouth of one of the world’s fastest and most active glaciers. I followed a boardwalk to rocks where I sat watching and listening to newly calved icebergs float by. Then I learned about Greenlandic nature and culture at the Ilulissat Icefjord Centre — a twisted structure built to mimic the wingspan of a snow owl.

2. Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica

In a tiny country that calls itself the most biodiverse place in the world, Tortuguero National Park is famous for its nesting sea turtles from June to October. My visit to this remote park didn’t coincide with turtle nesting season, but I was still thrilled with all the sloths, monkeys, lizards, caimans and crocodiles I saw on canal trips from Pachira Lodge with Exodus Adventure Travels.

3. San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico

At a complex of Spanish colonial masonry military fortifications in Old San Juan, the big draw is actually free-ranging cats. Stroll the site’s Paseo del Morro National Historical Trail between the San Juan Gate and El Morro and you’ll see dozens, perhaps hundreds, of them. The non-profit Save A Gato has been caring for the iconic felines in an unusual deal that the park service is trying to end.

4. Mt. Hartman National Park & Dove Sanctuary, Grenada

Minutes from True Blue Bay Boutique Resort in Grenada, I stumbled upon a tiny and little-known national park that’s trying to protect Grenada’s national dove. There are fewer than 200 Grenada Doves left in the world and they’re threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Don’t attempt a visit alone. My guide was knowledgeable birder/forestry officer Jerry Jeremiah but I met Vaughan Francis of Tropical Adventures who’s also a regular here.

5. Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park, Anguilla

To get to uninhabited Sombrero Island, I tagged along with the Anguilla National Trust. Led by Farah Mukhida, the executive director who hails from Canada, the trust protects critically endangered ground lizards. The barren island is home to Brown and Masked Boobies. Visitors can sign up for the trust’s $50 USD nature, heritage and walking tours, or join monthly outings for a $5 donation. Sombrero trips are free if the staff are going and have space in their boat.

6. Codrington Lagoon National Park, Barbuda

Most folks day-trip from Antigua to its sister island Barbuda for the pink sand beaches. I went to see the western hemisphere’s largest colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds. The males of this pterodactyl-like seabird species inflate bright red throat pouches like balloons during courtship, but I got to see downy chicks instead. At nearby Two Foot Bay National Park, take a guided hike to Darby Cave, a vegetation-filled sinkhole.

7. Arikok National Park, Aruba

I went to Aruba to see how the Aruba Conservation Foundation has saved Yellow-shouldered Amazons (Loras). The clever, friendly bird was long poached for the pet trade until it could no longer be found in the wild here. Arikok National Park turned things around after being given 33 Loras from a smuggling seizure. I also explored the rugged park’s two caves, but need to return for the signature hike to Conchi Natural Pool.

8. Rand Nature Centre, Bahamas

On Grand Bahama Island, Hurricane Dorian took out scores of impossibly tall Caribbean pine trees. But the species is still thriving at the Rand Nature Centre in Freeport. I took a guided stroll of the looped path with the Bahamas National Trust to learn why these pines are so important to the ecosystem. Look for labels — some with QR codes that link to fact sheets — on many of the Rand’s trees and plants.

9. Mount Pelée, Martinique

When Martinique’s UNESCO-protected volcano erupted in 1902, it killed 30,000 people. Today, Mount Pelée is a bucket-list hike for those who are up for the challenge. I had an hour-long taste of the steep and slippery l’Aileron trail, admiring endemic ferns, flowers, trees and hummingbirds. Then I dove into volcanoes at La Maison Des Volcans in Morne Rouge and the Mémorial de la Catastrophe de 1902 — Musée de Frank A. Perret in Saint-Pierre.

10. Cotapaxi National Park, Ecuador

Cotapaxi is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, a stratovolcano located within the Andes Mountains at 5879 m /19,347 ft. There’s no greater experience than riding on horseback to be eye level with the summit, watching the steam, as endangered Andean condors float above your head in the clouds. I stayed at a family-owned hacienda, Tierra del Volcán, a transformational and sustainable retreat place that provides new career paths to many in the community. (Recommended by Carolyn Ray)

11. Diksam National Park, Socotra (Yemen)

Often called the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”, the Socotra Archipelago, near the Gulf of Aden, is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage site. Amazingly, 37% of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world. Camping in a one-woman tent on the Diksam Plateau and waking up to watch the sun rise among will forever be one of my greatest travel adventures. Nowhere else in the world can one find the remarkable upside-down umbrella Dragon’s Blood Trees in such density as here. Very few tourists visit Socotra because it’s almost impossible to get there, making it one of the last untouched islands in the world. (Recommended by Carolyn Ray)

12. Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan

On a gentle guided hike through Dana Biosphere Reserve, I learned how Jordan’s largest nature reserve protects this precious area of mountain ridges, steep-sided wadis (dried river valleys) and desert lowlands from mining. On the southwest edge of Dana, I spent a memorable night at Feynan Ecolodge, a 26-room off-grid lodge that’s owned by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and operated by EcoHotels.

13. Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

While exploring the Scottish Highlands with Wilderness Scotland, I communed with Britain’s only free-ranging reindeer herd. The 150-odd herd animals from the deer family (known as caribou in Canada) live in Cairngorms National Park. Take hill trips or make paddock visits with the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd in Aviemore. About half the land here at the UK’s largest park is considered wild, but 18,000 people live in the park’s towns and villages, and there are no entry fees or gates.

Less-Travelled National Parks in Canada

14. Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador

Canada’s most interesting national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its “geological importance and exceptional beauty.” Serious hikers tackle Gros Morne Mountain, but the Tablelands is more my speed for easy strolls over the orange and alien landscape of a rare section of the Earth’s exposed mantle. I always recommend BonTours’ boat trip through spectacular Western Brook Pond, a landlocked freshwater fjord.

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15. Jasper National Park, Alberta

Jasper National Park, bigger than its neighbour Banff but not as globally known, is emerging from the ashes of a devastating 2024 wildfire that forced 5,000 residents and 20,000 visitors to flee. On my last visit, SunDog Tours took me on its wildlife and “ecology or fire” tour and showcased “giraffe trees” (weirdly charred trees with golden patches on their blackened trunks) on a trail around Lake Annette.

16. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, British Columbia

Yes, the official title of this park in northern B.C. really is that long. Haida Gwaii, meaning “Islands of the People,” is an archipelago of 150 islands where 4,500 people (about half of whom are from the Haida Nation) live in seven towns. Haida Style Expeditions took me on a day-long boat trip to Gwaii Haanas to visit cultural sites protected by the Haida Watchmen.

17. Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site, Dawson City, Yukon

Parks Canada protects more than 17 buildings at the Dawson Historical Complex that help tell the story of the Klondike Gold Rush. On a seasonal walking tour, I learned how gold was discovered at nearby Rabbit Creek (now Bonanza Creek) in August 1896, bringing 30,000 fortune hunters here. I toured the S.S. Keno, a sternwheeler steamer, and the Commissioner’s Residence, where we took a critical look at the impacts of a colonial government on the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in

18. Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

Have you ever taken a hike just because of the trail’s name? That’s what drew me to southern Saskatchewan to walk the Valley of 1000 Devils trail across grasslands into the badlands. It’s a well-marked, 11-kilometre loop that seems to end with a stunning vista. But thanks to a Parks Canada heritage presenter, I knew to continue 20 minutes past the end of the marked trail on a footpath for an even more astounding look at the vast eroded landscape.

​19. Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador

Fewer than 700 people visit this wilderness park in the Inuit homeland of northern Labrador each year, and most come by expedition cruise ship. Inuit bears guards kept me safe from polar bears on two visits with Adventure Canada and I hope to soon get to the Torngat Mountains Base Camp and Research Station. The Inuit gifted this land of deep fjords and towering mountains to “all Canadians” and co-manage the park with Parks Canada.

Less-Travelled National Parks in the USA

20. Buffalo National River, Arkansas

America’s first national river protects 217 kilometres of the Buffalo National River in northwest Arkansas. Float trips, by kayak or canoe, are the big draw in what’s been divided up into Upper, Middle and Lower Districts. I did a 6.5-kilometre float in March with the Buffalo Outdoor Center, kayaking the turquoise-hued river and admiring snakes and turtles out sunning themselves. This is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.

21. Channel Islands National Park, California

I’d never heard of the Channel Islands before visiting them on a National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions cruise out of Los Angeles. The pygmy mammoths are long gone, but North America’s Galápagos are rich in biodiversity. Five of the eight islands, and their ocean environments, make up the national park, but on Santa Catalina Island I visited the resort town of Avalon and spotted wild bison descended from animals abandoned here after a 1920s film shoot.

22. Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Texas

Something else I’d never heard of until visiting Padre Island National Seashore was seabeans — drift seeds or fruits that get carried by ocean currents to new lands. Normally you can’t take anything from national parks, but here, by the Gulf of Mexico, you can collect a one-gallon container filled with sea beans and unoccupied seashells each day. I found everything from brain beans and sea coconuts to hamburger beans and sea hearts.

23. ​​Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona

I would return to Saguaro National Park just to gawk at North America’s largest cactus again. The Sonoran Desert park that flanks Tucson with two separate units is home to two million saguaros, green giants with branches (aka arms) that make them look human. To celebrate its Urban Night Sky Place certification, I took a guided night walk to reconnect with darkness.

24. Stonewall National Monument, New York

Greenwich Village is home to Stonewall National Monument, the only U.S. national park dedicated to LGBTQIA+ rights and history. There’s a tangible 0.12-acre triangular park (with George Segal’s Gay Liberation statue) and protection for surrounding streets and sidewalks that tell the story of how a 1969 raid of the Stonewall Inn sparked the Stonewall Uprising and riots that launched the gay rights movement. Across from the park, the non-profit Pride Live runs the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center and the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar and National Historic Landmark.

25. More National Parks to Come

My favourite park? The one I’m going to next. That means Ciénaga de Zapata in Cuba, where I hope to see a Bee Hummingbird, the world’s smallest bird. Then it’s on to the Atlantic Islands of Galicia Maritime-Terrestrial National Park in northern Spain — specifically the Ciés islands to see how a daily cap on visitors protects this eco-beauty spot. In July, you’ll find me coasteering in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales and visiting a puffin colony.

More National Parks Around the World