Best National Parks for Backpacking

The Grand Canyon is arguably the most iconic backpacking destination in the United States, and for good reason. The North Rim Kaibab Plateau and the descent along Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch sit at the intersection of breathtaking geology and physically demanding wilderness travel. The scale of the canyon is something photographs do not fully communicate — you have to stand at the rim and feel the exposure to understand what you are committing to.

Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch is the classic inner canyon overnight route. It is 9.5 miles one way with a 4,380-foot elevation drop — meaning the climb back out is where most people struggle. The inner canyon floor reaches temperatures above 110°F in summer, so late October through April is the recommended window for inner canyon backpacking. The Rim Trail, by contrast, is beginner-friendly and does not require a permit.

Permit: Required for all overnight backcountry camping. Reservations open four months in advance via recreation.gov and fill up within hours. Have a backup plan. Difficulty: Beginner for Rim Trail; Strenuous to Expert for inner canyon routes.

Yosemite is where many American backpackers get their start on technical multi-day routes, and it earns its reputation. The John Muir Trail begins here, and sections through Tuolumne Meadows offer some of the most stunning high-alpine terrain in the Sierra Nevada — granite domes, clear glacial lakes, and wildflower meadows at elevation that feel otherworldly in late spring. Half Dome is the bucket-list route, requiring both a permit cable permit and a backcountry permit if you plan to camp overnight in the area.

Crowds are a real issue in Yosemite Valley during summer. The late spring window — late May to early June — and fall (September to October) hit the sweet spot of accessible trails, good weather, and noticeably fewer people. Bear canisters are required in the backcountry; the park provides rentals at trailheads but bringing your own saves hassle.

Permit: Wilderness permits required for all overnight trips. A lottery system opens in March for permits from May through September. Walk-up permits are available daily for the following day at trailhead kiosks. Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous depending on route and elevation.

Olympic may be the most ecologically diverse national park on this list. Within a single trip you can hike through the Hoh Rain Forest — one of the only temperate rainforests in North America — traverse the alpine terrain of Hurricane Ridge, and walk coastal wilderness routes along the Pacific. That kind of variety is rare, and it makes Olympic appealing for backpackers who want a single destination that does not feel repetitive over multiple days.

Most zones in Olympic do not require advance permits for backcountry camping, which makes it significantly more accessible than parks like Yosemite or Glacier. Some popular corridors have self-registration systems at trailheads. Bear canisters are required in certain zones; check the NPS website before your trip. Rainfall is frequent year-round in the rainforest sections, so waterproof gear is not optional here.

Permit: No advance permit required for most backcountry zones; self-registration at many trailheads. Some coastal zones have quotas. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate for most trails; Strenuous for high-alpine routes.

Rocky Mountain is the closest major national park to Denver — about 90 minutes from the city — which makes it the most accessible option on this list for many backpackers. Glacier Gorge and Wild Basin are the most popular backcountry corridors, offering alpine lakes, meadows, and dramatic Rocky Mountain scenery without requiring the logistical effort of a cross-country trip. Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, dominates the skyline and attracts experienced mountaineers.

High altitude is the defining challenge here. The average elevation in the park is above 11,000 feet, and many popular campsites sit above 10,000. If you are coming from sea level, plan a day or two of acclimatization before heading into the backcountry. Altitude sickness is a real concern, and pushing too hard too fast is how most trips end prematurely. The backcountry season runs roughly June through September; trails are often snow-covered before and after that window.

Permit: Backcountry permits required for all overnight camping. Reservations open on March 1 via recreation.gov; walk-up permits available at the backcountry office. Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous; altitude adds significant challenge at all fitness levels.

Glacier is the most remote and logistically demanding park on this list — and the most rewarding for backpackers who make the effort to get there. The Highline Trail along the Continental Divide is one of the most celebrated day hikes in North America, but the real magic is in the multi-day routes that push deep into the wilderness: Gunsight Pass, the Northern Loop, Belly River. These routes travel through genuine grizzly bear country, through hanging valleys carved by glaciers, with views that stop conversation mid-sentence.

Bear canisters are required throughout the Glacier backcountry — this is non-negotiable, and rangers enforce it. The permit system fills up fast; Glacier operates a lottery in March and a rolling advance reservation system from mid-March onward. The season is short: most high-elevation routes are not reliably snow-free until late June or July, and conditions can deteriorate quickly in September.

Permit: Backcountry permits required for all overnight camping. Permit lottery opens in March; advance reservations available mid-March through October via recreation.gov. Difficulty: Strenuous to Expert. Remote trailheads, bear activity, river crossings, and limited rescue access demand experience.

Zion is visually unlike any other park on this list. The slot canyons, towering sandstone walls, and technical routes through The Narrows — where you wade the Virgin River between canyon walls that sometimes narrow to a few feet wide — create an experience that feels genuinely otherworldly. Angels Landing is one of the most famous hikes in the country, with chains bolted into exposed rock along the final approach. For multi-day backpackers, the Trans-Zion Trek is a 48-mile point-to-point route through the full length of the park.

Zion introduced a lottery system for Angels Landing and has moved to a permit-required model for several popular routes to manage overcrowding. Overnight backcountry camping requires a wilderness permit, and most zones have strict campsite quotas. Flash flooding is a serious hazard in slot canyon areas — always check weather conditions and be prepared to exit quickly. Spring and fall are ideal seasons; summer heat in the canyon can be intense.

Permit: Backcountry permit required for all overnight trips. Angels Landing requires a separate day-use permit via lottery on recreation.gov. Difficulty: Moderate for most canyon routes; Strenuous for Trans-Zion and technical canyon sections.

Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the United States by a significant margin — over 12 million visitors annually — but the backcountry is far less crowded than the front-country roads and overlooks. The park contains over 800 miles of maintained trails, including a 70-mile section of the Appalachian Trail through the park's ridgeline. The scenery is distinctly eastern Appalachian: dense hardwood forests, rhododendron tunnels, and ridge views that turn spectacular during fall foliage season.

Smokies is one of the most approachable parks for East Coast backpackers. It requires no park entrance fee (the only major national park with this distinction), and while you do need a backcountry permit, the process is straightforward via the park's online system. Trail shelters are positioned at regular intervals along the AT, which makes route planning predictable for beginners.

Permit: Backcountry permit required; available online via the park's permit system for $4 per night. Reservations required for AT shelters. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate for most ridge routes; well-suited for first-timers.

Shenandoah is the gateway park for backpackers based in Washington DC, Baltimore, and New York City — within two to three hours of driving from any of those cities. The Appalachian Trail runs the full 101-mile spine of the park from north to south, and the Blue Ridge Mountains provide long ridgeline views and accessible terrain that does not require the physical commitment of western parks. It is an ideal first-night-out-in-the-backcountry destination.

The backcountry permit system is one of the most beginner-friendly in the country. A $20 fee per trip covers camping anywhere in the backcountry outside of designated campgrounds, provided you follow park rules on distance from trails, water sources, and fire restrictions. Wildlife is abundant and active — black bears are common in Shenandoah, so bear canister habits you build here will serve you everywhere else.

Permit: $20 backcountry permit available online or at ranger stations. No quota system — first come, first served. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. The best national park for beginner backpackers in the eastern US.

Book permits early and have a backup. The most popular parks fill their permit quotas within minutes of the reservation window opening. Set a calendar reminder, have your recreation.gov account ready, and know your backup route if your first choice is unavailable. Many parks release a small number of walk-up permits daily at ranger stations — arriving early on a weekday dramatically improves your chances.

Follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. National parks depend on every visitor making minimum impact. This means packing out all waste (including food scraps), camping at designated sites or at the legal distance from water and trails, using a camp stove rather than open fires in most backcountry zones, and leaving the landscape exactly as you found it. LNT is not just an ethical practice — violations in national parks carry fines and can result in permit revocations.

Bear storage is non-negotiable. Many national parks mandate hard-sided bear canisters in the backcountry. Even in parks where it is only recommended — not required — using a bear canister is the right call. Hanging food from trees (the traditional "bear hang") is not reliably effective against habituated bears in heavily-trafficked parks, and a food-conditioned bear ultimately has to be removed or euthanized. Protect your food and protect the wildlife.

Respect group size limits. Most national park backcountry zones cap group sizes at 8 to 12 people per campsite. These limits exist to protect camp areas from overuse and to preserve the experience of solitude that makes backcountry travel worthwhile. Check the specific park's regulations before organizing a large group trip.

Carry a satellite communicator. Cell coverage in national park backcountry ranges from patchy to nonexistent. A device like the Garmin inReach Mini 2 gives you two-way messaging and SOS capability from anywhere on the planet. It is not a luxury item for remote wilderness travel — it is the single piece of gear most likely to save your life if something goes seriously wrong.