Free National Parks Guide

Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA.

National Parks traveler?  Then check out the new, free, online guide to great U.S. national park hikes by the National Park Foundation.

Called Happy Trails: 25 Unforgettable National Park Hikes, the new guide highlights 25 national park hikes, the best sites and activities, how to pack and plan national parks holidays.

America has almost 400 national parks, spanning 84 million acres of landscapes, ecosystems and historic sites.

The National Park Foundation, official charity of America’s national parks, works towards preservation and connecting Americans to the parks.

On the website, the National Park Foundation also offers Trail Talk, where U.S. national parks rangers will take questions about the parks.

In partnership with Merrell, the interactive interview series will assist travelers in planning their national park holidays.

Here are some of the highlighted national park hikes:

• Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas Beaver Slide, 1.5 mile loop. “The short walk passes by several ponds formed by old beaver dams. Ethereal cypress trees rise from still waters, their knees poking the pond’s surface.”

• Everglades National Park, Florida Anhinga, .8 miles round-trip. “Starting at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, the wheelchair-accessible path winds through sawgrass marsh. Wildlife viewing abounds, especially in winter. Look for alligators, turtles, herons, egrets, and, of course, anhingas.”

• Point Reyes National Seashore , California Coast-Laguna, 5 mile loop. “Experience some of these varied landscapes on the Coast Trail via the Laguna Trail. Laguna Trail leads through coastal scrub. Look for Anna’s hummingbird, which feeds year-round on Indian paintbrush and bush monkey flower.”

Travelers can access the full list of 25 great hikes and the National Parks Owner’s Guide, a guidebook to all of America’s national parks.

For the free national parks guides, visit the foundation site.

Image courtesy of DiscoverMoab.com.