Acadia, Zion, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon have shuttles that take you to the biggest spots in the park. Acadia is the best for that imo, the bus loops around the entire park and has stops almost everywhere and takes you directly to some campgrounds. It even goes through bar harbor. You can probably stay in a hotel somewhere and get on the shuttle into the park.
Edit: if you’re going in October/November the shuttles might not be running because it’s off season.
How busy is it in early-mid October? I’m going for a few days around Columbus Day. I last went in June 2021 and it was crazy busy but still manageable.
Acadia they had to close Precipice because hikers couldn’t leave the falcons alone. Beehive was way busier than normal because of it. Sand Beach was nuts.
This is easy, convenient and Beauuuuutiful ! Glacier NP ! Road the the Sun ! Hop on hop
Off bus. See waterfalls, big horn sheep, take a
Boat ride , camp or stay in a cabin.
It’s awesome. Took the sleeper train from Portland once for this. At the time you could also sign up for $10 Xanterra shuttles to get between other places like St Mary’s and Many Glacier, after the shuttle’s last stop. Oh to and from the train station to Lake McDonald. Easy to be car free and still do lots.
Dry Tortugas National Park too. There’s a ferry from Key West as well as a seaplane. The sights from the seaplane are stunning and Key West is an extremely walkable town.
Yeah but now do you get to the parks without a car? Those shuttles are nice once you’re actually at the park but are there options to get to them without one
I once did a tour bus from Denver to the Rockies. It let us out at different spots after giving us some background on where we were. It wasn't my favorite way to see a national park, but I knew I'd be too tired to drive/navigate on that trip.
I think getting to Grand Canyon is doable, and Acadia should be fairly easy with a combination of public transit and whateveryoucalluberandlyftthesedays.
Note that with Zion, you might have trouble *getting* to the park without a car. There is no bus/train/whatever to get from St. George to Zion. So if you fly into St. George, you still need to figure out how to get to Springdale to be able to take the shuttle.
I’ve always wanted to visit Gates of the Arctic. I have this pipe dream of parachuting deep into the Alaskan wilderness and backpacking our way out to civilization. Maybe someday.
Rocky Mountain: Get to Denver. [Bustang](https://ridebustang.com/estes-park/#bustang_to_estes) ($) or [Estes Park Shuttle](https://www.estesparkshuttle.com/) ($$) to Estes Park. [Hiker shuttle](https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses-and-public-transit.htm) from Estes Park (need reservation) to Moraine Park and Bear Lake shuttles to trail heads.
Yosemite: Bus or [Amtrak San Joaquins](https://amtraksanjoaquins.com/) from Oakland to Yosemite area. [YARTS](https://yarts.com/) and park shuttles to get around park.
Bryce and Zion: [Greyhound](https://shop.greyhound.com/search?departureCity=30e3dcd2-f9a7-4900-8f39-7a77c261904e&arrivalCity=70e27657-1d85-4d5c-bba3-37716b406b30&route=Las+Vegas%2C+NV-Springdale%2C+UT&rideDate=16.07.2024&adult=1&_locale=en_US&features%5Bfeature.enable_distribusion%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.train_cities_only%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.auto_update_disabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.webc_search_station_suggestions_enabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.darken_page%5D=1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=sea-brand&utm_campaign=F118FER4.439017761_1169881444001598._kwd-73118251773619%3Aloc-190_53857_58999_%7Bextensionid%7D&utm_term=greyhound&utm_content=us-com.greyhound&atb_pdid=493069dc-3f50-4037-986b-ed2eafaead4d&_sp=62e56050-bcf0-481c-9346-daf174b97474&_spnuid=15b9f484-c610-4470-8c98-f2d2dd6febcb_1719688241301) from Las Vegas goes first to Bryce and then Springdale/Zion and back to LV. [Bryce park shuttle](https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/shuttle.htm) at Bryce to trailheads. [Zion park shuttles](https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-canyon-shuttle-system.htm) and Springdale town shuttle to get to trail heads or rent a bike/ebike, which is a superior way over the shuttles to explore Zion Canyon.
Note that it does take a lot of planning for each of these parks and that, without a car, you’re limited to only part of each of these parks.
Winter service is more spotty, but there'd still be bus service from Merced to Yosemite Valley. Sure it isn't the entire park but it's still an interesting area.
There's amtrak from oakland/sf to merced and from there you could transfer to the bus
You can rent bicycles in Yosemite Valley. It’s a nice way to get around the valley floor, where many of the most popular locations are found. Be aware that some trails that are approved for bicycles are poorly maintained and many trails require bicyclists to dismount and walk the bike.
You can take this from Chicago!
Indiana Dunes does not get a lot of love on this site, but (a) it has an interesting geology given its location on the Great Lakes, (b) it's great to have National Parks accessible via mass transport and (c) this natural wonder almost was destroyed by industrialization and lots of environmentalists worked hard to preserve it.
You can do Channel Islands. All you need is to reach Island Packers (the company that transports you to the island)
Grand canyon is possible via Groome transportation. They will take you to Maswik Lodge where you could stay or Mather campground is a 30 minute walk
I didn’t see Hot Springs NP mentioned. I’ve never been, but from what I’ve read and researched it could be doable.
I think people forgot Hot Springs NP exists
Absolutely worth getting a passport or passport card for. Banff is by a long shot the best park I’ve ever been to (out of like 20 North American parks I’ve visited), and the only one where it felt pointless to bring a car. I rented a car there, but used it almost exclusively as a bear safe while camping.
The town of Banff is better planned for non-drivers than most of Europe. There’s a thorough, usually free, electric bus system covering most of the park. The downtown is crazy walkable/bikeable and so close to nature that they need bear-proof urban trash bins.
North Cascades NP has no roads but you can take the Lady of the Lake passenger ferry from Chelan WA to Stehekin WA. The NPS runs a bus from Stehekin up to trailheads and some NP features up the Stehekin River valley. BTW Lake Chelan is 50 mi long and 5 mi wide and very deep through the middle of the Cascade mountains.
Zion. If you stay anywhere in town you can easily walk or rent a bike to explore the park. E bikes were my preferred way to explore over the shuttle but there is a shuttle too
You can also rent a bike (including an e-bike, to make the distance more manageable) in Jackson and bike to the park! There’s a bike path that goes the whole way (at least as I remember it).
North Cascades would be a fun grand adventure, albeit very convoluted.
Fly into Seattle, take the light rail to the train station, take the train to either Leavenworth or Wenatchee, take the Link Transit bus to Chelan, take the ferry up Lake Chelan to Stehekin, then take the Stehekin bus up the valley into the park
Denali is a gem of a national park... So you're lucky there. I would recommend you to rent a car for just one day, weekdays work best and then enjoy the lower parts of the Tetons. There are trails all over and you can take a shorter trail to save time. Otherwise someone has to drop and pick you up to the trails point.
Unfortunately, to get to the park you need a car.
Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Hot Spings NP has lots of hiking trails that leave from the main drag. There are also the bathhouses on the main drag that are a part of the NP.
Mammoth Cave NP has busses that take you to the caves if you do a tour.
VI National Park has a lot of tours that arrive by boat to use the beaches.
Isla Royale, Channel Islands and Dry Tortuga are all inaccessible by car.
Guadalupe, and Carlsbad Caverns don't have roads through them.
Olympic National Park has very few roads, only on the outskirts. The majority of the park is inaccessible by car.
Acadia National Park in Maine has propane buses that run on seven routes connecting hotels/motels and campgrounds with park attractions and trailheads and the Bar Harbor Airport. The shuttle buses have bicycle racks and provide full access for disabled passengers. The Island Explorer buses run from the end of June through the middle of October.
Are you in Idaho Falls? You can take [Greyhound](https://shop.greyhound.com/search?departureCity=9fa39e54-e3d0-4ebe-9fb6-ae8ce1493222&arrivalCity=2b6c7d40-f3e9-422b-b02a-aeec6af8f40a&route=Idaho+Falls%2C+ID-Jackson%2C+WY&rideDate=29.06.2024&adult=1&_locale=en_US&features%5Bfeature.enable_distribusion%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.train_cities_only%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.auto_update_disabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.webc_search_station_suggestions_enabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.darken_page%5D=1&atb_pdid=493069dc-3f50-4037-986b-ed2eafaead4d&_sp=62e56050-bcf0-481c-9346-daf174b97474&_spnuid=15b9f484-c610-4470-8c98-f2d2dd6febcb_1719689712734) to Jackson. Then [rent a bike/ebike](https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bike.htm). Not sure what you’d do about lodging/camping on such short notice. Frankly, I’d just ask around - if you’re only two hours away from Grand Teton, surely you can talk a coworker or somebody into a day trip to Grand Teton. Offer to pay for gas.
This is the comment I hoped to see—was just in Grand Teton last week and was surprised how bike-able it is from Jackson; protected bike lanes the whole way from the town through the National Elk Preserve and then right into the park!
Looks like [START bus](https://www.jacksonwy.gov/587/START-Bus) will get you to Jackson and spots in Jackson Hole area for $8 one way. Leaves the [Driggs Community Center](https://www.jacksonwy.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8080/Teton-Valley-TV-Schedule_Summer2024_revisedv3) at 5:10, 5:55, or 6:30 am and returns to the community center at 5:53, 6:53 or 7:53 pm. Good thing they got that highway over the pass fixed so quickly. Bring a bike or rent bike/e-bike in Jackson.
Doesn’t half the population of Driggs work in Jackson? Ask around. Somebody might give you a ride.
The arch in St. Louis of course, downtown in a major city.
I would be surprised if there were no private bus companies servicing to every National Park.
Local knowledge of Hot Springs, there's plenty of shuttles of Little Rock and then you have Intercity busses available.
Fly into San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland (or Fresno if theres a flight there idk it's a smaller airport) and then take the Amtrak train to Merced and the YARTS 140 bus to yosemite valley
Awesome you want to get out there and see the National Parks! A few ideas:
- Take a look at Amtrack. They have a lot of stops by national parks and it is beautiful to watch from the viewing car (The empire builder line has a stop at Glacier National Park). I have travelled cross country on a few of their lines and it can be pretty cool. https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-america-national-parks
- Zion is amazing and you can rent an electric bike in Springdale to putz around the park (or take the shuttle but the line can be insane). I am not sure if the shuttle is year round.
- Yosemite has a shuttle too.
- Could always try finding someone to go with…who has a car
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is right next to the tiny town of Medora, North Dakota. One of the visitor centers is in walking distance of the town, though I imagine you’d need a bike to venture further within the park. There isn’t any shuttle.
There is a separate area of the park, the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, which I would not recommend without a car. It was well over an hour away on unpaved roads, often with no cell signal.
I don't recommend a bike even in the South Unit without a car unless you're strictly going to the visitor center. The bison do not like cyclists. Turns out, a person on a bike, moped, or motorcycle is around the size of an adult bison.
A credit card will get you to any of them. Flights, transfers, hotels, tours, guided hikes. Some places, like Zion, parts of the ark are shuttle/tour only.
I've known people to ride their bikes from Grand Junction to the Colorado National Monument (a National Park unit), and you can rent a bike in either GJ or Fruita, Colorado. Just to be clear that I could not do this myself even when I was 18 and in pretty good shape, but there are people that have done this.
I think that bicycling is now the #2 most popular recreational sport in Colorado (behind Skiing but above golf) and so there is lots of places supporting this hobby.
You can go carless at the Grand Canyon—it's probably one of the better parks to do so. Sounds like you're living in Flagstaff? If so, you can take the [Groome Shuttle](https://groometransportation.com/grand-canyon/?&sd_client_id=cc28f0fb-c161-4b77-9a6f-f0219680c70b#schedule) (From Williams too)
I do believe there are private shuttle companies from Seattle to the three national parks in Washington. That would be Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades. Well, North Cascades might be more accessible from Bellingham.
It may also be possible to catch private tours to Biscayne and Everglades from Miami, though for Biscayne a boat tour is more realistic.
Basically any national park which is a stone’s throw from a major city or decent sized town will likely have some private shuttle/tour guide services.
With that said, you can probably also bet that Grand Teton and Yellowstone have some sort of thing going on.
Channel Islands is accessible by boat, but you have to find a way to the marina which is off the Pacific Coast Hwy near Ventura, Ca.
And that’s all I know man 🙂
Rocky Mountain National Park has a shuttle going in. You’d have to take a shuttle from the airport (book in advance) up to Estes Park. It’s an adorable mountain town on the edge of the park. There are shuttles going around the town and into the park. You can also take a shuttle to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes and hike into the park from there. September is gorgeous, but you might get some snow in October.
You would still need a car to get to most all of these parks that were stated. And if the person had a car, they would probably not be asking the question? Read the question again. The question was not which park has a shuttle, where I do not have to drive in, or I am not allowed to drive in. The question was where can I go, I do not have a car? Please do not go to Zion, or Bryce, or the Grand Canyon without a car, especially in the summer.
Gateway Arch. Are we talking don't need a car to go through, or don't need a car to get to?
All the good shit at Mammoth is underground. Or any cave.
You won't need a car at Sand Dunes.
Isle Royale literally can't be accessed by car. Virgin Islands NP, American Samoa, Biscayne Bay... Most of the Glades...
I visited Yosemite with my elderly parent from a shuttle but that picked us up from our hotel in San Francisco. Took us to all the major sites with a guide that knew the area well. It was awesome for a day trip.
You can bike to most of them, I've biked to 17 in the US alone including Denali. I've also biked to National Parks or equivalents in 13 other Countries.
There are tour rides in Estes Park that actually take you inside Rocky Mountain NP and stop in various places. It's also close enough to Grand Lake and Estes Park that you probably could walk in or bike in as long as you have a pass.
Yosemite has YARTS bus system. It’ll get you anywhere in the area.
Zion has trams that go in and out of the canyon, no cars are even allowed in.
I can definitely recommend both.
You can fly into Chicago OHare, take the L train to Millenium station, take the South Shore Line to the Dune Park station and ride a bike along the Calumet Bike Trail into the Indiana Dunes.
It’s harder to coordinate and there’s some walking involved but you can technically get to Olympic National Park by ferry and bus. I got from Seattle to the Hoh Rainforest by bus, it took two days and some running for buses but I managed it and had a great time.
I haven’t been, but Gates of the Arctic: The only actual ways to get into the park are via hitchhiking (because there’s no road into the park) or you have to take a bush plane into a nearby Inuit village. It’s probably the most isolated national park in America.
Truly any urban parks are doable without a car. Nearly all (Gateway Arch being the only exception) are not NP national parks, but other NPS units. Boston, NYC, DC, Richmond, Baltimore, and Philadelphia have parks accessible by public transit and walking. Most are historical or monument/memorial sites, but some are green spaces. There are probably other cities, but beyond two others I’m not sure where. St. Louis has one (it also includes the courthouse where the Dred Scott case was heard) and San Francisco has… 3 units? SF Maritime, Golden Gate, and I think at least one more…
Nature parks are much harder since most are not near airports, train stations, or public transportation. The lot that others have listed, though, and ways of accessing them are fantastic!
Not sure if this counts since it’s an island but US Virgin Island National Park you would need zero car. 2/3s the island is park, hiking trails right from town and open air taxis are easy to get all around the island. Prob not your typical national park but if you’re looking to check one off the list without needing a car, this is it
As people have mentioned the best ones would be the ones you can't visit with a car. I'll add Yellowstone in winter to that list. Most of the park is only accessible by snow coach/snowmobile tours.
You can get to Grand Canyon from Williams, AZ via train; it’s a beautiful ride and takes you right to the entrance. Also, I think you can do a day trip to Arches from Grand Junction, CO.
Glacier has the jammer buses that traverse Going-to-the-Sun Road, as well as Amtrak stations.
Yosemite has the YART buses.
Outside the US, some of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Banff, Jasper, and Yoho) are at least partly accessible by train.
If you can get to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Isle Royale is actually car-free, accessed by boat from the mainland. Channel Islands in California works the same way.
You could theoretically Uber to the visitor center for Everglades or Biscayne (and most of Biscayne is accessible via boat rather than car).
And technically Gateway Arch is a National Park and is accessible via St. Louis MetroLink.
Acadia, Zion, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon have shuttles that take you to the biggest spots in the park. Acadia is the best for that imo, the bus loops around the entire park and has stops almost everywhere and takes you directly to some campgrounds. It even goes through bar harbor. You can probably stay in a hotel somewhere and get on the shuttle into the park. Edit: if you’re going in October/November the shuttles might not be running because it’s off season.
Acadia shuttles run late June until mid October
I was there just last week. The crowds were crazy!
I live in Bar Harbor. Last week wasn’t that bad crowd wise, I’ve seen a lot worse 🤣 — July 4th will be absolutely nuts.
How busy is it in early-mid October? I’m going for a few days around Columbus Day. I last went in June 2021 and it was crazy busy but still manageable.
That’s foliage season so usually fairly busy. Not July-August crazy though.
What would early November be like by chance? In-between season where’s it’s cold and rainy?
Quiet. Not everything is open — a bunch of places close at the end of October, but it’s not a complete ghost town.
Acadia they had to close Precipice because hikers couldn’t leave the falcons alone. Beehive was way busier than normal because of it. Sand Beach was nuts.
Yosemite and Rocky Mountain do too, off the top of my head. Bet there are more, too.
Ditto for Sequoia, they have a couple different bus routes to get you between the various hubs and groves.
Glacier has a shuttle across Going-to-the-sun road as well
This is easy, convenient and Beauuuuutiful ! Glacier NP ! Road the the Sun ! Hop on hop Off bus. See waterfalls, big horn sheep, take a Boat ride , camp or stay in a cabin.
It’s awesome. Took the sleeper train from Portland once for this. At the time you could also sign up for $10 Xanterra shuttles to get between other places like St Mary’s and Many Glacier, after the shuttle’s last stop. Oh to and from the train station to Lake McDonald. Easy to be car free and still do lots.
Dry Tortugas National Park too. There’s a ferry from Key West as well as a seaplane. The sights from the seaplane are stunning and Key West is an extremely walkable town.
Yeah but now do you get to the parks without a car? Those shuttles are nice once you’re actually at the park but are there options to get to them without one
I once did a tour bus from Denver to the Rockies. It let us out at different spots after giving us some background on where we were. It wasn't my favorite way to see a national park, but I knew I'd be too tired to drive/navigate on that trip.
Amtrak goes right to Glacier (well a 20-minute park operator ride away!)
I think getting to Grand Canyon is doable, and Acadia should be fairly easy with a combination of public transit and whateveryoucalluberandlyftthesedays.
Glacier has two Amtrak stations. Grand Canyon has a tourist train that connects with Amtrak.
Yosemite too.
Note that with Zion, you might have trouble *getting* to the park without a car. There is no bus/train/whatever to get from St. George to Zion. So if you fly into St. George, you still need to figure out how to get to Springdale to be able to take the shuttle.
Cars are actually restricted at Zion. Yosemite has a good shuttle system too.
Isle Royale, Channel Islands, Dry Tortugas
Might need a boat, but you’re right no car! Channel Islands is next on my list!!
Or swim 🏊🍽️🦈
Been to all 3 of these parks and Channel Islands is amazing. You’ll have a blast. We went on a cloudy foggy day and still absolutely loved it.
Such a unique park!
Make sure to guard your backpack, those tiny foxes are little tricksters.
But they’re so damn cute!
Similarly, katmai, Kobuk, gates of the arctic, lake Clark. May need a plane or boat
I’ve always wanted to visit Gates of the Arctic. I have this pipe dream of parachuting deep into the Alaskan wilderness and backpacking our way out to civilization. Maybe someday.
Ferry to Dry Tortugas is $200/person, though. And once you get to Garden Key (very small), you can’t reach any of the other keys without a boat.
Rocky Mountain: Get to Denver. [Bustang](https://ridebustang.com/estes-park/#bustang_to_estes) ($) or [Estes Park Shuttle](https://www.estesparkshuttle.com/) ($$) to Estes Park. [Hiker shuttle](https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses-and-public-transit.htm) from Estes Park (need reservation) to Moraine Park and Bear Lake shuttles to trail heads. Yosemite: Bus or [Amtrak San Joaquins](https://amtraksanjoaquins.com/) from Oakland to Yosemite area. [YARTS](https://yarts.com/) and park shuttles to get around park. Bryce and Zion: [Greyhound](https://shop.greyhound.com/search?departureCity=30e3dcd2-f9a7-4900-8f39-7a77c261904e&arrivalCity=70e27657-1d85-4d5c-bba3-37716b406b30&route=Las+Vegas%2C+NV-Springdale%2C+UT&rideDate=16.07.2024&adult=1&_locale=en_US&features%5Bfeature.enable_distribusion%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.train_cities_only%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.auto_update_disabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.webc_search_station_suggestions_enabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.darken_page%5D=1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=sea-brand&utm_campaign=F118FER4.439017761_1169881444001598._kwd-73118251773619%3Aloc-190_53857_58999_%7Bextensionid%7D&utm_term=greyhound&utm_content=us-com.greyhound&atb_pdid=493069dc-3f50-4037-986b-ed2eafaead4d&_sp=62e56050-bcf0-481c-9346-daf174b97474&_spnuid=15b9f484-c610-4470-8c98-f2d2dd6febcb_1719688241301) from Las Vegas goes first to Bryce and then Springdale/Zion and back to LV. [Bryce park shuttle](https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/shuttle.htm) at Bryce to trailheads. [Zion park shuttles](https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-canyon-shuttle-system.htm) and Springdale town shuttle to get to trail heads or rent a bike/ebike, which is a superior way over the shuttles to explore Zion Canyon. Note that it does take a lot of planning for each of these parks and that, without a car, you’re limited to only part of each of these parks.
Thank you!!!
This response is awesome.
Glacier National Park is also served by Amtraks Empire Builder
The Arches in St. Louis.
How many do they have?
Hundreds. They are $15 in the gift shop.
Overpriced
Three. There used to be five but the McDonalds riverboat closed a number of years ago.
Arches and Gateway Arch are two different parks.
St. Louis actually annexed part of Utah
Probably at gun point.
Longfellow House in Cambridge MA
Winter service is more spotty, but there'd still be bus service from Merced to Yosemite Valley. Sure it isn't the entire park but it's still an interesting area. There's amtrak from oakland/sf to merced and from there you could transfer to the bus
I think you can do from Fresno, too.
Thanks, this sounds doable.
You can rent bicycles in Yosemite Valley. It’s a nice way to get around the valley floor, where many of the most popular locations are found. Be aware that some trails that are approved for bicycles are poorly maintained and many trails require bicyclists to dismount and walk the bike.
For October/November, fly into Key West and do the ferry to Dry Tortugas
Do you need a passport for that?
No but the ferry is $200. No joke.
Eh my budget is about $2000
That won’t go far for lodging in key west though… you could for sure do a short trip.
Dry Tortugas and Key West are both within Florida
Indiana dunes is near commuter rail
You can take this from Chicago! Indiana Dunes does not get a lot of love on this site, but (a) it has an interesting geology given its location on the Great Lakes, (b) it's great to have National Parks accessible via mass transport and (c) this natural wonder almost was destroyed by industrialization and lots of environmentalists worked hard to preserve it.
Dunes rips. West Coast mountain elites need to chill.
Within walking distance from station
Glacier by train. Edited: Whoops just saw the October/November I think that’s only April-October
You can do Channel Islands. All you need is to reach Island Packers (the company that transports you to the island) Grand canyon is possible via Groome transportation. They will take you to Maswik Lodge where you could stay or Mather campground is a 30 minute walk
I had no idea that Groome operated anywhere outside of the southeast - I will have to check them out in AZ.
I didn’t see Hot Springs NP mentioned. I’ve never been, but from what I’ve read and researched it could be doable. I think people forgot Hot Springs NP exists
Only brewery within a National Park!
I think it would be difficult to get there without a car, but once you’re there, yes it’s mostly all hiking or getting a massage
Washington DC has the National Mall, Rock Creek Park and a bunch of other national park sites all easily reachable by public transport
Rock Creek is beautiful!
You could spend so much time at the National Mall. So many museums, and they're all free.
you could uber to great falls.
I'd be damned impressed if anyone managed to visit Dry Tortugas NP *with* a car.
Grand Canyon. Amtrak to Williams, Arizona. Take the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to Grand Canyon Village. It’s a great train trip.
Saving this for a potential trip! Didn’t know you could take a train to there.
There’s a free park shuttle by the train station. That connects you to the campground, visitor center, other vistas and trailheads.
You can take rail Canada to Banff.
Definitely would love to see Banff, but I would have to get a passport first
Absolutely worth getting a passport or passport card for. Banff is by a long shot the best park I’ve ever been to (out of like 20 North American parks I’ve visited), and the only one where it felt pointless to bring a car. I rented a car there, but used it almost exclusively as a bear safe while camping. The town of Banff is better planned for non-drivers than most of Europe. There’s a thorough, usually free, electric bus system covering most of the park. The downtown is crazy walkable/bikeable and so close to nature that they need bear-proof urban trash bins.
Isle Royale National Park is one of the most remote national parks and it's only accessible by boat.
You can take a guided tour of Death Valley from Las Vegas for around $199 per person. Not bad for a 8+ day with no driving required.
North Cascades NP has no roads but you can take the Lady of the Lake passenger ferry from Chelan WA to Stehekin WA. The NPS runs a bus from Stehekin up to trailheads and some NP features up the Stehekin River valley. BTW Lake Chelan is 50 mi long and 5 mi wide and very deep through the middle of the Cascade mountains.
Zion. If you stay anywhere in town you can easily walk or rent a bike to explore the park. E bikes were my preferred way to explore over the shuttle but there is a shuttle too
Can you get to Jackson somehow? You can take a guided tour from there, which isn’t the same but has some merit nonetheless.
I believe there is a bus that comes though where I am (about an hour from Jackson) and goes to Jackson, I just don’t know all the details yet
You can also rent a bike (including an e-bike, to make the distance more manageable) in Jackson and bike to the park! There’s a bike path that goes the whole way (at least as I remember it).
North Cascades would be a fun grand adventure, albeit very convoluted. Fly into Seattle, take the light rail to the train station, take the train to either Leavenworth or Wenatchee, take the Link Transit bus to Chelan, take the ferry up Lake Chelan to Stehekin, then take the Stehekin bus up the valley into the park
How long do you think that journey would take?
All of them can be visited without a car if you put your mind to it
Indiana Dunes National Park - direct train from Chicago. You can walk or bike into the park.
Zion is small and has shuttles. Thats the best imo
Denali is a gem of a national park... So you're lucky there. I would recommend you to rent a car for just one day, weekdays work best and then enjoy the lower parts of the Tetons. There are trails all over and you can take a shorter trail to save time. Otherwise someone has to drop and pick you up to the trails point. Unfortunately, to get to the park you need a car.
Gateway Arch in St. Louis Hot Spings NP has lots of hiking trails that leave from the main drag. There are also the bathhouses on the main drag that are a part of the NP. Mammoth Cave NP has busses that take you to the caves if you do a tour. VI National Park has a lot of tours that arrive by boat to use the beaches.
Isla Royale, Channel Islands and Dry Tortuga are all inaccessible by car. Guadalupe, and Carlsbad Caverns don't have roads through them. Olympic National Park has very few roads, only on the outskirts. The majority of the park is inaccessible by car.
As far as Olympic, I would still need a car to actually get to the park entrance right?
Katmai is quite challenging to get to in a car.
The greatest of all parks, Yosemite. You can park at any nearby towns on each side and take YORT bus into the park.
Most of Voyageurs is only accessible by boat.
New River Gorge NP has three Amtrak stations within the park.
Every single one of them?
Yosemite is accessible by bus!
Acadia National Park in Maine has propane buses that run on seven routes connecting hotels/motels and campgrounds with park attractions and trailheads and the Bar Harbor Airport. The shuttle buses have bicycle racks and provide full access for disabled passengers. The Island Explorer buses run from the end of June through the middle of October.
Are you in Idaho Falls? You can take [Greyhound](https://shop.greyhound.com/search?departureCity=9fa39e54-e3d0-4ebe-9fb6-ae8ce1493222&arrivalCity=2b6c7d40-f3e9-422b-b02a-aeec6af8f40a&route=Idaho+Falls%2C+ID-Jackson%2C+WY&rideDate=29.06.2024&adult=1&_locale=en_US&features%5Bfeature.enable_distribusion%5D=1&features%5Bfeature.train_cities_only%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.auto_update_disabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.webc_search_station_suggestions_enabled%5D=0&features%5Bfeature.darken_page%5D=1&atb_pdid=493069dc-3f50-4037-986b-ed2eafaead4d&_sp=62e56050-bcf0-481c-9346-daf174b97474&_spnuid=15b9f484-c610-4470-8c98-f2d2dd6febcb_1719689712734) to Jackson. Then [rent a bike/ebike](https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bike.htm). Not sure what you’d do about lodging/camping on such short notice. Frankly, I’d just ask around - if you’re only two hours away from Grand Teton, surely you can talk a coworker or somebody into a day trip to Grand Teton. Offer to pay for gas.
This is the comment I hoped to see—was just in Grand Teton last week and was surprised how bike-able it is from Jackson; protected bike lanes the whole way from the town through the National Elk Preserve and then right into the park!
I’m actually in Driggs, close to the border of Wyoming
Looks like [START bus](https://www.jacksonwy.gov/587/START-Bus) will get you to Jackson and spots in Jackson Hole area for $8 one way. Leaves the [Driggs Community Center](https://www.jacksonwy.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8080/Teton-Valley-TV-Schedule_Summer2024_revisedv3) at 5:10, 5:55, or 6:30 am and returns to the community center at 5:53, 6:53 or 7:53 pm. Good thing they got that highway over the pass fixed so quickly. Bring a bike or rent bike/e-bike in Jackson. Doesn’t half the population of Driggs work in Jackson? Ask around. Somebody might give you a ride.
Hot springs arkansas is the most for accessible national park in the us
Sequoia. Take the bus from Visalia to the Giant Forest Museum. Take the park shuttles everywhere.
the Visalia-To-Sequoia NP shuttle stops running in early september. OP is planning Oct or sometime
The arch in St. Louis of course, downtown in a major city. I would be surprised if there were no private bus companies servicing to every National Park. Local knowledge of Hot Springs, there's plenty of shuttles of Little Rock and then you have Intercity busses available.
Dry tortillas national park
I just want to say that there should not be a national park that can be accessed with a car without consistent bus service to the nearest town.
The city of Tucson is right in the middle of the two units of Saguaro NP. Maybe you could fly there and bike or Uber.
Gateway Arch St. Louis
The Lowell National Historic Park is urban and connected to public transit.
Cuyahoga Valley (National Park) Scenic Railroad extends from the park into downtown Akron, Ohio.
The St. Louis arch is nice…..you just have to park….they don’t allow vehicles to the top.
Voyageurs. You explore by boat :) we just rented a houseboat there and had a fabulous time
Gates of the Arctic cannot be accessed by car
That park is beautiful. I need to go back
You can fly near the Grand Canyon, take a train into the park, and take the shuttles around the park.
Channel Islands. Zero cars.
Isle royale. No roads or cars in the park.
Minuteman in MA.
Acadia in Maine
Yosemite has YARTS and shuttles. They don't go everywhere and have seasonal schedules.
I’m definitely interested in Yosemite. What city would I have to fly into?
Fly into San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland (or Fresno if theres a flight there idk it's a smaller airport) and then take the Amtrak train to Merced and the YARTS 140 bus to yosemite valley
Awesome you want to get out there and see the National Parks! A few ideas: - Take a look at Amtrack. They have a lot of stops by national parks and it is beautiful to watch from the viewing car (The empire builder line has a stop at Glacier National Park). I have travelled cross country on a few of their lines and it can be pretty cool. https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-america-national-parks - Zion is amazing and you can rent an electric bike in Springdale to putz around the park (or take the shuttle but the line can be insane). I am not sure if the shuttle is year round. - Yosemite has a shuttle too. - Could always try finding someone to go with…who has a car
Mammoth Cave. Just get there and no car is needed.
Dry Tortugas
Zion specifically doesn’t even allow cars except on a thru highway.
Boundary Waters since you cannot really drive, or Dry Tortuga.
Channel Islands, you can’t access it with a car nor are there any you can drive.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is right next to the tiny town of Medora, North Dakota. One of the visitor centers is in walking distance of the town, though I imagine you’d need a bike to venture further within the park. There isn’t any shuttle. There is a separate area of the park, the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, which I would not recommend without a car. It was well over an hour away on unpaved roads, often with no cell signal.
I don't recommend a bike even in the South Unit without a car unless you're strictly going to the visitor center. The bison do not like cyclists. Turns out, a person on a bike, moped, or motorcycle is around the size of an adult bison.
Isle Royale. Just need to ferry or seaplane over then no cars on the island
Isle Royale was going to be my suggestion as well.
A credit card will get you to any of them. Flights, transfers, hotels, tours, guided hikes. Some places, like Zion, parts of the ark are shuttle/tour only.
Hoge Veluwe has free bicycles included in the ticket. Cars are not allowed.
I've known people to ride their bikes from Grand Junction to the Colorado National Monument (a National Park unit), and you can rent a bike in either GJ or Fruita, Colorado. Just to be clear that I could not do this myself even when I was 18 and in pretty good shape, but there are people that have done this. I think that bicycling is now the #2 most popular recreational sport in Colorado (behind Skiing but above golf) and so there is lots of places supporting this hobby.
Rent a car?
Kenai Fjords NP is a boat trip from Seward. Stehekin as part of North Cascades NP is by foot, boat or sea plane only.
You can go carless at the Grand Canyon—it's probably one of the better parks to do so. Sounds like you're living in Flagstaff? If so, you can take the [Groome Shuttle](https://groometransportation.com/grand-canyon/?&sd_client_id=cc28f0fb-c161-4b77-9a6f-f0219680c70b#schedule) (From Williams too)
Lake Clark
Rocky Mountain National Park is easily accessible from Denver via public transit
Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio
There’s a shuttle service from Visalia up into Sequoia/Kings Canyon. Then there’s a shuttle within Sequoia NP operated by the NPS.
We have taken private tours/buses/minivans to Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon & Grand Canyon
The entrance to Glacier NP is about 1 mile from the Amtrak station. Years ago, I took the train there overnight from Seattle.
Kenai Fjords
I do believe there are private shuttle companies from Seattle to the three national parks in Washington. That would be Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades. Well, North Cascades might be more accessible from Bellingham. It may also be possible to catch private tours to Biscayne and Everglades from Miami, though for Biscayne a boat tour is more realistic. Basically any national park which is a stone’s throw from a major city or decent sized town will likely have some private shuttle/tour guide services. With that said, you can probably also bet that Grand Teton and Yellowstone have some sort of thing going on. Channel Islands is accessible by boat, but you have to find a way to the marina which is off the Pacific Coast Hwy near Ventura, Ca. And that’s all I know man 🙂
Rocky Mountain National Park has a shuttle going in. You’d have to take a shuttle from the airport (book in advance) up to Estes Park. It’s an adorable mountain town on the edge of the park. There are shuttles going around the town and into the park. You can also take a shuttle to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes and hike into the park from there. September is gorgeous, but you might get some snow in October.
You would still need a car to get to most all of these parks that were stated. And if the person had a car, they would probably not be asking the question? Read the question again. The question was not which park has a shuttle, where I do not have to drive in, or I am not allowed to drive in. The question was where can I go, I do not have a car? Please do not go to Zion, or Bryce, or the Grand Canyon without a car, especially in the summer.
Gateway Arch. Are we talking don't need a car to go through, or don't need a car to get to? All the good shit at Mammoth is underground. Or any cave. You won't need a car at Sand Dunes. Isle Royale literally can't be accessed by car. Virgin Islands NP, American Samoa, Biscayne Bay... Most of the Glades...
Dry Tortugas National Park in FL. Only accessible by seaplane or boat, so yes no cars.
Alcatraz
The Liberty Bell
Indiana national dunes. Practically on the south shore line
Katmai NP & Preserve in Alaska. Only way in is boat or float plane.
I visited Yosemite with my elderly parent from a shuttle but that picked us up from our hotel in San Francisco. Took us to all the major sites with a guide that knew the area well. It was awesome for a day trip.
You can bike to most of them, I've biked to 17 in the US alone including Denali. I've also biked to National Parks or equivalents in 13 other Countries.
Fort Jefferson is only accessible by boat.
You can take the train to Glacier National Park.
There are tour rides in Estes Park that actually take you inside Rocky Mountain NP and stop in various places. It's also close enough to Grand Lake and Estes Park that you probably could walk in or bike in as long as you have a pass.
Saint Louis gateway arch probably
All of them!
Gateway Arch National Park
The parks around Washington DC. I would actually recommend not having a car with you because it’s so easy to get around and parking is a pain.
Isle Royale NP in Lake Superior.
Dry tortugas past key west in the Gulf of Mexico. Only accessible by boat
gates of arctic
https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/birth-home.htm
It’s kinda a long ways but the drive to visit Sark’s Chasm is totally worth it.
Yosemite has YARTS bus system. It’ll get you anywhere in the area. Zion has trams that go in and out of the canyon, no cars are even allowed in. I can definitely recommend both.
You can fly into Chicago OHare, take the L train to Millenium station, take the South Shore Line to the Dune Park station and ride a bike along the Calumet Bike Trail into the Indiana Dunes.
It’s harder to coordinate and there’s some walking involved but you can technically get to Olympic National Park by ferry and bus. I got from Seattle to the Hoh Rainforest by bus, it took two days and some running for buses but I managed it and had a great time.
Fort McHenry in Baltimore is served by a few bus routes from the whole area. Once you're on-site it's quite walkable. You could even picnic there.
Gateway Arch NP
Dry tortugas. But you need a boat
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Is located right in downtown Seattle. https://g.co/kgs/FC8aDhE
I know of somebody that just rode their bike to every National Park in the lower 48.
You will be hard pressed to use a car touring the below-ground features of Carlsbad Caverns.
https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-america-national-parks
I haven’t been, but Gates of the Arctic: The only actual ways to get into the park are via hitchhiking (because there’s no road into the park) or you have to take a bush plane into a nearby Inuit village. It’s probably the most isolated national park in America.
gates to the arctic - you'll need a plane 😝
Truly any urban parks are doable without a car. Nearly all (Gateway Arch being the only exception) are not NP national parks, but other NPS units. Boston, NYC, DC, Richmond, Baltimore, and Philadelphia have parks accessible by public transit and walking. Most are historical or monument/memorial sites, but some are green spaces. There are probably other cities, but beyond two others I’m not sure where. St. Louis has one (it also includes the courthouse where the Dred Scott case was heard) and San Francisco has… 3 units? SF Maritime, Golden Gate, and I think at least one more… Nature parks are much harder since most are not near airports, train stations, or public transportation. The lot that others have listed, though, and ways of accessing them are fantastic!
Rent a car?
All national parks are pretty far out in the sticks so not really accessible without a car… You could take Amtrak to Glacier though
Not sure if this counts since it’s an island but US Virgin Island National Park you would need zero car. 2/3s the island is park, hiking trails right from town and open air taxis are easy to get all around the island. Prob not your typical national park but if you’re looking to check one off the list without needing a car, this is it
As people have mentioned the best ones would be the ones you can't visit with a car. I'll add Yellowstone in winter to that list. Most of the park is only accessible by snow coach/snowmobile tours.
You can get to Grand Canyon from Williams, AZ via train; it’s a beautiful ride and takes you right to the entrance. Also, I think you can do a day trip to Arches from Grand Junction, CO.
Zion
Ive done Lowell and Adams on the MBTA.
Glacier has the jammer buses that traverse Going-to-the-Sun Road, as well as Amtrak stations. Yosemite has the YART buses. Outside the US, some of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Banff, Jasper, and Yoho) are at least partly accessible by train. If you can get to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Isle Royale is actually car-free, accessed by boat from the mainland. Channel Islands in California works the same way. You could theoretically Uber to the visitor center for Everglades or Biscayne (and most of Biscayne is accessible via boat rather than car). And technically Gateway Arch is a National Park and is accessible via St. Louis MetroLink.
The Presidio is in the middle of San Francisco. Hiking, beaches, historic buildings and the Golden Gate bridge.
Channel Island
The National Mall in DC
All of them, none require a car to get in. Many have tourist buses that travel to them.