Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
With 63 National Parks spread across the entire United States with thousands of hiking trails and more than 85 million acres to explore, planning a trip to a National Park can feel overwhelming. Over the years, we’ve narrowed down our favorite National Park guide books and online resources to help us plan our road trip.
We love using online resources and books to start the planning, but it’s also great to have a book with us during our trip to the National Park. Lonely Planet recently released a new series of National Park books and we are so excited to take them with us this summer on our next National Parks Road Trip to the Pacific Northwest.
We will be visiting the Northern Cascades, Mount Rainier, and Glacier and after looking through the this book we’re are getting more excited about the trip. Click here to see the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest’s National Parks book we’re using to help plan our trip.
This post was sponsored by Lonely Planet but the opinions here are our own. We truly love Lonely Planet Books!
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Overview of the Lonely Planet National Park Guide Books
Lonely Planet has recently released a series of National Park Guide books for the US National Parks completely updated with the newest information. Instead of all the parks in one massive book, you will find 5 paperback guide books that cover the different parks regionally. Each book is colorful, practically laid out, and like the other Lonely Planet books we’ve loved in the past, they offer inspiration and an approach to travel that fits with our family’s adventure style.
Each book is full of pictures of the parks as well as a simple map of each National Park. The intro section offers general planning information about which parks to see wildlife, which are best with kids, and which park to visit during each month of the year. You can also find simple and practical information on getting to the parks, getting around the parks, costs, and how far in advance to plan.
Click on the images below to see more about the books and to purchase the books online:
What we Love About the Lonely Planet National Park Guide Books
We’ve used many guide books over the year and have come to love some very specific elements. Below you can see some of our favorite things about these National Park Guide Books.
Photos
We love simple and practical text, but gorgeous photos really help us decide where to visit and what we hope to see in each park. Since we travel together as a family, and we love to get our teens involved in the trip planning process (see how we plan a trip) and beautiful photos are much more engaging. All 5 of these National Park guide books have photos throughout the book to inspire your next adventure.
Maps
I love a good map and these books have clear and uncluttered maps to make it easy to plan. Many National Parks are massive and you will need to decide which part of the park to visit. Each park in the book has a minimum of 1 map and often have several additional maps with hiking trails and suggestions.
Book Size
Our last National Parks book had every National Park in the country and was impractical to lug around on our trips. By breaking the parks up into 5 regions in 5 different books, these books go more in-depth with each park and you only need to bring a smaller book with you on your trip. This is ideal if you will be visiting several National Parks on a road trip.
Planning Pages
One thing I didn’t expect in these books is the helpful planning pages at the beginning of each book. These pages don’t just give practical information but also highlight the best National Parks in the Region and when to visit them. You can find suggestions on the best family friendly parks, the best for viewing wildlife, and adventure activities.
Extra Downloads
Each book includes a code to a free digital download. This download offers 5 additional sections online including guides to Alaska and the best US Road trips. Since we are planning to visit the Pacific Northwest, we’re excited to read up on the 32 best road trips in this area is the bonus section.
What you Won’t Find in the Lonely Planet National Park Guide Books
While we truly love these books and are excited to bring them with us this summer, not every book can do it all. If you are planning to visit one single National Park and want detailed information on every hiking trail, you may prefer to get a specific National Parks book for that park (Lonely Planet also offers a series of books about each park). A single National Park book won’t help with planning a road trip, or deciding which park to visit, but is a good resource when visiting a specific park.
You can also stop at the visitor center in each national park for more detailed descriptions of each hike in the park.
In Conclusion
If you are planning a National Park road trip, these Lonely Planet National Park Guidebooks are for you with practical information and inspiring photos.
You may also like:
- The Ultimate Guide to Planning a National Parks Trip
- The 10 Best US National Parks for Teens
- Guide to Visiting National Parks
