The Best US National Parks To Visit If You Love Winter Sports

Americans and visitors to the U.S. who enjoy spending time outdoors are fortunate that the National Park Service operates 433 national park sites, which collectively cover over 85 million acres and afford an array of outdoor recreational activities. Although many people envision spending their summers swimming, fishing, hiking, or camping in national parks, far fewer give much thought to enjoying their favorite winter sports in these same parks. Believe it or not, a number of U.S. national parks and park sites offer amazing opportunities to experience a vast variety of winter sports.

Some activities, like camping in wintertime, are available in all but a handful of national parks which have to be partly or fully closed due to extreme weather conditions. Additionally, various parks around the country give the opportunity to enjoy winter sports such as downhill skiing, ice skating, ice climbing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. In addition to these winter activities, a number of these locales are among the best national parks for viewing wildlife.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular winter sports in the U.S. Each year, around 22 million Americans hit the slopes on either skis or boards (and if you've never been, here is our handy guide on how to choose the best snowboard for yourself). Given the popularity of these sports, it's no surprise that a half dozen of national parks offer downhill skiing and snowboarding.

Three of those national parks offer full downhill skiing and snowboarding operations. Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio offers downhill skiing via the Brandywine Ski Resort and Boston Mills Ski Resort. Hurricane Ridge Ski, Tubing, and Snowboard Area in Washington's Olympic National Park is one of the other three national parks that still operate ski lift operations. In California, Yosemite National Park's Badger Pass Ski Area is the third park with full downhill skiing and snowboard operations within the national park system.

In addition to these three full service ski and snowboard facilities, the National Park Service lists Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park as NPS managed locations with downhill skiing available. However, it is important to note that these are not full service facilities like the other three and the runs in these parks are not maintained.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding are hardly the only winter sports available at these national parks, so it's a good idea to pack your snow goggles whenever you visit one of dozens of park sites during the winter months. Several park sites list ice fishing among their activities. Cross country skiing is available at more than three dozen sites — essentially any park that receives adequate snowfall. Ditto for snowshoeing, where backcountry adventurers can attack the snow-covered trails wearing gear such as the Retrospec Drifter all-terrain snowshoes.

Dog sledding is available in three national parks located in Alaska — Denali, Kenai Fjords, and Yukon. Each of these parks has miles of mushing routes and trails. For those looking for a more mechanized method of exploring the backcountry, snowmobiling is offered at more than a dozen parks, including Crater Lake, Denali, Mount Rainier, Voyageurs, Yellowstone, and Yukon. Those who enjoy extreme sports in national parks can give ice climbing a try at Grand Teton, Joshua Tree, Kenai Fjords, and Pictured Rocks national parks.

Additionally, anyone wanting to enjoy the classic winter sport of ice skating in a natural outdoor setting as opposed to an ice rink or mall can lace up their skates at a trio of national parks. Acadia National Park, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, and Yosemite National Park each have designated ice skating areas. Do keep in mind, while national park passes will gain access to these parks, some of the winter activities offered require an additional permit or fee.