Kyle Nossaman

Near the border of West Texas and New Mexico, the Guadalupe Mountains host Texas’ four tallest peaks. We ascended a surprisingly challenging 3,000 feet to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, to peer into Mexico and soak in the desert views.

A recent trip to Channel Islands National Park proved that its little-known islands off the coast of Los Angeles are full of rugged adventures and surprises. Spoiler alert: There are adorable native island foxes everywhere.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the lesser-known parks. There’s a lot to love about this northern California gem, which is chock-full of volcanoes, alpine lakes, waterfalls, meadows, and geothermal features. On our recent visit, we felt like we had an epic, unique playground to ourselves.

Capitol Reef National Park is Utah’s least-visited National Park. That’s preposterous, but we’re not complaining. It’s an oasis with untouched beauty and few crowds.

Named after a 2,200-foot-deep canyon aggressively dug by the Gunnison River, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park quickly earned our respect as one of the most scenic and raw places we’ve ever been.

A GearJunkie editor and his wife recently began a yearlong national park road trip in their school bus-RV conversion. Check out their plans and follow along on their adventures.

With only a handful of designated trails, Badlands National Park is best explored off trail. We spent three full days in the park, exploring its labyrinth of rugged badland formations.

In the Badlands of North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is an unexpectedly epic hub for adventure enthusiasts. We spent a week in the park and came back with a jam-packed trip report.